The Baseline

There needs to be an understanding the basic standard is testing to evaluate knowledge and application of marksmanship fundamentals This is a baseline of sorts and ensures a known beginning. Take a moment to review the marksmanship fundamentals. This is the very minimum knowledge and application necessary to be successful. Without knowing and applying the five elements of marksmanship fundamentals, the shooter does not meet the minimum basic standard. Here is a list of marksmanship fundamentals in the proper sequence.

1. Position
2. Grip
3. Aiming
4. Trigger control
5. Follow through

Knowing Is Not Enough

Knowing the fundamentals is the first step and honestly the easiest. The hard part is applying them consistently. As we apply these elements they must be performed to a minimum standard for success. For position, the stance should be athletic and action biased. Have good balance and muscular tension throughout the body with a forward leaning posture. Grip places both hands optimally on the firearm to allow constant and firm tension, but does not interfere with trigger control. Aiming is made up of sight alignment and sight picture. Sight alignment is achieved when the front sight post is at the same height as the rear sight notch. Then equal spacing of the front sight post between the rear sight notch. Sight picture is superimposing sight alignment on the intended target and holding through the firing sequence. Trigger control starts with proper placement of the index finger so it contacts only the face of the trigger. When properly placed this allows the index finger to move the trigger straight to the rear with minimal disruption to aiming. Follow through is the active recovery of the firearm back on target with muscular tension. It begins the moment the projectile leaves the muzzle by returning the muzzle back to the target, then re-aiming the sights and finishes with resetting the trigger to allow trigger control to begin again if required. Knowing is not enough, consistently apply each of these five elements.

Basic Pistol Test

Use this drill to test the knowledge and application of the marksmanship fundamentals. It should be performed in the very beginning of a range session with no warm up. The goal is to score a 70% or higher, five times in a row to truly meet the minimum standard. Take a picture of the target and keep it as a reference for future range sessions. Print and use the TRICON B8 target to make it easier and the scoring consistent. The test is performed from the 10 yard line, requires 10 rounds and a timer. Use the timer on any mobile device, but set it for 7 seconds to allow time to safely hit start. If using a shot timer, set the par time for 5 seconds. There are four stages to this test, the last stage is the only stage performed from the holster, if allowed. If drawing from the holster is not allowed or lacking the knowledge, start from a tabled position. We define the ready position as both hands properly gripping the firearm with the trigger finger straight on the home position and the muzzle pointing downward at a 45 degree angle.

1. Aimed in on target, fire 1 round within 5 seconds
2. From ready position, fire 4 rounds within 5 seconds
3. From ready position, fire 3 rounds one handed within 5 seconds
4. From holster position, fire 2 rounds within 5 seconds

After completed the drill, score the target. Each round is 10 points for a maximum score of 100. If a round cuts the line, count it as the lower score. To score 70% means no more than missing a total of 30 points. Good luck.

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In anything we do, the ability to be consistent is what helps us improve. One area in shooting overlooked is trigger finger consistency as it relations to placement.

Working To The Minimum Standard

When you fail to move the trigger finger to the same location on the trigger you can’t be surprised by the inconsistent results. Because there is a lack of trigger finger consistency there is an inability to generate the same results. Proper trigger finger placement must accomplish three tasks. It must move to the same location on the trigger, the same position on the finger and the same pressure applied. Each of these tasks must also be performed almost simultaneously. Most shooting errors can be tied to one of these tasks. While you don’t need to be perfect with each of these tasks, there is a minimum standard. 

It All Starts With Location

When we talk about minimum standard it generally gets a negative view. But, this is the minimum level to achieve the desired outcome. It should be a good thing. When it comes to trigger management there is a minimum standard for each of these tasks. As you work to improve in this area I find it hard to try and correct all three at one time. Starting with the easiest one is your best bet. I recommend the location on the trigger to start. It is easy because there is a tactile index that can help. When we place our finger on the trigger, we want it low for increased leverage. The lower the better and so when we can feel the bottom tip of the trigger we are at the lowest point. Placing your finger right at the bottom should be something you can “feel”. This feel will help create consistency. 

Its A Right Angle

From there, the position on the finger is probably the next easiest to improve. You want the trigger finger placed deep, up to the first knuckle for power. The more power you have, the smoother the movement of the trigger. I use to think this was the biggest issue when it came to position. What I have learned watching hundreds of students struggle is it is more about how you interface with the flat surface of the trigger. If you point the tip of the finger back, it applies pressure to the side. If you point the tip of your finger forward it applies pressure to the side. Only through applying pressure to the flat surface will you move the trigger straight to the rear. The minimum standard here would be the tip of your trigger finger is pointing 90 degrees. 

