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 Max Michel is without a doubt one of the very best shooters in the world today. Over the past couple of years he has won more Major events in the USA than any other competitor. He recently achieved his goal of becoming the US Open champion, after winning the junior title several times.He is a member of the prestigious US Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Benning, and a full time professional shooter. He has agreed to share his shooting tips here on the Double-Alpha Academy website. Enjoy! Intro I chose goal setting as the first tip because this is the necessary first step in achieving a long-term objective. Setting goals is something we all do. For instance, one might say my goal is to win the World Shoot. Well, that is a great goal, but how do we set that goal effectively? Goals should be set realistically and incrementally. Review your goals with your accomplishments and change as necessary.
Example
1. Set a major goal that you want to achieve
Major goal: Win the World Shoot in 2005
2. List at least three sub-goals you need to achieve to reach your major goal
Gain total confidence
Shoot better points
Enhance strong/weak hand shooting
3. List at least three goals you need to achieve to reach your sub-goals
A. Gain total confidence
Win the majority of all major matches
Concentrate on my own game plan
Review training drills monthly to notice progress
B. Shoot better points
Focus on only the center of the available target area
Watch the sights rise and recover (call every shot)
Have a friendly competition with someone during practice, a club match or at a major match (who can shoot the most A's)
C. Enhance strong/weak hand shooting
Exercise correct muscles to reduce recoil in strong/weak hand shooting
Shoot groups at 25 yards with strong/weak hand
When training shoot all drills freestyle and strong/weak hand
4. List three affirmations for every sub-goal
Affirmations are short phrases reminding you of what you need to do to reach your major goal
When listing affirmations always be positive, never use the words never, don't, etc.
For example, when you use the phrase "Don't think of a pink elephant," what did you just think of? Exactly, when I told you not to think of the pink elephant that was the first thing to pop up in your head.
When you're on the line getting ready to shoot here are 2 examples someone might think about:
Good example: I only break the shot when the sights are in the center of the target
Bad example: Don't miss the target, don't miss the target, don't miss the target!
Other good examples:
Gain total confidence
I have total confidence
I win the majority of all major matches
During competition I stay on auto pilot to maintain my smoothness and accuracy
Shoot better points
I only break the shot when the sights are in the middle
I only focus on the center of the available target area
Every point counts, go get ?em
Enhance strong/weak hand shooting
I exercise the correct muscles to reduce recoil in my strong/weak hand shooting
During training I shoot a course of all strong/weak hand
I successfully shoot with one hand
Final affirmation:
I am prepared and ready for the World Shoot in 2005!
Conclusion
As you can see setting goals is not easy if you do it correctly, but it is very effective. Remember to set realistic goals for yourself. My goals may be different from yours, but we all have to start somewhere. By setting goals, we establish fixed points on the path to our main objective, which enable us to better assess our overall progress as we attain each of those goals along the way.
_________________________________________________________________back to top Intro Developing a training plan is a great way to stay motivated and focused on your goals. Believe it or not this is a hard task for shooters to do. This means that you are going to have to sit down and figure out what your strong points are as well as your weak points. Many shooters have a tendency to practice what they are good at because they see positive results during practice. Well, if you are not working on your weak points then you will always be weak in those areas! For instance, you are having trouble making reloads on the move. Do you think on match day you will magically be great at it? NO! Imagine what would happen if you work on your weak areas. The weak points will then become strong points making you a stronger all around shooter. Example (This is one day of my training plan preparing for the 2003 Florida Open) 6 Jan 03 Arrive on the range at 7:45 am
Stretch for 20 minutes
Dry fire for 20 minutes
Clean up range and begin set up
Focus on basic drills:
Presentation to the target
Draws
Reloads
Transitions
Actual match stages if available
Stage break down
Shooting on the move
Clean up range
Exercise:
Stretch for 15 minutes
3 mile run
Stretch for 15 minutes
Training day complete
Conclusion As you can see I do not just show up on the range and shoot. Every day is thought out and prepared very carefully. Developing a training plan is a great idea for any shooter, especially those who can only shoot a couple of days a week. If you go to the range with a plan you can spend more time working on your weak areas and less time thinking about what you are going to practice next. In fact, you do not even have to think at all about what you are going to practice next because it should already be in your training plan. Everyone has different weak areas and we all know what they are. If you want to become a better shooter you need to work on these areas regardless how much you dislike it. If you talk to anyone who knows me they will tell you 2-3 years ago I hated shots past 25 yards, but now it is a different story. I continued to work on 50-yard shots, as that was my weakest area at the time. Now I feel that long and tight shots are one of my strongest areas! It just takes time and a little motivation to accomplish anything we want. Remember to always stay positive and keep focused on your own training plan. _________________________________________________________________back to top Intro
Maintaining your magazines is a very important issue in action shooting. Magazine malfunctions are one of the most common malfunctions in the sport today. This major problem can be avoided by following the quick and easy steps to success. It is very easy for someone to be lazy and say well I dropped the mag but it really didn't get dirty and then stick it back in the bag for the next sage. We have all seen this happen time and time again. Why should you give up valuable points to your opponents because of laziness or because you simply just do not know the proper way to clean your magazines? I can assure you your opponents do not mind. Get those points back and prove that you are the best shooter in your area!
