A new season always brings motivation—and questions. What should I really focus on this year? What will make the biggest difference to my shooting?
After years on the firing line, one thing is clear: improvement doesn’t come from chasing everything at once. It comes from focusing on the right things, consistently.
If you had to narrow it down, these are the top three priorities that give the greatest return for any pistol shooter.
1. Build — and protect — your shot process
Your shot process is your anchor. It is what keeps your shooting stable when conditions change, when pressure rises, or when confidence dips.
A good process connects:
- stance and balance
- grip and alignment
- aiming and trigger release
- follow-through and mental finish
The goal is not a “perfect” shot, but a repeatable one.
When your process is clear and familiar, you don’t need to force good shots—you simply allow them to happen. On tough days, a strong process keeps scores from falling apart. On good days, it lets you perform freely.
Ask yourself: Do I trust my process enough to stick with it, even after a bad shot?
2. Train for consistency, not just volume
More training is not always better training.
Real progress comes from intentional practice, where every session has a purpose. Shooting hundreds of shots without focus may feel productive, but it rarely leads to lasting improvement.
Quality training means:
- knowing what you are working on before the session starts
- recognizing when execution quality drops
- stopping or switching focus before bad habits take over
Dry fire deserves special mention here. It allows you to train technique, rhythm, and mental control without distraction or fatigue—and it is one of the most underused tools in shooting.
A simple principle to remember:
Train until you get it right. Then train until you can’t get it wrong.
3. Train your mental discipline every week
Mental strength is not something you turn on at competitions. It must be built quietly, week by week, in training.
This doesn’t mean complicated psychology. It means practicing:
- letting go of shots immediately
- staying focused on execution, not score
- accepting movement and imperfection instead of fighting them
Every shot is an opportunity to train your response—especially after mistakes. Shooters who improve fastest are not those who never miss, but those who recover best.
Mental discipline turns pressure into information, not threat.
Final thoughts
If you focus on:
- a reliable shot process
- consistent, purposeful training
- steady mental discipline
—you are already doing the most important work.
Everything else—scores, rankings, results—comes after that.
Build the foundation, and let the season take care of itself.
Happy shooting 🎯