Transitions

[Lurper]

Here are excerpts from the video on transitions. There is a lot more to it than this, but it's a start.
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k223/Lurper/th_transitionsexcerpt.jpg (http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k223/Lurper/?action=view&current=transitionsexcerpt.flv)

[foob]

Just want to say thanks for the videos.

[Lucky]

love this stuff.

[MacEntyre]

I had a great time at the range giving your double tap method a try...

Looking forward to reviewing all of your videos!

[NukemJim]

A very refreshing and interesting video.
Good planning, good subject, good sound, good everything! It is so nice to see a well done gun video!:D
A minor suggestion, worth what you pay for it:) , it would be nice if you could see the instructors face as he is talking and demonstrating the technique being demonstrated you could use either 1) editing 2) mirror or 3) 2nd camera with remote control. Most target audiences like to see peoples face rather than their back as they are being talked to. This is a style preference, your instructor communicated effectively.
My compliments and thanks.
NukemJim

[XavierBreath]

I took the liberty of moving this thread from S&T to competition with the hope that it could be better appreciated here. Hopefully this note will clear up any confusion over some of the previous posts. Now back to the thread.

[HSMITH]

Thanks Lurper!

Transitions are what separates the big boys from the little boys, combine good transitions with great movement and the ability to shoot on the move and you start seeing the men step away from the boys. Fast transitions are far more productive than monster splits IMO.

Lurper, I practiced a timing method of learning transition speed. That means I set a keyed beep in dry fire at .20 for targets like you are shooting in your video and more or less forced myself to get there in time, I learned the speed first and then refined the accuracy. Eventually stepping the time down a little at a time and refining the accuracy has worked pretty well. I went from .60's to .20's in a match with the same points shot in just a few months. I don't know if I used the most efficient method though. How would you suggest someone starting out learn to transition fast and accurately?

[Lurper]

H
Here is a good way to learn split and transition speed. You "build" them:
For transitions it goes like this:
Start by aiming at the "A" zone (duh), break the shot, be aware of tracking the sight, releasing the trigger, then prepping the trigger DURING the recoil cycle. For that first shot, just drive (or allow) the gun to the original point it started from. The only thing left to do should be break the shot (ie there should be no slack in the trigger and the sights should be aligned on the "A" zone). Bring the gun down to a low ready. Relax for a second then bring the gun up and point it at the "A" zone. Break the shot. This time, track the sights, release the trigger, prep the trigger and drive the gun to the next target DURING the recoil cycle. Don't fire the second shot, just be aware of where the sight is aligned on the second target. Do that about 10 times. Then repeat except this time fire the shot at the second target. Do that about 10 times. Then start over except this time you want to end up firing 2 shots at each target. So the first string would be: Fire the first shot, track the sights, release the trigger, prep the trigger DURING the recoil cycle, allow the gun to return to its starting point, fire a second shot. Then repeat the entire procedure in the same manner as before.
See how you are "building" the splits and transitions?
Don't worry about the speed. You need to remember: Speed = economy of motion

So what you should be aware of is tracking the sight, releasing the trigger and prepping the trigger before the gun is finished recoiling. What you see is what should trigger the shot, not what you think. Shoot as fast as you can see the sights. But for this exercise, just start out slow and easy until you are certain you are doing all of those things.

Hope that helped and wasn't too confusing.

Oh, one other thing. The reference to what you see is in response to your timing method. You are conditioning yourself to letting the timer dictate the shot or determine what is acceptable. Only your eyes should dictate that. In other words, using the timer may cause you to shoot a "D" in .18 when you could have shot an "A" in .21, does that make sense? If the sight is there, shoot. Don't think, don't confirm, don't do anything except press the trigger.

Of course another excellent sight and trigger drill is the "Bill Drill". Its real purpose is to perfect your sight tracking and trigger technique.

[gotm4]

Cool instruction video. Here's my old boss Grandmaster Phil Strader from the 2007 Steel Challenge, that's some damn fast transitions.

http://www.wwwtest.info/SteelNats/PhilSmoke.wmv

[HSMITH]

Thanks Lurper, that makes sense. That is also the way I was trying to build transistions, and it was working but I felt progress was slow. That is why I started a 'forced' method. The forced method did one thing for me that I have been able to identify, it forced me to break my vision from the gun as the front sight started to lift and shift it to the next target, and bring my vision back to the gun as the gun lined up on the A. I absolutely WAS shooting a cadence, and that is bad for many reasons as you know, but I was using the cadence to 'force' the vision shift and transistion speed. Doing that my ability to transition increased dramatically, then just shut the cadence off and shoot the sights. With the method you describe I was 'riding the sights' and for some reason couldn't get the speed in transitions without breaking my vision from the gun. Now I can ride the sights just as fast on close targets and possibly even faster for the short range hose fest stages I see in so many matches. It took a boot in the butt to get me to just let go and rip the transistion, then refine the accuracy and refine the types of focus needed to shoot longer or tighter shots. Sorry if it sounded like I was endorsing a timing method for shooting, it was just a way for me to break out and get somewhere.

Trigger prep you say? Well, I know what you say to be true but that is something I am still working on. I shot most of last year with a 1.5 pound trigger and it was just too light for me to reliably prep the trigger. I have my Limited gun and newly finished Open gun at about 3 pounds now and it helps tremendously without any negative impact on my speed or accuracy. It has INCREASED my accuracy without affecting my speed at all. It was an important lesson to learn, especially when NO ONE had ever written in a book that I saw or told me that the trigger can easily be too light for a particular ability level. As I progress I might take some weight out of the triggers, but right now 5 pounds is better for me than 1.5 pounds.

It is interesting to me how so many of us need to change a detail, our approach or just a thought to arrive at the same point and complete the same task. I do a good bit of technical training at work and I am convinced that we are all wired just a little bit differently between the ears.

[EvilBert]

You might want to put all this info on a DVD and sell it.

Might I suggest charging $87.50?


:neener: