Exercises to Improve Your Accuracy

If you are new to the world of shooting, perhaps you have not put much thought into the connection between physical conditioning and your shooting accuracy. Strengthening your “shooting muscles” can go a long way toward improving your accuracy and keeping yourself healthy.

Whether you shoot pistols or rifles, you need a strong upper body. Target rifles can be downright heavy, especially after shooting for a while. While pistols are much lighter, the fact that you are holding them with your arms extended in front of you, generally with no support, you can fatigue quite quickly. In a match or in a defensive situation, the last thing you want is to feel fatigued early on in the game.

Below are some basic upper body, core strengthening and cardio exercises, which can be performed at a gym or in the privacy of your own home generally without fancy or pricey equipment. Nobody knows your body better than you do, so why not spend a few minutes researching alternatives and additional exercises if you would like to target some areas more thoroughly.

Core strength: Your core muscles are the underlying muscles of your torso, running from your hips to your shoulders. Core strengthening exercises include the muscles of your abdomen, back and your pelvis. Crunches, planking, yoga, sit-ups etc. all make for a stronger core.

Grip trainers can increase hand and forearm strength.

Grip trainers: Grip trainers are designed to strengthen your hands. A strong grip on your firearm will help counter recoil and you will feel less hand fatigue after shooting. Inexpensive grip strengthening gadgets are available everywhere these days and generally run in the $10 to $20 range. Since they exercise the hand, they are great to have around the house for you to pick up and use while watching television or talking on the phone.

The forearm is made up of many muscles that you use while shooting!

Forearm strengthening exercises: One way to combat forearm fatigue is with wrist curls. Sitting down, place one dumbbell in each hand. Rest your forearms on your thighs, with your hands hanging over your knees, palms facing up. Raise the dumbbells by moving only your hands, hold, lower and repeat. Be sure to keep your arms still. After you have done your set, turn your hands over so that your palms now face down. Repeat the exercise this way, pulling the dumbbells up. Try to increase the number of repetitions with each new workout.

Dumbells, free weights and bands can all be effective in strengthening your upper body, arms and shoulders.

Arm and shoulder exercises:  To be a competent shooter you need to have good arm strength. Whether you are shouldering a heavy target rifle or shooting a pistol, your arms will get tired if they are not in shape. The stronger the arms, the longer you can hold them in a shooting position, the less movement you will have and the steadier your shots will be. Lifting weights will tone and strengthen these very important muscles. You will want to focus on all of the major muscle groups of the arm and shoulder.

Kickboxing is not only a great cardio workout to get your heart rate up, it is also a lot of fun! Practice those defensive skills!

Cardio: Cardio exercises are designed to get your heart rate up, which in turn improves your stamina and physical endurance. Examples of cardio include: running, biking, treadmill, Zumba, kickboxing etc. Any exercise that increases your heart rate for an extended period of time can be considered as cardio; but do not forget to stretch, warm up, and properly cool down, your muscles will thank you!

Dry fire exercises: While technically not a physical exercise, dry firing when done properly and safely can improve your muscle memory. I often practice drawing and re-holstering while keeping my eyes locked on the target, not my weapon.

Even if you do not own a set of weights, there are items already in your home that you can use if you think outside of the box. Here are some ideas for homemade fitness apparatus:

Lift..then have lunch! Soup cans make great barbells

• Empty and clean milk jugs or laundry detergent containers filled with sand or water can double as weights or kettle bells. You can vary the amount of sand/water to change the weight.

• Fill some sandbags, they make great weights.
• Stairs! Most of us have them, you do not need a fancy stair climber just run up and down them a few times!
• No treadmill? Hit the road!
• Disposable water bottles filled with water or sand make a great alternative to weights. If you fill them with water, you will have something to drink while you are out for a run.

Think outside the box, equipment doesn’t have to be expensive

Do not discount different types of exercises such as yoga and Pilates. Both are excellent for core strength, and yoga especially is excellent to help you control your breathing, which as we know is an important part of shooting.

You do not have to spend hours in the gym, but improving your physical fitness will pay off even when you are not shooting. Adopting a healthier lifestyle and getting into better shape is something we should all shoot for! (Pun intended).

You shoot..GUNS??!!

So here's how my day started the other day. I walked into a clients office, the new-ish secretary jumps from her desk and yells.."Wait..I have a question.."

