This is probably the best video and lesson I’ve ever had on explaining flinching and anticipation and how to learn to mitigate it. A master class using logic and sound reasoning not just mongo type “just stop anticipating” dude.
Haha. All that to say practice more... Grip is actually more important than trigger pull. Think about a vice holding a gun. Slap that trigger all day and you'll get the same POI.
I really need to book a class with Chuck! Finally, someone articulates some solutions "coping methods" for "flinching". 99% of instructors say "do the ball and dummy drill" and then when the shooter flinches says "see that there, don't do that" but with ZERO insight on how NOT to do that. I've always thought it was great for identifying this issue but did nothing to solve the issue. This was the best, most comprehensive, well articulated, description on how to eliminate or at least minimize a problem that most shooters I see have to some extent (although nobody admits it). I wear that shit like a badge of honor... I can be on my way to a 97-100 B8 at 25 and then you get that one or two round that goes "you need a 7"...lol. Chuck just gave away, for free, a huge golden nugget. Chuck, where do I send the check?
This is the definitive video on flinching. Extremely well done video. I can see that you are well versed on this subject as you have first hand experience on this subject. I would like to offer up 3 additional coping skills. The Jedi Mind Trick - talk to yourself or count down as you press the trigger. Your mind will focus on just one thing. Another drill is to rack the slide to load a round and then remove the magazine. Fire with the live round then dry fire and see your reaction. This step will provide a feedback mechanism to teach you how to hold the gun steady while pressing the trigger. Lastly is to dry fire extensively to build up the neurological pathways.
I'm at 3 minutes 35 seconds, and you just described what happens to my daughter as she shoots! I think she will find this video comforting and hopefully helpful.
I've always struggled with the flinchies. Through religious dry practice and ball and dummy drills I saw some success, but not exactly where I wanted to be. Then I took shooter symposium 2018 and learned propper trigger prep from Chuck, Jared Reston, and Bill Blowers and that was seriously foundational. I still have to stay practiced otherwise it'll come back, but my shooting at speed and at distance is night and day better than before I knew propper trigger prep methodology. Awesome video guys!
I'm learning to shoot and this is definitely an issue for me. My instructor has been trying to explain, but I didn't really understand what he meant. This totally clicked in my head! Thank you! Looking forward to trying some of these ideas out next time!
I found myself dipping the muzzle of the pistol in anticipation as a new shooter. I'm hoping I can get over it eventually with tips like these. Thank you!
I've pieced most of this stuff together and absorbed it from other videos, but it's fantastic to see it so thoroughly explained in one place. Thanks Chuck! This is great!
Neural pathways, running on RAM in the back ground, Catchers mitt, Porposing is a reaction to flinchies, gun go bang! I love the shooter terminology he invents :)
wow, this is the best explanation and solution offered by anyone on flinching I've ever heard. both me and my wife have exactly this issue - the first couple shots are dead on center and the rest just migrate to lower left. Chuck, thanks for the great help! thumb up and subscribe!
OMG !!! 3:30 he explains how a good student fire perfectly for the first 5-10 first rounds ever and then the rounds after that are missing - that was me. So true!
That works for slow fire, but not at high level practical shooting speeds. You are pressing the trigger every 0.19 seconds (or faster) and you can be sure that you know when it is going off. Other strategies must be employed to reduce or mitigate it at that point.
Nice piece. First one I’ve seen address pre-ignition flinch as the “mental” issue that it is, and not just say “Do ball and dummy drill to fix it”. Nice work going in depth and truly explaining the root cause, Chuck.
As a relatively new shooter this is the best explanation by far as to what is going on when I fire my pistol. I thought my age 60 and instability to hold the gun perfectly still was the problem. Not so! I’m doing all the things he was saying that effect the accuracy of the shot. I’m excited to go to the range with this new found knowledge and apply it! Thanks Chuck.
This video is way ahead of most of the other flinching remedy videos in that it expands the neurological aspect of the problem. In my mind, it all makes perfect sense the way Chuck explains it. There's power in information and this video provides an abundance of knowledge to understand the issue and learn how to mitigate it. Thank you for such an information filled video!
Perfectly aligns with Archery mechanics as well. When we are performing a proper back tension shot and release with a bow a good thing to practice not anticipating the shot is constant increase of tension. I like to have a mantra like "Keep Pulling, keep pulling, keep pulling" until the shot breaks.
