XrayAlpha

I was shown this drill in 2017 by Ben Stoeger with the explanation of why it’s important. Since then I’ve used predictive shooting as a training tool and it has been invaluable to me as a tactical shooter. On the competitive side it’s a must as an engagement strategy, on the tactical side it prepares you for how you more than likely will pull the trigger during a fight, as fast as you can. This is a short explanation on this drill and skill. It scratches the surface of what you need to explore and be comfortable with. Be critical of what your groups look like and don’t get in your own head on what you think is possible, explore it and you’ll find that you can do a lot more than you think. Two foundational skills that need to be perfect or near perfect are grip and vision. Develop these and a lot of things fall into line. VISIT: www.xrayalpha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc

Connection to the rifle is just as important as grip is to the pistol. It’s a foundational skill that should be over developed. I look at connection to the rifle in two ways, consistency and durability. Am I mounting the gun the same way each time and can the connection survive long engagement sequences. Bills at intermediate distances is a good test of these two skills. The idea that you should drive the dot back to the center of the target is not ideal and creates very consistent mistakes. I don’t subscribe to this way and don’t advocate for it. I explore this topic in depth each time I teach, understanding this foundational skill levels up shooting and allows us to develop other nuances to get max perform each from this tool. VISIT: www.xrayalpha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc

No explanation needed. Train the fundamentals that apply to all situations. VISIT: www.xrayalpha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc

This weeks IG Live aka: Xray Alpha Redneck Podcast, originally broadcast 9/25/2022, continues to break down the benefits of a practical shooting training approach, how competition isn't training, sims and force on force training and hiding behind "mindset" plus Matt and Mike answer viewer questions and comments in real time. Give it a listen. VISIT: www.xrayapha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc www.ctt-solutions.com for Mike's classes and schedule

Matt went live on IG recently to discuss and demo the Double's Drill with rifle from 10, 20, 30 & 40 yards. Double's and predictive shooting is not an "engagement sequence". It is a training tool that Matt uses to develop the mount of his rifle and with dealing with recoil control. Check it out. VISIT: www.xrayalpha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc

There is a couple ways to look at recoil management with the pistol. Have a durable, consistent, solid grip and minimize input into the gun during the shooting sequence. For longer strings of fire and engagement sequences durability is extremely important. You’ve probably experienced this while shoot where you have to adjust your grip, I see this a lot with guys shooting steel plates. You have to have a grip that can stand up to 6,7,8 round strings. On longer strings, like doubles, I’m constantly assessing is my grip as good after shot 8 as it was before shot 1. Bills drill is another good example. Grip plays a major roll in consistency with pressing the trigger without disrupting the sights. Can’t be stressed enough. Doubles at 12 yards here. Not a very difficult drill it the foundational skills are over developed. If your not familiar with doubles, check out Practical Shooting Training by @benstoeger and @joel.park_ for a detailed description. VISIT: www.xrayalpha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc

Just killing time at lunch, figured I’d run all the positions on 3 track the A zone set ups as a Go-Stop. Seemed like a good idea, proved it was not the best decision you can make in 95° heat and humidity. 45 Alphas, 3 Charlie’s all targets set at 10-12 yards. VISIT: www.xrayalpha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc

Track the A zone has some definite benefit for guys who are required to shoot their primary weapon at closer distances. I don’t advocate for typically shooting rifle at 7-10 yards but this drill is about movement and visual tracking… I see a lot of IG rifle stuff where guys are dismounting the gun unnecessarily. It’s creates this jerky in and out of the shoulder kata that doesn’t make sense. For true confined space weapons manipulations I get it you have to unmounted the gun, I think it becomes a habit people use for “digging their corners”. In that instance it’s unnecessary. Track the A zone focuses on tracking targets through either opaque or transparent visual barriers. Here I can see through the barrier but the principles are the same if he barrier is solid. Gun is up ready as the targets present themselves. If you can’t see how this might benefit tactical guys I really can’t lay it out much more. VISIT: www.xrayalpha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc

Connection to the rifle is one thing that I will do deep dive conversations on, I feel it is the single most overlooked and misrepresented foundational skill. It is one of two things that dictate how aggressively you are able to shoot the rifle with high levels of accountability. (Vision is the other) Just a quick discussion of common connection mistakes I see with reloads. Plenty more to discuss on this topic though. VISIT: www.xrayalpha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc

Mounted vs unmounted movement, principles don’t change. Move aggressively, decelerate into the precise spot and have the gun up ready to shoot as soon as the target is available. I always try to focus on having the gun up ready to shoot as soon as I need to or am able to. Being ready to shoot sooner is a big way to steal time in both the practical and tactical worlds. Be ready to shoot sooner so you don’t have to shoot faster.

Efficiency is key with all movement. Unnecessary movement of the rifle is common when changing positions. If you don’t need to, don’t disconnect from the rifle. Unnecessary movement in terms of rifle placement in the shoulder is a huge waste. Standing/kneeling/prone/kneeling/standing, a simple exercise at 50 yards that will tell you a lot about connection to the rifle. 3 rounds per position, 15 rounds total. Hit Factors in the high 5s is doable, above 6 is smoking fast I think. VISIT: www.xrayapha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc

I think for defensive minded EDC shooters and LEOs the bills drill is a good exercise that will give you some skills that may be useful in engagements. Donovan over at Point 1 Tactics has this test in his standards. Retreating bills drill with a max time of 1.99. These two bills from appendix are nothing special, 1.95 and 1.99. Consistent, aggressive gun handling, solid grip, visual discipline…I feel like these are good foundational skills to have. Focus on consistency, control with high levels of performance. Train in a way that these are not competing efforts.