Me: Whats up?
Her: You shoot..(insert long, awkward pause)...GUNS??!!
Me: Yes..why?
Her: Your like..an NRA gun person?
Me: I'm an NRA member, NRA Certified Pistol Instructor and NRA Certified Range Safety officer, is that what you mean?
Her: Why?
Me: Why what?
Her: Why do you shoot guns?
Me: Because shooting rubber bands isn't nearly as much fun..whats your point? (At that point, the other secretary burst out laughing..)
Her: You have kids, aren't you worried?
Me: Worried what, that they won't share? My girls both shoot..again, whats your point?
Her: Oh..nothing..I just didn't know..
Me: Why would you need to?

Turns out that last week, I sent some information to them via email. I used my personal Google email address. Apparently she saw my personal Google profile in which my bio states the above information, along with some adorable pictures of my horse. She Google stalked me.

Do I care that she knows? Heck no, I've got nothing to hide, in fact, I'm proud that I shoot. Was I surprised by her reaction? Yep! Will I ever send work in using that email address? Probably not..it might be time to make one just for my business services clients. Does it matter? No..I am what I am, and I do what I do..and I really don't care who thinks what of it.

What I don't understand is the negative reaction she had to it..the whole.."you shoot....GUNS?" (My defense mechanism clicked on in my head at that point, and the rubber band line just kind of shot out of my mouth..)

And to question my girls safety? Well that just makes the assumption on her part that all gun owners are irresponsible, and I guess that's the part that bothered me the most..she automatically assumed my kids might be in danger from my hobby.

I guess we just need to educate people the best we can when they ask questions like that..because it happens here in my part of New York..a lot..sigh..

How would you handle this?

I had a lovely day on Saturday. One of my cousins hosted a little reunion because we only see each other at funerals. I'm the youngest of my 16 first cousins on my dads side. Most of us grew up pretty close because we lived in the same county, but my oldest cousin was married and living upstate most of my life. Because of our age difference, we never got to know each other. Recently connecting on Facebook, "E" and I shared our first real conversation this weekend. He knew from FB that I shot, and over the past few months, we have had had many pleasant exchanges about firearms which I've enjoyed.

(Photo by Alan Dubbs)

We were chatting away like old friends at the picnic, talking firearms and getting to know each other. My other male cousins in attendance, joined in on the conversation. They all thought it was cool that I obtained my NRA Pistol Instructor certification earlier this year. We laughed, shared stories, and caught up with each other.

The conversation was quite fun, until one of my female cousins walked over with her new husband. She came into earshot when E was talking about one of his pistols. She gasped and exclaimed to E "OMG, you have a gun?" E was a little taken back, but replied cheerfully that he had many firearms. Her next question: "Why? Why do you need a gun?" "Is it on you? OMG.."

Now clearly..she had no idea that the rest of us did too, and she looked at me and mouthed the words "He's crazy! He has guns!" Her new husband asked E if he thought he was on the show Duck Dynasty, and why wasn't he dressed in camo and have a beard? (Nice to meet you too, right?)

E did his best to answer her questions, like why he thought he needed a gun, and did he "shoot things" with them?! I finally caught E's attention and gestured he should just stop talking to her..she was getting nastier and nastier, but since E hadn't been down our way since 1981 when his dad passed away, he felt the need to still be polite despite her ridiculousness. After-all, we were family, right?? Her husband turned to me and said our family should have a reality show, because "you can't make this stuff up."

"Umm..what stuff?" I asked, and again she said, "Crazy E has guns!" (Classy, because she was standing next to him..) My reply both baffled the two of them, and made my cousins burst out laughing.."So.Do.I."

There was now no way to have an intelligent conversation with either of them..and each cousin in the circle in turn answered owned guns too..but I guess because he was the new guy, she still seemed to be going after E.."Let me guess, you have a bunker in you're basement too right?" (Timing it perfectly, my husband walked past and said our bunker was being installed outside, away from the house..apparently he was having fun watching the whole train wreck..) She was so jaded and anti-gun, that I'm sure she thought I was just joking. (No way I could have a gun right? A woman would never, right? I have kids too, gasp..nope, no need for one, downright dangerous right?) Still not believing I was truly in the good ole boys gun club, she asked  why would I "need" one?  Being the good sport I am, I answered honestly..Cops were too heavy to carry around..) but I have no doubt she thought I was just being funny. Because really..why in the world would I have one? She was baffled...obviously I was just playing with her..so she continued to badger poor E..

