TargetTalk

i have a basement that is roughly 8.6 meters with room for target and shooter. i know it won't simulate the 10 m, but do you think this distance would be good enough to build the skill? or is it too close? thanks!

Can't hurt. Any practice is better than none. Download the free scatt software and you can print reduced size targets to practice with.

Yes you can and many of us do. Remember that you get a bit less penalized for angular errors though.

You can shoot as close as you have to, but bear in mind rebound shots if you put your target too close (5m is OK for me, but I'll always try to shoot the longest distance I have).

Use this calculator to set the target at the right hight and with the right size https://olympicpistol.com/calculator

You can also dry fire and hold against a wall.

As close as you want.
One yard til you are stacking them.
Two yards
Three
Etc.

You also can simulate 10m for live shooting with an electronic target SQ10 that automatically scales for distance from 3m - 15m
https://sportshootingdepot.com/product/sq10/