The result of the changes. The “length” has been reduced sub- stantially.
last number < 0.8mm. I really like to shoot live on SCATT, as well.
Elec-
then just leave it in the cor- ner for the rest of the year. I know what I was planning early on, but a few months in I no longer remember exactly what my plan was. Instead, I end up reacting more to the here and now. It becomes very easy to get lost at this point. Before long you wind up having spun your wheels for six months without really realizing it. Now, I look at my big yearly training plan every time I create my monthly plan. This helps me to keep moving forward instead of running around in circles. Having a training plan
helps to develop a goal for each training session.
This
is one of my important tips for practice. Don’t just go out there shooting a bunch of bullets down range. There are times when vol- ume may be important, how- ever, there should always be a goal in mind. Most of the time you should be working on something specifi c to improve your shooting. The focus should be on skills you
will need to perform your best during the match. A few examples would be things like wind reading, effi ciency, hold, position refi nement, and position consistency. Have a goal in mind to evalu- ate your improvement in the area you are working on. For example, if you are work- ing on position consistency, you might be doing “up and down” drills (shooting a few shots, getting out of posi- tion, and then returning to shoot again). A goal might be to perform 10 up and downs and shoot a 10 the fi rst shot back at least 8/10 times.
One of my favorite train-
ing tools is one of the elec- tronic computer trainers. There are a few different options available such as SCATT, Noptel and Rika. I’m most familiar with the SCATT system and use it extensive- ly in my training.
It allows
me to see exactly what ef- fect various changes to my position or gun have on my hold and ability to execute
quality shots. I use SCATT
a lot when working on hold and other position refi ne- ments. For those of you who are familiar with SCATT, I really focus on both the 10a0 and 10a5 numbers, along with the length and the number behind it. Both the 10a0 and 10a5 refer to size of one’s hold regardless of where it is on the target. The length can be related to how fast the hold is moving or how much the gun moves in the last second of aim- ing. Lastly, the little number behind the length refers to how far from the center of the hold the shot actually ended up. This can provide one with information about triggering ability. Ideally, the shot will be right in the center of the hold. However, if you are putting some external pressures on the gun during execution, it may stray quite a way from the actual hold. As an example, the numbers I’m striving for in air rifl e are 10a0 = 100%, 10a5 > 85%, Length < 13mm, and the
tronic targets have made this pretty easy as one can simply hang the frame in front of the target and shoot right through it. This way you get the feedback of shooting actual shots with recoil in- cluded. The newest SCATT devices do not even require a downrange component, making them even more convenient for use with live fi ring. I mentioned earlier your training should be focused on performance in the match. This means you should also include a num- ber of record days in your plan. Record days help you develop a routine for compe- tition. Once again, you have to practice the techniques involved in a performance. When it comes to match day, you must know how to shoot a good score rather than simply demonstrating great technique. Our sport involves gaining as many points as possible. There are no points available for just having a good hold. You have to learn how to trans- late it into a match situa- tion and a high score. To do this, you must devote time to practicing performing quality shots. There is a big differ- ence between that and sim- ply shooting a lot during a regular training day. One of the keys to this type of train-
July 2014 | USA Shooting News 59
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