How Good Are You COLD

I'm still alive

I always post targets and jump in cold with moving/shooting drills. I don’t know what it’s like to dry fire or slow fire first. I’m not bad but always trying to improve.

On the opposite end, I like to occasionally finish with lots of moving drills in the heat and with an elevated heart rate.

With the "Great Ammunition Crunch" I have not been shooting that much. With that said I have a handgun range on the property. Utilizing my EDC a S&W Shield 9X19mm which I had not fired in close to a year I didn't miss the target but my total grouping was larger than I regularly shoot. With that said again I've gone back periodically firing a limited amount of ammunition during each firing session. On the other hand I've been shooting handguns for (58) Yrs thus old age maybe catching up with me.

A good question. One, sadly, that seemingly not many people may be willing to ask and answer for themselves when it comes to range qual and training sessions. I've seen even instructors be unwilling to step forward and volunteer to find out the answer when it comes to doing some demanding drill, and especially a new demanding drill - which they'd not yet practiced - in front of other instructors. Human nature, but probably not one of the best aspects of human nature.

Now, when required to do so as a student during training classes, and not having the ability to avoid it? Daunting for many folks.

There came a point in my own training and practice when I decided the best way to assess my current skillset, and assess where I needed further attention, was simply to pick a very difficult drill that I might wish to avoid doing until I was 'warmed up', and just make it the first thing I did for that range session. Just do it. Consider the results and work out any kinks. Repeat it as the first cold drill at the next range session until there came a time it no longer bothered you and you found it easy and no longer bothersome. When it became more of a simple and easy 'warm up', it was probably time to introduce another demanding and daunting drill.

It can be informative to ask the difficult of oneself. It can even become a bit liberating to consistently set a difficult task for yourself, even knowing you're being observed by your peers (whether it's normal line staff or other instructors, if you're an instructor), and then simply step up and do it. Gives you the chance to see whether your confidence in your current skills and abilities is justified, or unjustified.

If you have a couple or more guns you're going to be using - and that you usually carry - then you may also decide which one might seem more difficult to use first for that initial 'cold' demanding drill ... and then use that one. Why not get an honest assessment? The real world and Murphy sure as hell won't go easy on us.

fastbolt said:

I've seen even instructors be unwilling to step forward and volunteer to find out the answer when it comes to doing some demanding drill, and especially a new demanding drill - which they'd not yet practiced - in front of other instructors.

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Seen this too, but for a while I was privileged to be part of an instructor cadre of really skilled guys (and one gal) and the good-natured competition we had made us all better. But you're always more nervous in front of peers than your classes, many of whom don't really look to see where your shots are going, only how you're doing it.

As an instructor, doing a demo for a class -- when it's your first shot(s) of the day -- your credibility can be on the line. So I learned (for me) what worked was practicing the first few shots of a challenging drill cold, on my own. Got to the point I tried to have no expectations of a perfect shot, just to perform the physical actions smoothly.

Every range session I do by myself, I do a drill before I get "warmed up." The Bill Drill, 5/5/5, FAST drill, whatever... Over the years I've found that (unless I'm highly caffeinated) some of my first shots, before I get into the mode where I'm thinking too much, are some of my best shots. Focus on the fundamentals, aim for smoothness over speed, don't overthink what you're doing, but by all means, every time you go shooting, instead of just mag dumps to "warm up," do a productive drill session and conduct some realistic self-assessment.

I can go from standing to running really quickly away from a perceived threat without pulling a hamstring.

-Stan

Terrible.

Old Dog said:

Seen this too, but for a while I was privileged to be part of an instructor cadre of really skilled guys (and one gal) and the good-natured competition we had made us all better. But you're always more nervous in front of peers than your classes, many of whom don't really look to see where your shots are going, only how you're doing it.

As an instructor, doing a demo for a class -- when it's your first shot(s) of the day -- your credibility can be on the line. So I learned (for me) what worked was practicing the first few shots of a challenging drill cold, on my own. Got to the point I tried to have no expectations of a perfect shot, just to perform the physical actions smoothly.

Every range session I do by myself, I do a drill before I get "warmed up." The Bill Drill, 5/5/5, FAST drill, whatever... Over the years I've found that (unless I'm highly caffeinated) some of my first shots, before I get into the mode where I'm thinking too much, are some of my best shots. Focus on the fundamentals, aim for smoothness over speed, don't overthink what you're doing, but by all means, every time you go shooting, instead of just mag dumps to "warm up," do a productive drill session and conduct some realistic self-assessment.

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Nicely stated.

