Practice Makes Perfect?

Think so?  Only if you practice perfection.  Practice makes HABIT!  If you practice the wrong technique, it will become a habit.  Trust me, habits are hard to break.  I wracked the slide for years by grasping between my thumb and index finger.  It was really hard to learn to cup over the top.  I do it now, but…unlearning the wrong way to replace with the right way?  Very hard!

It is believed that it takes 1,000 repetitions of an action to make a habit.  But it takes twice that to break a habit.  That means 3,000 repetitions to break an old habit and replace it with a new one.  That sounds like a lot of work to me.  I’m lazy, I’d rather learn it right the first time!  

Next time you are practicing, anything, ask yourself if you are doing it the right way?  One reason this is so important with shooting is in an emergency you will react as you have practiced.  If you practice catching your magazine and putting it down before grabbing a fresh one to reload, what do you think you will do if your life is in danger?  I’ve heard people say “I would never do that in a real situation”.  Sadly, many studies found Police Officers dead after a confrontation, with brass in their pockets.  Why?  When they went to the range, they would shoot (revolvers), catch the brass and put it in their pockets so they wouldn’t have to pick it up later, and then reload.  What happened in a real situation?  They did exactly what they practiced.

Do you catch your magazines when they are empty or do you let them fall.  They’re expensive, what if it breaks?  Think about it, if it breaks from a drop, did you really want to trust your safety to it?

Do you use the slide lock to release your slide?  Yep, that little button is a Slide LOCK or Slide STOP, not a slide release.  Why can that be a problem?  One, your slide may not come forward properly, resulting in a failure to go into battery, the round may not feed correctly…and…that little piece of metal can break over time if used for other that its intended purpose.  Plus, fine motor skills versus gross motor skills.  Maneuvering tiny objects is a fine motor skill.  What do you think is the first to go in a high stress situation?

Do you go to the range, practice a fast draw, fire three shots and re-holster?  Ok, what is wrong with that you may be wondering?  Step 1, fast draw…think SMOOTH draw.  Fast is slow, smooth is fast, minimize your movements.  Step 2, fire three shots, maybe ok, as long as you are on target and it is safe to do so.  Step 3, re-holster.  When should you re-holster?  When you are sure the threat is over.  Come to a low ready, assess, then decide if it is safe to re-holster.  There are no points for putting your gun back in the holster fast, look it into the holster.  Practice at the range, draw, fire, reassess, maybe take a couple more shots, reassess, re-holster.  Next round, draw, aim and don’t fire, maybe your target is running away.  Next, draw, fire, reassess, fire, scan left and right, then over each shoulder, all from a low ready keeping your gun pointed squarely down range.  Think about possible scenarios and practice the way you would use them in real life.  Make the habit to draw while assessing, fire if appropriate, reassess…

Safe Shooting!