Let’s face it, we don’t have piles of ammunition lying around just waiting to be shot which was all paid for by sponsors. While getting out to the range is fun and necessary, there is much that can be done within the comfort of your own home which can (given enough time) drastically improve your performance out on the live fire range. Dry fire drills might seem boring and repetitive but they do work. Prior to sitting down to write this short post I spent an hour working on presentation from the draw, my natural point of aim, speed and tactical reloads. This was all done from the comfort of my own living room. Think about it for a minute, if you put in 15 to 20 hours of dry fire training at home prior to your next outing at the range, how much more of an improvement would you realize with respect to your muscle memory? I’m betting you would notice a difference, it might not be earth shattering but you would definitely notice an improvement.
For obvious reasons I need to mention that safety is a huge consideration when practicing at home. I always take steps to ensure my pistol is unloaded and remains that way throughout the drills. When working reloads I fill my mags up with dummy rounds, an attempt to replicate the weight of a loaded mag while handling it. Again I cannot stress enough that when working these drills at no point in time should any live ammunition be near your work space, it might seem overzealous but the last thing you want to do is get a live round mixed in there and then discharge a round.
While doing these drills I would also suggest that you set yourself up in a practical manner, in other words if you carry concealed do the drills with your EDC holster and spare mag carrier (if you use one). While we all like to outfit ourselves with cool tactical gear (e.g. external holsters, leg drops) while on the range it doesn’t make much sense to train with that equipment if it stays in the closet once we step out the door. Speaking of spare mag carriers, I used to toss a spare mag in my cargo pocket but have since switched to single (double-stack) mag carrier from Blackhawk. It simply snaps on and off of your belt and does not really get in the way. Economy of motion during a reload really doesn’t exist if you have to dig into a cargo pocket, something I have learned and thought to pass along.
So there you have it, work some dry fire drills at home and I’m sure you will see an improvement the next time you head out to the range. But wait, what drills should you do? I’m glad you asked, check out this video which breaks things down nicely and demonstrates a few simple drills to start with.
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