How do we catch the GM's?

[Tinyvic77]

So the last few weeks I have been on the forums trying to find different ways to practice and make myself a better all around shooter. I read through posts on dry fire, live fire, the mental side of the game, and anything in between. My goal was to try to develop a system for myself that would help me catch the guys who are leading in my division. I am a B class shooter. I have worked for my B and am damn proud of it. Some higher ranked shooters probably think thats not a big deal. To some of us it is.

Ok, so on to the point. My question is, what do the GM's do that make them so much better? A lot of people can pull the trigger fast and get average hits. Some are better at strong/weak hand shooting. Others are blessed with speed. The GM's, have it all. Every single aspect of the game is polished. For an average shooter like me, I strive to meet the same standards. I put in as much time into practice as possible. I want to make it into the M to GM class someday. So what is holding me back?

Its the basics. Working on the stuff that I am not great at. Sure I'm ok strong/weak handed, but I'm not great. I lack confidence in that area. I don't pick up my sights like I should every time.

It is amazing how many people on here, me included at times, have a reason that some thing didn't go the way we wanted it to. It was the gun, the ammo, the buzzer, ect. Its never us.

So I guess the whole reason I am writing this post is to say one thing.....shut up!!!! To myself, and to everyone who blames why they are shooting poorly on everything but themselves. I understand stuff happens, but it almost always comes back to the shooter.

So I am going to strive to push myself to work on the most boring, weakest area's off my shooting until I get my M. Might take 6 months, might take 6 years. But I am not gonna blame it on anything but me.

[Loves2Shoot]

"Shooting is simple, simple does not mean easy." TGO

Sounds like you are on the right track to me. If you keep at it and push through the blood and sweat, eventually you will get it and when you do you will realize that the better you get, the harder it gets. The journey never ends and no GM I know thinks they are as good as you described, they all have areas they want to "polish." That is why they end up at the top of the heap, they don't quit.

Good luck and keep at it!

[Sean Gaines]

So the last few weeks I have been on the forums trying to find different ways to practice and make myself a better all around shooter. I read through posts on dry fire, live fire, the mental side of the game, and anything in between. My goal was to try to develop a system for myself that would help me catch the guys who are leading in my division. I am a B class shooter. I have worked for my B and am damn proud of it. Some higher ranked shooters probably think thats not a big deal. To some of us it is.

Ok, so on to the point. My question is, what do the GM's do that make them so much better? A lot of people can pull the trigger fast and get average hits. Some are better at strong/weak hand shooting. Others are blessed with speed. The GM's, have it all. Every single aspect of the game is polished. For an average shooter like me, I strive to meet the same standards. I put in as much time into practice as possible. I want to make it into the M to GM class someday. So what is holding me back?

Its the basics. Working on the stuff that I am not great at. Sure I'm ok strong/weak handed, but I'm not great. I lack confidence in that area. I don't pick up my sights like I should every time.

It is amazing how many people on here, me included at times, have a reason that some thing didn't go the way we wanted it to. It was the gun, the ammo, the buzzer, ect. Its never us.

So I guess the whole reason I am writing this post is to say one thing.....shut up!!!! To myself, and to everyone who blames why they are shooting poorly on everything but themselves. I understand stuff happens, but it almost always comes back to the shooter.

So I am going to strive to push myself to work on the most boring, weakest area's off my shooting until I get my M. Might take 6 months, might take 6 years. But I am not gonna blame it on anything but me.

you have the right idea, except being hard on yourself. working on your weakpoints is a good start,and you will see your biggest % gains by addressing them first. but you must know what your weaknesses are, in order to correct them. Take lots of video, and watch yourself shoot. take notes on how you performed under different conditions, ie: under stress, having fun, what was your mental state, when you shot that stage, and how did you perform. when I first starting shooting I would video every match, and I would nit pick everything I did wrong. I would buy the videos of top GM shooters, and watched what they did right.

the Gm's just do all the little things right, there is more to the game besides shooting, shooting is just one facet of the game. Shooting is easy, aim at the a zone and pull the trigger. There is alot more little things that add up to alot of time, that one can always improve on. the day you stop learning, is the day that you will stop growing in this sport.

good luck

Sean

[Bigpops]

So the last few weeks I have been on the forums trying to find different ways to practice and make myself a better all around shooter. I read through posts on dry fire, live fire, the mental side of the game, and anything in between. My goal was to try to develop a system for myself that would help me catch the guys who are leading in my division. I am a B class shooter. I have worked for my B and am damn proud of it. Some higher ranked shooters probably think thats not a big deal. To some of us it is.

