Quality Practice – Structure and Guidelines Powered by Dillon Precision

Quality Practice – Structure and Guidelines Powered by Dillon Precision

Quality Practice – Structure and Guidelines

By Christian Sailer, 2022 IPSC World Champion, Dillon Precision’s Sponsored Shooter

 

 

The only way to improve your shooting ability is to practice. How fast you improve is directly correlated with the quality of your practice. We have all fallen victim to going to the range without a plan, shooting a bunch of rounds and not learning or improving. Let’s discuss how we can ensure that each practice is a quality practice that takes steps forward rather than back in our shooting progression.

Where we’re at in the season dictates the focus of each practice session, but the core outline stays the same. Each of my practice sessions are comprised of a dryfire warm up, cold start, fundamentals check, and then 1-3 drills or scenarios. Let’s break it down.

The dryfire warm up is essential to every practice session. You never see baseball or basketball players skipping a warm up, so why should you? IPSC is a dynamic sport requiring athletic performance on demand, and you should treat your body and practice like a high-level athlete. This dryfire warm up should be structured and done before matches, home dryfire sessions, and the dryfire warm up before practice. I always start mine with light dynamic stretching. A few of the exercises include squats, arm circles, hip circles, plank walk outs, lunge torso twists, and hugs into chest expansion. Now that the body is ready to start training, I work into my shortened dryfire routine. This starts with building the grip without a draw from the holster and slapping the trigger to the rear. This checks that the grip I have will keep the sights aligned in the center of the target with the grip pressure I’m applying throughout an aggressive trigger pull. I then work this into my draw, ensuring I build up a grip conducive to shooting points at a high rate of speed from the holster. Grip is essential to this game and will build confidence as you improve it.

Next, I work on target transitions, getting the eyes warmed up to picking a spot in the center of each target and waiting until the red dot or iron sights meet what I’m looking at. I usually have an array of targets up, but while warming up at a safety table, I pick out spots on the wall or flowers/shrubs in the berm. Keep working draws, target transitions, trigger pulls and other gun handling skills until you feel confident and have a good feel for your vision and manipulation. This isn’t the time to go for your fastest reload, just focus on the process, and let your subconscious training take over.

Now it is time to load your gun up with live rounds! I have complete confidence in my ammunition, as I personally load it all on my Dillon Precision Reloader. But wait, don’t just jump right into the drills you’ve planned, let’s take advantage of the “cold start.” Many people are nervous about their first or “cold” stage, as in not hot or warmed up yet from shooting rounds. This is like the first stage we face in competitions, and let’s treat it as such. Whatever drill you’re shooting that day, plan a little run on it, maybe multiple positions, visualize and walk the stage like a match and shoot it as such. This is a great evaluation of where your skills are at on demand and can help shape your next practice session if it exposes any weaknesses.

After the cold start, evaluate how it felt. Was my grip feeling good out of the holster? Were my eyes picking up the center of each target? Was I shooting subconsciously, and did I shoot the plan?  Where did I think my shots went, and more importantly, where did they actually go? Use this as data for a future training session.

Now we have completed our dryfire warm up and cold start. Depending on where we’re at in the season, I’ll do a short fundamentals check. Shooting a few pairs at different distances assures I am shooting at sights pace and my grip is producing a linear sight path. On a day that focuses on movement, using poor fundamentals could reinforce bad habits. This is the reason behind a fundamentals check. Shooting a few magazines to make sure everything is locked in is worth it. It’s now time for the meat of my practice session.

As a match approaches, I will simulate mini stages and practice executing on demand. Each run I’ll pick and memorize a different sequence to shoot. Outside of simulated scenarios before a big match, I primarily focus on single- and multiple-target engagements along with movement. I’ll pick a few various drills or short courses that focus on a particular skill to improve upon. For single-target engagements, I’ll pick drills that focus on grip/stance, trigger control, or vision, focusing on this heavily early in the season’s progression. Multiple-target engagements focus on engaging arrays with accuracy and efficiency. Changing the distance and difficulty of targets and snapping from the center of each use what I learned on single-target engagements to hit the center. For movement, I focus on how to enter and exit positions and cover the distance in between. I’ll use cones or barricades to simulate positions. This is also a good time to practice shooting on the move. That’s a basic outline of some of the “meat” of a practice session and days could be spent talking about drills and skills for this, but there are many qualified instructors, series of books, and online series that provide greater detail.

