Did you know that one of the best tools for self-diagnosing technique is your smart phone. You can set up your smart phone to record your shooting and coach yourself through valuable skills. In this Pro Tip I am going to walk you through three different ways to use your phone to become a better shot. 

When setting up the shot for the draw you can use either landscape or portrait, that doesn’t matter. A small tripod is useful, or you can use a larger one. And I am going to set it up so I am on my right side anywhere from three to eleven o’clock.

This is so I can get the grab, where I am going to pull the gun out of the holster.

 I can get where I connect with my grip and my full extension all on my footage, so I can stop and replay it to see if I need to correct any sort of techniques.  

Another way to use video is to see how well your reloads go. This time you’re going to place the camera on the left side anywhere from nine o’clock to eleven o’clock. It’s going to allow you to get the extension, see where you’re pulling back to, the insertion, and right back on target. A really good thing to practice and check.

One of the most challenging things with reloads is seeing how you’re inserting the magazine into the mag well and I love using video to catch this angle to see how well that process goes.

One last way that you can incorporate video into your training is to record your foot work, how you’re moving through a stage. This isn’t a hero shot for social media, this is for analyzing exactly what you’re doing getting in and out of position.

So, I have a single target here and I have two different positions. I am going to start from the left, shoot a shot, move to the right, pass the fault line shoot another, back and forth. So, I can really record how my footwork syncs-up with extending onto the target for the fastest possible run.

What I am looking for here is footwork specifically. As I approach the right hand fault line I want my feet in a way so that I can not only shoot, but also exit. So, I am paying attention to the setup foot work there as well as when I depart to get into the next position. 

One last tip when we’re using video is to use the pause function and drag the frames along so that you can stop frame-for-frame so you can see exactly your positioning when you draw, reload, or shoot positions and your footwork. Until the next one be safe and have fun.