Quick and easy steps to success:
After using or dropping a magazine completely unload it
Take the magazine apart
Brush out the magazine several times ensuring that all the dirt is out
Run a very slick silicon rag through your magazine (This will get that last little bit of dirt out of your mag and will provide a slick surface)
Brush off the follower and also wipe it with the silicon rag
Get a clean cloth and spin the spring through it making sure there is no sign of sand, dirt, etc.
Ensure your base pad is clean
Finally, put your mag back together
Helpful hints:
Polish your magazines inside and out every 6 months
Replace your magazine springs every 3-6 months depending on what type of springs you are using, some springs will last longer
The Arredondo mag brush is a must have
Any slick silicon rag will do the trick but keep it in a closed zip lock bag so it will not dry out
Also use the silicon rag to slick up your bullets before putting them in the magazine (This will give you just a little more added insurance)
The Arredondo mag brush and the slickest silicon rags can be found in our online store.
Conclusion:
By following these steps and helpful hints I am sure you will notice a more consistent and reliable magazine. It is just too easy to avoid the troubles of a major magazine malfunction. We can take 5 minutes after every stage to properly clean our mags, or else pay the price. Which would you prefer?
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This tip is based on making every shot count. Shooting points is more important than one would think. No matter what level of competition you are on points are what wins matches! I have been in a position before where I was on the last stage at a major match and I had the fastest time but my opponent beat me overall because I shot poor points. I learned a very valuable lesson at that match. I promised myself from that point on to make every shot count. Since my promise my winnings have gone through the roof!
Making Every Shot Count:
Forget about the timer, just use it as a starting reference
Stay in control of every shot, there is no reason to rush anything
Do not get ahead of yourself, focus on your sights and take the stage one shot at a time
Aim small, miss small (You are not shooting at the target, you are aiming in the center of the available target area)
If you are shooting a 23 round course challenge yourself to only shoot 23 rounds (This means you must be in total control and watching the sights lift and recover)
It's simple math, the more shots you take the longer your time will be
Conclusion:
This is a tip that we all know; it is just a matter of reminding ourselves how important it is. I hope you can get the point I am trying to send to you with this tip. The biggest thing to remember is to shoot your game. Do not worry about anyone else or the clock. If you can call and score the hits in real time (as they appear) then do it. This way you know you are in total control. I spoke to Jerry Barnhart about this in the past and he scores his hits in real time with open and limited guns. Do you think he is slower because of it? I THINK NOT! Apply this valuable tip in practice and see the difference.
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The draw is something many people take for granted. Some are just content with their draw time and do not bother to try and better it. I agree the draw is not the most important thing in our sport but it does add up. Everything we do in this sport down to the .01's of seconds add up.
Here is something for you to think about: If shooter "A" can consistently get his first shot off in 1.2 seconds and shooter "B" consistently gets his first shot off in 1 second, it really doesn't seem like that big of a difference, right? Wrong! Here is why? .2 seconds times 35 stages at the World Shoot equals 7 SECONDS! Depending on the hit factors of the stage shooter "B" has about a 35-50 point advantage of shooter "A" before the match even started! That is just a little something to get you motivated to never settle for anything.
Surrender Position
- Allow your body to completely relax and pay attention only for the very start of the buzzer. Any tension will result in a slower draw time.
- Adjust your holster to where it is in a comfortable position so you are not causing tension in your shoulders or arms to make the draw.
- Slightly tilt the holster forward ensuring you get the beaver tail out of your way for a more consistent draw.
- Ensuring both hands are above your shoulders, at the sound of the buzzer exhale slightly allowing your shoulders to relax, thus getting you to the gun faster.
- Your weak hand will fall in front of your chest as your strong hand gets to the gun.
- Once the gun is out of the holster your hands will meet where your weak hand fell. This will bring you to the high ready position that will allow you to push the gun out consistently every time.
Conclusion
There are many types of drills that can be done to better your draw. Remember the different types of draws and work on all of them such as surrender, relaxed, on the table, in a brief case, etc. I'm sure you noticed I used the word consistent a few times in this tip. Consistency is the key. If you can stay consistent and smooth you will always have the grip you are looking for when you get the gun up and ready to shoot your first shot. Remember never settle!
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