38 replies to "(PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ACCESS VIDEOS & Bonuses) Alpha Shooter – Intro"

    • Steve Gildersleeve

      Others talk about the Isoceles stance (which would seem to indicate that both arms angle in towards the centerline the same amount and the pistol is positioned in front of my nose) but it doesn’t seem like that’s technically true so I wanted to clarify this with you.

      Following your instruction, the left arm ends up angling more towards the right side while the right arm is closer to a 90 degree angle to the torso, it seems – so we use whatever set of angles is needed to position the pistol sights directly in front of the right (dominant) eye without moving the head from the normal, vertical, non-shooting position. Is this correct?

      • Ox

        You’re right…isosceles is a concept and when people try to turn it into an absolute, it doesn’t work. You want your sights to line up between your dominant eye and the target…not your nose and the target.

        In addition, a strict interpretation of isosceles doesn’t work well at angles.

    • Jose Harris

      I used the grip at a live fire range for the first time today. It worked great! This is the best shooting performance I’ve had with a pistol: My groups were the tightest they’ve been (3, 5, 7, and 10 yards), and follow through was much quicker. This is also my first day using a red dot on a pistol — I installed a Romeo Zero on my P365XL this week. I like to carry this pistol most often because it conceals easily, but I haven’t shot it much at the range. This last point emphasizes to me the benefit of the Day Zero grip.

      As for the grip, the bones of my fingers lay at the front of the grip as you show, but I don’t have the gap at the pinky for light to pass through even though my hands are medium-large based on glove fitment.

      Side note: I making a second pass through the 21-day Alpha Shooter now. I also have the Draw Stroke Mastery course, which I started. The Dry Fire Training Cord works as advertised.

      Thanks, Ox.

    • Joseph Pfannenstein

      In Lesson 0 you say PULL BACK with the support hand and then at 7:11 a note pops up and says PUSH your support thumb toward the target. Does this mean we are torquing our support hand downward to counteract the recoil?

      • Ox

        Great question…pulling back with the hand and pushing forward with the thumb will rotate the support hand and apply more pressure at the bottom of the grip than the top.

        There are different schools of thought on this…some argue that when you push your thumb forward, it is biomechanically weaker. It IS for some people and not weaker at all for others…within reason. If you rotate your wrist down as far as it can possibly go, it will be weaker than if it’s in line with the grip of your gun.

        I have modified how I teach this slightly since recording the videos…I would say that the easiest technique that works for the most shooters is to match the angle of your hand with the angle of the front of the grip on your pistol and apply even, isometric pressure to the rear.

    • Steven Rosenoff

      I completed this year’s planned training schedule:

      Accuracy Northwest Pistolcraft, Level 2
      Advanced Tactical Pistol Camp
      FBI/DEA Pistol Instructor Certification
      NRA Basic Pistol – Level 4
      NRA Range Safety Officer
      NRA Pistol Instructor
      NRA Shooting Sports Coach
      NRA Refuse To Be A Victim® (RTBAV) Instructor
      USCCA Concealed Carry & Home Defense Fundamentals Instructor
      USCCA Defensive Shooting Fundamentals Instructor
      WA Peace Officer Standards and Training Certification

      I wish I would have found your 21-Day Alpha course first. I spent hours and hours on the range this year. I also dry fired 300-400 times per day – every day – since January 1, 2020 in preparation. After viewing the first two videos in this series, I believe I could have cut the time and expense of my 2020 training by three-quarters if I would have found you first.

      Next year, the plan is to attend FASTER Saves Lives in Colorado. FASTER is a program that teaches teachers to defend students/staff and render EMT-level aid in an active shooter situation. I will also be competing in regionals next year in the 60-plus category. (I turned 65 years last month. Not too bad for an old fart 🙂 The plan for 2021 is to practice the techniques taught here before the season begins. Thanks for an excellent series that hones the basics.

    • Jan Slezak

      Finally got the time to start with your course – and yet lesson 0 about grip I learned so many neat details! Thanks sir – u know how to explain things! 🙂 I found your course thanks to Center Mass Group (Chris Sajnog) as well. Thank u! Greetings from Czech.

    • Roy Tornabene

      This training course has made me become a better shooter than I could have imagined was possible. Thank you for this Ox.

    • Jonathan Finley

      Great stuff, I’m really glad I venture out and purchased this package; however, if I would have know about the SIRT Pistol package I think I would have went for that. Do you offer any discounts on the pistol for those of us who purchased the 21 day course and the extra package that you offered for 210.00?

