So I tried shooting with a timer

[pacmule]

Got one of those free timer apps on the phone, thought I would try it out, draw fire two rounds. Check my draw time and split times. I have some swinging plates so I figure I would shoot at the big plate from 12y, it's 10in. wide and about 12-14 tall.
Good news was my fast draws were under 1.5 secs, splits around 1/2 sec. I figured not bad for a newbie.
Bad news is I kept missing. I usually can blaze through a magazine and pepper that plate, then I realized I am not used to drawing so my quick grabs were giving me a crappy hold on the pistol. Slowed the draw, forced my thumb down more and got better.
There's a lot to learn here.
Pacmule

[Lead Waster]

You have access to a nice range then! To allow drawing and rapid fire!

[Lead Waster]

Oh and set your timer app to a "par time". Set to beep a random start time and then beep at 2.0 seconds. Then dry-fire practice. Beep! draw, pretend to shoot twice. Beep! Then just practice and reduce the par time until it feels good...then go to the range and try with live rounds. Just to save some ammo on practice.

[Kowan]

It is fun and you'll get better the more you time yourself.

[CSACANNONEER]

Slow is smooth and, smooth is fast. Don't rush your draw and you'll end up being faster.

[Kowan]

Oh and set your timer app to a "par time". Set to beep a random start time and then beep at 2.0 seconds. Then dry-fire practice. Beep! draw, pretend to shoot twice. Beep! Then just practice and reduce the par time until it feels good...then go to the range and try with live rounds. Just to save some ammo on practice.

I agree. I dry fire more than live fire for that reason.
Start slow and mechanical to develop muscle memory. Then the timer can be introduced into the training.

[pacmule]

CSA, Kowan, I realized after that short session that I will have to slow down the draw and be more deliberate until I can come up with the gun properly gripped every time. I plan on doing lots of dry firing towards that goal.
Lead Waster, I happen to think it is a really nice range! It's also sometimes referred to as my backyard. There are benefits to living out in the country.
Pacmule

[whipkiller]

Got one of those free timer apps on the phone, thought I would try it out, draw fire two rounds. Check my draw time and split times. I have some swinging plates so I figure I would shoot at the big plate from 12y, it's 10in. wide and about 12-14 tall.
Good news was my fast draws were under 1.5 secs, splits around 1/2 sec. I figured not bad for a newbie.
Bad news is I kept missing. I usually can blaze through a magazine and pepper that plate, then I realized I am not used to drawing so my quick grabs were giving me a crappy hold on the pistol. Slowed the draw, forced my thumb down more and got better.
There's a lot to learn here.
Pacmule

Ha, that reminds of the comedian Brian Regan talking about taking a speed reading course,

"I took a speed reading course and my speed shot up to 43 pages a minute, but my comprehension plummeted."

Another one of those "Slow down to go fast" situations.

[CSACANNONEER]

CSA, Kowan, I realized after that short session that I will have to slow down the draw and be more deliberate until I can come up with the gun properly gripped every time. I plan on doing lots of dry firing towards that goal.
Lead Waster, I happen to think it is a really nice range! It's also sometimes referred to as my backyard. There are benefits to living out in the country.
Pacmule

Yup, so many city folk think everyone lives in cracker boxes stacked on top of each other.

[pacmule]

Another thing I noticed is that when I realized I needed to slow down, I shot the 3" plate to check my aim, got ready and as soon as the buzzer went off I rushed my shots again. Not sure if it was the anticipation of it going off or what but I seem to rush myself when I use it.
Pacmule

[Lead Waster]

CSA, Kowan, I realized after that short session that I will have to slow down the draw and be more deliberate until I can come up with the gun properly gripped every time. I plan on doing lots of dry firing towards that goal.
Lead Waster, I happen to think it is a really nice range! It's also sometimes referred to as my backyard. There are benefits to living out in the country.
Pacmule

I was thinking it might be, or BLM land.... so jealous!

[SoldierLife7]

Slow is smooth and, smooth is fast. Don't rush your draw and you'll end up being faster.

^^ beat me to it!

The best words of advice when it comes to drawing and firing.

Slow, smooth and over and over and over and over again...

[Voo]

That mantra people recite is really over-used and somewhat incorrect.. Slow is just SLOW... There's no reason to be "slow" if you're using the right mechanics..

The idea is to practice it correctly. The point with slowing down is that it should allow the average person to see that what they're doing is correct.. The problem is, the majority of people don't approach practice with proper mechanics in mind. They just "do" things without ever analyzing what the correct 'way' should be.. Ever know a shooter that's been shooting for 10+ years but hasn't gotten any better and shoots the same as they always have?

If you don't know the proper mechanics, going slow isn't going to make you magically understand it.. All that's happening is that your practice is still bad but on top of this, you're now practicing to be slow..

You'd be better off video taping yourself and go from there.. Things like, are your hands consistently in the same spots, do you swing the gun up or press out? does your head move? Does the gun dip/rollercoaster when it's at eye level? Where is your weight/balance distributed? How are you indexing your hand in relation to the grip? All these things have subtle effects on the draw stroke and at the end of it, culminate in making your draws sub second or not..

Going slow will only engrain a "slowness" to your actions.. It's like competition with other people. When you're pushed and at the edge, you'll realize where your boundaries are and what you can push.. If nobody ever pushes you or you never challenge yourself, it's really hard to see what you're capable of..

Maybe some of you have heard of Rob Leatham.. He had a funny anecdote about a classic drill, the El Prez. He basically said when he started shooting it years ago, guys were having trouble doing it under 10 seconds. If you've ever run the drill, you'll realzie this is an absurdly slow time. Guys today are easily doing it in less than 5 seconds. Understanding what it takes to get better is more important than blindly slowing and hoping you're still doing it correctly.

[rmatt]

A shot time is essential for serious training. It's cool you found it on your own and are working towards a goal. Normally it is only people who are into competitions or have a job with a "qual" that train with a timer. Enjoy the process!

[pacmule]

Hopetonbrown, I feel good about the first but I think I need to spend some time evaluating the second before moving on.
Rmatt, I would like to get into shooting competition, which is what got me started on this. That short practice already showed me a lot about what I don't know and what a journey this can become. Makes me want it that much more.
Pacmule