After completing the main portion of my training, I’ll always end with right- and left-hand only (strong- and weak-hand) training. I leave 3–4 magazines to dedicate for this training at the end of my practice. Since we shoot 99.99 percent of our shots with both hands, we often neglect training our single-hand shots. Baking this into each practice ensures this skill receives attention and can help separate oneself in the match. I suggest keeping a journal to recap the training session, what was worked on, how many rounds were shot on what gun, and notes for the next practice session. Last, but not least, I’ll sweep and pick up my brass to clean and get loaded on my Dillon Precision RL1100. During this time, I think about my upcoming matches and goals for the year.

Now that we’ve covered the overall structure, it’s important to discuss some guidelines and advice for your training. Practice things harder than what you’ll see in a match. Practice what you failed on in your last match. Practice what scares you and shakes your confidence. Shooting at 10 yards and hosing rounds across the range may feel great, but doesn’t help you get better. Constantly pushing your boundaries and working outside your comfort zone is essential for growth. You should prepare for everything you’ll encounter in a match. Practice small steel at distance, prone position, unloaded starts, and you’ll find an edge.

Each practice must have a purpose, and you must come with a plan. Practice sessions that lack a plan often turn into 10-yard hosing practice, which will stunt your growth. Similarly, every round fired in your practice must have a purpose. After shooting them, you must assess how it felt and what you called (meaning where were the sights on the target when the bullet left the barrel and the sights lifted). Before a training session, make sure to come prepared. Make sure your gear is cleaned and magazines are loaded. I preload all my magazines before I arrive to maximize my time on the range and focus on the training. I keep of list of accessories and gear to bring to make sure I have everything. Leaving a stapler or target stands at home always makes for a tough practice session.

Video analysis has been helpful for my development. If you train with a partner, have them record runs. If you’re shooting solo, a tripod works great. Finding a good training partner (or partners) is great to help keep you accountable, develop range comradery, and share ideas. I’ve been very lucky to train with a group of great people and a few GMs starting out, and now I primarily shoot solo or with a good LE friend of mine. We balance catching up and overall camaraderie, while still pushing each other and getting great training.

Training is fun and exciting, but it’s also a grind and won’t always be fun when you’re trying to improve. Failing and making mistakes will happen, but if you aren’t, you aren’t pushing hard enough. Set goals and create an action plan to reach them. Nothing is better than reaching your shooting goals through dedicated practices and looking back with a smile at your progress. The entire crew at Dillon Precision and I would like to wish you the best in your upcoming training and matches. Make it happen and see you on the range!

KAHLES launches the K18i-2: The Match Winner!

KAHLES launches the K18i-2: The Match Winner!

KAHLES K18i-2: THE MATCH WINNER – WITH 50-m FIELD OF VIEW

News from our major partner @kahles.sportshooting. A new KAHLES K18i-2 will be launched. With an unparalleled 50-m field of view the K18i-2 sets a new standard for IPSC matches. With 8x zoom, true 1.0x magnification and an extra-bright illuminated reticle with the unique MAX LIGHT function, it is optimized for competition in every detail. For more details check at www.kahles.at

IPSC and BENELLI enter into major partnership in the field of ‘IPSC Shotgun’

IPSC and BENELLI enter into major partnership in the field of ‘IPSC Shotgun’

IPSC AND BENELLI ENTER INTO PARTNERSHIP

by IPSCWorld | 7.11.2022| News and Announcements

IPSC and BENELLI enter into major partnership in the field of ‘IPSC Shotgun’

IPSC is pleased to announce the cooperation with the BENELLI as an Official Major Partner in the field of ‘IPSC Shotgun’. The common goal is to promote sport shooting disciplines of IPSC and to contribute to the further expansion of the IPSC community, of currently more than 200,000 members worldwide.

BENELLI has been actively involved in the development of IPSC sport for many years, creating advanced shotguns and are actively involved in sponsoring or organizing competitions and supporting the best IPSC Athletes. A closer partnership will make it even better to listen to the wishes of our  shooting sports community for the benefit and the development of the IPSC Practical Shooting Sport. IPSC is a technical sport. The success of the athletes depends on the quality of the equipment used. With companies like BENELLI producing equipment for IPSC athletes they are also developing IPSC sports. Therefore, IPSC attaches the highest importance to this partnership with BENELLI, that producing and supplying sports shotguns to our  athletes. Only in such close cooperation are victories possible and the best products developed.

