When you hit a plateau in your handgun training, a way to bridge the gap to reach the next level is work strong and support hand. Do this at distance as well. I was a skeptic back a decade ago but bought into it and started training for National Match courses of fire. These matches are done strong hand only at 50 yards slow fire and at 25 yards timed and rapid. My overall results (up close) in speed and accuracy increased.
Work support hand at distance as well. If you are right eye dominant and right handed, switch to your non-dominant eye when working support hand. We do this simply to work the other side of your brain.
An advantage to training this way is that you will maximize available use of time and recourses in an age when recourses are scarce and expensive.
You will gain a keen appreciation for the fundamentals when your stability has been reduced and when you’ve increased your distance some 25 yards beyond your comfort zone.
Patrick McNamara
SGM, US Army (Ret)
Patrick McNamara spent twenty-two years in the United States Army in a myriad of special operations units. When he worked in the premier Special Missions Unit, he became an impeccable marksman, shooting with accurate, lethal results and tactical effectiveness. McNamara has trained tactical applications of shooting to people of all levels of marksmanship, from varsity level soldiers, and police officers who work the streets to civilians with little to no time behind the trigger.
His military experience quickly taught him that there is more to tactical marksmanship than merely squeezing the trigger. Utilizing his years of experience, McNamara developed a training methodology that is safe, effective and combat relevant and encourages a continuous thought process. This methodology teaches how to maintain safety at all times and choose targets that force accountability, as well as provides courses covering several categories, including individual, collective, on line and standards.
While serving as his Unit’s Marksmanship NCO, he developed his own marksmanship club with NRA, CMP, and USPSA affiliations. Mac ran monthly IPSC matches and ran semi annual military marksmanship championships to encourage marksmanship fundamentals and competitiveness throughout the Army.
He retired from the Army’s premier hostage rescue unit as a Sergeant Major and is the author of T.A.P.S. (Tactical Application of Practical Shooting).
Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn they offer some words of wisdom.
