Sunday, Jan 25:
The ice storm came.
I did Return - Day 3 - Listen & Day 4 - Return yoga with Adriene. My right hammie and glute were tight.
Monday, Jan 26:
Worked from home, due to the ice storm.
Walked 2 miles to my house with a 30#RPC in 37:26 to see how it fared, using snow boots.
I rucked back with 30# in a v2 Rucker in 38:01 so that I could carry some supplies.
For dry fire at night, I worked in my mom's bedroom for an hour until my hands started rubbing raw.
I tried some horizontal moving while shooting with pistol dryfire for the first time. I used the technique for horizontal moving that I learned with rifle, with turretting. I felt less stable going left due to the more awkward turret direction. I didn't always wait for sights on my first mag but did better with the second.
I did normal static draws.
Then I did some loading and drawing from cold and holstered, while moving downrange. While my mag inserts weren't always good, they were better when I indexed properly with my index finger along the mag, just like we were taught to... you have better control that way, at least. Also, do a full and forceful racking of the slide, to avoid a dead man's gun.
I felt a bit inconsistent today, but you can't have 100% on days.
Tuesday, Jan 27:
Ventured to the office today.
We happened to have an unplanned fire alarm today, which made for a chilly and unfortunate wait period.
RESCHEDULED JANUARY BLACKSTONE FOURTH MONDAY USPSA MATCH
Em was able to reschedule our iced out match for the following day.
Stage 1: <Virginia>
- Start loaded and holstered with feet on XX's, hands above shoulders
- On the beep, step up to the back box and shoot 3 (or 2) IPCSs at 7-10yd
- Run forward and to the other side of hte snow fence to shoot 3 from the left mini-room at 1-2yd, then move around to the right mini-room to shoot 3 (or 4) at 1-2yd, with 2 shots per target
Learnings/Outcomes: 14/23 Overall, 8/10 Division
- 15A, 2C, 1D in 19.13 = 4.2865%HF
- After seeing other guys experiment, I decided to go to the left mini-room first, to make the room-to-room transition less awkward with the 180 degree rule
- I also saw people shoot only 2 targets from the back, leaving the last target for the mini-room, which was smart... it was angled but doable
- This stage went by really fast... I wasn't sure if I did multiple target transitions by the book... I only remembered actively looking for sights at the back array and in the right mini-room
- I thought my first array was OK, but I might've had a D there... I was also unsure about sights there
- I was slipping on the run from mini-room to mini-room, and it wasn't as smooth as I had practiced dry
- I probably went a little too fast, looking back at the video
- I topped off before going, since this was an 18rd stage with no reshoots
Stage 2: <COMSTOCK>
- Start loaded and holstered with feet on XX's, hands at your side
- On the beep, shoot 2 then 2 along the back angled lane with 2 shots each @~10yd
- Run to the front lane and shoot 5 targets with 2 shots each @10-12yd
Learnings/Outcomes: 15/23 Overall, 9/10 Division
- 15A, 3C in 19.48 = 4.3121%HF
- I felt slightly more controlled on this stage
- I chose good spots for the first array, to have the best (closest) shots while avoiding shooting the wall
- The second array was tricky with lots of no-shoots, but I did OK throttling for accuracy, since they weren't super close targets
- I picked a good spot on the second lane to avoid having to move, but I didn't actually land in the spot that I had picked and overshot it, causing me to have to shift to get good shots on the targets... I need to be more precise about where my feet land.
- I still didn't want to try walking and shooting yet, since the targets were too far in the first lane
Stage 4: <COMSTOCK>
- Start hot and holstered with feet on XX's and hands above shoulders
- On the beep, shoot 2 then 2 along the back angled lane with 2 shots each @~10yd
- Run to the front lane and shoot 4 targets with 2 shots each
Learnings/Outcomes: 17/23 Overall, 8/10 Division
- 14A, 2C in 20.27 = 3.7494% HF
- I hesitated on the first target of the second array because I was confused for a moment about whether the target I was looking at was one from the first array that I already got.
- I didn't get a chance to rehearse this stage because we transitioned quickly, back-to-back
- I need to count targets and visualize next time, at least during pasting time even if I don't get ample opportunity to rehearse
- I'm glad I didn't hit a NS after being thrown off mentally with the target uncertainty and the desire to rush to make up for the mental slip afterwards
- I felt like I was going fast
- I landed in the correct spot in the second lane this time
- I kept 2 hands on the gun moving down the lane this time in lane 1, instead of being silly and letting go during the short movement
- I can maybe start moving to the next location earlier, after shooting the last shot in a given array
Stage 3: <COMSTOCK>
- Start unloaded and holstered with feet on the XX's
- On the beep, shoot 2 IPSCs from the first box @7-10yd with 2 shots each
- Run forward to the single front room and shoot 6 targets @1-2m with 2 shots each
Learnings/Outcomes: 17/23 Overall, 8/10 Division
- 16A in 14.94 = 5.3548% HF
- I rehearsed loading and racking and stepping forward before going
- I somewhat looked at my sights at the last array, which helped me avoid any embarassing misses on such close targets
- I felt like I had good throttling on the first array
- The targets were close enough in the second array with no place else to go that I shot them all from one spot, vs moving forward just to close an already close distance
Overall 16/23 Overall, 8/10 Division
- Still no walk and shoot attempts yet.... targets too far
- Rehearse target locations, especially on complex or mixed array scenarios
- Get feet plant placement right and don't overshoot the spot
- Keep looking for sights to avoid going too fast
- Continue the rehearsal of the initial steps on the beep
Wednesday, Jan 28:
Glute and pec PT v2 in 28:17, then HDT "Santa's Sandbag" 25 min AMRAP using a 45#SB covering 6 rounds and 6 reps. It wasn't too heavy, though I had a hint of strain on my right shoulder. I had tried 60# at first, but th at was too much.
