CowBoy Clothes

Mistake #1. Not Practicing Enough. Sure, practicing your quick draw is a give, but if you need to practice enough to get from Point A to Point B, many people make the mistake of working until they reach Point B and then assuming they're good enough. But practice and competition are two different things and no matter how "cool under fire" you may be, nerves come into play during the actual match.

Instead of stopping when you're at Point B, keep practicing until you're at Point C, Point D, or beyond. The farther beyond the point where you think you need to be, the more "room for error" you have available when you're competing.

Mistake #2. Not Practicing In Your Gear. While you're probably practicing with the same gun you'll use in competition, some people make the mistake of practicing in street clothes rather than the cowboy clothes they'll use on match day. No matter how much you practice, different surroundings and yes, even different clothes can make a difference.

That's one reason why actors in plays have dress rehearsals -- because no matter how well you know your lines, once the costume is on things are different enough that it can throw even the best. The same happens with cowboy fast draw -- if you're going to compete as a cowboy, you'd better do at least some of your practicing as a cowboy.

Mistake #3. Just Guessing At How Fast You Are. You wouldn't think of training for a foot race without using a stopwatch to see how well you're doing, so don't train for a quick draw competition without measuring your performance, either. You can't gauge how well you're doing by how it "feels." Fast draw is a "facts and figures" kind of sport and only a timer will be able to tell you what kind of progress you're making.

If you can afford a professional target and timer that's probably the best bet, but even a less expensive timer can do the trick -- as long as it was designed for cowboy fast draw. Keep a record of each practice session so you can

In summary, you'll do better in fast draw matches if you practice more than you think you need to, practice in your cowboy clothes, and use a timer to see your progress.