Setup Notes:
This drill only requires a blank wall. You should not use a target for this exercise. Do not aim at a particular spot on the wall, just practice aligning the sights.
Procedure:
Draw your pistol and aim it at the wall. Align the sights as well as you can then press the trigger without disturbing that alignment. There is no time limit for this drill.
Alternate start positions. Be sure to use hands at sides, wrists above shoulders, etc.
Focus:
Perfect your ability to shoot accurately with no time limit.
Goal:
Keep the sights perfectly still as you push the trigger straight back. You shouldn’t perceive any movement in the sights at all.
Commentary:
Slowly drawing your pistol from the holster, gripping it properly, and then carefully breaking the shot so as not to disturb the sight alignment, is what many non-competitive shooters think of as dry-fire. This drill is it for them. As competitive shooters, we can do so much more. However, we still need to be able to do this drill.
I really like to focus on the sensation of moving your trigger finger in isolation. So many people have an ingrained habit where they pull the trigger using muscles from their whole hand. By doing a bit of dryfire, these people can get a sense of what it feels like to fire an accurate shot. Watching the sights will tell you the whole story about what your hand is actually doing. If you see the sights wiggle when you are pressing the trigger, you are doing it wrong.
It usually doesn’t take many repetitions for someone to start doing this with minimal problems. There are many shooters that can perform good trigger control in dry-fire, but they can’t do it at the range. If you are in this category, you should recognize that any disruption of your sight picture when you press the trigger back will absolutely show up downrange.
I recommend that you master this drill in dry-fire. When you are out on the range trying to perfect your slow-fire trigger control and using real ammo, don’t hesitate to unload your gun and reacquaint yourself with this drill. Alternating between live-fire and dry-fire will help you isolate the right “feel” in your hands and trigger finger.
Gary Hybridge 