ENPS July 2009 Pistol Match...

Had our monthly match yesterday---five stages, with some pretty tricky movement and angles. Often, people had to choose to either shoot one-handed, or bend and torque themselves in a fairly extreme fashion to shoot the targets around walls and barricades.

Interesting stuff.



More commentary later.

Edited Later:

So, last time I said that I was going to focus on moving reloads, and keep track of how close to the edge (round-wise) I was running. For reloading:

In the first stage, they were all standing reloads. Not too slow, fairly smooth---but in each case, I brought the gun in (which is fine) and also lowered it (which isn't). I had been working on keeping the gun higher while reloading---apparently I need more work.

Second stage didn't have any reloads, but the third stage had several---including one at the end that I didn't need to make. I have no idea why I reloaded at the end between the two sides of the wall. In each case, the moving reloads weren't bad--but again, I'm lowering the gun, and when I do, I'm hunching my shoulders and altering my stance. That'll cause lost time due to lack of structure for the shooting stance, and for the movement. I think the start of the problem is that I look downward slightly when I reach downward for the reload (even though I'm not looking for a magazine), and I lower the gun in response.

The gun really needs to stay up high in the visual plane for moving reloads---not because the gun will be pointing at the next target (depending on my movement, that might not be safe) but because it means my body structure (posture and inclination) will therefore be upright and efficient. The second reload in the third stage, while low, isn't actually bad because the body is inclined forward for acceleration. However, the first reload (and possibly the third, though it is hard to tell due to the angle) cause me to probably lose time in movement.

On the fourth stage, the first reload is obviously low--and since it takes my eyes down, I end up moving into the wrong position. I'm not set for all the targets, so later I have to re-adjust, which burns time. The second reload isn't bad--doesn't seem to slow me down, gets done quickly and is finished early in the movement.

In the fifth stage, we see more of the same. Overall, I do think my moving reloads have improved---the reload is finished quicker, and my movement is less impaired by a slow reload. That being said, I need to keep the gun higher, and not hunch over as the reload is completed.

I've also noticed that even if I have to start my movement with a slower acceleration, the emphasis on finishing the reload quickly at the beginning of the movement (which is possible due to the increased concentration on the reload, as opposed to the acceleration) is overall causing better movement, as my attention is not divided. I'm not saying the reload should be done before the movement---but in this case, as the movement starts, the majority of the concentration is on the reload, as opposed to on the acceleration with the reload as an adjunct.

Seems to work better.

Continued focus needed on moving reloads, as improvement is still possible (and necessary). However, apparently current practice is having an effect. More emphasis on keeping the gun up during reloads needed.