Practice Makes Perfect

​Everyone knows practice makes perfect, right? Truly wise people understand that practice only makes permanent. If the techinque practiced is perfect, then practice is making perfect.

All good instructors stress that the training you are taking with them is only a beginning. Training must continue or the skills learned are lost.

The easiest and cheapest training is dry fire practice. It uses your own firearm, in your own environment such as home or office. It does not require ammunition or shooting range. All you need to do is ensure your firearm is unloaded and clear of ammunition. Then you can draw from concealed and get some practice with draw, present, grip, trigger squeeze, sight alignment and so on.

The challenge is are you doing it correct? Did you draw and present without crossing the muzzle over any part of your body or sweeping the area? When you drew did you establish a proper grip with an indexed trigger finger? When you were ready to fire Is your finger placed properly on the trigger. Did you squeeze or did you snap the trigger?

Who can answer these critical questions. I use critical since most of my instruction is centered on keeping my students alive when faced with a threat that intends great bodily harm or death. My dry fire scenario begins with a concealed firearm. The draw, present and fire (squeeze the trigger) is reacting to and stopping a threat; So, yes these skills are critical.

Unless you live with a proficient instructor. the answer to the question is the instructor you have engaged to watch. I am incapable of seeing all the nuances that need to be observed during that dry fire exercise. Only an outside observer can tell if your technique is correct. Sure, if you are doing live fire and can see the hist on target you have an indication that you can hit the target.

An instructor observing can see the draw and presentation. Your eyes should be on the threat. It doesn't take an extensive search to find videos of people shooting themselves while handling firearms. It happens. An observer can let you know if your draw is crossing your body.

An instructor observing your stance can let you know if you have a stable platform or are off balance. An observing instructor can help you refine grip and trigger discipline to tighten your grouping.

Training is an ongoing process. None of us are so proficient that we cannot benefit from another point of view. Police departments taught the Weaver stance for decades but abandoned it because of outside observation via security videos that showed the officers engaged in firefights were not using it.
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You don't have hire an instructor for every range visit. Hire one occasionally to sharpen your skills. Hire one more often if you have developed training scars from all that practice.