3 Effective Practice Techniques - Dry Fire Training Tips from USPSA Grandmaster Rob Epifania

[@christopherhuynh8195]

Have been really enjoying, and even looking forward to, these new videos from you Rob. I have my 2nd kid on the way, and recently acquired my first 2011, so I've been dry firing a lot and will only have dry fire available for the next year or so. Your videos have been great. Thank you.

[@robepifania]

Congrats on the 2nd kid and the new 2011! Dryfire can get you a lot of the way there if it's done correctly! I'd highly encourage you to check out Ace VR also if you only really have access to dryfire - I've found it quite useful myself and it has largely replaced my dryfire as of late (I live fire more often now too )

[@JustinV911]

Love these little mini series Shot my first match over the weekend and left with new stuff to work out in dryfire 💪 Loving the journey

[@robepifania]

Excellent, I hope you had an awesome time! What did you learn you have to work out in dryfire??

[@JustinV911]

@@robepifania a big list ! table starts, wrist above shoulders but with my ear pro on, didn’t have my index of my ear as I did without earpro. And slowing down my momentum on entry so I can shoot sooner. And keep hammering on fundamentals and transitions on top of the above !

[@docgsreloading7985]

So important Rob, and I agree 100%! Heck, I'm almost to B in Limited Optics, and for sure if I don't have a laser focus on what I'm doing in my training, it really pretty much isn't worth anything. You're so right that you need to 'commit' to that time on the range or dry fire training. Thanks for that reminder!

[@robepifania]

Absolutely doc! People don't realize that intentionality, commitment, and consistency really are the name of the game! We get impatient when we don't see immediate results or just go through the motions.

[@pissedpanda]

Master Rob you did it again sauce boss! Thank you for the wisdom

[@robepifania]

hahaha thank you for the support and watching!!

[@bluyetiinc7553]

Excellent insights. Thank you.

[@robepifania]

Thanks my friend I hope you're great!

[@jamesdelong6401]

Good morning, Rob and family. Happy Friday. 😎🇺🇸💪. Yes, sir. I've got in a nasty habit doing more than one training drill. I've cleaned that up. This weekend will be footwork. Question for you. Do you run - Red Line Tactical - belt, mag, and holster setup?

[@robepifania]

Have fun with it! I run currently - Double Alpha Lynx belt with ratchet - Henning Group Holster hangar - henningshop.com - Rob10 is 10% off :) - TXC OVRT holster - txcholsters.com - A combination of Henning group mag pouches and adapters. First two are henning group mag pouches, 3rd and 4th are henning group T-X holster hangar adapted to TXC OVRT mag pouches I have a Double Alpha magnet for loading and stowing (cheapest I could find at the time).

[@jamesdelong6401]

@@robepifania Good evening, Rob. Dude! Thank you for all the information and discount code

[@dalewalters357]

Focus on one step at a time and don’t be upset if other parts seem to fall apart or not what I want. This will help a lot! Then limit the time and have laser focus.

[@robepifania]

It seems simple, but people often overlook the fact that your focus and concentration can only be in one are specifically at once! You can be aware of other things, but can't focus on them :) Have fun with it!

[@georgekromidas5097]

I have preignition push when trying to live fire a pistol predictively or close to that pace. I don’t have it in any other situation with consistency. I can do trigger control at speed fine at 15 yds, but as soon as I start trying doubles it happens. Any ideas on things that may help?

[@ripdoinksinamish]

I struggle with this issue as well. I think that it’s a combination of a training scar/bad habit and a natural desire to change grip pressure when firing live ammunition. I recently found that pulling the trigger super hard in dry-fire under substantial time-pressure caused me to reproduce the issue. In live-fire, doing one-shot return has been helping me dial in my return. I think the key is to make sure that the pressures in your hands stay the same throughout the recoil cycle and that you consciously work to stop the impulse to fight the recoil when shooting. Hope that helps!

[@georgekromidas5097]

@@ripdoinksinamish Yeah I’m gonna start focusing more on using more force or speed with my trigger finger. Sometimes I don’t pull hard enough and the trigger doesn’t drop even though I reacted quickly to the beep. Maybe that’s what’s causing it.

[@robepifania]

This could definitely be a contributing factor! I'd work on pressing the trigger harder than you think in general, something like double the amount needed along with OVER-resetting the trigger a bit. To answer your initial issue, it sounds like you don't really know how much effort is needed to return the gun when shooting faster, so you put a lot more effort than needed into it! I came up with an exercise almost a decade ago now called Sewing machine - it was meant to address the specific issue you have while shooting fast. It's a longer string of shooting so you can make corrections and really get a feel for the "rhythm" of what recoil feels like at high speed. After that, shooting a pair becomes much easier :) It is one of the videos in the free lesson series too, you can find that here - www.robepifania.net/free-drills 50/50 drills are another great way to practice this - Load the gun, remove the mag (one still in chamber). Present and try to fire at high speed, get a bang and a click. Pay close attention to what it looks like when you get the click. Let me know how it goes!

[@robepifania]

Definitely some solid insights here! Can also use dryfire bill drills with increasing pressure and speed on the trigger to help identify some of this stuff :)

[@georgekromidas5097]

@@robepifania Hey Rob, I think I made a break through today. Today I focused on being very aggressive on the trigger and pulling the trigger with more force than I ever have, and that seemed to correct the timing issue. My doubles were either good or some of the shots were high (could be poor trigger press or not being used to the different timing). In the past I have definitely noticed failure to press the trigger hard enough or hesitation on the trigger pull, which causes timing issues.