My First Time Training in an Indoor Range Was a Mess – This Is What Helped Me Improve

I’ll be honest – my first time training at an indoor range was nothing like I imagined. I walked in thinking I’d hone my shooting skills, walk out sharper, and maybe even feel a little tactical doing it. Instead, I quickly realized I had no idea how to make the most of the single lane I was assigned. I couldn’t draw from my holster. I wasn’t allowed to shoot on the move. Target transitions? Not a chance. Rapid fire? That was a hard no, too.

At first, it felt like all I could do was stand there and poke holes in a piece of paper every couple of seconds. But that changed the day I shifted my mindset and started treating indoor range sessions like an opportunity, not a limitation. Here’s how I turned things around and what actually helped me improve.

Bigger Targets Were Hurting My Accuracy

One of my biggest mistakes early on was relying on those giant silhouette targets the range provides. At five yards, it’s hard to miss – and that was exactly the problem. I wasn’t really aiming. I was just sending rounds downrange without discipline or focus.

Eventually, I started using smaller targets – sometimes printed cadence circles, sometimes just a square I’d drawn with a Sharpie on a blank sheet of paper. That one change forced me to really pay attention to sight alignment, trigger control, and consistency. Accuracy became something I had to earn rather than something I assumed I had.

Distance Became My Best Friend

After dialing in on smaller targets, the next thing I did was push them farther out. It’s easy to feel like a pro shooting dime-sized groups at three yards. But sending a shot into a folded piece of printer paper at 15 or 20 yards? That’s a challenge.

Once I started doing that, I noticed my mistakes more clearly – bad grip, flinching, poor trigger control – they all showed up on paper. Shooting at a distance turned out to be one of the best teachers I’ve had.

Compress Ready Made a Huge Difference

Since drawing from the holster wasn’t allowed, I thought I was stuck. But then I learned to train from compressed ready. Instead of drawing, I’d start with the pistol at my chest, both hands on it, then drive it forward, acquire my sights, and fire.

This helped me practice the most important part of the draw anyway – the presentation. Pushing the gun out quickly, getting sights aligned immediately, and delivering an accurate shot became my new obsession. And it worked. My draw felt faster, smoother, and more confident, even though I wasn’t drawing at all.

The Forgotten Art of Follow-Through

Before I got serious about my technique, I never really thought about follow-through. I’d shoot, pause, and reset like I was baking cookies, not training with purpose. Once I started paying attention to what my gun was doing after the shot, tracking the sights, maintaining grip pressure, and preparing for a second shot, it all clicked.

Now, every time I fire a round, I stay focused on getting a clean second sight picture and prepping the trigger again. Whether I need that second shot or not, I’m ready – and that’s the point.

My Trigger Finger Was the Culprit

Here’s something I didn’t expect: my biggest issue was my own trigger finger. I used to pin the trigger to the rear after every shot, wait for the reset “click,” and then fire again. It felt precise, but it was actually killing my control and accuracy.

Now I let the trigger reset during recoil, and get right back to the wall before deciding to shoot again. I’m no longer letting the gun dictate when I fire – I’m the one in control. That small change made a huge difference in how I shoot, and it’s one of the hardest habits I’ve had to break.

Training Grip Through Volume

Shooting one round at a time won’t tell you much about your grip. I didn’t realize this until I tried firing full magazines as fast as I could while still maintaining accuracy. That’s when I discovered my grip started to loosen halfway through every mag.

To fix it, I started doing tests – emptying full magazines at a controlled pace, paying close attention to how my groups opened up (or didn’t). If the group stayed tight, I knew my grip was solid. If it opened up or dipped low, I knew I was losing control and had to adjust.

The Value of Throttle Control

Once I built confidence in my grip and accuracy, I started experimenting with shooting speed – something I didn’t think was possible indoors. Even in a restrictive range, if your fundamentals are dialed in and you’re shooting responsibly, some ranges allow a bit more flexibility.

By adjusting my cadence depending on the target distance and size, I learned how to control the throttle. Up close? Faster shots. At distance? Slower, more deliberate shots. This rhythm became my version of dynamic training inside a static environment.

Simple Targets Are the Best Targets

You don’t need expensive silhouette targets or fancy printed drills. One of the best “A-zone” targets I’ve used is just a regular 8.5×11 sheet of paper folded in half. Fold it again and you’ve got a crisp little box that demands precision. Tape it up, send it downrange to 15 yards, and you’ve got yourself a drill.

That simplicity made training more accessible for me. No more excuses about not having the right targets. Just a printer, some tape, and focus.

I Stopped Chasing Speed, Started Chasing Discipline

There was a time when all I wanted was to shoot faster than the guy in the next lane. But when I started focusing on discipline, controlling the trigger, maintaining a consistent grip, following through after every shot, I got better.

Eventually, speed followed naturally. It didn’t come from trying to shoot fast. It came from doing everything else right.

Shot Timers Aren’t Totally Useless Indoors

I used to think shot timers were pointless at an indoor range. Too many people, too much noise. But I found that if the range was relatively empty, or if I slipped on some ear-safe earbuds, I could use one to measure my presentation time or first shot from compressed ready.

It’s not perfect, and it takes some experimenting, but having even rough feedback on my performance gave me a clearer picture of progress.

Indoor Training Is Far From Boring

I used to think indoor ranges were boring, restrictive, and not worth my time. I was dead wrong. With a little creativity and discipline, I found myself getting more value from my quiet, slow-paced indoor sessions than from running drills outdoors.

It forced me to focus on the fundamentals: accuracy, trigger control, grip, and presentation. And those skills? They translate directly into real-world shooting, competition, or defensive situations. Indoor training doesn’t limit you, it sharpens you.

Don’t Give Up

Training indoors isn’t a downgrade – it’s a refinement. Once I stopped making excuses and started using the environment to my advantage, everything changed. The structure forced me to slow down and pay attention to the things that really matter. I worked on my grip, tuned my trigger control, trained from compressed ready, and built true shooting discipline.

If you’re new to indoor ranges, or frustrated by their limitations, don’t give up. Set small goals, make smart changes, and focus on the fundamentals. You’ll walk out sharper than when you walked in. I know I did.