Dry Fire Is Your Friend

Trigger movement is probably the hardest to develop consistency. You have to be behind the gun firing to truly develop the skill. My biggest suggestion is to slow things down, way down. You need to feel the stages of the trigger’s travel so you can control its movement. If you fail to recognize this point, you will fly over your trigger errors. The best recommendation I can make is to work on the first two tasks through dry fire. These are more about proper positioning. Getting it right, time after time. Working at moving the trigger finger from the home position to the trigger is an easy drill that requires no resetting of the fire control. You literally move it from these two positions checking to make sure you met the minimum standard. Which are the bottom edge and 90 degrees. 

Practice this so you develop consistency in the overlooked aspects of trigger management. Get better here and you will see the improvements in your shooting quickly. 

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I have learned over the years, no matter how simple I make the lesson there are always challenges. One I continue to experience is proper trigger finger placement.

What Type of Cup Are You

I have developed a system that allows shooters the best chance of shooting success. We dissect their technique and either push them to sustain or guide them to improve. If they are doing well, there is no need to change their technique for the sake of changing. My ego is well established I don’t need to see my imprint on every student I come into contact with in classes. It is when we need to improve the challenges begin. When it comes to corrective strategies I can break the student down into three different categories. Each category requires a slightly different approach. There is the empty cup, the half full cup and the full cup.

Full Cup Obstacles

The empty cup type students struggle just like everyone else. Typically, they are overwhelmed with so much new material they have a hard time focusing on a single action. Instead, their attention is splattered all over the place. The half full cups are probably the easiest to work with and easiest to see the most improvements. They have a decent knowledge base, can comprehend the material and with a little mentoring can discover on their own the best technique for themselves. The full cups are probably the hardest to deal with for lots of different reasons. The two biggest ones are denial and ego.

Believing Your Trigger Finger Is Right, But It’s Not

They have a hard time accepting they are making the mistakes identified in corrective strategies. On the one hand, they can comprehend the mistake, but on the other there is a disbelief they are actually making said mistake. Through the diagnostics we use I can identify the various types of errors. There are a few we see in every class and are easy to spot. I call these the low lying fruit because if I can get the student to remedy the error, they can see big improvements and quickly. When denial exists, there is little I can do other than apply deductive reasoning in the hopes the student’s logical brain will override their emotional brain. Explaining the error and corrective strategy to the class has it’s advantages. The big disadvantage is the idea the student in question is thinking, “he can’t be talking about me.” Then dismissing the point.

Hitting Rock Bottom

When ego is involved there is a disbelief they can be making the mistake. It glosses over them. It is not until they reach a low point they can accept the possibility they are creating the error leading to their poor performance. About the only way to handle this situation is to wait until they are literally up against the ropes then spend some time one to one. The light bulb moment is the result of exhausting all other options and finally recognizing the problem. In either case, as an instructor you have to be patient. Even if you apply these strategies, there is still a chance they won’t come around taking more time and more failures. I see this a lot in classes with trigger finger placement.

The Right Digit Location

In this case, it had to do with the trigger finger placement. The trigger finger must be completely isolated from the frame of the firearm. It cannot touch, rub or contact the frame. If it does, the finger will place pressure on the frame. This pressure will move the frame in the direction of the pressure resulting in a windage error. While I talk about the trigger finger being low and deep, the main point I try to get across is isolating the trigger finger. Then keeping the tip pointed at ninety degrees. It really is an easy error to spot, both in the shot group and with the shooter. The hard part is fixing the problem when the shooter doesn’t see the problem themselves.

Once the shooter is ready to see the shooting error, they are ready to correct the error. The only thing you can do in the mean time is provide encouragement and accountability.

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The Trigger Trinity

When I’m explaining proper trigger management I break it down into three parts; trigger finger placement, trigger finger location and trigger movement. Each of these can be further subdivided, but for our purposes I’m going to be talking about trigger movement. The first two parts are important and I have talked about them in detail in previous articles (Get Your Reset On). Granted, without proper trigger placement and location the movement of the trigger is not off to a good start. Assuming all things are properly performed on the first two parts it boils down to how well you can move the trigger without disturbing the sights.