This is the Best most comprehensive explanation I've ever heard, I think I did have this going on when I first started shooting. I'm not sure if I'm still doing this at times or not, but I've kept all of my targets as a reference in seeing my progression and development and accuracy. ? I have made very good progress, years of using equipment with triggers as a carpenter I don't think it plagues me as much as it does some people. I think this guy has a lot to teach me, so I'm subscribed. Awesome teacher !
Because I am currently "afflicted" with this issue, my shooting accuracy, especially beyond 10-15 yards has leveled off and I seem stuck. Since I knew what my problem was, I started researching and hands down this is the absolute BEST explanation of what is transpiring or what the root causes are. More importantly, his tips for mitigating and keeping this issue at bay are very sound and logical. I'll will be implementing these into my skills training both dry and live fire! RLTW!
I'm a new pistol shooter and noticed I have a pretty bad flinch. Lots of good info in here, can't wait to try out some of your suggestions. Thanks for the video, really appreciate it!
Thank you! Great to have help from somebody who has this issue and admits the problem The least effective input is somebody telling you to relax. Drives me crazy and does the opposite!
19:20 "Does the gun moving when you hear click, is that bad? You have to be cognitively switched on enough to know did it move and then click or click and then move? Click and then move is nothing more than you mitigating the recoil at the appropriate time. Move and then click means . . . it was driving your weapon off of target prior to when a bullet would have fired. . . " THANK YOU! That is something I'm pretty sure most of the better competitive shooters do, but you're the first person I've heard articulate it that way. Most instructors, from my dad, to Boy Scout camp, to various NRA courses, will preach that any movement is bad. Competitors who are also trainers will talk about "driving the gun" without any real description of what that means. Robby Leatham is not afraid to go against convention and will tell people that they do, to some extent anyway, anticipate that shot and push it to counter recoil. What Leatham says SEEMS to contradict what just about every other instructor preaches. But the way you just explained it is the way I've been trying to wrap my head around it. Again, I believe many, many good shooters do this, but most don't know how to explain it. A lot of them may not even realize they're doing it. But the way you said it helps me understand. Put another way, most of the top competitors would fail the ball and dummy test, in the eyes of most instructors. But if you break it down in slow-mo, their gun would dip after the click and not before, so it's not throwing off their shot.
Hey Chuck great video probably the most actually educational video on the subject I've ever seen. It really makes sense the way you explained it and to back up the video I was just using little earplugs at first after washing your video I purchased the proper ear protection to reduce that explosion that takes place and it helped out even more I'm not sure if I got my point across but out of the hours and hours and hours RUclips videos I've watched yours made the most sense yours actually help me shoot better thank you
Awesome video. Ive been struggling with this and watching several videos but you seem to understand or at least explain the issue better than anyone else i've seen.
Great info. Only after hearing Chuck talk about it did I realize that the flinch is just contained to the firing hand. Never thought about that before.
You know, I (as well as a few shooting buddies) have wondered how I get good center hits, but “flinch” so much, when a round doesn’t go off. I often joke about how I sight my guns in for my flinch. At approximately 19:30, Chuck explains what I might be doing. Mitigating recoil at the proper/correct time…after the “click.” No more “embarrassment”. “Know”more explanation! Thanks for the excellent video.
Great discussion of the issue. It’s definitely something I struggle with. And interacting with people who don’t understand it or who make assumptions about what is happening is really frustrating. Thank you for this!
amazing break down and explaination! I just became a gun owner and had never fired a gun before and everything you went over in this video hit home for me! when I first fired my weapon for the very first time the feeling was crazy intense! I Hit a bullseye first shot and only sho, cause after that every trigger pull was anticipating that intense feeling. I know now what to do when I go back to the gun range. Correlating with the brain and trigger pull makes so much sense! thanks for making this video.
TL;DW solutions: Support hand, trigger prep practice, ball-dummy ammo, changing trigger finger placement on trigger. He didn't mention the value of red dots; they can help us see the flinch and help us practice avoiding it by visually watching the dot's movement.
Wow! This has happened to me before (and caused some seriously perplexing frustration)! Great clear explanation and now I get it. I'm glad I came across Chuck's material and appearances on RUclips!
