It’s well known in the shooting sports world that practicing handgun firing techniques at home without using any ammunition is one of the keys to success in competition.

But so-called “dry fire” practice isn’t just for pros. In fact, it’s one of the most important ways for new shooters to refine the two most important aspects of accurate shooting at any distance—trigger squeeze and sight alignment.

“The key to shooting is manipulating that trigger to the rear without adding movement to that front sight,” says SIG SAUER Academy instructor Allison Glassick. “That’s the secret to shooting.”

For beginners, the blast and recoil of a live round often causes a natural human reaction to flinch or anticipate the shot which can disrupt their grip and trigger manipulation. But taking away those live fire distractions and working through some drills with an empty handgun can pay dividends when it’s time to head to the range.

“The bang inevitably will disrupt my senses and my ability to focus in on what’s important—that slow, deliberate process of pulling the trigger from front to rear while managing that sight alignment,” says SIG SAUER Academy instructor Justin Christopher. “The best possible way to train your body how to do this is without any bullets in the gun.”

Another big advantage to dry fire practice for beginners is that it can be done at any time—there’s no need to pay range fees, no boxes of ammo to buy, no need to carve out time from a busy schedule to travel back and forth from a shooting range. It’s critical that dry fire practice be done only after confirming the firearm is unloaded (both visually and physically) and many instructors recommend doing dry fire practice in an area where no ammunition is present at all.

“The key to shooting is manipulating that trigger to the rear without adding movement to that front sight.” - SIG SAUER Academy Instructor Allison Glassick

Always observe the four rules of firearm safety—even when dry firing.

1. Always Keep Firearm Pointed in a Safe direction
2. Treat All Guns as Though They are Loaded
3. Keep Your Finger Off the Trigger until You are Ready to Shoot
4. Always Be Sure of Your Target and What’s Beyond It

But once those safety measures have been taken, pretty much anywhere can serve as a dry fire practice location. And you don’t even need any targets—a strip of tape on the wall, a light switch, even a book on the shelf can serve as an aiming point to help refine technique.

And as shooters progress from beginner to intermediate and beyond, dry fire practice will continue to be a critical component of building confidence and accuracy in a variety of shooting scenarios.

To learn more, watch the video below as SIG SAUER Academy instructors Justin Christopher and Allison Glassick explain the importance of dry fire practice and some drills you can practice at home.