Movement Defined

When it comes down to the trigger’s movement I break it down into three stages (more three’s). The first stage is the slop, all the free travel before you meet resistance from the sear. The second stage is the slack; which is quite literally applying pressure up to the sear wall. Lastly, is the squeeze; which occurs when you press past the sear wall. Most of the time, the student is not able to feel all three of these stages individually. Instead, they think and move the trigger as one action. A big reason is they are moving the trigger too fast. There is this idea they need to break the shot “now” or pull the trigger fast to shoot fast. This impulse is both physiologically and phycological based. On the one hand, the body is reacting to the gun discharging or the anticipation of the gun discharging. The other is the mind telling the trigger finger to break the shot before the body may be ready to break the shot.

Doing It Right

While there are tons of theories on moving the trigger, here is what we know. Your gun and by proxy your sights have to stay on target during the movement of the trigger or the firing sequence in general. If the guns moves, the sights move and you produce a miss. Now, if you are moving the trigger with excessive force or applying force that moves the gun prior to the shot breaking you are going to miss. A good way to approach this is by understanding the importance of grip, mount and stance. These factors help keep the gun on target with minimal movement. That allows you to apply more attention to detail as you work the trigger. If you cannot control these steps at slow speed, you will not control them at full speed.

Surgical vs. Speed

At a certain point folks complain, they complain you are not going to be able to do that in a gunfight. Well, the reality is if you don’t learn proper technique it really won’t matter. Plus, that is a lame excuse to get out of doing the work. Instead, you need to understand there is surgical shooting and speed shooting. Very few can combine the two. In the case of surgical shooting, you will need to apply the fundamentals described to a high level of precision. Most of the time, this will either be a shot at distance or a shot versus a smaller target. Then there is speed shooting where the fundamentals have less negative consequences if not performed to a high level of precision. This is due to the size of the target being larger or the distance to target being closer. Each of these types of shooting will still require the shooter to know how to move the trigger accordingly and when one is more appropriate than the other.

You are not going to get out of learning surgical or speed shooting techniques if you want to be adaptable and resilient in a gunfight. You will have to do the work and master both.

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One With The Gun

Once the bullet leaves the barrel there is nothing you can do to help. If you didn’t have your technique installed before hand it won’t help that round as it hurls downrange. Most everything we do is going to be applied prior to the round being fired. There are the traditional subjects such as sight and trigger management along with grip integrity, but how do you put it all together. How do you become one with the gun. I have had the pleasure of working with some amazing athletes. Professional to Olympic, in all shapes and sizes. The advantage they have is a higher understanding of their body. How to make it do the work in the most efficient manner possible.

Use What You Have

This was so clearly illustrated when working with some female professional athletes. Their ability to will their body, to take advantage of what God bestowed to them was down right impressive. The key was in understanding what muscle groups to activate and how to maintain tension during the requirement activity. As I explained the subject, such as shoulder recruitment it was truly impressive to watch each of them work at flexing and engaging the various muscles of the shoulder region. They understood so plainly how we were stacking joints, ligaments, tendon and muscles so they performed at peak levels together.

Midline, You Are Not an Apple

Regardless of the sport, it is hard to perform at high levels without having a strong midline. I will see some folks who have super rigid upper torsos, but their midline is jelly and you literal watch the recoil wave rippling through them. Keep the midline engaged is not that difficult, but it is also something you want to make sure does not produce negative results. The best way to express this process is by trying to move your belly button towards your spine. Don’t just tighten your abdominal region, that is a half measure. When you follow this tip, you not only tense the midline, but you help stabilize your whole body. More importantly, you are preparing it to support the other muscles optimized for shooting.

Neutral Position

Your shoulders are the next region and they play a huge role. Keeping your shoulders in a neutral position is the key. You do not want them rounded forward or overly retracted rearward. You want them in their strongest position; which is neutral. Those who suffer from bad posture will obviously benefit from paying more attention to their shoulder position. This also ties into the tight midline mentioned above. Keeping the shoulders in this position further connects the kinetic chain. Once you have your shoulders in the right position with the proper tension they will connect with your lats. While your shoulders can be developed, they will not have the same strength capacity as your larger muscle groups such as your upper back region. Once this is connected it produces an amazing platform.