I love the insight on WHEN the flinch happens. I’ll have to pay a little more attention. I don’t have much of a flinch or have it happen often but I’m totally gonna do the ball dummy and try and pay attention to if it’s flinch then click or click then flinch. Thank you!!
Bob Vogel was IDPA world & national champion and has this. Lots of dry fire versus live fire helped him. He says that it is greatly reduced in magnitude, but he can feel it starting to creep back in if he is doing too much live fire. There is hope for the rest of us.
Diagnosing that you are anticipating, flinching, your shots is 3/4 of the battle. After that, finding the "correcting technique" that's right for you, implementing it properly and working on it on a regular basis is key in overcoming your issues.✌🏾
I actually experienced this for the first time the other day. I had been shooting for years, been deployed twice. Never once flinched, was teaching my roommate how to shoot and all of a sudden I felt like I was about to break the wall and all of a sudden my upper body jerked. And now it happens randomly every 30-40 rounds. I had no idea what tf has been happening until this video. Thank you. 😂
I fired my first rounds with a pistol last year. It went exactly as he said: first 10 rounds or so were nicely on-target. Then they faded to mostly lower left. Am looking for tips to try to change that.
I pull slightly down and to the right after each rapid back up shot. Just a little bit, my shots are almost so close they're touching and look like a 40° downward angle to the right on the steel. 11 yards looks like the slope on a mountain. I'm under holding my shots. A Glock 19 is a light gun. I just realized all this by watching this video. Man you're a great shooting coach.( I'm left handed.)
Greetings. I agree with you that the learned response and the anticipation of the firing will produce the FLINCH. It is a perfect example of CLASSICAL CONDITIONING and also OPERANT CONDITIONING but in this case BOTH are self-learned, yet not innate. Training to eliminate these deleterious and counter-productive processes is the gist of the matter, is it not? Which is where your expertise is germane and vital. Great video, explanation, and illustration. I also agree that combat firing is rather dissimilar to target or leisure shooting. Best to you. Stay well.
Ben Stoegers “trigger control at speed” drill is excellent for preemptively mitigating the flinch in dry fire. It must also be worked against in live fire.
Chuck FTW!
"FACT"
the fact that chuck has just set the record for the longest field notes video shows you how detailed and thorough he is
The one and only Roland
This is probably the best video and lesson I’ve ever had on explaining flinching and anticipation and how to learn to mitigate it. A master class using logic and sound reasoning not just mongo type “just stop anticipating” dude.
I’ve never heard flinching explained so well. Awesome video.
This is seriously the best video I've seen on what causes flinching and what you can do about it. Great job guys!
Haha. All that to say practice more... Grip is actually more important than trigger pull. Think about a vice holding a gun. Slap that trigger all day and you'll get the same POI.
I really need to book a class with Chuck! Finally, someone articulates some solutions "coping methods" for "flinching". 99% of instructors say "do the ball and dummy drill" and then when the shooter flinches says "see that there, don't do that" but with ZERO insight on how NOT to do that. I've always thought it was great for identifying this issue but did nothing to solve the issue. This was the best, most comprehensive, well articulated, description on how to eliminate or at least minimize a problem that most shooters I see have to some extent (although nobody admits it). I wear that shit like a badge of honor... I can be on my way to a 97-100 B8 at 25 and then you get that one or two round that goes "you need a 7"...lol. Chuck just gave away, for free, a huge golden nugget. Chuck, where do I send the check?
If you want a tip jar, Presscheck Consulting Patreon is probably the best way.
To Honest Outlaw's children's home charity in Iowa.
Check the media.
This is the definitive video on flinching. Extremely well done video. I can see that you are well versed on this subject as you have first hand experience on this subject. I would like to offer up 3 additional coping skills. The Jedi Mind Trick - talk to yourself or count down as you press the trigger. Your mind will focus on just one thing. Another drill is to rack the slide to load a round and then remove the magazine. Fire with the live round then dry fire and see your reaction. This step will provide a feedback mechanism to teach you how to hold the gun steady while pressing the trigger. Lastly is to dry fire extensively to build up the neurological pathways.
I'm at 3 minutes 35 seconds, and you just described what happens to my daughter as she shoots! I think she will find this video comforting and hopefully helpful.
