Doing drills: Stress Quality Above Quantity

[CR Williams]

In most cases, it seems best to run a skill-drill or practice drill for only a few minutes at a time, and to quit at the point of first fatigue, whether that is mental or physical. Drills are not exercises, where many repetitions or 'just one more' will be of benefit. Once you get tired, you will start making errors in the process or movement. The longer you go, the more those errors are likely to inadvertently become ingrained. There is a time and a place for training when tired or stressed physically, but learning and perfecting a skill is not it. Once you have ingrained the skill through short, focused sessions, then you can stress it somehow, but ingrain it first.

Also, where possible, end on a success. Make the final repetition a good, solid one, finely done. This does not mean you keep going until you get one if the last one isn't perfect; remember about not ingraining errors. Slow down, make sure and do one or two more in good form. If you find the errors continuing, stop and start again when you're rested. Better to stop too early with a success than to go past the point where you can't prevent an error.

Smaller numbers of mindful repetitions will be of greater benefit and almost any number of mindless ones.

 

[Providence Ranch]

I have found that when I do my dry practice drills at home, about twenty or thirty minutes is tops. After that, just as you say, both mental and physical fatigue set in, and you start to compromise on form and consistent accuracy. I find it helpful to break my sessions up as well. One session I'll practice only presentation and trigger press. Another session I'll practice various types of reloads. Another, malfunction drills, etc. That way I don't feel pressed to get it all in in my 30 minutes! Great post!