The holidays do two things really well…
It brings people together, and it blows up everyone’s routine.
Training, sleep, diet, awareness, everything gets shoved to the side while life piles on shopping lists, travel plans, late nights, and enough food to sedate a buffalo.
But here’s the quiet truth most shooters forget: accuracy doesn’t go on holiday break. Skills fade whether you’re ready for them to or not. And December is usually when the fade starts.
The good news? It doesn’t take much to keep your edge.
Small, Steady Reps Beat Big, Sporadic Ones
You don’t need marathon range days to stay sharp. A focused 15–20 minute session is enough to maintain the fundamentals that matter: slow-fire groups, trigger prep, a clean presentation, maybe a couple reloads. When time is tight, simplify—pick one skill per visit and drill it with intention.
Consistency matters more than volume, especially this time of year.
Dry Practice: Your Secret Weapon
Traveling? Hosting relatives? Stuck in a house where you can’t disappear to the range? Dry practice turns any quiet corner into a training space.
Grab your Blue Gun, SIRT, or Laser Training pistol, pick a target dot on the wall, and work:
- Trigger press
- Sight alignment
- Draw and present
- Movement to ready positions
Five minutes of clean reps beats two weeks of nothing.
Your Body Affects Your Accuracy
Holiday food, late nights, stress, and sugar comas all show up on the firing line. They sneak in as slower reactions, shakier hands, and a shorter attention span.
You don’t have to skip the pie, just understand that training isn’t isolated from the rest of your life. Hydrate. Sleep when you can. Move a little. Treat your body like it’s the platform your accuracy stands on, because it is.
Holiday Visitors Mean You Lock Everything Up
More people in your home = more chances for something to go wrong. This is the season to tighten up your safety habits, not loosen them. If you’re hosting family or friends, especially kids, secure your firearms every time. No exceptions, no assumptions.
A moment of discipline saves you from a lifetime of wishing you’d been more careful.
Give Yourself One Gift This Season: Show Up
One visit a week. A few minutes of dry practice. A little intention behind the chaos.
That’s all it takes to carry your skills into the new year instead of starting over from scratch. Training during the holidays isn’t about perfection—it’s about not letting the noise bury your competence.
So whatever else this season brings, give yourself the gift of staying sharp.
We’ll see you on the range.