Stop Anticipating Recoil with These 3 Techniques

What is Recoil Anticipation

When you first start shooting, it is normal to react by flinching or anticipating the recoil. A loud bang followed by high pressure is not an action we were meant to experience often. So our brain sends us warning signals. This is not always a negative experience, but we do have to understand that it will be a hurdle we have to overcome. We need to reprogram our bodies' response to the bang in order to manage recoil effectively. 

Anticipating recoil is the act of the shooter overdriving the firearm down or below the plane of the target before the shot has broken. In other words, before the trigger has been completely pressed, the shooter has pushed the gun down and off target. We should not push the gun down because we can’t control the force. So it only messes up the shot for you and doesn’t actually help your control of the firearm. This is a common error for handgun shooters and almost everyone has experienced it when they go out shooting, so don’t feel like you are the only one when you are out on the range! Even experienced shooters fall victim to anticipating recoil.

Understanding where your body comes into play with recoil anticipation is key to overcoming it. The list below breaks down some of the most common ways people anticipate recoil with their bodies' reactions to it. Understanding how you work mechanically can help you figure out how to manipulate the gun properly. 

• Breaking your wrist down.
• Overdriving with your arms and shoulders into the firearm. 
• Leaning forward from your lower back's pivot point. 

If you are new to firearms there are many ways you can build up to successful recoil management. Recoil management helps you manage any recoil anticipation you may have. Many basic pistol courses across the nation use rim fire handguns to help introduce new shooters to the concept of recoil management. Starting with .22lr is just one example of the stepping stones you can use to help you become successful faster. The list below shows a few of the training options you can use in order to mitigate recoil anticipation. 

• Dry Fire
• CO2/ Green Gas Powered Guns
• Smaller Caliber Firearms

If you skip to the larger calibers first, you may create some training scars and it will be harder to overcome. If you are already in the boat of shooting your firearm and you are having issues, it may be time to take a step back. 

Technique One - Use Firearms with Dry Fire/ Less Force

As usual, safety is always first. When you are dry-firing make sure you remove all ammo from the room. Always point your firearm in a safe direction and keep your finger off of the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Following these rules can help you lower the risks during training.

It may sound a little off target to start with dry fire to avoid anticipating recoil, but it can be a very efficient method of training for live fire. Since the anticipation of the recoil starts before the shot has actually fired, working on your trigger press can help you eliminate the problem. Dry firing gives you a “birds eye view” of your trigger press. One of the advantages is that the recoil is not there to mask the errors in movement that you make as you pull the trigger. All of your micro movements are visible to you and anyone you are training with.

Keep in mind that you are in control of your firearm. Any movement you make can directly affect the end result of the trigger press. Take responsibility for each shot you send downrange and you will find that the road to improvement shortens. 

To set up your training session, you will need to set up a target. You can place an actual target on the wall or use something as simple as a sticky note or light switch. Pick something small so that you can use the aim small miss small technique. Choose your shooting position and make sure your firearm is in training condition/unloaded and you are following the four rules of firearm safety. If you are using dry fire aids, make sure they are installed correctly before you start. If you use the Pink Rhino Laser Cartridge during your training, your barrel will be blocked and the firearm will be unable to load another cartridge. This can provide another level of safety.

Focus on eliminating the muzzle movement during the trigger press. Keep the firearm parallel to the ground during the entire trigger press. The front sight post or the red dot should not dip down as you pull the trigger. Sometimes you may have to start with the trigger press being painfully slow. And that is expected! The process of pulling the trigger can be sped up over time but you will need to pace yourself with your skill level. 

A way you can manage your progress is by using the Mantis X10 on your firearm. The app saves your history so that you can always have your baseline ready to pull and compare. The drills in the app can also help you determine if you are confident and ready to take your training to the next level. In the Compressed Surprise Break Drill, the X10 gives you a score from 0-100 and will show you the time to shoot. As you continue to train you will be able to balance your time to score so that you are both accurate and fast on the trigger. Without making errors like anticipating recoil.

The movement coming from you to drive the gun down can come from a few different areas. You could be using your wrists, shoulders, or even your lower back depending on your stance and grip.

Check out our trigger discipline blog to learn more.

Technique Two - Experiment with adjusting your Stance

Recoil Management can be mitigated with your shooting stance. Imagine the force of the shot coming back from the firearm, into your hands, through your arms and shoulders, and finally down your back. How does your body absorb the recoil? How does the recoil affect your body? It’s important to base your stance off of how your body reacts to the recoil. 

Body composition can help determine how far forward your body needs to drive forward into the gun. The less body you have to work with, the more you typically have to lean forward. Think of it as your body's leverage against the recoil of the firearm. What works for others may not work for you. If you take the time to go out and experiment with slightly different positions, you may find the perfect stance for you. 

Start with the fundamentals of an ideal shooting stance and work on the adjustments that feel right for you from there. 

One tool you can use to help quantify your results is the Recoilmeter included with the Mantis X10. The Recoilmeter drill was designed to help with managing recoil effectively. It will show you the recovery time and angles of each of your shots. So as you change positions you can test out how you recover and if the change in position actually helped or jeopardized your shot! You can also use it to see which ammo you have an easier time controlling. 

Technique Three - Mentally Prepare 

Shooting is a mental sport. You need to picture the perfect sight picture, the perfect trigger press, and the perfect shot. Staying disciplined on the fundamentals can significantly help your management of the recoil. Knowing how everything moves with yourself is the key to success. 

If you can speak the steps out loud as you practice, it helps solidify your process. Make sure you are uniform in each trigger press you take. No matter the distance you are shooting, the process to hit the target is the same. Your trigger press can make or break every shot you take. Focus on keeping your arms at the same angle the entire shot. If your arms are parallel to the ground, do not let yourself drive that gun down. 

As you mentally prepare for the shot, you will find that your consistency and accuracy should improve. Take the time to visualize the perfect performance. This can be done during the rest time between each shot you take. Imagining and visualizing the perfect performance, step by step gives you less room to make mistakes since you are reinforcing good habits with each section of the shot process. 

There are several factors that can help you with recoil management. Start out with the training tools that allow you to practice with less force from the beginning. Once you find the tool that works best for you, you can experiment with your stance. Stance will help you build a solid foundation for recoil management. And finally mentally prepare for each shot and walk yourself through step by step to help you with making each shot uniform.