Perfect Practice!
Perfect practice...what is it and why do you care?
I care, because by actively engaging in perfect practice, I am training my brain and body to perform the skill...perfectly. Because under stress we will revert to habits.
What do I mean by that??
If our practice is just going through motions time after time after time...those motions that will become habit have may flaws. This will be exacerbated under stress. Let me use an example that most of us can relate too.
#1 an instrument. Did any of you play an instrument currently or in the past? There were probably things you could play fairly well...until you had to do it in front of an audience. The audience is the stress. If your practice was mediocre, you’re playing in front of an audience would be mediocre at best and more likely a train wreck!
#2 how about a sport? When you practiced were you prepared and focused 100%, or just practiced because you were made too? You’re playing I imagine represented your practice. And coach screaming at you induced the stress which made you worse.
Taking natural talent and skill out of the equation, because there are always exceptions to the rule.
Shooting...do you just go to a range, stand behind a table at 25-100y and take a full minute to aim...shoot...than another 10-15 seconds to shoot again? Is that perfect practice when you will need drop someone by first pulling your firearm from under clothing, and then shooting 3 shots minimum at them either while they're running at you with a sword from the cash register to where you're standing at the coffee island at your local convenience store; or someone in Walmart pointing a gun at you from the other end of the camping aisle? And 5 shots are more representative. Watch bodycam video from cops, there are hundreds if not thousands. There will be three cops firing until their guns are empty at a guy, less than 10y away, they reload and continue shooting until he falls, and they still don't stop shooting. What does that tell you?
9mm or even 45ACP, unless it hits the spinal cord and severs it, or you hit them square in the face...they won’t drop like in the movies. A person’s heart can explode and they still run 100' until all oxygen from the brain is depleted. Don't take my word for it. There is enough documentation out there proving it. From surgeons in city ERs, and from our soldiers who have seen it with their own eyes. What if person is wearing thick clothing and hopped up on meth...he won’t feel bullets in the shoulder or extremities.
Perfect practice is 1st your preparation, meaning you have everything you need and you're focused on what you want to do for that particular practice. You don’t practice all the skills at once. Pick something and work on Perfectly.
2nd, you go through the motions methodically, with purpose doing everything right.
Example
Pulling up your shirt if concealed carry, making sure your index is correct, mark your hand with a marker so you see it is right, pulling the gun out and support hand meets the gun before you get to your work space, getting eye on that front site immediately, or if you run an optic, keeping your eye on the target and bring dot to target, putting your trigger finger on the trigger as you present to target and finding that wall, so that as soon as arms are locked the gun goes off. And you keep shooting until threat is gone!
Doing all of the aforementioned at the same speed until you are doing the times you set as a goal. And yes...a timer is of most importance because it is the best way to gage your progress.
That was one scenario. Only perfect practice will get you to the point of having a chance to defend yourself or some anomaly.
