Slow deliberate reps are okay too

Scott Jedlinski (aka “Jedi”) is a martial artist and USPSA competitor who specializes in teaching the use of red dot optics on a pistol. He’s known for improving draw technique and decreasing the time needed to get your first shot with a pistol on-target. Scott has trained a wide variety of top-tier law enforcement units and is also an accomplished firearms writer. Here are his opinions on “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”

“SLOW IS SMOOTH, SMOOTH IS FAST” TELLS ONLY PART OF THE STORY

“The origin of ‘slow is smooth, smooth is fast’ came from elite units of the U.S. military,” Jedlinski said. “The saying evolved from something Wyatt Earp said about trick shooting, ‘Make haste, slowly.’ The problem is, the original saying includes a critical piece which is always left out. The entire saying is “slow is smooth, smooth is fast and speed is the economy of motion’. This third part of the axiom means that speed is definitely a part of the whole process.”

“‘Slow is smooth, smooth is fast’ is used quite often in conjunction with the phrase ‘muscle memory’,” Jedlinski continued. “The problem is, there is no such thing as ‘muscle memory’.” Muscles have no memory. Nerves are what move muscles, and it’s there where the speed develops. If you repeat an action slowly and carefully, then the myelination of the nerves will allow for unconscious technique, and then the speed really starts to appear.”

SLOW IS SMOOTH, SMOOTH IS FAST AND SPEED IS THE ECONOMY OF MOTION

“Smooth and fast are related, but they are not the same thing, Jedlinski went on to say. “A draw can be bobbled at some point, but still be very fast. The idea that we should learn slowly, then smoothly and then speed will come is wrong. We should carefully learn good technique first, then practice so it becomes more and more subconscious, and then the speed will develop. If you go fast all the time with no technique, you will fail. In the same way, technique that never gets fast is also a failure. Technique opens the door to speed. Speed and accuracy come from efficiency, efficiency comes from technique. Instructors who say ‘slow is smooth, smooth is fast,’ omit that crucial last step. They offload the technique onto the student, and the student then continues to struggle.”

Even though it’s a popular saying, when it comes to firearms training, “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast” tells only part of the story. Going slow for slowness’s sake is not the solution. Proper technique is the key to improvement, not the speed you perform any given action. Learn that first, practice it regularly, and then the speed will come.

SOURCE

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