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by Aimee Langdon
One of the things I love most about working with the Langdon Tactical community is seeing how training carries over into everyday life. Yes, range time is important — but the truth is, most of us don’t live at the range. The biggest growth often happens at home, in between activities with the kids, while traveling, or even standing on the sidelines at a weekend soccer game.
That’s why I’m such a believer in combining dry practice, intentional goal setting, and awareness training. These three habits work together to make you more confident, capable, and consistent — and you can build them into your daily routine without needing hours of extra time.
1) Dry Practice with Purpose
Dry practice is one of the best ways to sharpen skills — but only if it’s focused. Instead of randomly going through motions, each session gives a purpose:
- Draw to first shot prep – Build consistency in how your hands meet the gun.
- Reloads – Remember: smooth is fast. Eliminate wasted movement.
- Sight picture and trigger press – Clean presses without disturbing sight alignment.
Keep it short: 5–10 minutes. End on a win and record your notes. Logging your work helps you see progress over time, and progress is what keeps you motivated.
2) Set Clear Training Goals
We all know goals matter — but when it comes to shooting, vague goals don’t cut it. Be specific. For example:
- “I will complete 5 dry practice sessions this week focused on draws to first shot.”
- “By the end of the month, I will consistently hit my 1.5-second par time.”
3) Build Awareness into Everyday Life
Awareness isn’t about being paranoid; it’s about paying attention. And you can practice it anywhere:
- Paying Attention – Stay off your phone, take your air pods out of your ears, observe your surroundings. Take note of your posture, what you see (and the number of people that are not paying attention).
- What-If Scenarios – At the grocery store or airport, ask: “If something happened here, where’s my best exit? Where’s cover? Where are my kids?”
- Observation Drills – Pick a person or car and note details: clothing, direction of travel, license plate. Later, see how much you remember.
- Environmental Scans – Make it routine to note exits, unusual behavior, or crowd shifts when you enter a space.
Just like dry practice builds muscle memory, these small awareness habits add up until they become second nature. Victims are often targeted because of how they appear – appear confident, aware and “in charge.”
4) Weave It into Daily Life
The best part? You don’t have to carve out extra time. Just shift your mindset into the moments you already have:
- At soccer practice: Scan the environment while staying present with your kids.
- When traveling: Walk through airports or rest stops with a “red team” approach — notice choke points, cover, and exits.
- During family outings: Keep track of your kids and note vehicles, exits, or changes in crowd behavior.
Final Thoughts
Dry practice sharpens your technical skills. Goal setting keeps you accountable. Awareness turns preparation into a lifestyle. Together, they build confidence and capability that extend far beyond the range.
Start small, stay consistent, and remember preparation doesn’t stop when you leave the range.
About the Author
Aimee Langdon (pictured above) is the President of LTT. Langdon is a global business professional with over 18 years of professional business development and sales and marketing experience. Aimee has directly supervised global sales and operations teams while always providing the best possible outcome for both her customers and business. Aimee is an energetic mom, accomplished athlete (most recently, four 1st place Women’s Elite Tactical Games and 2nd in Tactical Games Nationals), a former national baton twirling competitor and Feature Twirler for the University of Minnesota. Passionate about fitness, Aimee has three CrossFit training certifications.
This article is brought to you by AWA’s 9mm sponsor, Langdon Tactical.
LTT creates customized confidence by making great firearms extraordinary. LTT puts the art and skill of craftsmen to work for a better fit, finish, and optimization of all the pieces and parts that mass production and assembly can never reproduce.
The result is a firearm that gives ultimate confidence tailored to the shooter. LTT’s commitment to excellence doesn’t end at the purchase of a firearm; they are also passionate about providing a holistic approach to empowerment and confidence with education, training, fitness, and lifestyle resources. Precision Built Confidence is more than a tagline—it’s LTT’s mission.