Crush Grip…Again

The last step in this chain is your grip. I have discussed this in several previous blog articles so I will summarize. Applying force to the bottom of the grip is the ideal location to optimize leverage. Gripping high on the gun does not produce the results most think. To optimize leverage you will want to be further away from the fulcrum, not closer. The real challenge is engaging your pinky fingers, literally applying pressure inward on the frame. Then pressing your heels together to close it all off. The last step is to lock your wrists. Combine all of these steps together and you will have a bomb proof technique.

You don’t need overdeveloped muscular structure to manage recoil, it helps, but is not a requirement. You need to learn how to use what you got to obtain the results you want.

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Jack of All Trades

As an instructor there are many hats you must wear, one of them is a left handed hat. Understanding the challenges of a lefty in a right handed world is something more instructors should strive for as part of their overall instructor capability. It does pose unique challenges, but none your students don’t have to experience. As adult learners you have to recognize most learn by observing and doing. These two groups make up the majority of the student body. It stresses the importance of maintaining a minimum skill level on your left side. You don’t have to be a grand master, but you need to make it look achieveable and that takes practice.

Student Needs

When I run an Instructor Selection Course the instructor candidates will have to demonstrate a minimum standard of performance on their left side. On the flip side, if the instructor is a lefty, they will have to demonstrate the standard of performance on their right side. It proves equally challenging, but the learning curve is less steep due to most firearm controls favoring the right side. When the instructor candidate reaches the instructor development portion of the course they will have to work on shooter diagnostics. I make it even more challenging by posing as a left handed shooter. This forces the instructor candidate to recognize the likelihood of teaching to a lefty and ensuring their skills can accommodate the student’s needs.

The Bare Minimum

I recommend at a minimum you are able to demonstrate how to safely load, unload and perform a safety check from the left side. It is not as easy as telling the student to do the opposite. As mentioned earlier the controls are located in different locations. My suggestion is to slow things down. Take time to brief what you will do, then walk through the task or activity verbally explaining your steps. One point of contention for me is a pistol with right hand controls being worked from the left side. It is customary to use the trigger finger to operate some of the controls. In my opinion, your trigger finger should be isolated to performing one duty only, the movement of the trigger. It makes it challenging to accommodate this request without moving the controls. One bonus for manually running the slide is it works when holding the gun in either hand. When it comes to locking the action open, I eject the live round first. Then reposition my hand to allow my right hand index finger to operate the slide stop lever.

The Same, but Different

When it comes to shooting or performing demonstrations on the left side, again I strongly suggest you have a minimum level of performance. Slowing things down allows you to think your way through the firing sequence; which is necessary due to lack of maintenance. One sticky point is focusing on the front sight. My suggestion is to close your right eye. Force your brain to see the front sight on the left side through the left eye. It doesn’t matter what eye is dominant at this point, the closed eye is out of the picture. The trigger movement is the same regardless of what hand is holding the gun. When it comes to trigger management, what matters is your ability to place your finger correctly followed by applying pressure smoothly. The take away is the heightened sense of attention you are placing on trigger mechanics that is often taken for granted.

Shooting off your left side will make you a better shooter, but more importantly it will enhance a left handed student’s experience. As an instructor, that should be your primary goal.

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Putting in the time

Are there other techniques, absolutely. However, a large majority work for a small minority of folks. The reason why is simple. The average defensive student either does not have the time or does not invest the time to maintain proficiency. Most folks will expend less than a thousands rounds of ammunition per year and that is being generous. Think of ten visits to the range where you expend approximately 100 rounds per visit. I like this number, it tells me the shooter is putting effort to learn new skills and sustain current ones. If I could get 80% of the student shooters to invest in this training plan I would consider this a win. This level of practice provides an ideal environment to reinforce fundamentals skills necessary for sustainable trigger management.

Trigger management defined

And that is what it takes, sustainment. You can see a lot of improvement in a 16-hour class, but to keep the momentum going you need sustainment training. I have mentioned it before, the two most important skills for any level student to master are crush grip and trigger management. I have talked about crush grip so you can visit these articles to learn more, but in short it means holding the gun both firm and still during it’s entire operational sequence. Without this skill your trigger management limps along. Trigger management is about having the correct finger position on the trigger, lower third and placed on the face of the trigger. Then using the correct position on your finger, sunk in deep up to the first joint for power. Lastly, moving the trigger to the rear with minimal if any gun/sight movement. A big part of trigger management is understanding each of these three phases.

