Month: July 2012

No one is above having problems

/ hsoi

Todd Louis Green has just started a new pistol endurance test, and report #2 had a few things that I’d like to point out.

This is probably more relevant to beginner and intermediate students.

First, a common thing we see in many Basic Pistol 1 & 2, Defensive Pistol 1, Handgunning: Beyond the Basics, classes is… trigger slap/yank. In fact, we actually see it in all our classes, but those classes tend to manifest it a lot more because it tends to be the first time folks become aware of the concept and start to understand why all their shots are going low-left.

From Todd:

As expected, the biggest challenge with the crisp trigger break has been anticipation. During the Rangemaster class we shot a number of qualification standards and while I was able to score 100% on all of them, at the 25yd line I definitely launched a few that danced precariously close to being outside the 8″ scoring zone. That’s just sloppy trigger work on my part and a habit I’m going to have to break. Most of Monday’s practice session was spent working on 2″ dots at speed to help exterminate the jerks and snatches infesting my trigger finger.

A 1911’s trigger is rather different from a Glock, and Todd is feeling the effects and having to adjust. The take home? Even someone who shoots as well and as much as TLG still can have troubles with trigger control. None of us are above it, so don’t get yourself too stressed out about it. Know that it’s there, know that you’re doing it, and just work to improve.

Second, equipment matters. Do not be afraid to modify the gun (within reason) to help you shoot it better. Or, don’t be afraid to get a whole other gun. Now in TLG’s case, he’s shooting a particular gun for a particular reason, so he can’t get a whole other gun, thus he has to modify it. The key is everyone is built different and so if one gun isn’t working for you, you need to make adjustments to the equipment to make it work.

The gun is wearing fairly thick stocks (Crimson Trace Lasergrips) which, combined with my stubby thumbs and more than a decade of using my trigger finger to drop a magazine rather than my thumb, made reloads glacially slow. I’ve now installed an Ed Brown extended magazine catch. The catch needed major fitting as it would neither allow a magazine to be inserted (no pressure on the mag catch button) nor allow a mag to drop free (when the button was pushed in all the way). My totally inexpert Dremel and sandpaper work was adequate to the task but I’ve got both a 10-8 mag catch and a custom Heirloom Precision (thanks, Jason!) extended catch on their way.

You can also read about some other equipment issues, such as magazine failures.

I mention these things for the sake of beginner and intermediate shooters (because I expect advanced shooters should know this already). No one is above having problems. No one is above working on their technique. Don’t beat yourself up because your technique is poor, or your equipment isn’t up to snuff. Just acknowledge the issue and work to remedy it. This will enable improvement and progress.

True Nutrition Whey Flavor #23 – Citrus Limeade

/ hsoi

I bought the TrueNutrition.com 38 Flavor sample pack.

Citrus Limeade.

This was better than the Old-Fashioned Lemonade, but maybe because it was mixed in milk. I have to say tho, all the artificial colors are what you’d expect… the Lemonade was a bright (like neon) yellow. This Citrus Limeade was a bright neon green. The flavor wasn’t as off-putting as the Lemonade was, but it still didn’t float my boat. Pass.

 

True Nutrition Whey Flavor #22 – Old-fashioned Lemonade

/ hsoi

I bought the TrueNutrition.com 38 Flavor sample pack.

Old-fashioned Lemonade

Um… no.

I had this in water and it… well… just no. Maybe if it tasted more like Countrytime, maybe. But… well, no. 🙂

 

Lone Star School of Music

/ hsoi

I originally wrote this over at Yelp, and since it’s my review there I felt it only right I also post it here.

Plus, I can give an update. 🙂

When searching for a music school for my children, I chose Lone Star School of Music because of the flexible scheduling and diverse teaching staff. I have stayed with Lone Star because of the wonderful experience. The owners are great people, friendly, knowledgable, responsive. The teaching staff is fantastic.

What I love most about Lone Star is the emphasis on having fun. They understand that it’s more important to develop a love of music, than to play scales and drills all day. Sure, they still work on scales and fundamentals, and all those things, but if the kids don’t love playing then scales don’t matter; love playing and you understand scales are part of playing and you don’t mind so much. If there’s any testimony to the fun and enjoyment, one of my children always bummed out the lesson is over because he has so much fun and doesn’t want to stop! Never a chore to practice, never a battle to go to lesson time. Another of my children wants to do more of the school’s additional offerings, like the Rock Camp and Rock Band. The child actually just did Rock Camp and had a blast… Kurt (owner) makes a big effort to make it a lot of fun and ensure the kids have a wonderful experience that builds great memories.

Just great stuff.

Since I wrote that review, Kiddos are still going strong. All are still taking lessons, all are still enjoying it. There’s no chore, but there is a lot of exploration. Oldest has widened his musical tastes. Daughter bounces around on every instrument she can, working to learn songs by ear. Youngest is getting quite an ear for classical music. Like I originally wrote: the school and teachers work to foster a love of music. That’s most evident in the Rock Band class.

