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What I am working on and Colorado State!

I write this post as a record for myself and to share any training tips that may be helpful to others.  If you think it may help you give the tip a try.  As a baseline, I am a 200/200/20 shooter, that is 200 mls reaction time, 200 mls draw time and 20 mls flight time. For 2021, my best bracket time is a .420 which is consistent with 200/200/20 for a .420. The Draw:   I am trying to stand more upright and to draw closer to the holster.  Standing more upright moves the muzzle forward which helps with rule 17. I would like to get the cylinder just above the boot of the holster.  That would put the muzzle several inches in front of the lip.  What I am trying to do is make my draw more compact.  Less motion should be quicker.  I practice with a laser into a mirror at 8 feet.  I can see my draw.  If the laser hits me in the waist, it would be a hit in the light.  I am striving for a draw time of 180 milliseconds or less.  It is difficult to go from a dry fire draw to the competitive draw.  I
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Stressors

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Yesterday Shady and I had a pretty good training session. We did two Shady/Ruah speed runs (5/10/15). The first 10 matches between us were all within 2 milliseconds or less, all in the 3s. Pretty evenly matched gunslingers.  After the second speed run, because I have been neglecting my bucket work, I drew a 5 inches circle target areas on the targets and we shot16 rounds each. We both shot almost identical groups. The interesting thing is that on average I was 10 milliseconds slower when there was a target area drawn on the target. I was speed training, drawing the same, trying to go as fast as I could, but that target area drawn on the target was an additional stressor on me which slowed me down by 10 mls. We have always noted that as we move away from the target our times slow down far more than they should just based on the distance that we moved back.  From 5 feet to 10 feet the extra travel time for the bullet is only 1.5 milliseconds. Our times slow 10 to 15 times that a
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Tennis Anyone - Verdict is in!

I had a chance to watch the tennis semifinals between Federer and Shapavalov.  It was a match of the veteran champion against a young player.  From my observation each look to be about the same in skill, power, finesse and yet Federer won the match easily in two sets (best two out of three).  I don't think the young player lacked anything, he looked to be more powerful on the serve and could make all of the shots as well as Federer.  From what I could see Shapavalov's great shots were just a little too great.  His great shots were sometimes just a little too wide or a little too long or his drop shots were just a little too soft.  Federer on the other hand was just steady. His great shots were well in, his drop shots were adequate.  He just played his game and let Shapavalov make the errors.  The difference from my observation was that Shapavalov was just trying too hard. I think this happens in fastdraw a lot.  Sometimes we just try too hard.  Most often it happens when we c
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Competition Ready or A Bad Day on the Bucket!

Well, the 2019 season is about to begin. Saturday is the Winter Range Arizona Jackpot Shoot soon to be followed by the season's titled matches.  Do not be dishearten if you have a rough go of it for a bit. Remember to shoot the system. Everyone draws a better shooter on occasion or loses focus for a time.  Persevere.  The system is progressive. You train to get progressively better. You will improve as the day or event goes on.  While others get frustrated, you will shoot better and better. You can tune yourself up for events. Get competition ready. One of the best ways to do that is several days before the event have a bad day on the bucket.  Shoot 50 rounds on the bucket, by yourself, no light.  Take away the stress of hitting. Take away the stress of the timer. Just draw and fire.  Draw as quick as you can.  Your natural ability will come forth.  Those perfect draws! Think about what this is doing.  You are finalizing your draw without the stress of hitting, without the stre
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Stirring the Pot

I was bored and posted a comment about quarter matches with little response. A quarter match is the WFPG.  The organizers have tried to eliminate accuracy, mental toughness, luck of the draw from the competition so that the only factor left is speed, so it is really just 1/4 of a CFDA match, hence a quarter match.  To me it seems to be a noncompetitive speed exhibition. Shady and I have had a disagreement for quite some time whether shooting blockers would be helpful for the CFDA shooter.  I always thought that seeing every hit was so important that shooting blockers would be helpful.  However, in December I attend a qualifying session at the camp.  As the day went on I got worst and worst until I finally quit in disgust. Maybe Shady is right.  I am not fully convinced yet, but do know that it is just the opposite of the system.  With the system you should get better and better as the day goes on, not worst and worst. The Texas State should be a good test.  There will be at least 3 o
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I need a little help.

There are studies that indicate to become proficient at a skill, one must expend 10,000 hours practicing the skill.  Well, I don't have 10,000 hours left in me.  The skill I am concerned with is the ability to draw on the light or with the light.  How do we improve our reaction time.  That is where I can make the greatest improvement.  I know the various methods of trying to improve reaction time but as of this date none have been productive for me. I am trying to develop a grip that would be hooked to the light like a sensor and when I pressed the hammer on the simulated grip it would register a time like the sensor does a hit. I have tried a button but that will not work because the button completes or beaks a circuit whereas the sensor send an impulse. I am looking for something that would work with CFDA timer through the light.  Any suggestions on how to fabricate such a grip sensor? You are probably saying why don't he just draw on the light and shoot.  Good thought bu
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Now don't trip on your spurs!

A gunfighter needs to have a little swagger. When you come to an event you need to believe that you are the toughest gunfighter there. You may not be the quickest or you may not be the most accurate, but you are the toughest.  But you need to be careful.  There are little things you can do to booster your confidence.  Have confidence in the system, it will carry you through day, even a bad day. At a titled event, Gentleman George asks me if I was Lil James' grandpa because he loads like me.  Lil James only loads three and if the hand judges asks him why, he says "That is all I need."  It is a statement of confidence.  It can be unsettling to your opponent, if fact Dirty Dan used it against me Saturday in the shoot-offs, sending me to boot hill in 3 shots.  Little statements of confidence can be helpful. They remind you that you are the toughest gunfighter there.  I only load three because it is generally three winning shots.  If I miss or lose a shot I only reload the n
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