The Power of Dry Fire Practice 2

Dry fire practice offers a variety of benefits that can significantly enhance your shooting skill. In this edition, we’ll take a look at the specifics that will help to optimize shooting performance.

We’ve covered the benefits of dry fire training here previously, and while it is most often associated with personal-defense guns, it’s a really a good form of practice for any of the shooting disciplines. From improving your accuracy to bettering your reaction time, anyone can benefit from getting-in consistent, quality training reps.

Safety

Dry fire practice is not an excuse to get lazy with your safety habits, and it should be treated with the same respect as live-fire exercises. Always ensure your firearm is unloaded and there is no live ammunition in the vicinity, going so far as to keep any ammo in another location. Be sure to re-clear your gun frequently during your session, especially if you leave it unattended at any time. Adhere to all protocols with regard to proper handling, trigger control and maintaining safe muzzle direction throughout, and be sure to designate a safe shooting direction or utilize a proper backstop.

 Tips & Drills

In addition to the multitude of specific drills that you can employ, here are some tips to help maximize the effectiveness of firearms dry fire practice.

Timing

Ideally, the best time to utilize these exercises is right after live fire shooting, when your muscle memory will be fresh with whatever mistakes you may have been making. Any clenching, eye-closing, flinching, or sympathetic movement will be most apparent, and with this immediate transition between methods, your body and mind won’t really know the difference. Of course, dry fire practice can be undertaken at any time as well, and there will still be benefits to gain even in the comfort of your own home.

Consistency of Practice

Establishing a consistent routine is key to maximizing the potential of dry firing practice. Set aside dedicated time for sessions, incorporating them into your training regimen to promote effectiveness.

Focus on Fundamentals

Concentrate on your basic skills such as target acquisition, sight alignment, trigger pull, follow through and breath control, while striving for perfection with every movement.

Visualization

Mental imagery can enhance the effectiveness of dry fire practice and improve your ability to acquire and engage targets accurately.

Practice with Purpose

Set targeted goals and objectives for each session, and focus specifically on the elements that you’d like to improve upon. Having a clear plan will help you make the most of your practice time.

Incorporate Drills & Exercises

Mix up your practice routine by utilizing drills that target different aspects of marksmanship. This could include target transitions (along with distance changes), drawing from a holster, shooting on the move, shooting from different positions or with one hand only (including your non-dominant hand). This approach is meant to help reinforce the fundamentals by creating greater context for each movement, improving adaptability, and for the development of secondary attributes such as strength, flexibility and balance.

Record & Analyze Your Performance

Record yourself on video and review the footage to identify areas for improvement. Pay attention to your technique, body positioning, and shot placement, and make adjustments accordingly. Keeping a journal of your performance results will also help you track improvement over time.

Apps & Tools

Dry fire training systems consist of a combination of hardware and software that allows shooters to practice in a controlled, measurable environment – and there are a wide variety of devices available on the market to suit most needs and budgets. From ‘non-gun’ guns to specific firearm attachments, snap caps and dummy rounds, they offer effective ways to help promote better shooting accuracy, speed and efficiency. The real benefit of these systems comes in the form of the underlying software and technology that is compatible with IOS and Android platforms.

They may offer:

• Training programs
• Laser targeting
• Video recording
• Audio & visual shot cues
• Shot timing
• Shot analysis software
• Recoil management devices
• Virtual reality systems
• Performance tracking

With real-time feedback and measurable data at your fingertips, diagnosing issues and tracking improvement is so much easier and effective.

 Strategic use of dry fire practice can drastically improve your overall performance and allow you to plan and track improvement step-by-step. If you’re looking to really move-the-dial on your performance, absolutely consider these training methods.