Nick Pye Provides his Reflections on Dry Firing to Spark Debate
Every coach tells you to “dry fire, dry fire, dry fire dry fire!”
Why? If I want to get good at shooting surely I need to actually shoot, not just click an empty gun?!
The reason to train with dry fire is that it gives you very fine feedback on what is happening when you pull the trigger, without any input or distractions from other factors such as shooting the pistol, the impact of the shot, the score etc. As I have discussed before, the trigger pull is the most important part of the physical shot process; because dry fire gives you so much feedback it is the most efficient way to train the trigger pull; it is one of the most important training methods.
Unfortunately it is not often explained well; it's just ““go and do some dryfiring!”
As an important training tool, we need to take it seriously and do it properly. Get an area you can train in with a flat hard floor, a smooth blank wall and a bench to rest the gun on.
As long as you do the training properly, I do not think you need to do a lot. I do 15 mins on a blank wall and 15 mins with a dot. To do the training properly, you must put on your normal shooting kit. Wear your glasses, ear defenders and shooting shoes - this is most important, or your dry training will not replicate your shooting training.
You must run your process as well for every shot, and call your shot afterwards. How do you call a shot if you don't shoot it? If you do your dry training properly by watching the front sight you will know if you fired a good shot or not!
The Wall
Position yourself with the muzzle of your pistol a few inches away from a smooth, white or lightly coloured wall.
As before, run your shot process including most importantly your mental process.
Do your full lift and settle into firing position, then concentrate very hard on the front sight. As for a normal shot, put weight on the trigger till it releases; do not pull the trigger! This should replicate arriving in the aiming area, holding this and loading the trigger till you get the subconscious release (if the trigger does not release, put the gun down).
When the trigger trips you should see no movement in the front sight at all. Any tiny movement in the sight when the trigger goes, shows you you’ve had an unsmooth release, which is enough to put the shot out of the ten.
Because you are not distracted by the shot firing, you can observe the dry shot in its full precision and perfection. You can also pick out specific areas to concentrate on, i.e. the feel of the trigger blade on the pad of your finger, or the amount of pressure on one of your fingers when the gun is held.
This is also a good time to check if the grip is fitting you and the gun is held steady within the sights. By this I mean the fore sight is steady in the rear sight notch: there should be no tremors in the sight picture. A shaky gun can be a sign that the grip is not fitting or there is pressure in the fingers.
Dry firing will show up these things and you can experiment to improve your trigger release and get a steady sight picture.
Go deep into this training and you will see the reward!
The Dot
Mark a black dot on the wall, next to your blank training area - this should be small, the same size as the front sight width i.e. about 3 to 4mm.
I am not able to lift and come down perfectly on top of the dot (if you are, well done!) so I mark a thin vertical line above the dot so I can follow this line on the lift and also on the lower. I stop the line above the dot so I know to slow the lower before reaching the dot.
To get the correct height, aim at a 10m target 10 meters away, set at the correct height of 1400mm to the centre, and get someone to measure the height from the floor to the top of the front sight. This is the height of your dot.
When using the dot, it is vitally important to keep the focus on the front sight. This will be harder because we will want to “aim” at the dot. Just as in 10m shooting the focus must be on the front sight.
The practice is the same as the blank wall, but the emphasis shifts from pure trigger release to hold area.
The dot is small and will be more in focus than the 10m target, so movement in the hold is apparent. Remember you cannot hold the gun still, there is always movement. This is fine, just concentrate to make the hold area as small as possible.
Your sight picture must be the same as at 10m i.e. the space between the dot and front sight is the same.
Again any movement in the front sight as the trigger releases shows an unsmooth release.
The dot is one of the single most important hold training methods, and if you train this regularly you will find your hold improves; which coupled with the correct trigger release, will greatly increase your scores.
The Spiral of Strength (or The Wiggley Line)
This is a strength and control exercise, and should have less emphasis on it than the blank wall and dot exercises.
With a black marker pen, draw a spiral on a square card, with a dot at the centre of the spiral.
The dot in the centre should be the same height as your dot on the wall. Set yourself up the same way with the sight not more than a few inches away from the wall. You should then take 3 to 4 minutes at least to travel round the spiral, following the line with your fore sight the full way and releasing the shot at the centre of the spiral. Be careful to keep the line just above the front sight the full way round.
Alternatively draw three lines on an A4 paper like so:
Travel along the lines following them closely with the fore sight, and releasing the shot at the end of the line. You should take at least three minutes to complete one line. Do this for each line, alternating the direction you move each time.
The importance of your hold is that the size of the group will decrease as the hold area decreases, and the trigger release will improve alongside it because you are more relaxed in your stable hold and are not hunting for a good alignment. A stable hold is a must for pistol shooting and personal improvement.
Dealing with the ZZZZZ
Listen to music when you shoot, (you should do this anyway when you train as it is an ISSF rule to have music on) alternatively I set up my laptop and put on an ISSF final. I will shoot through this and it helps pass the time, and makes me accustomed to being in a finals environment, listening to the commands etc.
I’m sad and actually enjoy dry firing like this!
Dry fire costs nothing, and can be done anywhere. I work away often and will take my guns with me to train every night in my hotel room.
I also shoot firearms, which are a little more complicated to use than an air pistol, for safety and space reasons. For me it is difficult to go to the range often with them, but I can train with them every week at home by just dry firing.
One last important point: if you are experiencing a “dip” in your scores, don't go to the range and get frustrated by shooting under par. Train dry firing instead! This has no score and no pressure, so you will not get down or stressed about performance. Stay away from the range, stick to dry training for three or four weeks and when you do visit the range again you will see the difference and be more relaxed.
Article by Nick Pye, Pistol Development Squad Coach