I finally found a way to enjoy dry-fire

I hate dry fire. It’s boring, repetitive, and I really don’t enjoy doing it. That’s a big part of why I don’t dry fire as much as I should, because it’s just not fun. I had a short conversation recently with OrigamiAK, the King of All Junk Carry and Wizard of Oregon about dry fire, and how he’s come to enjoy it. He sees it as part of the challenge of getting a good hit in live fire, and for him that drives him to dry fire more. The other day, I was doing something I enjoy, and while resting between sets I picked up my gun and did a little dry fire. As it turns out, if I introduce push-ups into the mix, I like dry fire a lot more.

Push-up

Right now, I’m on my “in-season/road friendly” training plan, because I’m at the point of the year where regularly finding a gym can be problematic. So workouts are as simple as I can make them – focusing on push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and running. These are things that I can do in pretty much any gym or hotel room. Yesterday, I started mixing dry fire into the equation. Resting between sets up to 90 seconds gives me ample time to put on my CR Speed belt and do a few draws or reloads.

What I like about the dry fire during PT is that it forces me to focus. Changing gears from blasting out push-ups to focusing on executing a clean reload isn’t easy, and it forces me to train to do a fine motor skill (reloading) while I’m under physical stress. It’s a lot easier to get a perfect trigger pull or a perfect reload when I’m calm and relaxed. That was one of the frustrations I had with dry fire training – I’d be able to whack sub second reloads all the time in dry fire, but under match conditions I’d come apart. Inducing actual stress into my dry fire training has me hoping that I’ll see less skill degradation under match conditions.

So far, dry fire + PT is working for me as a way to keep me interested in dry fire. Trying to stick a reload in under 1.2 seconds is a lot harder after 50 push-ups, and for the first time I’m really enjoying dry fire training.

9 Comments

  1. Funny you mention Dry Fire, When I took Rob’s Class, he told me not to waste time in Dry Fire and go to the Range!!

    Practice my draws doing draws and firing one shot.

  2. Check out Fit Shot, which “combines functional fitness with practical shooting skills”. Haven’t done it myself yet, but I know a few people who are really into it and like it. It appears to be derived from Combat Focus Shooting and CrossFit. https://www.facebook.com/FitShot

  3. I do my heavy weight training workout in my basement 5 nights a week and dry fire with a laserlyte trainer target and throw knifes between every set (no one disturbs by workouts). Back in the early 70’s I had a flight instructor that flew in WWII in the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS)*. She taught a concept that you learn to fly on the ground and practice in the air. This training model can be incorporated into a lot of other sport endeavors, such as you learn to shoot at home and practice at the range. Broaden your definition of learning to include knowledge, skill, conditioning, strength, and muscle memory; think about her training model concept – these were highly trained and brave women from the ‘Greatest Generation’ – without this generation we may not be ‘playing with our guns’.

    *The Women’s Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) and WAFS merged to create the paramilitary Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) organization in 1943.

  4. I was told the same thing as Yamil. Rob told us in class that “The best dry-fire happens at the range…with ammo!”

  5. Lulz. I am very happy for you. This is good. Whatever you can do to get yourself to like it, that’s what you gotta do. Mixing exercise and dry fire seems like a great idea, even beyond the benefits of either one separately. I should try it, I am just a bad exerciser.

Comments are closed.