I guess my point is, how do you deal with an anti? There was no way to have a civil conversation with her.  She was not open to the idea of learning about why we had them, she asked that while "maybe" E "needed" one because he (her words)  lived with wild animals like bears, why would he ever need more than that?  And really, why would he shoot a bear?

So what is your response when someone is SO anti-gun that there literally is no having a civil conversation with them? Arguing would have made it worse, her mind was made up and she was the only one who was right..we were all crazy..guns are crazy, and dangerous, and unnecessary!  Is there any way to get through? Or isn't it worth the effort? I'm all for educating, but if there's no way to get through, what do you do?

You did not just ask me that..

Seriously, it just happened again. While shopping with D2, we wandered into the Hunting and Fishing Department of our newly opened national retail chain sporting goods store. While we perused the racks, and wandered from the apparel to the firearm accessory section, D2 naturally gravitated toward the bows. The salesman, who had been laughing at the lady afraid to touch the stuffed bear (she was seriously freaked out by the taxidermy in the section), wandered over and asked if we needed any help.

I politely answered that we did not, we were just looking around. Then it happened. Again. He said those words I dread.."Can I help you find something for your husband?" And with that..D2 legitimately laughed out loud and looked at me and said.."Oh boy.." And while she was saying that to me, I apparently replied to him with "Don't do that..Don't ever do that.." And that's where his education began..

Don't ever assume that a female in the hunting and fishing section is there to pick up something for her husband. He actually ended up being a terrific guy, along with the other guy in the department  He did make one more assumption early on in the conversation, he assumed I was a LEO.  After we cleared up that fact that while I owned a Springfield XD-9, it was not my duty weapon. It just so happened that I was a female firearm enthusiast, who held NRA Certification as a Range Safety Officer and as a Pistol Instructor. He soon stopped asking me questions he was sure I didn't know the answer to, and we had a really pleasant conversation. D2 and I probably spent a good 15 minutes BSing with them about different local sportsman clubs and what firearms I owned, and what I did with them. (I was apparently quite the novelty!)

This was D2s first experience with someone making an assumption based on our gender.  She's heard me blabber on at home after having a run-in with various salesman, but she's never actually been there before when something really stupid like that has been said to me.  I seriously think I need to design a course to teach to salesman on how to sell to female clientele.

While I was "educating" the boys, D2 was looking at the rack of bows. She found a crossbow that she liked (exclaiming "Ohhhh...this one is pretty!!") His remark? "Oh, that's a really nice bow..AND we have it in pink camo!"

Don't do that either!!!! Don't assume that because we're lady's, we want pink bows, pink guns or pink camo clothes! If I want it in pink camo, I'll ask if it comes in any other colors. After laughing at her that she called a crossbow "pretty" he explained that most of the bows he's sold to women recently were because they "really liked the Hunger Games.."

I already covered the whole "pink thing" in an older blog..I don't want a pink gun, or a pink bow, or pink anything..don't assume because I'm female, I want a pink!  (Again, I have no problem with the color pink, what I have issue with is the assumption that because I am a female, I automatically must have pink everything!)

It was then he told us we were marriage material! =) They don't get many of our kind in their department!

As we left, I told him next time, don't make the assumption I needed help picking out something for my husband, and he said not to worry, he'd know us upon return! We'll go back, even just to test my education process. I guarantee they will think twice next time a female wanders into their department.

Now to work on my Selling to Women sales program..I think I could get rich!

Pushing past her comfort level..

For the past several weeks, my girls (ages 17 and 15.5) have been enjoying range time with my clubs newly reinstated Junior League. We're fortunate to have some great volunteers who have shot  both competitively and while on the job, who are teaching a great group of kids how to improve their skills.

Last week, with it being the day after the Fourth of July, only my girls were able to attend Jr. League. Giddy up and game on! They decided they wanted to see who was the better shot, so we held a little friendly competition. In all fairness, D2 (short for Daughter #2) has had a lot more range time than D1 because of work schedules, so she's had a lot more coaching.

While they both shot well, D2 outscored D1 and held bragging rights around the house for the week. Planning a rematch, D1 was sure she could outscore her younger sister, but as fate would have it, she got called into work and put in a 10 hour day. No range time for her tonight. Instead, D2 went alone (straight out of work herself, hence the scrubs in the pictures!).

