Three Simple Techniques Improve Your Accuracy

We all want better accuracy, don’t we? You want to know that you hit what you’re aiming at, and you want to know that you didn’t accidentally damage property or, God forbid, injure someone unintentionally.

So, besides time at the firing range with live rounds and dry fire practice techniques, how can you improve your accuracy in the moment? Lee Flynn, an active duty officer in the military has three suggestions, with our comments.

1. Shooting Position. Flynn groups a few things into this category depending on the type of weapon which you are shooting, but, essentially, it comes down to this: you need to practice holding your weapon, looking down the sites for aiming and firing in the same way every time, and this needs to be as efficient and effective a way as possible. Why? First, because how you hold the weapon in relation to your body, the angle of your head while aiming and firing, and other similar factors affects how accurate your shots are. Secondly, because what you practice is what you will do in the heat of the moment when adrenaline is running through your system.
2. Breathing. You’ll want to learn to shoot between breaths or, if necessary, learn to hold your breath momentarily when taking a shot. Why? Flynn gives this explanation: “While you are breathing and your arms are in your shooting position, they will naturally move up and down slightly. This causes your weapon to move up and down slightly, which throws off your aiming ability.” You fix this problem by firing when your chest isn’t moving for breathing.
3. Trigger Squeeze. You want a smooth, steady pull and release of your trigger so that your rapid trigger pull isn’t moving the weapon off target while taking a shot. Flynn notes that you should “[p]ractice on your unloaded weapon.”

There you have it, three simple ideas to work with to make you a more accurate shot. These methods only take a little time and focus for you to get in the habit of using, and, once you are using them regularly, you’ll find your accuracy improving.