Three stages of trigger movement

First stage is taking out all the slop or free play. The movement the trigger has before you feel tension. Second stage is taking out the slack or the movement under tension. I get students to take out the slack so they are resting on the sear wall. Third stage is the squeeze. Where the student squeezes past the point of detonation and allows the gun to recoil. These three stages are easily taught, but difficult to master. Isolating them into these stages allows the student to “feel” their trigger. A common response is “I never knew my trigger could do that”. I’m not surprised with many of the techniques taught these days. The secret is to be patient in the beginning. To learn your trigger and how it moves. All the seemingly insignificant details most do not pay attention to or know exist.

Work the “2”

The most common trigger error we see is when the student fails to properly work the second stage, removing the slack. We call this “no two” meaning if you count down, 3,2,1…bang the two is taking out the slack. They may touch the trigger and take out the slop, but there is still plenty of travel that at real speeds cause significant gun/sight movement or what I call gross movement. When the student can take out “2” the trigger breaks more genuinely. Combined with a crush grip, subtle errors are hardly noticeable at real speeds. For homework assignment I ask students to dry practice,  become intimate with their trigger’s movement. Especially, the second stage. I give specific drills to practice emphasizing control over all three stages.

The results are higher awareness of trigger movement; which ultimately leads to a better hit ratio. This is the ultimate goal for any shooting student, the best hit ratio under any conditions.

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It’s the Indian, not the arrow

Why do we, regardless of the industry feel this is the best approach. Let me throw money at the problem, but not at a good solution. Is it possible a piece of gear can improve performance. Trick question. It depends on the quality of the equipment we are referencing and how it works with the shooter. All things being equal there are gains to be had for some. The problem is knowing if you are an ideal candidate. If you are struggling with performance look inward first. Start with what you may be doing right, the work to what may be wrong.

Fear

A typical example of a faulty decision making is when it comes to triggers. After market triggers have come a long way in recent years and I am a huge fan of them. Hell, I believe in them so much I was fortunate to work with one of the best trigger manufacturers to produce what I believe to be one bad ass drop in trigger for the AR15 platforms. However, I also recognize it can cause more problems than they solve. Where the problems arise is when you have a fear of the gun going bang.

Which is worse

Fear of discharging a firearm is not a new thing, it has been around as long as firearms. What most don’t recognize is they have a fear based response buried deep in their technique. Fear can come in many different forms, a common form is clinching in anticipation of firing the round. It starts out like a small ripple and builds to a huge wave surge by the time it reaches your trigger finger. These ultra light triggers amplify the problem. Teh subject of prep’ing the trigger can rub people the wrong way. Taking a running start at the trigger and disrupting the sights produce a miss just as bad.

Walk, don’t run

When the shooter is fearful of applying the slightest pressure the apply no pressure. Instead, when the sights are aligned on target the slap at the trigger expecting the sights to remain motionless. Will a more powerful crush grip help stabilize the pistol and minimize sight movement. Yes, but when you take a running start at the trigger with such a lightweight trigger it is harder than you think.

Focus on the movement details

There needs to be consistent movement of the trigger. Interruptions to the movement create the start and stop effect. This effect will force the shooter to apply uneven pressure to the trigger and instead of smooth to the break, it becomes heavy or heavy and fast to the break. Concentrating on the movement of the trigger also requires the ability to see all the stages of a normal trigger’s movement. There should be a little slop in the beginning, then slack up to the sear and the then squeeze through the break. Before you throw in the towel on your after market trigger ask yourself if you can feel each of these distinctly. If you can’t you have to ask yourself if it is because they are not there due to the trigger or you are not concentrating enough to notice them.

Understand the benefits

This last part is the biggest reason I discourage them for new shooters. If the shooter cannot concentrate enough to feel these three stages on a striker fired pistol then an after market will make it worse. Once you can feel these three stages you will find shooting performance improved. Which begs the question if your money was well spent on the after market trigger or range time with a qualified instructor to identify the problem.

Shooting a firearm is not difficult, align the sights then squeeze the trigger. It gets difficult when you fail to recognize all the variables and those variables have a negative effect on your performance outcome.

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Defining correct trigger movement

It is important new students have the knowledge, skills and ability (KSA) to move the trigger in a manner that disrupts the sights as minimally as possible. As an instructor, there is the desire to best prepare a student for the worse possible scenario they may ever face. Focusing on the outcome along with the process is what allows us to make positive gains. Another major factor is how important it is for the student to have a positive experience. While there is something to be gained by negative experiences, new shooters develop better with positive experiences. These requires a higher order understanding of shooter errors.