We had 5 kids show up tonight, 3 boys and 2 girls. (This may have been the first week where the boys outnumbered the girls, but no worries, the girls held their own!)  At the end, there was just D2 and two of the boys. We decided to shoot plates. Suddenly, the girl with the bragging rights all week was a bundle of nerves. She tried to convince me we needed to go home. She tried to tell them she was tired. She didn't want to have to shoot plates against the boys. But she did. Her coach saw to it that she at least try. (She was less than thrilled with being put on the spot, but she went along after telling everyone not to expect her to hit any of them).

The boys weren't flawless. D2 held her own. First round, she shot 3 out of the 6. When she missed that 4th plate her nerves got the best of her and she missed the next 3. Second round, however, she took her time, watched her breathing, and took down all 6! She pushed past her comfort level and surprised herself with a perfect round.

I'm glad her coach encouraged her to try it, I think she learned a few things she didn't expect to. Now I'm waiting for D1 and D2 to request range time so they can have a plate shooting competition!

First meeting of the Junior Club..

The newly formed Junior  Club met this morning.We ended up with 6 juniors, ranging in age from 12 to 17. Three were boys, and three were GIRLS! It was nice to see an equal number of girls and boys, even if two of the girls were mine!  There are a few more kids who will join in the next time they meet but it was nice to have a smaller group, as some of them hadn't handled a rifle before.

After a thorough safety lecture, everyone started with the basics, regardless of their own personal experience with firearms. Square one..The guys who volunteered to take charge of the group did an excellent job talking about more than just what they'd be doing in the club, they also covered situations the kids might find themselves in outside of the range. Life lessons that go beyond range time, that's what I like. 

The kids had a good time, each shot a few different .22lr rifles. Each time they meet, they'll build on the skills they've learned. We're hoping to keep it safe, fun, fresh and interesting. Keep them coming back and improving their skills. 

Who knows, maybe we started a future Olympian today! If nothing else, they're gaining skills and having fun, in a safe, supportive and instructional environment. 

Over-thinking and over-researching..

I tend to overthink things. It’s not necessarily a bad trait, but for over a year, I’ve gone back and forth over which 9 mm to buy for myself. Narrowing my many choices about 8 months ago, I’ve been pretty much down to two, a Springfield XD-9 and a Glock 19.

I’ve gotten plenty of advice and plenty of opinions. You know what they say about opinions, and I agree, but I’m lucky to have friends with pretty much any firearm I could ever want to try, and they’re more than willing to let me play! I’ve gone in shops and handled both firearms. They’re quite similar, so much so that I’ve heard the Springfield called a Mock Glock, or a Glock copy. Each in itself is a fine, reliable firearm, and I’m sure I’d be happy with either. Frankly I’m just not that hard to please. If I pull the trigger and it goes bang..I’m happy. 

I’d talk to one person who’d say Glock all the way. Then I’d talk to a Springfield fan. I even had the opportunity to shoot both one day and STILL couldn’t decide. The main problem was probably that I liked them both! And someday, I'll have both, but I really needed to narrow things down and just buy one! 

In the end, it came down to a few little differences and some safety features. The Springfield XD has a very similar double trigger system to the Glock, which they refer to as the Ultra Safety Assurance (USA) trigger system.. Another feature that kept me going back to the Springfield, was the 1911 style backstrap safety, which ensures the firearm won’t discharge without a firm grip. Another feature is the striker status indicator which makes it visibly clear if the firearm is in the cocked position and is ready to go. These aren’t the only features that made the Springfield standout, but at the end of the day, after comparing, contrasting, over analyzing and spending WAY too much time researching, I bought the Springfield XD.

I had the opportunity this weekend to put about 100 rounds through it. It's an excellent firearm and I'm thrilled with my decision. The grip feels very natural in my hand. I still need to dial in my sights a little more as it's shooting a little low, but the fine tuning is half the fun. I'm sure there will be a Glock in my future someday, but for now, I'm thrilled with my choice of the Springfield XD-9.

Don't ignore the female shooter..you'll lose a sale..

I don’t do well with the “old boys club.” Never have, never will. Especially when I’m the consumer.

Today my husband and I went to our local Sporting Goods Store for their annual “Mega Sale.” I’m in the market for a 9 mm so we figured we’d stop up and see what they had. I know I can get a little better of a deal online, but I’m happy to support a local business if I can. My choices have been narrowed down to a Glock 19 or 17, Springfield XD-9, and just recently I started to consider the Smith and Wesson MP9. All great, reliable firearms, all with pros and cons over the other.