A perfect example of this is the new Semiautomatic and Pump shotguns M2 Speed, M2 SP and Nova Speed, which were developed with the feedback of top IPSC athletes. IPSC and BENELLI are looking forward to this partnership which will help benefit shooting
sports and IPSC athletes.

For more information, please follow the links: https://benelli.it/ and www.ipsc.org

IPSC and SHIELD SIGHTS Major Partnership in 2021

IPSC and SHIELD SIGHTS Major Partnership in 2021

IPSC and SHIELD SIGHTS Major Partnership in 2021

We are pleased to announce that the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) and SHIELD SIGHTS (UK) will continue their successful partnership in 2021 and work together in achieving their common goal of supporting IPSC athletes and promoting the sport.

“Our sport is very technical and the success attained by athletes depends on the quality of their equipment. In much the same way as we, as IPSC Representatives, are contributing to the development of the sport, companies that produce the equipment are also helping in fueling its ongoing progress. I‘m glad that we’ve teamed up with our Major Partner SHIELD SIGHTS once again to confirm our good intentions in helping do what‘s best for the IPSC sports community” said Vitaly Kryuchin, IPSC President.

In 2020, IPSC and SHIELD SIGHTS entered into a partnership in the “IPSC Handgun Red Dot Sight“ field.

“We are proud to support IPSC and play our role in helping to raise awareness for our incredibly dynamic and exciting sport. Thanks to my Father Jeremy White we have been extremely close with IPSC since the beginning, whether via competing, being instrumental in the sports growth or offering advantageous products that help to hone the competitors abilities and we plan to remain part of the family for years to come” said James White, Shield Sights Managing Director.

SHIELD SIGHTS manufactures high performance red dot sights. Based on in-depth knowledge, accumulated through 40 years

in the industry, SHIELD SIGHTS are continually seeking to develop innovative products that will enable their customers to hit any chosen target early.

The common goal is to promote IPSC sport shooting disciplines and contribute to further expansion of the IPSC community, which currently has more than 200,000 members around the world, by providing the best products to IPSC athletes.

ESPAÑOL

Asociación importante de IPSC y SHIELD SIGHTS continua en 2021

Nos complace anunciar que la Confederación Internacional de Tiro Práctico (IPSC) y SHIELD SIGHTS (Reino Unido) continuarán su exitosa asociación en 2021 y trabajarán juntos para lograr su objetivo común de apoyar a los atletas de IPSC y promover el deporte.

“Nuestro deporte es muy técnico y el éxito alcanzado por los atletas depende de la calidad de su equipamiento. De la misma manera que nosotros, como representantes de IPSC, estamos contribuyendo al desarrollo del deporte, las empresas que producen el equipo también están contribuyendo a impulsar su progreso continuo. Me alegro de que nos hayamos asociado con nuestro socio principal SHIELD SIGHTS una vez más para confirmar nuestras buenas intenciones de ayudar a hacer lo mejor para la comunidad deportiva de IPSC “, dijo Vitaly Kryuchin, Presidente de IPSC.

En 2020, IPSC y SHIELD SIGHTS se asociaron para desarrolar el “IPSC Handgun Red Dot Sight”.

“Estamos orgullosos de apoyar a IPSC y desempeñar nuestro papel para ayudar a crear conciencia sobre nuestro deporte increíblemente dinámico y emocionante. Gracias a mi padre Jeremy White, hemos estado muy cerca de IPSC desde el principio, ya sea compitiendo, siendo fundamentales en el crecimiento deportivo u ofreciendo productos ventajosos que ayuden a perfeccionar las habilidades de los competidores y planeamos seguir siendo parte de la familia durante años para ven ”, dijo James White, Director Gerente de Shield Sights.

SHIELD SIGHTS fabrica miras de punto rojo de alto rendimiento. Basado en un conocimiento profundo, acumulado durante 40 años

En la industria, SHIELD SIGHTS busca continuamente desarrollar productos innovadores que permitan a sus clientes alcanzar cualquier objetivo elegido de manera temprana.