Ok, so on to the point. My question is, what do the GM's do that make them so much better? A lot of people can pull the trigger fast and get average hits. Some are better at strong/weak hand shooting. Others are blessed with speed. The GM's, have it all. Every single aspect of the game is polished. For an average shooter like me, I strive to meet the same standards. I put in as much time into practice as possible. I want to make it into the M to GM class someday. So what is holding me back?

Its the basics. Working on the stuff that I am not great at. Sure I'm ok strong/weak handed, but I'm not great. I lack confidence in that area. I don't pick up my sights like I should every time.

It is amazing how many people on here, me included at times, have a reason that some thing didn't go the way we wanted it to. It was the gun, the ammo, the buzzer, ect. Its never us.

So I guess the whole reason I am writing this post is to say one thing.....shut up!!!! To myself, and to everyone who blames why they are shooting poorly on everything but themselves. I understand stuff happens, but it almost always comes back to the shooter.

So I am going to strive to push myself to work on the most boring, weakest area's off my shooting until I get my M. Might take 6 months, might take 6 years. But I am not gonna blame it on anything but me.

you have the right idea, except being hard on yourself. working on your weakpoints is a good start,and you will see your biggest % gains by addressing them first. but you must know what your weaknesses are, in order to correct them. Take lots of video, and watch yourself shoot. take notes on how you performed under different conditions, ie: under stress, having fun, what was your mental state, when you shot that stage, and how did you perform. when I first starting shooting I would video every match, and I would nit pick everything I did wrong. I would buy the videos of top GM shooters, and watched what they did right.

the Gm's just do all the little things right, there is more to the game besides shooting, shooting is just one facet of the game. Shooting is easy, aim at the a zone and pull the trigger. There is alot more little things that add up to alot of time, that one can always improve on. the day you stop learning, is the day that you will stop growing in this sport.

good luck

Sean

+1 to Seans input.

I would add....also have someone review your videos for you. I have had several people evaluate me and the constructive critisism is priceless, just be willing to hear it. One of the best is CHA-LEE here on the forums. (sorry to load you up Charlie) He has an eye for details and gives great advice.

Good luck!

[Paul Burtchell]

Take a class from one of those GM's that you admire and strive to shoot like.

[Flyin40]

There are very few people that can step into our game and be a GM. Everyone came up through the ranks and have been where your at. I can say the single biggest area where a GM is going to be leaps and bounds over most is movement. A GM can take off quite a few seconds just by executing fundamentals but if you have a long field course a GM can separate themselves from lower class shooters by more than 10 seconds just based on movement and stage breakdown.

You could shoot a stage and think you really nailed and a GM come along and take 5 or more seconds off of it. Then you set and think, "Man I shot that the best that I could, how in the hell can I take another 5 seconds off?" The GM beats your draw by .30 seconds but not only that as he draws for the first shot he is moving and covering ground moving towards the next target. Take off another .50 seconds for that because he is at the 2nd target now. As the GM is coming up to the target he is starting to shoot 3 or 4 steps out depending on the target position or array. He never really stops and setups up(soft setup), just kind of rolls through that array. The lower class shooter Draws, stands there and shoots the first target then leaves for the next array after he is done shooting. As he comes to the next array he setups on the first target in the array by stopping completely then starting to shoot(hard setup). When he finishes shooting the array he leaves and goes on to the next. At this point, depending on the course design and target position the GM can be 1sec ahead or more than 5 seconds ahead by the 2nd target array.

There is no easy way to figure this stuff out. I'll I can recommend is that you "study" some video of yourself and some video like the World Shoot or nationals where you can see quite a few GM's. It helps the most if you have some video where you shot the same match as a GM so you can compare but if you don't have that video to compare thats ok. By studying I mean not just watching a video and saying "Damn, that was fast" but actually watching how a GM setups coming into a position, how many steps out they start engaging targets, when do they shoot on the move etc etc.

Another piece of advice is shoot with a GM or if there isn't any available then at least a higher class shooter than you. You don't find out any secrets but it lets you see and ask why. It shortens the learning curve dramatically. You can learn everything that a GM has learned without shooting with one but you learn through trial and error. If you have a higher class shooter in your squad and watch them shoot and don't understand why they did something you can ask them after they have shot the stage why they did something. Just about everyone will help you out as long as you don't ask to many questions when they are preparing to shoot. Even GM's need to mentally prepare for a stage.

Another piece of advice is that you must put ammo downrange. There are some people who don't have the time, money or whatever to do this. One thing I use is a 22. Its cheap and it is great for practicing movements. You can set up target arrays to test different things to see how to shave time off and a 22 will work just fine for that.

Flyin

[Jman]

TGO and the rest just work the hardest. Observing their gun handling techniques shows the many years of repetition. Hundreds of rounds a week practicing the hard stuff. Hours a day dry firing. It's total immersion.

If their is ONE thing I would recommend it's this. Find the best instruction that money can buy.