Just like practicing and teaching martial arts, if your practice is done seriously and frequently enough, then demonstrating it to someone, or some group, is just another repetition of your own endless training and practice. Not some challenge. Just another repetition of something already learned and mastered. Shooting need not be any different. Once I realized this in my role as a LE firearms instructor, it made things easier. Then, the other aspect of it came around ... meaning how to demonstrate the point without making it look too difficult or like you were showing off. This resulted in simpler, shorter demos. Just enough to get the point across and show how the skills could be quickly learned and done. After all, one of the important points is to make sure the shooters with whom you're working believe that learning and repeating the skills they see you do are within their grasp, with just a little extra work. Not to make them feel inadequate. Facing a potential deadly force incident is daunting enough without someone making you feel inadequate, right?

fastbolt said:

Nicely stated.

Just like practicing and teaching martial arts, if your practice is done seriously and frequently enough, then demonstrating it to someone, or some group, is just another repetition of your own endless training and practice. Not some challenge. Just another repetition of something already learned and mastered. Shooting need not be any different. Once I realized this in my role as a LE firearms instructor, it made things easier. Then, the other aspect of it came around ... meaning how to demonstrate the point without making it look too difficult or like you were showing off. This resulted in simpler, shorter demos. Just enough to get the point across and show how the skills could be quickly learned and done. After all, one of the important points is to make sure the shooters with whom you're working believe that learning and repeating the skills they see you do are within their grasp, with just a little extra work. Not to make them feel inadequate. Facing a potential deadly force incident is daunting enough without someone making you feel inadequate, right?

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Exactly.

Sounds like you and I have known some of the same instructors -- the guys who turn every class into a demonstration of how cool they are, and what great shots they are...I used to tell new instructors, "Don't be that guy!" Keep your ego and your resume out of the classroom and off of the range.

Typically, my first two shots of a holster-based session are a controlled pair with strong hand only from the holster, at 10 feet. I'm aiming to get both hits into a 4" circle. I usually get the first shot in the 2" bullseye, and the second shot somewhere inside the 4" circle.

After that, my session goes down hill a bit. Usually trending low and right (as I'm a lefty).

Can't say I've timed it recently under live fire conditions, but I'd expect (based on dry fire drills) the first shot is around 2.0s from the point I decide to draw. I guess the split is around 0.75s, but I am shooting one handed, and usually pretty stout loads in the Glocks. I'm trying to be pretty objective about those times.

One solution is to never let yourself get too cold. Dry fire throughout the day works wonders. If you have a SIRT pistol it becomes even easier and you can pretty much make sure you pretty much always keep at least room temperature.

Every range session, I start off with some type of realistic drill for the first rounds downrange- no dry fire, practice draws, etc.

Depends on the scenario. At the range, I normally am fine from the first shot, with speed/accuracy/confidence dropping off with fatigue, boredom, and/or flinch, if the gun is big enough.

I don't really consider that "cold", though. I mean, I'm already at the range, planning on shooting, so how unexpected could it be?

How will I perform if I have to jump up, in the middle of this sentence, and fight for my life? I honestly don't know. I've never lived in a place where I could put together any sort of training scenario for it. I envy those who do.

Somewhere between b class and grand master, depending on the the division and the gun.

I seem to shoot well cold. Even if I go from autos to revolvers and back, my first groups may not win many trophies, but they are usually pretty passable.

Stay safe.

i regularly go about six months between shooting sessions. i don't warm up and am a bit less accurate and a bit slower until i get right at two hundred rounds down range. my basic skills stay with me even after long times between pulling triggers. this gives me confidence if i ever have to use my ccw.

murf

Well, I once hit a 25 yard bullseye cold shooting a Glock 19 freehand, with stock sights. First shot. At that distance, I couldn't see the hole till I reeled the target back. That said, most of my cold shooting seems slower than warmed up shooting, with still-useful accuracy. But I don't have a shot timer, so I'm not sure how much slower I might be...

Well, last I tried, I stopped the mower,jumped off, ran 30-40 yards, & shot the head clean (edit: drawing from concealment with my 365 carry gun) of a pest squirrel at 20-25 yards. As far as practice, I’m not sure how you can practice to much.

The group I train for uses a "Wilson" drill as our cold shot standard. That's a 17 shot onto a 6" circle from concealment. Our standard starts at 3.4 seconds for our beginner levels and works up to 2.0 seconds for our advanced shooters.

Personally I have done it as fast as 1.7 but my average stands around 2.1. If my memory is correct the fastest I have ever seen someone shoot it was a 1.2 by one of our instructors who is a USPSA Grand Master.

I can't compete with you physically, and you're no match for my brains.
Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Morons.

citizenconn said:

I can't compete with you physically, and you're no match for my brains.
Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Morons.

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Inconceivable...

And I know I need more practice.

A few years ago I had to retire early and move out of town to help my wife with her mother which lasted about 5 years until her death and than more family medical stuff. All in all it was about 7 years total and at that time I only shot about 3 or 4 times. I could see that my skills had diminished considerably. Normally I could put all rounds in a 3" circle free hand at 25 yards with my 1911 and 6 out of 7 at 100 yards. At 25 yards I had no shot group . A blind person could have done better, same thing with my rifles, I was not as steady. The good thing is that after 3 weeks of shooting things returned to normal.

Good