Power vs. force

The first area we tackle when it comes to trigger management issues will be how one places their finger on the trigger. Specifically the location on the trigger to achieve optimize trigger movement. Since most modern firearms use a trigger based around a lever design, placing your finger lower on the trigger gives you more leverage, helping minimize time in the stall point typical with precise movements. Keeping the finger low on the trigger gives you more power and power is what allows you to move the trigger smoothly through all trigger movement stages. Force on the other hand still produces a fired shot, but by it’s nature will disrupt the sight picture to the point a miss is the outcome.

The devil is in the details

However, placement has been the biggest step towards helping shooters improve trigger management. So much,  we start every class by having students sink more of their finger into the trigger. While opinions vary, results are what we use to make informed decisions. Having the finger deeper on the trigger gives you the power mentioned above. The one downside to this technique, but this is possible with other errors is when the trigger finger rubs the firearm’s frame. This is possible regardless of trigger finger depth. When applying pressure to the frame while pulling the trigger it shifts the point of impact. Once you trigger finger is placed and positioned properly attention to where you are applying pressure is important. Most believe they are on the trigger face, but often they ride the edges creating windage issues.

Three stages of happiness

Trigger movement is often lost on instructors much less students. Modern striker fired pistols have three stages; sloop, slack and squeeze. The new student needs to feel each of the stages. They will more than likely need to slow the movement down or isolate each stage in order to feel them real time. The sloop is referenced as free travel or take up and the slack is the incremental movement up to the sear wall. The squeeze is breaking past the sear wall all the while minimizing sight disruption. Trigger movement for most is looked as a single motion and while that may be your goal it is less than ideal to start that way.

Trigger management is what allows you to achieve peak levels of performance. Everything else is semantics and subject to debate, moving the trigger without disrupting the sights is not.

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The Old Two-step

I use this as a reference for working the trigger, applying solid trigger management skills. For most triggers we see in classes we ask students to perform a “two-step” process. The first step is moving the trigger finger from the trigger index onto the trigger in the correct position. A big mistake we see is when students grip the firearm incorrectly. Griping the firearm incorrectly would be in a manner that does not allow your trigger finger to be isolated on the trigger and allow for a positive crush grip. Too many times students will grip high up on the backstrap in an effort to “control recoil”. The problem with this approach is generally speaking your trigger finger will be at such an awkward angle it will rub against the frame. When it does, it causes the firearm to move prior to discharge. The next issue is realizing physics are at play during the recoil impulse. Applying grip pressure high in your grip near the trigger guard gives you less control due to leverage. The further away from the fulcrum or in this case squeezing with the last two digits near the bottom of grip, the more leverage you will have hence greater recoil management.

Trigger Movement

People like to argue those points, but results speak for themselves. Once you can reprogram the student with the proper grip and applying power in the proper location you should be golden. Once this is achieved, it frees you up to work on the more difficult part to trigger management; which is the trigger’s movement. Getting back to the bench press analogy from earlier and specifically the stall point. A lot of problems we see are a result of student failing to move the trigger smoothly, straight to the rear with minimal disturbance to sight alignment. A lot of times, a student will move the trigger until they run into the stall point. The stall is caused by either incorrect programming or not having enough strength in the trigger finger to finish the job.

Single, Smooth Trigger Movement

There are some techniques that have you working the trigger in an incremental manner. These should be avoided and replaced with a single, smooth movement. The incremental movement can intensify the stall point. Resulting in a “jerk” on the trigger causing sight alignment disruption. The first solution is to correct your grip with trigger finger placement the top priority. Once properly placed the student should have the power necessary to control the trigger in a smooth, single movement. The stall should all but disappear or the excuse for said stall at least. Leaving you with the opportunity to move the trigger correctly.

Eliminate Error Potential

How fast you move the trigger is not really the issue, it is disturbing the sights you must avoid. If you move the trigger so fast you disturb the sights it is either caused by an improper grip or improper placement on the trigger. That is not an excuse to just smash the trigger, but if you have a powerful grip or what we call a crush grip it does eliminate much of this. Leaving you with the last culprit; trigger finger placement. Return to the bit about trigger finger placement from above plus the trigger finger’s positioning, but those are for another discussion at another time.

Working your trigger hard is normal, doing so with sloppy or incorrect technique is not an excuse even if you see marginal success. It is nothing more than a house of cards instead of solid combative fundamentals.

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. John F. Kennedy 35th President of the United States

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