A couple months ago there were finally enough kids on the right instruments wanting to play in a band together, and so the Rock Band class has been going. This is a pretty neat deal where they work with a teacher (yes, a little adult supervision, direction, and input is good here… so it’s not just aimless banging around), they work up a library of songs, and the school will book them on gigs every month. They’re not quite ready for their first gig yet, but soon. It’s great listening to them work it out in practice. They work, but they also have a lot of fun. The biggest surprise is Oldest. We had no idea he’d want to do anything like that, but he jumped in on his own and while reluctant at first, I think he’s more excited about going to weekly practice than Daughter is!

I’m really happy with Lone Star School of Music.

2012-07-24 dry fire practice

/ hsoi

Following TLG’s sample dry fire routine.

Week 1, Day 2, draws.

  1. 10 reps of wall drill from press-out 2H
  2. 20 reps of wall drill from holster 2H
  3. 5 reps of wall drill from holster, SHO
  4. 5 reps of wall drill from holster, WHO
  5. 10 reps draw & fire at 3/4 speed, 2H
  6. 10 reps draw & fire slow 2H

I’m trying to make the strings that don’t specify speed be at “full speed”. Granted, they aren’t as good as they could be, but I am seeing the sights and able to call my shots, which is still of use. But it just means on the 3/4 speed and slow speed to make them all perfect. From that will come the correctness.

True Nutrition Whey Flavor #21 – Orange Creamsicle

/ hsoi

I bought the TrueNutrition.com 38 Flavor sample pack.

Orange Creamsicle.

Wow. That brought back some childhood memories! I don’t think I’ve had a creamsicle since I was a kid, but my Mom bought them for us all the time. And boy if this didn’t nail that flavor…. yes, powerful enough to bring back memories of childhood. And good memories too. I sure did like creamsicles.

Still, that was childhood and today, not so much. 🙂  I don’t think I could drink this on a regular basis. But I could see this making a good basis for a fruit smoothie.

2012-07-24 workout – sled drags

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

The workout of no workout.

I’m not dragging the sled today. As mentioned in yesterday’s workout post, an old ankle injury is flaring up. I don’t need to inflict more damage on it. 😦

Y U So Hateful?

/ hsoi

I’m doing my morning perusal of websites and headlines.

All I see is hate and anger.

You pick the topic. It doesn’t matter. Obama, Romney, homosexuals (Boy Scouts of America, Chick-Fil-A, Muppets, Sally Ride), Aurora, guns….

There’s so much hate, so much anger, so much ugly, so much venom and vitriol (and so much displayed ignorance)… and most of the people engaged in it don’t even realize how ugly they’re being. Or if they do, they certainly seem to be quite happy to be that way. Furthermore, they miss the irony of how they’re talking about how hateful “the others” are, all while missing how hateful they’re being about “the others”.

*sigh*

You scream about how intolerant “the other group/guy” is, but you’re not tolerating them.

You rant about hate, but there’s no love manifested in your actions.

You point out their hypocrisy, but you’re oblivious to your own.

And how many people will read this thinking how this applies to everyone but themselves.

*sigh*

I’m not angry. I’m sad.

 

True Nutrition Whey Flavor #20 – Cookies and Cream

/ hsoi

I bought the TrueNutrition.com 38 Flavor sample pack.

Cookies and Cream.

Mmm… Good. Well, if you like something that’s kinda like drinking an Oreo cookie. And yes, you better mix this one in milk. 🙂

And it wasn’t too sweet. Just a nice flavor, not too strong, but not too weak either. I liked.

Press

/ hsoi

This morning as I got into the shower after my workout, I looked in the mirror and realized my ass has gotten bigger.

All hail the mighty squat. 🙂

And I thought about how much I actually hate to squat. It’s always been the movement I liked the least. And I reckon it still is, relatively speaking. But I did realize that I don’t hate it as much as I used to. How to get good at what you hate? Keep doing it until you don’t hate it any more. You probably hate it because you suck at it, so keep doing it because that’s the only way you’ll stop sucking at it. It’s like shooting weak-hand-only… I still suck at it, but I don’t hate it so much because I practice it more and have gotten a lot better at it. And same with squats.

But then I started to think what my favorite lift is. I still think it’s deadlift, because there’s just something so basic about picking up heavy things. It’s probably also because it’s the lift I can move the most absolute weight with, but I really think it’s the visceral primitiveness of it all that appeals to me somewhere deep down inside.

So on that note, I was surprised to find that what came in a very close second was the Press.

Yes, Bench Press is relegated to 3rd place.

While The Almighty Bench is such a hallmark of weightroom manliness, I like the Press even more, probably because no one does it. And probably because it’s also got this visceral primitiveness… because once you pick something up, what’s a logical thing to do with it? Lift it over your head! (or maybe throw it). It’s hard to do. It’s a little scary. It’s intimidating. And you just can’t move a big number… it takes a while to work up to being able to put 45’s on and press it up for reps. It’s even more work to get to pressing your bodyweight. And so, it’s not as ego gratifying, and people are going to stay away from it because it’s hard.

And maybe that’s why I like it so much.

So by wonderful coincidence, this morning Mark Rippetoe publishes an article all about the Press.

Yes, this video is awesome:

And Mark is awesome:

But if the real reason you don’t want to press is the fact that you don’t want to confront a hole – likely a gaping-ass hole – in your strength, then the bar is right: you’re a pussy.

Lifting is hard. Lifting heavy weights is harder. Swallowing your ego and making yourself better is hardest.