I did a finisher of a 2:30 dead hang on the grippy sponge pull-up bar to strengthen my grip plus fix my shoulder afterwards.
Thursday, Jan 29:
45 min Power Zone Endurance Peloton Ride with 12.1 mi, 304 cal, 99 ave watts, 95rpm ave cadence, 34% ave resistance, 16.1mph ave speed. It was good for what I needed today, which was some cardio in the midst of the icy weather
Friday, Jan 30:
I learned horizontal walk and shoot from Emily, with a new-to-me technique that keeps you more squared to the target, vs turretting your upper body. It makes sense that optimal techniques would be different if you're on a controlled range on flat terrain with nobody shooting at you where you can "game it", vs if you're in a real firefight out in wild terrain and can't afford to fall or not be able to run fast all of a sudden if needed.
I also learned that it makes a big difference whether your left hand meets the pistol at the beltline or up at the belly button. The belt line allows for extra time to get good placement and helped to reduce the amount of slippage in my grip during recoil. Now I have to burn that into muscle memory.
Don't waste time looking for your hits... trust that wherever your reticle was when your shot broke, that's where the round went.
Don't let sticking with a cadence mess up shots by shooting earlier than I'm ready for. That's going to be a tough habit to break, too.
Saturday, Jan 31:
Return Live Practice - Gather Yoga with Adriene
For dry fire, I practiced the new grip technique of gripping with 2 hands from the belt line. It does require moving the gun farther distances, since after my draw, I have to go down and then come back up, at least based on where my holster is positioned today. The extra time could be worth it if a better grip results in more points and less slipping during the stage, though. I did some practice with and without the timer, so that I could get the movement down right, before adding that bit of time pressure in. I didn't even look at the splits for some mags and just used the beep as a cue. I have to experiment with many factors, like pressing lots of left palm meat into the grip and locking out elbows when pressing to avoid overshooting, now that there's more of a vertical gun movement than a horizontal one.
Then came the snow...
I did at least 4 hours of snow shoveling, between 2 driveways plus the bit of street in front of them. It was like cardio and a bit of strength combined and was a lot of work. I counted it as a workout.
I had also rucked 1.25 miles to get home, after staying with my mom overnight.
My shovel won't make it through a second storm, but it did a good job.
Monday, Feb 2:
Rucked 1.25 mi back to my mom's with 30# in a Rucker v2 with supplies and the shovel again, in snow boots. On the walk, I saw different snowmen that my neighbors had made, which was cool. The snow that I had been shoveling felt too powdery for it, but they made it happen!
Rucked 1.25 mi back to my mom's with 30# in a Rucker v2 with supplies and the shovel again, in snow boots. On the walk, I saw different snowmen that my neighbors had made, which was cool. The snow that I had been shoveling felt too powdery for it, but they made it happen!
For dry fire, I continued working on the new grip.
I did multiple target transitions, and while I'm looking before moving, I also need to wait for sights to get on target. My delts and forearms were sore from snow shoveling.
On reloads, it's good and totally OK to look for a moment while inserting the mag in your workspace.
On reloads, it's good and totally OK to look for a moment while inserting the mag in your workspace.
I tried different cue words for the new grip, like "DRAW, DOWN, HIT".
I did some horizontal walking and shooting, which did get tiring for my arms, being out there for long periods of time.
Tuesday, Feb 3:
My mom saw the pics of the snowmen and really wanted to make one, too, so I helped.
In the evening, I did Glute and Pec PT v2 in 32:42, then 18A "Dip Abs" in 30:40.
Wednesday, Feb 4:
Snowman starting to struggle... the snow was high-volume, so it looks poofier than it really is.
I rucked 5 miles around the neighborhood at night. The roads were mostly clear of ice and snow now. I carried 30# in the Rucker v2 shorty. It was good to get some cardio in again after all of the ice. I found a snowman that was taller than me.
I did pistol DF later (after having a call with 2 girls signed up for Mammoth II). I practiced the grip again, and multiple targets.
Thursday, Feb 5:
Training with Emily...
We did more moving while not only shooting but also drawing and loading.
We did 180 degree turns from hot.
We finished with SB's first time seeing horizontal walk and shoot with pistol with Em's techniques. As we got the movement down, Emily started pushing out the targets, staggering them, and surprisingly, even 1m of distance was enough to throw me off, and I wasn't throttling appropriately for the far ones or something. I'll need to figure that out.
Snowman's having a rough day...
