January 2026 copy - Flipbook - Page 75
a. Being physically ready
to 昀椀re; b. Being mentally
ready to 昀椀re, and c. Firing the shot the 昀椀rst time
through.
a. Physically Ready to
Fire
The 昀椀rst step is getting
ready to 昀椀re physically.
This simply means get
your 昀椀nger on the trigger and exert force on the
trigger to the point that
the next movement of the
trigger 昀椀nger 昀椀res the ri昀氀e.
On a two-stage trigger,
that generally means taking up the 昀椀rst stage. On
a single-stage trigger, that
means pulling the trigger
right to the point that it’s
about to 昀椀re (knowing this
exact point comes from
training with the ri昀氀e).
Being physically ready to
昀椀re is also a feeling. You
should be ITCHING to pull
the trigger. This bleeds
over into the second step.
b. Mentally Ready to
Fire
Most passed-up good shots
are the result of a shooter
not being mentally ready
to 昀椀re the shot. This is
another example of passive
shooting. If we are shooting to hit the target, we
are excited to 昀椀re the shot.
We are ITCHING to pull
the trigger because we are
Issue #1!
aggressively going after the
target.
The opposite of that, trying not to miss (passive
shooting), makes us “not
ready” to 昀椀re and causes
us to pass up good shots
because we are scared to
miss. We can’t miss if we
don’t 昀椀re, and since we are
scared to miss, our brains
tell us not to take the shot.
However, the opposite of
that is also true, we cant
HIT the target unless we
take the shot; and taking
the shot NOW, when it’s
there, drastically increases
the chances of hitting the
target.
We must be mentally
tough and overcome any
passive tendency. We must
train to be both physically
and mentally ready to take
the shot when the shot
presents itself. We must
enter the target READY
TO FIRE!
c. Firing The Shot The
First Time Through
When we are aggressively
acquiring the target; we
are physically ready to 昀椀re
before we enter the target;
and we are mentally ready
to 昀椀re as we enter the
target, we might as well
昀椀re the shot the 昀椀rst time
it’s there. There is no good
reason to wait. We’ve done
everything right, the reticle has come to the spot,
all that’s left to do is 昀椀re.
JUST DO IT!
Now it’s important to understand that it’s not the
end of the world if you
don’t take the shot the
昀椀rst time it presents itself.
Often the reticle passes
by the spot then almost
immediately comes back.
Take the shot then, it’s
okay. What we don’t want
to do is pass up good shots
over and over to the point
that the shot falls apart. If
you don’t take the shot the
昀椀rst time, and you don’t
get a quick, solid follow-up
opportunity, abandon that
shot and start over. The
mark of a great shooter is
the shots he/she DOESN’T
take.
We want to develop the
habit of taking that 昀椀rst
good shot that presents
itself. The best way to
create this habit is to train
for it by focusing on taking
the 昀椀rst shot when practicing. Do it over and over
and get used to taking that
昀椀rst shot. Make it a habit. If it doesn’t happen for
some reason, don’t keep
struggling to get back to
the spot. Abandon the shot
and start over with an aggressive shot process.
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