When you are brand new to shooting, you should never feel intimidated by other shooters’ skills, speed or accuracy. There are no “secrets” or hacks in the world of shooting. In truth, there probably isn’t much that separates you from experienced shooters except for extended practice time. If you work on these shooting fundamentals, your skill level will soar as a result!
Safety First
Safe gun handling is something that comes into play every time we touch our pistols. In fact, we would call it the most crucial shooting-related skill of them all. Sadly, it is often overlooked as well. As a typical example, even experienced shooters can accidentally keep their finger on the trigger when pressing it isn’t immediately imminent. Ultimately, if we (regardless of our skill level!) don’t pay attention to our safety practices at all times, they will never have the chance to develop fully.
Trigger Manipulation
Once it is time to fire a round, a crucial skill is completing the action of pressing the trigger without disturbing any other aspects of your grip or aiming. If your trigger press isn’t sufficient, your shots will likely be off target regardless of your execution of all the other fundamentals.
Grip
Without proper grip, trying to shoot with any sort of accuracy can really start to feel futile. Luckily, grip is something you can practice even when you’re at home. If you choose to do so, make sure you never point your pistol in any unsafe directions (such as walls that may have people on the other side). If you are struggling at the range, try to make sure you keep proper grip on your pistol at all times and your accuracy will likely improve as a result!
Stance
Stance is another fundamental that you should be striving to improve all the time as a beginner. At the range, improper stance will hold you back as a shooter and keep you from reaching your full potential. In a real life threatening encounter, stance matters a lot more, however. Improper stance makes recoil management much harder, which will hinder your shooting ability during these critical encounters. On the other hand, a dialed in stance will keep your shots accurate and can make you appear as a confident individual who is in control of the situation. This appearance alone can diffuse threatening situations and keep you from having to use any force whatsoever.
Expert Pistol Training from Soteria Training Academy
Soteria Training Academy provides expert pistol training with an emphasis on safety. Whether you’re a beginner in the world of firearms, or already have a wealth of experience, we look forward to helping you develop the skills outlined in this blog and many more. Contact us today by visiting our website, or call us at (410) 216-3176 to learn more.