I've always struggled with the flinchies. Through religious dry practice and ball and dummy drills I saw some success, but not exactly where I wanted to be. Then I took shooter symposium 2018 and learned propper trigger prep from Chuck, Jared Reston, and Bill Blowers and that was seriously foundational. I still have to stay practiced otherwise it'll come back, but my shooting at speed and at distance is night and day better than before I knew propper trigger prep methodology. Awesome video guys!
I'm learning to shoot and this is definitely an issue for me. My instructor has been trying to explain, but I didn't really understand what he meant. This totally clicked in my head! Thank you!
Looking forward to trying some of these ideas out next time!
I found myself dipping the muzzle of the pistol in anticipation as a new shooter. I'm hoping I can get over it eventually with tips like these. Thank you!
I've pieced most of this stuff together and absorbed it from other videos, but it's fantastic to see it so thoroughly explained in one place. Thanks Chuck! This is great!
Neural pathways, running on RAM in the back ground, Catchers mitt, Porposing is a reaction to flinchies, gun go bang! I love the shooter terminology he invents :)
Chuck is a wealth of knowledge in weapons craft. And an excellent teacher in this discipline.
THE BEST explanation I've ever heard - thank you.
Love it. Knowledge bomb of truth and science from one of my favorite dudes to listen to about firearms use.
Thank you finally, some one that really knows what is going on with flinching. Thanks for several ways to help correct the issues.
wow, this is the best explanation and solution offered by anyone on flinching I've ever heard. both me and my wife have exactly this issue - the first couple shots are dead on center and the rest just migrate to lower left. Chuck, thanks for the great help! thumb up and subscribe!
Outstanding! I don't feel the flinch is diagnosed or understood even close to the degree it needs to be. Best break down ever, right here.
OMG !!! 3:30 he explains how a good student fire perfectly for the first 5-10 first rounds ever and then the rounds after that are missing - that was me. So true!
“Let the gun surprise you” best simple advise I’ve gotten from an instructor. This video breaks it down to a whole new level
That works for slow fire, but not at high level practical shooting speeds. You are pressing the trigger every 0.19 seconds (or faster) and you can be sure that you know when it is going off. Other strategies must be employed to reduce or mitigate it at that point.
This is great information. Thanks to Chuck, hopefully field notes will post more long form videos like this.
Double handle
Absolutely the most in-depth, and articulate analysis of flinching, jerking and other trigger SNAFUs I have ever seen. Incredible video. Thank you.
Nice piece. First one I’ve seen address pre-ignition flinch as the “mental” issue that it is, and not just say “Do ball and dummy drill to fix it”. Nice work going in depth and truly explaining the root cause, Chuck.
Nice
I hope to see more from you guys with Chuck
Chuck has a way with words, laying it down. No Fail Pistol was a criminally underrated class for accomplished shooters. 10/10 would shoot it again.
As a relatively new shooter this is the best explanation by far as to what is going on when I fire my pistol. I thought my age 60 and instability to hold the gun perfectly still was the problem. Not so! I’m doing all the things he was saying that effect the accuracy of the shot. I’m excited to go to the range with this new found knowledge and apply it! Thanks Chuck.
Best explanation of flinching I have ever heard. Have suffered from this for years. Thank you sir!
This video is way ahead of most of the other flinching remedy videos in that it expands the neurological aspect of the problem. In my mind, it all makes perfect sense the way Chuck explains it. There's power in information and this video provides an abundance of knowledge to understand the issue and learn how to mitigate it. Thank you for such an information filled video!
absolutely! 100% agree
Perfectly aligns with Archery mechanics as well. When we are performing a proper back tension shot and release with a bow a good thing to practice not anticipating the shot is constant increase of tension. I like to have a mantra like "Keep Pulling, keep pulling, keep pulling" until the shot breaks.
This is the Best most comprehensive explanation I've ever heard, I think I did have this going on when I first started shooting. I'm not sure if I'm still doing this at times or not, but I've kept all of my targets as a reference in seeing my progression and development and accuracy. ? I have made very good progress, years of using equipment with triggers as a carpenter I don't think it plagues me as much as it does some people. I think this guy has a lot to teach me, so I'm subscribed. Awesome teacher !