El objetivo común es promover las disciplinas de tiro deportivo IPSC y contribuir a una mayor expansión de la comunidad IPSC, que actualmente cuenta con más de 200.000 miembros en todo el mundo, proporcionando los mejores productos a los atletas IPSC.

CZ and IPSC continue Global Partnership in 2021

CZ and IPSC continue Global Partnership in 2021

Spanish version is below.

CZ and IPSC continue Global Partnership in 2021

We are pleased to announce that the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) and Ceska zbrojovka a.s. (CZ) will continue their successful global partnership in 2021 and work together in achieving their common goal of supporting IPSC athletes and promoting the sport. 

 

CZ has supported dynamic IPSC sport shooting disciplines for many years. In 2020, IPSC and CZ entered into a global partnership in the “IPSC Handgun“ field. It is also a partner in the IPSC Handgun World Shoot XIX in Thailand, which is the most important competition of the season.

“We are convinced that this mutual partnership will benefit both parties, reach new IPSC members and contribute to the popularization of this exceptional sport. The IPSC teaches discipline, reinforces the sporting spirit and promotes self-control. It helps develop awareness, strength, confidence and speed. We are very happy to participate in the development of all competitors devoted to the foundations and principles of this rapidly growing sport.” said Jakub SondelCMO at CZ.

“Our sport is very technical and the success attained by athletes depends on the quality of their equipment. In much the same way as we, as IPSC Representatives, are contributing to the development of the sport, companies that produce the equipment are also helping to fuel its ongoing progress. The Global Partnership with CZ helps bring the best products to market and allows our athletes to achieve better results. I‘m glad that we’ve teamed up with our Global Partner once again to confirm our good intentions in helping do what‘s best for the IPSC sports community,” said Vitaly KryuchinIPSC President.

Our common goal with this partnership is to promote IPSC sport shooting disciplines and contribute to further expansion of the IPSC community. Among our many contributions in this area is provision of the best sports specials from the CZ range, which are regularly utilized by top place finishers in IPSC events.

 

ESPAÑOL

CZ e IPSC continúan su asociación global en 2021

 

Nos complace anunciar que la Confederación Internacional de Tiro Práctico (IPSC) y Ceska zbrojovka a.s. (CZ) continuará su exitosa asociación global en 2021 y trabajarán juntos para lograr su objetivo común de apoyar a los atletas de IPSC y promover el deporte.

CZ ha apoyado disciplinas de tiro deportivo IPSC dinámicas durante muchos años. En 2020, IPSC y CZ entraron en una asociación global en el campo de IPSC Handgun. También es socio del IPSC Handgun World Shoot XIX en Tailandia, que es la competencia más importante de la temporada.

“Estamos convencidos de que esta asociación mutua beneficiará a ambas partes, llegará a nuevos miembros de IPSC y contribuirá a la popularización de este excepcional deporte. IPSC enseña disciplina, refuerza el espíritu deportivo y promueve el autocontrol. Ayuda a desarrollar la conciencia, la fuerza, la confianza y la velocidad. Estamos muy contentos de participar en el desarrollo de todos los competidores dedicados a los fundamentos y principios de este deporte en rápido crecimiento ”. dijo Jakub Sondel, CMO de CZ.

“Nuestro deporte es muy técnico y el éxito alcanzado por los atletas depende de la calidad de su equipamiento. De la misma manera que nosotros, como representantes de IPSC, estamos contribuyendo al desarrollo del deporte, las empresas que producen el equipo también están contribuyendo a impulsar su progreso continuo. La Asociación Global con CZ ayuda a llevar los mejores productos al mercado y permite a nuestros atletas lograr mejores resultados. Me alegro de que nos hayamos asociado con nuestro socio global una vez más para confirmar nuestras buenas intenciones de ayudar a hacer lo mejor para la comunidad deportiva de IPSC ”, dijo Vitaly Kryuchin, Presidente de IPSC.

Nuestro objetivo común con esta asociación es promover las disciplinas de tiro deportivo IPSC y contribuir a una mayor expansión de la comunidad IPSC. Entre nuestras muchas contribuciones en esta área se encuentra la provisión de las mejores especiales deportivas de la gama CZ, que son utilizadas regularmente por los primeros clasificados en eventos IPSC.

IPSC and KAHLES partnership continues for the second year

IPSC and KAHLES partnership continues for the second year

Spanish version is below.

