Hold, and Call the Shot

I think my triggering is pretty good.  I regularly get a good break and call the shot right where the wobble is at the time.  But the wobble covers the whole *$#! black.  I can tell a good break where ever the dot is by the followthrough.  I can tell a wide 10 from an X.  I can call the 8 at 9, or the 9 at 4.  But I only am getting what the wobble is.  As long as I do not force the shot, I get what the wobble is.  It is rare that I see the trigger adding to my woes. 

The only way that shrinks the wobble and stabilize the sight is to increase grip and wrist pressure just right and just ahead of the trigger press.  But that is really tough to coordinate with a good trigger press.  And it is opening the door to a lot of you guys' critique. 

Every once in a while there is a sight excursion that comes from my shoulder.   One thing going on is my shoulder has not been stable or strong since the surgery.

How long are you holding before you release the shot?  (Or I should say, before you start your trigger finger moving?)

Less than 10 sec from begin settle to followthru.

Shot is gone about 5 sec in

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Jack H wrote:Less than 10 sec from begin settle to followthru.

Shot is gone about 5 sec in

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I would be a little worried, with your shoulder surgery,that your hold might be degrading more quickly than you think it is. It may be better than your perception, but only for the first few seconds after you level the gun.   When I wait for the sights to "settle" I am usually behind the shot, but your milage may vary.  

I often see the dot moving all over the black, but I know from my experience with shooting blank targets and iron sights, that my hold is actually no worse than nine ring unless I start either over holding, or stop my triggering.  

When I was in my twenties I could get away with overholding.   I can't any more.

Oh, and if you are wondering what I am doing up at this hour, I am in Japan right now.  Not so late here.

It took me over a year after my shoulder healed to start seeing a decent hold. I'm just now better than my average then. (before the injury I could shoot a 284 NMC in practice but not in a match. Now I can shoot that in the high 270s in a match)

My hold has never been that great. Occasionally, there is that sweet moment about 3 secs after raising the gun and starting to press the trigger that everything stops right on the x and the round goes right down the pipe. That usually comes with mindlessly following shot process....adding in conscious effort always screws it up.

How we accommodate recovery from injury or surgery shares a lot with basic pistol technique. The unfortunate part is that age and general health/fitness can prevent a shooter from taking the time necessary before his condition begins to break down the process.

As a result of cancer surgery that left me with one lung and weakened right shoulder and back muscles I must do every thing sooner before I run out of breath or foundation stability.

Plan ahead. Don't wait until the dot is in the black before applying the fundamentals.

You might want to get with a personal trainer, specifically one who is experienced in weight lifting. I've had shoulder and elbow problems and I cured them by using proper weight lifting techniques. Another issue with surgery is the scar tissue that can cause reduced motion. Proper and consistent stretching will significantly help it. Money spent on a personal trainer is worth every cent!