First Time Moving and Shooting

When I began shooting I didn’t take lessons, I simply took advice. A friend would show my a new grip or stance, and I would try them out and then adopt things that worked for me. (It’s interesting to go back and look at some of my early videos and notice techniques that previously “worked” for me.) Fortunately, I got really good advice and when I finally did get professional instruction, I was told, “Good fundamentals. Now let’s get faster.” (My instructor wasn’t much for praising students.) Unfortunately, almost all of my shooting for my first two years, was done indoors in a 3’ wide booth. When I was recently given the opportunity to make-my-own-range, my imagination ran wild with all the possibilities.

I made big plans for complicated moving and shooting set-ups, tactical magazine changes and even courses that required both pistol and rifle work, in the same drill! Well aren’t we the little overachiever.

video

What I didn’t realize, was that my “gift” of an archery range, would not be a nice smooth field with a berm at 50 yards, it was a sloped dirt crevasse that was surrounded by three natural and sharp inclines and lots of tall trees. I was prepared with target stands of my own and and lots of mosquito repellant, but there was no way to prepare for all the tree roots that were sticking way up out of the ground. So, not only was my “make-your-own-range” on an incline, it was attempting to trip me, with each step I took. To make matters worse I was on my own. No one to start the shot timer for me, or keep me on course so that I could keep my eyes on target as I moved. I guess it was more realistic this way, but it may have been too much of a challenge for my first time.

video

I imagine learning this particular skill is a lot like learning a dance routine, one must learn a small piece at a time and repeat each part until it is muscle memory. But what do you think? How did I do? What could I do better?