Pistol Development Squad - Autumn 2025 Report
Well, it's only the end of August but I was listening to a Christmas song advert on the radio yesterday as I drove home….it does seem like it's later in the year, feeling more like October than the start of September! This brings me neatly to an apology for the gap in the development squad meets recently. I'm pleased to say I've now managed to somewhat clear my feet and we can start up again!
Our new dates are Sunday 14 September and Saturday 4 October. I did have one for November but this has been cancelled due to competitions through the month getting in the way. Likewise, going up to Christmas will be too busy with competitions and the like, so the next dates will be released for 2026 starting in January. You can sign up for these sessions here.
As always it is extremely interesting to run the meetings, coach and watch the shooters. I learn as much, or more, than they do!
We have been working on sight alignment, grip alignment and how this affects the divergence of the shot on paper - if the gun is aligned, and the trigger pull does not disrupt the shot, then the shot will fall within the “wobble zone” of the hold. If an angle is introduced (i.e. if the sights are not aligned), the shot will fall much further out. This is all connected to hold, stance and grip. If they are not naturally aligned, the sights have to be held inline by muscle, which can fail as fatigue sets in or when stress levels get higher!
We used a laser mounted on the pistol so we could see in real time what was happening, using a white board to trace the muzzle direction as the sights were deliberately misaligned. This was a great training tool as everyone could see exactly what was the result. We also used this to demonstrate what happened with finger tightening on the grip and a misaligned stance.
We also did the usual brain work, attempting to lower ourselves into the Alpha state using a counting drill. This, when trained, can be used to lower stress levels and decrease brain activity (as we all know, brain activity is the sworn enemy of the athlete). We then shot, listening to low-hertz music, with a vocal instruction on concentration and calming. It was good to see the groups visibly tighten as this training was carried out.
We also, of course, did lots of shooting, lots of final competitions, and some finals in different formats (i.e. shooting on a blank target and shooting on a vertical target). These were won by group size rather than score and a handicap was applied to athletes so it was a level playing field for everyone. This is massively important to allow the less experienced shooter the feeling of staying in the final the full way through, even when up against much more experienced shots, and at the same time making the "professional” shots work a lot harder!
Again, in this theme, we shot using the group only as the mark of progress in the final, with shots outside the athletes individual group counting as a lower score. This was a really good training in that it forced the athlete to concentrate on a smooth shot within the group, and not to “chase the ten” - this is fantastic training for trigger control, grip and stance, and sight alignment.
You could shoot nine tens and an eight, and lose to a shooter who shot ten shots in the size of the eight ring because they did not have a flyer! This is the way to high scores and consistency!
I should also say, it is exciting to see some of our talent in the country now - we are in a good place with our international shooters and our upcoming aspiring young shots!
Looking forward to some more good training and full classes in the upcoming months.
Report by Nick Pye, Pistol AMG Development Squad Co-ordinator & Coach