If you’ve been shooting for a while, you know skills don’t hold up under pressure just because you’ve “done it before.” They’re retained because you’ve put in purposeful, repeated reps until they become natural. That’s what we mean when we talk about muscle memory. It’s the kind of programming that makes your draw, sight picture, trigger press and follow-through happen the right way, even when your pulse is racing or conditions are far from perfect.
At AimHi Family Firearms Center in New Albany, Ohio, our range gives you the perfect environment to build that memory. And the difference between shooting here consistently versus plinking in the backyard every few weeks? It’s night and day.
Why ‘Little and Often’ Outperforms ‘A Lot, Once’
Think of it this way: would you rather hit the gym once a month for four hours or a couple times a week for 45 minutes? The same principle applies here. According to a study published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science, shorter, more frequent sessions (“distributed practice”) beat infrequent marathons (“massed practice”) for skill retention and performance.
For shooters, that means two focused, one-hour range sessions this week will sharpen you up far more than an afternoon of blasting cans once in a while.
Train for Pressure
Here’s where the science gets interesting. A study of Special Operations Forces put operators through a 200-meter uphill sprint and then had them shoot. Their hit probability stayed solid, but fine accuracy slipped and shot dispersion opened up. In other words, stress changes everything. The shooters who had the deepest baseline skills? They held it together best.
Law enforcement research tells a similar story. Officers who trained with added stress, such as a shoot-back cannon or role-playing actors, didn’t see their accuracy fall apart when the pressure was real. Even better, those improvements stuck around months later .
And it’s not just physical stress. Studies also show that mental fatigue alone can slow decision-making and harm accuracy. Regular, shorter sessions help you stay sharp in both body and mind.
How to Make Your AimHi Sessions Build Real Muscle Memory
1) Space the Work
Book 2–3 shorter sessions weekly instead of one long one. You’ll retain more and regress less between visits. Bring a written plan and try tracking two metrics each time.
2) Mix Your Drills
After you groove fundamentals, vary tasks within the session: transitions, movement, one-handed shooting, reloads. Research shows that mixing related skills in “random” order may feel harder but leads to better retention and transfer than blocked, single-drill chunks.
3) Add Measured Stress
Work a timer into your drills, draw from concealment and move a little between positions. Those small stressors are enough to get your heart rate up in a safe, controlled way, and they’re the same kind of reps that helped special ops shooters stay accurate after a sprint.
4) Keep Notes & Adjust as Needed
If a drill feels automatic, tighten your par times slightly or shrink your target zone. If accuracy falls apart, ease back. Remember: correct reps build memory, sloppy ones don’t. Keep track of what you’ve worked on, to help inform areas of focus for your next range session.
Why AimHi Beats Ohio Weather Every Time
If you’ve lived here long, you know the greater Columbus area’s weather isn’t your training partner. July days average 85°F with sticky humidity, while January can mean temps in the 30s and 10 inches of snow.
At AimHi, our indoor range keeps conditions steady and safe, helping you build consistent habits all year, without weather ruining your training. If you’re ready to sharpen your edge, book a lane this week, and if you’d like help structuring drills or setting standards, our staff is here to coach you through it.
We’ll see you on the range.