Transitions were the topic of the day. Stopping this heavy ass gun is a little different than my Glock. Look to the specific part of the target you want to hit. For better or worse the bullets go where we look.

Matt runs his first Bill Drill with his new CZ Shadow 2 pistol outfitted with a Trijicon SRO red dot sight and trigger reach reduction kit. VISIT: www.xrayapha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc

Designated Target Drill, continuing to nail down these transitions. First run at this today, had a good time pushing what I could get away with on the partials. The distances proved to be challenging for how I wanted to shoot them. Exploring performance is the way to get better. Designated Target Drill is a drill by Hwansik Kim over at the Practical Shooting Training Group that help develop your target transitions in a complex scenario. VISIT: www.xrayapha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc Check out Hwansik Kim over at www.practicalshootingtraininggroup.com

Awesome Xray Alpha Redneck Live Podcast from August 31, 2022 with Matt Pranka, Ben Stoeger, Mike Pannone and Chris Palmer. We have a wide ranging discussion on training setups and monotony, simulating "stress" in your training and measuring yourself. Give it a listen! VISIT: www.xrayapha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc www.benstoeger.com for Ben's classes and schedule www.ctt-solutions.com for Mike's classes and schedule www.instagram.com/532insightllc to get in touch with Chris Palmer

Matt has a great discussion with Ben Stoeger and Nick Young of Velox Training Group with Donovan Moore of Point 1 Tactics jumping in at the end. We cover the the latest IG shooting controversy, pissants, training, equipment and dive into the LPVO vs. Red Dot debate. You won't want to miss this. VISIT: www.xrayapha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc www.benstoeger.com for Ben's classes and schedule www.veloxtraininggroup.com for Nick's courses and schedule www.point1tactics.com for Donovan's courses and schedule

Short explanation about reactive shooting at the end of my session today. This is one piece of shooting I think guys need to understand. Minimize input into the gun and react immediately to an acceptable sight picture. Be critical of the results in terms of what the target tells you. At farther distances you can expect for the groups to open up concentrically and split times to increase slightly. This is normal. A good goal is holding alphas out to 30 yards. VISIT: www.xrayapha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc/

Connection to the rifle can’t be emphasized enough when it comes to getting as much performance out of your rifle as you can. Your connection to the rifle needs to be consistent, stable and durable. This is how you get the rifle to behave consistently and predictably in recoil. This can’t be covered in a 3 min video but here are some of my top thoughts on this concept. VISIT: www.xrayapha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc/

Training to be good at shooting can be the most pointless endeavor. Why do you train? To be ready for what? Winning a competition, surviving a gun fight, preparedness…? If the outcome for why you train is never actualized did you waste time? Being processed oriented fixes this conundrum in my mind. I train myself for a myriad of reasons, I discuss some of them and others I don’t. If you care to discuss it, why do you train? The video is me ending a session with 3 different bills drills, I’m focused on the group size and wasn’t necessarily happy with the result. I rarely ever am. The runs are consistent and meet a goal in terms of time. Learning the new gun has been fun though.

Had a talk with Isaac Lockwood, USPSA GM and LEO and Ben Stoeger. We discussed competing, training, mentality and shooting performance. Give it a listen. VISIT: www.xrayalpha.com for Matt's classes and schedule www.benstoeger.com for Ben's classes and schedule Check out Isaac at https://www.instagram.com/shooting_training_competing/

Matt here, I’ve heard a lot lately from guys who are adamantly opposed to practical shooting for tactical or law-enforcement shooters. Obviously I don’t agree with this sentiment. Shooting competitions might be a big step for a lot of tactical shooters. Putting yourself out there and having to perform on demand is scary I get it. From a hard skills standpoint a practical approach to training is the best way. Going out and shooting competitions is a good test of that training. Untested skill is just that, untested. Visit: www.xrayalpha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/xray.alpha.llc/

Originally recorded on 6/1/2022 on IG Live Matt talks with James, LEO and full time firearms instructor. Visit: www.xrayalpha.com for Matt's classes and schedule

This Xray Alpha Redneck Podcast was broadcast on IG Live on 07/05/2022. It features Matt talking training and the operational use of training with two active LEO's, Chris Palmer of 532 Insight and Dustin Mowery. Visit: www.xrayaplha.com for Matt's classes and schedule https://www.instagram.com/532insightllc/ : Chris Palmer - 535 Insight https://www.instagram.com/dustinmowery_337/ : Dustin Mowery

PART 2 In this episode of Xray Alpha Redneck Live, Matt Pranka and Ben Stoeger finally blow up Instagram Live! Their unwavering goal is to get listeners to stop falling for marketing and to start training. This leads to cultists and sheepdogs getting Matt and Ben's straight talk deleted as fast as you can shoot yourself in the foot. In between blowing up people's bullshit stories that pad their instructor "bios" Matt and Ben drop knowledge bombs on what you could be putting your time and effort into if your goal is to get better. But if your goal is to look good on IG please use Ben's affiliate link and get yourself some Pit Vipers!