January 2026 copy - Flipbook - Page 74
b. Aggressive Shooting
- Shooting To Hit
Aggressive shooting is
what we’re doing during
the warmup or during
practice when we’re hitting
everything we shoot at.
We’re not scared to miss
because there is no consequence to a miss. We are
putting the sight on the
spot we’re aiming at and
immediately breaking the
shot. We are being aggressive. We are going in and
taking the target instead
of being afraid of letting
the target get away. We are
shooting to hit the target.
This method/philosophy
generally cures “trying too
hard” because the mentality of the aggressive
shooter is to knock the
target down (or bury the
bullet in the 10-ring), NOT
to avoid missing the target. It puts the shooter in
control of the shot rather
than passively watching
the shot happen. It’s being
the driver of the car hitting
the accelerator rather than
the passenger hanging on
for dear life. This is a mentality and shooting method
that we need to train physically and mentally.
How To Acquire The
Target Aggressively
As we discussed above, the
昀椀rst part of aggressively
74
taking a shot is aggressively acquiring the target.
That means putting the
sight on the target. An
important part of shooting
at a silhouette target is not
to shoot at the target itself,
but a particular spot on the
target. We want to get the
sight to the spot as soon as
possible in the shot process. Often, you’ll have to
force it onto the spot, but
get used to doing it. Train
for it. Practice moving
your reticle directly onto
the spot where you’re aiming IMMEDIATELY. We’re
not waiting around for an
invitation here. We are aggressively putting a bullet
on that target. Imagine
that target not wanting you
to hit it and being ready to
break and run at any time.
There is no playing around
here. Get the reticle/sight
on the target now and by
any means necessary!
On certain days, or even
every day, this may require
you to mentally remind
yourself to get on target.
Just last weekend in Tulsa, during the high-power
matches on Sunday, I had
to give myself a pep-talk
about aggressively getting the reticle inside the
target. I started subconsciously chanting that
middle school cheer quoted above over and over as
I was shooting. It helped
force me to immediately
get to the spot where I was
aiming. That was exactly
what I needed to shoot
solid scores and win the
championship. Who knew
that living with two middle
school cheerleaders would
be so helpful?!?
Avoid playing around with
your reticle outside of the
target during the shot process. Get on the spot and
get on with the shot!
2. AGGRESSIVELY
BREAKING THE
TRIGGER
Immediately getting to
the spot won’t do you any
good if you don’t pull the
trigger, so when the shot is
there, go ahead and 昀椀re!
Easy, right? Yet, how many
times have you had the
perfect shot sitting right
there and you just didn’t
pull the trigger? It happens
to me ALL THE TIME!
The problem? Lack of aggression on the trigger. We
must be ready to 昀椀re the
shot before we get to the
aiming point, and we must
昀椀re the shot when it gets
there. Doing this correctly
is sometimes called being active on the trigger.
Being active on the trigger
is a three-step process:
Modern BPCR Shooter - January, 2026
