When assessing shooters on the firing line, coaches need to position themselves at such an angle that they get feedback as to what the pistol and shooter are doing. Here the shooter lines up to fire a shot the coach should align themselves in such a way that they can "line up" the pistol with a distant object to gauge any movement before, during and after the shot.
This video shows the shooters pistol settle in his area of aim and begin the process of firing the shot. As focus and trigger pressure is increased, it is noted the shooter sways slightly left which can be seen in the head position and indeed the pistol. This may be due to stability problems (most likely), fatigue, footwear used, stance? Either way it will need to be addressed as to which way the coach approaches each option. In this case the shooter had not fired any precision events for many months but concentrated on Service Pistol (2 handed events). Should the shooter go back to training precision events, he would need to develop stability through specific training modules as laid out by the coach.
Video Here
The above picture shows two positions of evaluation of any movement. Use this as an overall assessment. The circled area over the front sightis for specific movement of the pistol and particularly the front sight as the shot is fired.
The above picture also used in an overall assessment for movement.
This series of pictures and videos show live fire. Again the coach aligns the pistol with a distant object, in this case the vertical pillar and the horizontal joint of the wall. This is used to evaluate the shooters hold and any excessive "wobble". It also assesses the shooters ability to maintain position from shot to shot.
The picture to the right, shows the pistol in recoil with the sights "stopping" at the end of recoil. Again this area must correspond with the holding area. If at any stage the recoil pattern differs from the holding pattern may show that trigger movement may not be as smooth as desired and/or follow through is not present. Either way it will need to be addressed through a dedicated training programme as set out by the coach.
A series of videos are here to look at to see the holding and recoil of the pistol from two angles.
Videos showing pistol before and after shot firing. Shows the area where the shooter settles into an area on the target as seen by the coach by the location of the pistol on the back wall. Note this position. Then as pistol recoils, note the area/position the front sight "stops" against the same back wall. Is this position the same for each shot? If not, then a trigger fault is evident along with a lack of follow through.
Video 1
Video 2
