Training on the Range | Aim Small, Miss Small

We’ve heard the term used in sports and in shooting, especially when training on the range. What does this mean and how do we implement this in our handgun training regimen?  

Aiming Small When Training on the Range

“Aim small” is focusing on a small part of the target and not just pointing and shooting at the target as a whole. You will develop the technique to “miss small” because of this more precise aiming point. Your misses will be less pronounced and you’ll still be on target. 

When you grab your targets to go on the range, make sure you get one with small objects to be able to dial in your shot grouping. Our OnPoint training targets are great because they have various shapes and sizes such as X’s and rings. This will help to hone in your shot as well as the center mass and head shots.  

Grip Alignment When Training on the Range

If we focus on our handgun fundamentals of grip, sight alignment, sight picture, and trigger press, we can use the concept of aim small starting at three yards. In our Handgun 1 class, we perform the X’s drill where we aim for the X in the middle of our shaped objects on the target and try to shoot hole on hole on the X, or as closely to the X as possible. You can do this drill at five yards and at seven yards, but it gets more difficult as you get farther out because of the cone of deviation concept. This will challenge your fundamentals of grip, sight alignment, sight picture, and trigger press.  

When you master these drills, you can go back to shooting center mass and large target shots. You will see an improvement with tighter groups.  

Come learn and develop proper fundamentals with our Handgun 1 class and then refine it more with our Handgun 2 class, or our 2-day Concealed Carry Done Right. 

– David Ng
Director of Training