Wednesday, December 19, 2007 Rama: To fire or to shoot, that is the question By Karlon N. Rama Stage Five
THERE is a vast difference between going to the range to fire and going there for shooting practice. The first uses lots of ammo and is loads of fun but it is in the latter that we actually learn something.
Unfortunately, most people go to the range to fire. They go there with their guns and gear, get their reloads from the caretaker, have the range crew tack up a single target board 15 feet from the firing line and blast away.
For so long as their hits land somewhere inside the target board, they’re happy; happy enough to come back next week and do it all over again.
The range management is happy, too, for so long as no accidents occur, the bullets used and the target boards are all paid for, all shells are returned and, more importantly, that the range fee is settled; happy enough to welcome the shooter again next week.
But in between smelling gun-smoke tearing paper to shreds (oh, what joy!), little else is gained. Speed remains as is, marksmanship does not improve and defensive shooting skills aren’t acquired or exercised.
Here’s a little program for those who’d like to go to the range for shooting practice:
Set your target up at 35 feet from the line, stand five feet from it and shoot five rounds into the center of the target as fast or slow as needed to place all five shots into one hole or as near to each other as one’s level of skill allows.
If the shots really don’t group, not even marginally, try shooting a second set of five and continue until satisfied.
As soon as a decent grouping is achieved, move away five feet and repeat the process at ten feet, then 15 feet, to 20 and finally to 25.
If the shooter does his share and has no flyers in each set, he or she ends up with a tight little group right smack in the middle of the target and still has 75 rounds in the ammo box.
And without realizing it, the shooter has exercised the elements of stance, grip, sight alignment and sight picture, trigger control, recoil management and target re-acquisition; plenty of things done for a mere 25 rounds.
Next, tack up two target boards and set it up nine feet from the starting line and three feet away from each other. Then, from the ready position, shoot two rounds in each of the target as fast or as slow as needed to hit Alpha or the five-point scoring surface twice.
Then repeat the process until satisfied with the time it takes to fire two shots and to transition to target number two for the next two-shot string.
Having a timer during practice is good. However, in certain instances, it can ruin practice because the shooter can get tempted to beat the clock instead of simply developing his overall shooting skill.
Speed in shooting is relative. One can only shoot as fast as one can hit. Going fast and getting nothing but flyers is a waste of ammo.
Lastly, and this above all, to dry-firing always be true. Dry-firing, without question, is one of the most important drills a gun owner should adhere to.
Done properly, it develops muscle memory in all aspects of shooting except recoil control. Best of all, it costs absolutely nothing but time.
THE WAY OF CACOY’S STICK. Doce Pares Grand Master Ciriaco “Cacoy” Cañete has taught his brand of the indigenous Filipino Martial Art of Eskrima (Arnis to the people of Luzon) to countless people through the series of seminars he holds every year.
Not everybody can see the 88-year-old Grand Master at work though, as most of his seminars nowadays are held abroad. And whenever he is here, he only practices with a select few – mostly his highest-ranking students and his grandkids.
But ‘Noy Cacoy is publishing a book that will make it possible for those genuinely interested to learn the rudiments of his Doce Pares system in the comforts of home and to develop from there through sparring with an equally dedicated partner.
In a time where foreign martial arts schools outnumber FMA institutions, we are thankful for old warriors like ‘Noy Cacoy for keeping such an important part of Filipino history, culture and identity as Eskrima alive.