      Asking for a friend. lol.

      Look forward to growing my skills here!

    • Jim Pomeroy

      OX, you mentioned in one of your videos that the Sirt training pistol resembled the clock. I have a Springfield XDS 3.3, is there a blue gun or a Sirt That resembles the Springfield or does it matter.

      Jim pomeroy

    • Sam TATE

      Started Day 0 and Day 1. Looking forward to it.

    • Pierre Raveau

      I’m excited to be able to shoot better and do so correctly!! I have been shooting for 20years and never really had any extensive training experience till now. And by the way things are going well let’s just say I am more than excited to see what happens by the end of 21 days. Thanks for all your help.
      Pierre

    • Raymond Maynor

      Mr. Ox,
      I’ve had military as well as LE pistol training but I have to say that neither have ever even scratched the surface on things that you get into in the first few days. Most people consider me a damned good pistol marksman but I felt like I could be a lot better. Now I know I can. My carry weapon is a ‘PARA’ 1911, P-14, .45 double stack.I look to be driving nails with it in about 2 1/2 more weeks.
      I do have a question, though. Because of medication, my eyesight changes regularly, sometimes several times a day. Not enough to stop me from making above average shots but probably enough to keep me from one-holing a target. What’s your opinion on the glasses that are available on the internet that have adjustable lens so that with the touch of a knob, you can get your eyes to 20/20 in a matter of seconds?

      • Ox

        Hey Raymond,

        I’m excited to hear it.

        Most people’s eyesight changes throughout the day…they’re just not aware of it. It’s affected by natural circadian rhythms, blood sugar, blood pressure, oxygenation, stress, allergies, eye hydration, composition of tears, and a couple dozen other factors that I’m acutely aware of & probably 100ish that I know of.

        I like working problems from both ends…as an example, shoot your tight groups faster and your fast groups tighter.

        For vision, I’d suggest splitting your practice between seeing clearly with lenses on and practicing with lenses off and embracing the blur. I’ve got a simple “cross” target that you can download and print out here: https://dryfiretrainingcards.com/blog/the-best-live-fire-drills-to-do-at-the-range/

        What you want to do is train your body so that when you draw, the sights are automatically aligned between your dominant eye and your intended target. Do this precisely with glasses on. I haven’t used the knob glasses, but it sounds like they may be great for this.

        You also want to be comfortable and confident making accurate hits with a blurry sight picture. Typically, you won’t be as precise this way, but a lot of people are surprised at just how good they can shoot when they develop the neural pathways to execute the fundamentals precisely with clear vision and apply it when they have blurry vision.

    • David Schmidt

      Would you clarify what we should be doing with the support hand? I understand that with the strong hand we are supposed to grip the gun front-to-back as with a vise, but with the support hand are we supposed to squeeze, pull back, push forward, or…?

      Thanks.

      • Ox

        Great question! You want to hold the support hand with isometric pressure. You don’t squeeze your shooting hand, you simply hold the support hand rigid, as if someone filled it with plaster. Your fingers, wrist, and elbow shouldn’t move and the rearward force that manages recoil will come from your shoulder blade.

    • Michael Allumi

      I would be interested in an answer to Phillip Derby’s question, as I am in a similar situation
      Thanks

    • PHILLIP DERBY

      I have two very different semi auto pistols. Would you recommend doing the course with one and then repeating the course with the second pistol or traiding off pistols randomly through the course?

      • Ox

        Hey Phillip,

        I’m a firm believer in being a Jack of all trades, but a master of ONE. That means that the most effective way to improve as a shooter is going to be to focus on a single pistol or single TYPE of pistol.

    • Jeff Greene

      Im ready to learn your Technics

    • Jacob Spilman

      Great introduction. Can’t wait for the next vid. Where can I find the dry fire cord? I tried looking on your /tools page but couldn’t find it. Thanks.

      • Ox

        Hey Jacob, thanks for asking! In short, we ran into production roadblocks and aren’t able to manufacture them in quantity at this time.

        • Jacob Spilman

          Let me know when you do. It looks like a great idea.

