Week ONE

This training plan may seem familiar because about two years ago, I started a six-week program to support my mental and physical recovery after ACL reconstruction surgery. The main difference now is that I kept that journey private, sharing it only with those who subscribed to my newsletters. Today, I’ve decided to make it public, aiming to help more people than the hundreds who signed up two years ago.

First, let me clarify: this is MY training plan, and I am sharing it with you. It is specifically tailored for competitive shooting, but most, if not all, of the principles apply to various practical shooting activities such as target practice and self-defense.

My training plan is designed to assist individuals at any skill level—whether they are beginners, intermediate, or advanced shooters—who feel they lack a structured routine to improve their shooting skills. Although I am not a new shooter, I have been busy completing my Master’s in Sport and Performance Psychology. Additionally, I have been working toward my certification as a Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) over the past few months. As a result, I feel I have lost my routine and likely many perishable skills. Thus, I want to refine my skills by meticulously polishing my technique.

What should you do during these upcoming days?

• Define what your goals are.
• Determine when and where you will dry-fire for at least 15 minutes daily.
• Gather the proper equipment, such as holsters, mag pouches, targets, and timers. The links take you to Primary Arms, where you can purchase everything you need for the training. BTW, I use the PACT Club timer.
• Start dry firing!! Commit to the process!

What this training DOES NOT do:

• It does NOT focus on your individual shooting needs.

What this training DOES:

• The focus is on USPSA shooting skills, which is my primary sport, but the drills are also beneficial for other applications, such as self-defense and target shooting.
• The main objective is to establish a daily dry-firing routine.
• It does provide live-fire training.
• This approach emphasizes shooting technique details and helps improve and reinforce the foundational skills necessary to become a better shooter.

I call a dry firing time interval the G341 (Gabby’s three series of 4-minute drills and one-minute rest), 3x(4+1)—Oh! I love math, LOL. Thus, fifteen minutes is the minimum you will dry fire daily. Ideally, use this method in increments of fifteen minutes.

For instance, I am committing to dry fire for 30 minutes daily. However, I will adjust my dry fire session according to my schedule; I might only be able to dry fire for fifteen minutes some days, while I might be able to dedicate 45 minutes or more on other days. Does that make sense?

There are two reasons why you will benefit from using this method. First, it will keep you focused for four minutes at a time. It might seem like not much, but it will significantly benefit your training as you’ll avoid distractions you can attend to during your one-minute rest. Second, the G341 makes adjusting the dry firing drills to your schedule easy.

Now that you know you need at least fifteen minutes, I would like you to think about which days and times of the day you will practice. In fact, begin doing so today until I release the upcoming weekly training sessions.

Are you up for the challenge?

Do you have questions/comments? Write them in the comment section below!

Gabby Franco