Very good. Just what I need as a new shooter. First shot is always on center and then it drifts. Thanks
Because I am currently "afflicted" with this issue, my shooting accuracy, especially beyond 10-15 yards has leveled off and I seem stuck. Since I knew what my problem was, I started researching and hands down this is the absolute BEST explanation of what is transpiring or what the root causes are. More importantly, his tips for mitigating and keeping this issue at bay are very sound and logical. I'll will be implementing these into my skills training both dry and live fire! RLTW!
I'm a new pistol shooter and noticed I have a pretty bad flinch. Lots of good info in here, can't wait to try out some of your suggestions. Thanks for the video, really appreciate it!
Fantastic lesson. The best ive ever seen on this subject. Thanks.
Thank you!
Great to have help from somebody who has this issue and admits the problem
The least effective input is somebody telling you to relax.
Drives me crazy and does the opposite!
19:20 "Does the gun moving when you hear click, is that bad? You have to be cognitively switched on enough to know did it move and then click or click and then move? Click and then move is nothing more than you mitigating the recoil at the appropriate time. Move and then click means . . . it was driving your weapon off of target prior to when a bullet would have fired. . . "
THANK YOU!
That is something I'm pretty sure most of the better competitive shooters do, but you're the first person I've heard articulate it that way.
Most instructors, from my dad, to Boy Scout camp, to various NRA courses, will preach that any movement is bad.
Competitors who are also trainers will talk about "driving the gun" without any real description of what that means. Robby Leatham is not afraid to go against convention and will tell people that they do, to some extent anyway, anticipate that shot and push it to counter recoil. What Leatham says SEEMS to contradict what just about every other instructor preaches. But the way you just explained it is the way I've been trying to wrap my head around it. Again, I believe many, many good shooters do this, but most don't know how to explain it. A lot of them may not even realize they're doing it. But the way you said it helps me understand.
Put another way, most of the top competitors would fail the ball and dummy test, in the eyes of most instructors. But if you break it down in slow-mo, their gun would dip after the click and not before, so it's not throwing off their shot.
Wow. I have watched many video’s on this & yours kept my attention 100%. The best I have seen ! Thank you…. Ed
Hey Chuck great video probably the most actually educational video on the subject I've ever seen. It really makes sense the way you explained it and to back up the video I was just using little earplugs at first after washing your video I purchased the proper ear protection to reduce that explosion that takes place and it helped out even more I'm not sure if I got my point across but out of the hours and hours and hours RUclips videos I've watched yours made the most sense yours actually help me shoot better thank you
Incredibly well articulated, despite this topic being pretty complex proprioceptive stuff. Very helpful
Awesome video. Ive been struggling with this and watching several videos but you seem to understand or at least explain the issue better than anyone else i've seen.
Thank you thank you thank you for this video🙏🏾
Hands down BEST Trigger Anticipation on RUclips! Thank you.
Very good teaching. Teaching multiple ways to fix problems because everyone is different and there are different firearms out there.
Great info. Only after hearing Chuck talk about it did I realize that the flinch is just contained to the firing hand. Never thought about that before.
You know, I (as well as a few shooting buddies) have wondered how I get good center hits, but “flinch” so much, when a round doesn’t go off. I often joke about how I sight my guns in for my flinch.
At approximately 19:30, Chuck explains what I might be doing. Mitigating recoil at the proper/correct time…after the “click.” No more “embarrassment”. “Know”more explanation!
Thanks for the excellent video.
Great discussion of the issue. It’s definitely something I struggle with. And interacting with people who don’t understand it or who make assumptions about what is happening is really frustrating. Thank you for this!
Preach it, Chuck 👍
amazing break down and explaination! I just became a gun owner and had never fired a gun before and everything you went over in this video hit home for me! when I first fired my weapon for the very first time the feeling was crazy intense! I Hit a bullseye first shot and only sho, cause after that every trigger pull was anticipating that intense feeling. I know now what to do when I go back to the gun range. Correlating with the brain and trigger pull makes so much sense! thanks for making this video.
This is one of the best videos I've seen.
The best explanation I have heard on this subject! Thanks!
TL;DW solutions: Support hand, trigger prep practice, ball-dummy ammo, changing trigger finger placement on trigger. He didn't mention the value of red dots; they can help us see the flinch and help us practice avoiding it by visually watching the dot's movement.
Chuck doing a Surefire vid. Awesome dude!
Best instruction on this topic I have seen so far!
