My belief is, that no matter how good or bad the athletes' hold is, they all should be able to develop smooth controlled shots! The problem a newer shooter faces is when confronted with a sight picture that just will not sit still, they seem to adopt the approach of firing the shot quickly as soon as the sights get somewhere near the area which usually results in a great big trigger snatch, grip tightening, just doing all the wrong things. We have all been there at some stage.
Explain to the athlete about "area of hold" as against "area of aim". Area of hold is the athlete’s natural ability to hold in any given area. New shooters about 7 ring, experienced shooters, 9.5+ ring. Area of aim is where the athlete decided that the sights are going to sit under the black in this area. So in explaining the difference it is important the athlete “allows” the pistol to “move” somewhere in his/her area and not get caught up trying to make the pistol sit still and consciously firing when things look better.
Allowing the pistol to “find” its own area and allowing the sights to move, will give the athlete a feeling of control whilst concentrating on sight alignment and trigger control. With time and correct training the athlete can develop a better, tighter holding pattern.