IPSC and KAHLES partnership continues for the second year 

 

We are pleased to announce that the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) and KAHLES will continue the successful partnership in 2021 and further exploit the common goal to promote the sport shooting disciplines of the IPSC. 

“We at KAHLES are grateful for the professional co-operation and the opportunities this partnership provides to us. Despite the pandemic challenges we have been able to intensify our networking with the IPSC community, sharpening our understanding of the challenges of this sport and feed it to our product engineers.

Based on insights from some of the best IPSC athletes we have launched the KAHLES K 18i. The specially designed IPSC reticle or the MAXLIGHT function which offers the brightest illumination dot in the market can help to bring athletes to the next level. And there is more to come. 

In 2020 we have more than doubled the numbers of KAHLES riflescopes in the short action segment. We take this as a proof that the community values both, our efforts to enhance performance of our customers as well as the partnership with IPSC, for which we are very proud of.

We thank Vitaly Kryuchin, IPSC President, and his team for the friendship and professional co-operation and are looking forward to another successful year of partnership.” said Christian Hahn, Head of Product Management, KAHLES.

“Practical shooting is a technical sport and a lot depends on the equipment of the athlete. In IPSC we can use only high quality and reliable firearms and equipment. KAHLES, together with our top athletes, successfully created a new rifle scope that meets all the requirements of our sport. 

I am very glad that our cooperation and partnership have led to the best product for the athletes and increase in sales of our Major Partner last year and I hope it will grow in the future!” said Vitaly Kryuchin, IPSC President.

IPSC and KAHLES entered into a partnership for riflescopes in the field of ‘IPSC Rifle’ in 2020. 

The common goal is to promote the sport shooting disciplines of IPSC and to contribute to further expanding the IPSC community of today more than 200.000 members worldwide by providing the best product to the IPSC athletes.

[ESPAÑOL]

La sociedad entre IPSC y KAHLES continúa por segundo año

Nos complace anunciar que la Confederación Internacional de Tiro Práctico (IPSC) y KAHLES continuarán la exitosa asociación en 2021 y seguirán desarrollando el objetivo común de promover las disciplinas de tiro deportivo de la IPSC.

“En KAHLES estamos agradecidos por la cooperación profesional y las oportunidades que nos brinda esta asociación. A pesar de los desafíos de la pandemia, hemos podido intensificar nuestro trabajo en conjunto con la comunidad IPSC, agudizando nuestra comprensión de los desafíos de este deporte y transmitiéndolo a nuestros ingenieros de producto”.

Basándonos en los conocimientos de algunos de los mejores atletas de IPSC, hemos lanzado la mira KAHLES K 18i. La mira IPSC especialmente diseñada y la función MAXLIGHT que ofrece el punto de iluminación más brillante del mercado pueden ayudar a llevar a los atletas al siguiente nivel. Y hay más por venir!

En 2020, hemos duplicado con creces el número de visores KAHLES en el segmento de acción corta. Tomamos esto como una prueba de que la comunidad valora tanto nuestros esfuerzos para mejorar el desempeño de nuestros clientes como la asociación con IPSC, de la cual estamos muy orgullosos.

Agradecemos a Vitaly Kryuchin, presidente de IPSC, ya su equipo por la amistad y la cooperación profesional, y esperamos otro año exitoso de asociación ”. dijo Christian Hahn, director de gestión de productos de KAHLES.

“El tiro práctico es un deporte técnico y mucho depende del equipamiento del deportista. En IPSC solo podemos utilizar armas y equipos de alta calidad y confiables. KAHLES, junto con nuestros mejores atletas, creó con éxito una nueva mira telescópica que cumple con todos los requisitos de nuestro deporte.

¡Estoy muy contento de que nuestra cooperación y asociación hayan llevado al desarrollo de un mejor producto para los atletas y al aumento de las ventas de nuestro socio principal el año pasado y espero que crezca en el futuro! ” dijo Vitaly Kryuchin, presidente de IPSC.

IPSC y KAHLES se asociaron para desarrollar miras en el campo del “Rifle IPSC” en 2020.

El objetivo común es promover las disciplinas de tiro deportivo de IPSC y contribuir a expandir aún más la comunidad IPSC de hoy en día más de 200.000 miembros en todo el mundo, proporcionando el mejor producto a los atletas IPSC.