    • Mackey Morgan

      You mentioned “training scars” in your video. Full disclosure: I’m pretty sure that describes me! Case in point, I know I have a flinch. I have validated this hypothesis by sprinkling dummy rounds into my loaded magazines at the range. I can see the front sight dip on a “click” (no bang). I searched the Internet for solutions, and the best I found was advice from Chis Sajnog. The gist is to stay away from the range for at least 66 days and do nothing but daily dry practice. I did just that, and to his credit, my flinch DID improve significantly on my next visit to the range for live fire. But it was still there! The sights just didn’t dip as far as before. I’m a RH shooter. Just recently, I took 4 days of back-to-back handgun classes. Over the course of those 4 days (and about 750 rounds), I believe that my shooting got progressively worse. By the 4th day of class, I was noticing 3 separate issues: 1) rounds impacting to the left of POA (pushing the trigger?) 2) rounds impacting low and left (flinch) and 3) rounds impacting high (limp wrist as a result of trying overly hard to relax my firing hand to prevent 1 & 2). I was a wreck! It seems clear to me that, under the pressure of making my shots on time on turning targets, I was reverting to old, ingrained habits (neural pathways?). So with that introduction, is it possible to reverse those training scars? I’m guessing that, even if you answer “yes”, 21 days probably ain’t gonna do it, right? What do you recommend? Shall I follow your prescribed course for 21 days? Or would you prescribe a different approach to dealing with my pre-existing “training scars”?

      • Ox

        Hey Mackey,

        I understand your frustration, but hopefully you’ll get comfort in the fact that your issues are very common. One of the things that I have offered in the past to select individuals and groups but just opened to the public is virtual private training with me. I basically have people go through a 5-10 minute series of vision drills and dry fire drills in front of their camera phone or web cam and I give them a custom 8-12 page written analysis, as well as a video analysis and specific drills to do. I see the problems that you’re describing regularly and it probably has nothing to do with pushing the trigger or other traditional explanations.

        If you’re interested, please let me know and I’ll get you the details.

        Going through the 21 day curriculum will do nothing but help your current situation. You just need to make sure to slow down enough that you don’t flinch.

    • Boyd Davenport Jr.

      Thank you for being willing to help those of us in need. looking forward to learning the right way.

    • Daniel J Sullivan

      My cell phone ring is a dog’s bark…so the first time I watched the vid, I looked for my phone 🙂

    • Andrew Bell

      I teach shooting and take 2-5 training coirses a year as checkrides and to learn more and better techniques. Good atart and great explanations. Drive on.

    • L E Honeycutt

      Cool start.

    • Dennis Fahrlander

      i use a revolver….all your drills use pistol…any suggestions?

      • Ox

        Hey Dennis, great question.

        A truism that I always keep in mind is that all training is compromise. With that in mind, you want to be aware of what aspects of your training match reality and which aspects of your training don’t.

        In the case of using Dry Fire Training Cards with a revolver, it’s a matter of identifying the similar components and adapting when necessary.

        As an example…

        1. The process of clearing cover and the mechanics of getting the sights between your dominant eye and the target are the same.
        2. The visual skills of shooting will carry over from pistol to revolver.
        3. The concept of gently increasing pressure straight back on the trigger until the shot is released carries over from pistol to revolver.
        4. The balance and exercise drills will challenge the same parts of the brain and act as accelerated learning tools, regardless of whether you’re using a pistol or revolver.
        5. Transitioning from shooting to using the handgun as an impact weapon is the same from pistol to revolver.

        And then the differences that just take a little modification…

        1. Your grip will be different on a pistol than a revolver.
        2. There is no mag release or slide stop, but it’s fairly straightforward to adapt to releasing the cylinder.

        Make sense?

        If you have any questions on adapting specific drills, please let me know.

    • Frank Otey

      No problems so far…That’s good!
      Scott
      🙂

    • Bruce Brown

      I’m thoroughly convinced of this methodology. I spent almost 25 years in the Marine Corps combat arms. We spent one week of dry fire and what we called snapping-in…that is learning how to shoot from four different shooting positions, standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone. It was required for all Marines and is a prime reason why almost every one of us ends up with great shooting basics. I’m looking forward to getting started, again, after 20+ years of retirement. Uh-rah.

    • William Turri

      How necessary is it to practice dry-fire with every pistol you intend to carry? For instance, I have a 9mm striker gun with a fairly light and short trigger, a 380 hammer gun with a long and heavy double action trigger, and a LaserLyte training pistol with a trigger that’s sort of in between.

      If I do the 21 day challenge just with the laser pistol, will that be representative enough that the skills will carry over to the other guns?

    • R. Anthony Kemmerlin

      Your course is power-packed full of great information. Thank you for the three downloads. I am also indebted to Center Mass Group for recommending your program.

    • Aurele K5

      First time review for a new shooter. I have limited access to live practice right now, and agree with the process of dry fire. As a psych APRN (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse) I appreciate the solid neuroscience. Ready to get started.

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