Because it was a special event at the store, they had reps from various firearm manufacturers there. Springfield was the first rep we spoke with. I told him I had narrowed my shopping down to the 3 manufacturers mentioned above. I asked him to tell me why Springfield was better than the rest. He did a nice job explaining the features, asking me questions, and speaking to me and my husband professionally and respectfully. My husband asked a question about the Smith and Wesson, so the Springfield Rep took it out of the counter for him to see. Enter the Smith and Wesson rep, who must have smelled the M&P come out of the case, and he bee-lined over like a shark. I explained to him, the same thing I did to the Springfield rep, who stood beside him. I then asked him to explain to me why a Smith and Wesson would be a better choice for me.

Then he did it. The Smith and Wesson rep spoke down to me. Condescendingly. (Strike One). He then proceeded to show off his firearm and all of its bells and whistles..TO MY HUSBAND. (Strike Two). I interjected several times trying to make my point that the firearm would be mine. He continued to speak directly to my husband. (Strike Three..)

Now I understand that female shooters are very much in the minority. But I was there to buy. The Springfield rep did a great job giving me tips and asking me specific questions as he knew sometimes racking the firearm could be more difficult for a woman. He also said he saw immediately I would have no issue with that.

Bottom line is, male sales reps need to get with the times. I’m an educated consumer. Do not disregard me because I’m female. My gender has nothing to do with my ability to handle a firearm. I’m an NRA Certified Pistol Instructor, a Certified Range Safety Officer and I’m a consumer. Perhaps I should teach a course to salesman, about how to sell to a female consumer.

I’ll be picking up my beautiful new Springfield XD-9 as soon as my county pistol clerk adds it to my license, probably within a week. As a gift with my purchase, I got a Springfield hat, and a T-shirt..in size XL..it was the smallest it came in..at least my husband is happy, he can have the shirt..sigh..again..not very female friendly..

Becoming an NRA Certified Pistol Instructor

I’m not sure who was more surprised, the 36 men in my NRA Pistol Instructors certification class that there was a woman in the class, or me, that there was ANOTHER woman in the class! 36 men, 2 women. Giddyup!

When a gentleman from my Sportsman’s club put out an email that he would be teaching an NRA Instructors class, I jumped at the chance. My husband was less excited about spending the required time in a classroom, but I honestly think he didn’t want me to do it without him so I signed us both up. There were a few other guys from my club there, but most of the other attendees were from other clubs.  

We were to start promptly at 9 am. Until about 8:55 I was the only female. I got some strange looks as the “good ole boys” club settled into their seats.  I sat with my husband and the guys from my club, all whom which I’m very comfortable with.  

The class itself was excellent. The NRA does a great job providing material and structure for the course. My instructor did a great job keeping the course work fun and informative. He said in the beginning of the class that there would be 100% participation because we were being certified to teach, and we should be comfortable speaking in front of groups of strangers. Then he did it..”Annette, come on up and speak to the class about how to teach to women and kids..” Ohhh...great...he could have given me a heads up at our lunch break so I could have mentally prepared something..but no. I was on the spot.

I did a decent job with my on-the-spot-no-prep presentation. Naturally in hindsight, I have a whole different lecture planned in my head, but I did the best I could, given the fact I had zero time to prep. As it turns out, only 3 of us spoke to the class that day. One was a lawyer, one a police officer, and me.

After all the instructional part of the class was complete we went on the range. We had to partner up and naturally they wouldn’t let my husband and I be a team. One person was the student, the other the instructor. The student had to shoot a course, clear a misfire, (we loaded dummy rounds into their magazine so it would cause a failure, and then had to teach them how to clear the failure). My partner and I whizzed through the range aspect of the course, then switched places and the student became the instructor. We had to evaluate their performance, and give suggestions for improvements. It was a fun, interactive process and it really brought to light some things that people may do on the range that you don’t notice, like raising their shoulders before they pull the trigger. It was my first time in an indoor range and it was awesome!

I will admit to being nervous prior to the class. I assumed I’d be the only woman there, but I was happy to see another lady taking the class. I met a lot of great guys at the class and I’m very happy I took the step to further my shooting skills and credentials. The instructors seemed happy that there was a female in the class, and they made sure to cover things like asking before you reach over a woman to show her how to do something properly.
Bottom line is, if you’re thinking of becoming an NRA Certified Instructor,  don’t hesitate to take this class and get it done. The more women on the line, the better!