DryfiRe Visualization DRIll

As we get into the heart of race season, we can use dryfire combined with visualization to prepare for our next big race. Dryfiring helps the mind and body to find the most stable shooting position through bolstering muscle memory while encouraging repetition of the mental cues we use in training and racing. Visualization can prepare our minds to perform in a specific scenario or race. 

If you’d like some more explanation or examples of visualization exercises you can reference previous posts in the NTS Resource Library under Mental Training.

The drill I’ll outline here is one that has been passed down through the ranks of American biathletes. I can’t take credit for it but I have found it both useful and challenging. 

The Overview

The basic outline of this drill is to visualize the shooting process with your eyes closed while standing still, then visualize with eyes closed but actually go through the physical motions, and finally, perform the drill with eyes open. 

What are we visualizing? Your range procedure and shooting at a certain venue. You can choose any shooting range you would like but it should be one where you will actually be racing someday. Hoping to make World Champs in Anholtz? Then you’ll visualize that range approach, shooting range, and stadium. Want to prepare to execute your perfect race next fall in Soldier Hollow? Put yourself there. 

The Exercise

After doing some dryfire warm-up (a few prone and standing holds, for example), put your rifle on your back and face your targets. Close your eyes. Relax your body. Begin to breath as you would in a race as you approach the stadium. Focus on smooth breathing. Picture yourself skiing into the Ahnoltz range, checking the wind flags, taking off your poles, rehearsing your mental cues as your prepare to get on the mat. See black, be assertive, trigger squeeze (for example). Imagine yourself hopping onto the mat, you drop your poles, rifle off the back, a smooth magazine transition, you’re staring down the target, elbow drops snuggly into hip, head drops onto cheek rest, you’re breathing with your diaphragm, moving into the target. Visualize each shot, breathing as you would in a race. Hit your five shots - see each black dot turn white - and you’re off skiing into the Italian mountains. 

Now repeat the same exact visualization. Eyes closed, facing the targets, but now as you ski into whatever stadium you’re imagining, actually line up to your dryfire targets in your basement or bedroom, take your rifle off your back and as you, with your eyes closed, visualize the shooting, do actually take your dryfire shots. But don’t open your eyes. It doesn’t matter if you’re not lined up with the targets. This is about connecting the mental imagery to the physical performance of it. 

For the third and final part of this drill, continue to place yourself in Anholtz or wherever your race preparation puts you and think about skiing into that range. But with eyes open, after picturing the stadium and approach, go through your normal dryfiring - five shots - continuing to execute your positioning and cues. 

Conclusion:

I’d encourage you to notice how your visualization changes with each step of the drill - is your race venue and range procedure more poignant with pure visualization or does it seem more real as you act it out? Can you bring the same crispness to your imagery throughout each step? Reflecting on how each part of the drill went can help you identify areas of strength and weakness to improve your thinking and performance. 

Working through this process from pure visualization to focused dryfiring not only will give you the benefits of dryfiring, but will prepare your mind and body to shoot in a specific situation. And then, at World Champs in Anholtz, you’ll ski into that range having shot there hundreds of times before. Good luck!