FOLLOW THROUGH

Follow through is an often neglected fundamental; yet, without it, all your good efforts in applying the other fundamentals may be wasted.

Releasing the shot should not be your final effort. You need to do one more thing. It is argued (especially on this list) that at the moment of ignition, the bullet has left the barrel before you could possibly do anything to affect its flight. I believe that also for the simple reason that the nervous system of your body reacts in tenths of a second and the gun fires in thousands of a second. It's no contest. But the problem lies in doing something BEFORE the moment of ignition. Without follow through, a bad habit may develop which is initiated just at or before ignition in which case, the flight of the bullet will be affected by your action or movement.

In all sports the achievement of a quality performance mandates follow through. The pitched baseball, the sprinter keeping form when crossing the finish line, the martial artist breaking a board, the golf shot.....the list of examples is long. What we do is no exception. There can be no let up of form and technique until it is absolutely certain that the act is completed. The danger is in relaxing your grip too early, losing your concentration on the sights, or beginning recoil before it has actually started; all of which will produce a bad shot. To practice follow through, imagine that the bullet is like a rocket leaving the barrel a few seconds after ignition. Try to maintain your form as long as possible to allow the rocket to leave the barrel, keep your focus on the sights or dot and try to call the shot. If you have trouble calling your shot(s)....you are not following through.

This technique of using follow through as a SEAMLESS, CONTINUING FLOW OF ALL THE FUNDAMENTALS will reduce the chance of giving up on the shot before it is fired.

Well, that's it. I hope you will or have been able to improve your score by the application and practice of these fundamentals. I've tried to explain them as best I could. I've already gotten some feedback from one individual who has improved his shooting. That's great.

I encourage any who have questions to direct them to the entire Bullseye-L forum, not just to me, so that all can share in the discussion. That is the very reason Paul Perrone created the forum.

Good Shooting, Ron Steinbrecher.