SECURITY & TACTICAL ADVISOR Volume 1 November 2013 | Page 7

Why? Because scientific studies have revealed that it takes approximately 2,300 repetitions for an individual to perform a physical activity before it becomes muscle memory. Dry practice is simply repetition of your movements through a firing scenario or threat scenario. By leveraging the power of dry practice and muscle memory, you accomplish these 6 critical elements: 1. Movement control 2. Diminished bad habits that lead to poor accuracy 3. Correct body mechanics programing into your natural reflexes - puts you in an unconsciously competent position whether at the range, in the streets or in a hot zone 4. Entire body as a solid platform - allowing consistent 1. Be sure your barrel stays on its intended point of impact on accuracy by committing the correct biomechanics into muscle memory your target. 2. Consistency! Every shot fired must be executed employing 5. Orientating response that sets up what is known as a behavioral chain - allowing you to enact whatever practiced the stability matrix. movement or activity you have repeatedly rehearsed Is it necessary to go to the range on a weekly basis to All this dry practice is accomplishing muscle improve accuracy? In a nutshell, no. First, going to the range all the time can be a costly situation. These skills demand practice memory, which is your body’s ability to create a habit and practicing at the range means ammunition. Ammunition through repeated performance of a specific physical is expensive and the more you shoot, the more you spend. activity, which in this case develops increased accuracy. Next, and most importantly, shooting live ammunition all the All the elite teams, law enforcement units, as well as time actually diminishes trigger control and thus leads to poor professional athletes and everyday people use this concept of muscle memory. It is the way anyone becomes proficient accuracy. at any physical activity. So, how do we achieve accuracy each and every time we fire that handgun? Dry practice! Did you know that elite military teams utilize dry practice and rehearsal as 85% of their training? That’s right, only 15% of their training is done with live ammunition. 7