This is for damn sure the most helpful video i have ever found about recoil anticipation. Just great.
Wow! This has happened to me before (and caused some seriously perplexing frustration)! Great clear explanation and now I get it. I'm glad I came across Chuck's material and appearances on RUclips!
I love the insight on WHEN the flinch happens. I’ll have to pay a little more attention. I don’t have much of a flinch or have it happen often but I’m totally gonna do the ball dummy and try and pay attention to if it’s flinch then click or click then flinch. Thank you!!
Chuck is the absolute best
You solved my questions about flinching and trigger jerk better than any other instructor. Fantastic video.
Enjoyed and learned much on this video here in the Philippines tnx much sir
I have figured some of these tricks out myself like constant pull on da gun trigger and support hand structure had helped me the best !
Chuck Pressburg for the win
Bob Vogel was IDPA world & national champion and has this. Lots of dry fire versus live fire helped him. He says that it is greatly reduced in magnitude, but he can feel it starting to creep back in if he is doing too much live fire. There is hope for the rest of us.
This is a great video! True golden nuggets!
Exactly my problem. Man its so frustrating to overcome. I start my range time almost dead on, by the end of my exercise Im all the way low right. 🙄
From one instructor to another, outstanding explanation sir.
Chuck is one of the best in the business!
Diagnosing that you are anticipating, flinching, your shots is 3/4 of the battle. After that, finding the "correcting technique" that's right for you, implementing it properly and working on it on a regular basis is key in overcoming your issues.✌🏾
The instructions and explanation are top notch, but the tactical turtle shooting stance makes me chuckle.
I'll be saving this video in my training playlist
You are one analytical man. Excellent instruction.
Wow. Broke it down to the last detail. Genius!
Thanks. I've been suffering from this same thing. First shots are always good, then I've been pulling.
While dry firing, watch your front sight post while pulling the trigger with different depth/angle of your finger.
Great stuff as always Chuck, looking forward to the October class.
This is actually some useful information.
I call it pulling the shot ! But thank you for the information or the point good job Ser !
This is so true within 10 rounds things start to go south with new shooters.
Fantastic explanation, Chuck!
I actually experienced this for the first time the other day. I had been shooting for years, been deployed twice. Never once flinched, was teaching my roommate how to shoot and all of a sudden I felt like I was about to break the wall and all of a sudden my upper body jerked. And now it happens randomly every 30-40 rounds. I had no idea what tf has been happening until this video. Thank you. 😂
Amazing, well said!!!! You really are the best one out there!
Awesome tutorial. I thought i had this whipped, but it came back trying to shoot fast.
I fired my first rounds with a pistol last year. It went exactly as he said: first 10 rounds or so were nicely on-target. Then they faded to mostly lower left. Am looking for tips to try to change that.
Sir, the information you provide in these videos are the best information ever! Thank for sharing your Great knowledge.
I pull slightly down and to the right after each rapid back up shot. Just a little bit, my shots are almost so close they're touching and look like a 40° downward angle to the right on the steel. 11 yards looks like the slope on a mountain. I'm under holding my shots. A Glock 19 is a light gun. I just realized all this by watching this video. Man you're a great shooting coach.( I'm left handed.)
Best explanation I've seen anywhere.
Greetings. I agree with you that the learned response and the anticipation of the firing will produce the FLINCH. It is a perfect example of CLASSICAL CONDITIONING and also OPERANT CONDITIONING but in this case BOTH are self-learned, yet not innate. Training to eliminate these deleterious and counter-productive processes is the gist of the matter, is it not? Which is where your expertise is germane and vital. Great video, explanation, and illustration. I also agree that combat firing is rather dissimilar to target or leisure shooting. Best to you. Stay well.
Phenomenal Instruction. Thank you.
Outstanding content Chuck. Thanks for sharing.
WHAT.. super info here .. Thanks to Chuck and Surefire
One of the best presentations ever nice work.
Great advice. Cheers
great video and breakdown, thank you SureFire for putting this together.
Chuck is the man!
Wow you are very helpful your honesty is so good thank you!!
Lots of new info for me. Thanks
Excellent explanation
Excellent breakdown
Ben Stoegers “trigger control at speed” drill is excellent for preemptively mitigating the flinch in dry fire. It must also be worked against in live fire.
thank you so much for your videos Chuck