The weak parts of your game are hard to discover on your own. It's small things that a studied pro can observe and resolve quickly. You have to learn how to learn this thing. Good luck, enjoy.

Jim

[Sean Gaines]

There are very few people that can step into our game and be a GM. Everyone came up through the ranks and have been where your at. I can say the single biggest area where a GM is going to be leaps and bounds over most is movement. A GM can take off quite a few seconds just by executing fundamentals but if you have a long field course a GM can separate themselves from lower class shooters by more than 10 seconds just based on movement and stage breakdown.

You could shoot a stage and think you really nailed and a GM come along and take 5 or more seconds off of it. Then you set and think, "Man I shot that the best that I could, how in the hell can I take another 5 seconds off?" The GM beats your draw by .30 seconds but not only that as he draws for the first shot he is moving and covering ground moving towards the next target. Take off another .50 seconds for that because he is at the 2nd target now. As the GM is coming up to the target he is starting to shoot 3 or 4 steps out depending on the target position or array. He never really stops and setups up(soft setup), just kind of rolls through that array. The lower class shooter Draws, stands there and shoots the first target then leaves for the next array after he is done shooting. As he comes to the next array he setups on the first target in the array by stopping completely then starting to shoot(hard setup). When he finishes shooting the array he leaves and goes on to the next. At this point, depending on the course design and target position the GM can be 1sec ahead or more than 5 seconds ahead by the 2nd target array.

There is no easy way to figure this stuff out. I'll I can recommend is that you "study" some video of yourself and some video like the World Shoot or nationals where you can see quite a few GM's. It helps the most if you have some video where you shot the same match as a GM so you can compare but if you don't have that video to compare thats ok. By studying I mean not just watching a video and saying "Damn, that was fast" but actually watching how a GM setups coming into a position, how many steps out they start engaging targets, when do they shoot on the move etc etc.

Another piece of advice is shoot with a GM or if there isn't any available then at least a higher class shooter than you. You don't find out any secrets but it lets you see and ask why. It shortens the learning curve dramatically. You can learn everything that a GM has learned without shooting with one but you learn through trial and error. If you have a higher class shooter in your squad and watch them shoot and don't understand why they did something you can ask them after they have shot the stage why they did something. Just about everyone will help you out as long as you don't ask to many questions when they are preparing to shoot. Even GM's need to mentally prepare for a stage.

Another piece of advice is that you must put ammo downrange. There are some people who don't have the time, money or whatever to do this. One thing I use is a 22. Its cheap and it is great for practicing movements. You can set up target arrays to test different things to see how to shave time off and a 22 will work just fine for that.

Flyin

+1

This reminds me of a time Matt Burkett was teaching a class here in houston, and we had a top A class shooter doing a box to box drill and he was doing it in x amount of time. Matt Burkett did the same drill and walked to the next box and cut a second and a half off his time and shot all A's, it was an eye oppener for me. So my point is its all the little things you do outside of shooting that adds up to time savings.

[Jake Di Vita]

My best advice is be the hardest working person you know. If you want to step in and run with the best in this sport, when others are eating, sleeping, spending time with family, etc - you better be working.

Do some cross training as well. Don't focus everything on strictly shooting (this isn't a bad thing, but you will have gaping holes in your game when you hit M or low GM).

Shoot as many matches as you possibly can. If you skip a match because it's cold, rainy, and crappy outside - you've already lost. In other words, get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Don't neglect your body. Spending hundreds of hours refining your shooting technique is all well and good, but carrying an extra 30 pounds around isn't going to help your match performance. Also get stronger. This will improve your control over the gun and your acceleration from point to point. Note: by exercise I don't mean curls and crunches.

In short - commit - and let nothing stand in your way.

[lugnut]

As much as we think better equipment, better guns, better ammo will help us- there is nothing more important that hard, GOOD training. The other stuff can help, but nothing is more significant that good training. I'm with the OP- I'm a solid B shooter trying to get to the next level and it's not easy. I'll agree with most everything that everyone has posted here. Try to train with better shooters any chance you have. Watch and learn.

I will say that I don't blame anything but myself for my mistakes at matches. Even when it's equipment issues- I can often link that back to me. I don't think it's being hard on myself- that's just reality. When I lose to someone, I don't think they got lucky either- they shot better than me. Period.

Someone once saw me practicing by myself at the range and said "Ahh now I know how you are getting better!" It was like a surprise to them. I was thinking to myself... Duh!! Yeah! No one I've ever met just goes out shooting and gets good without lots of hard work.

One last thing... I've seen lots of people dumping lots of rounds down range and not get better. You don't get better by just dumping more lead. You need to practice smart.

[lugnut]

My best advice is be the hardest working person you know. If you want to step in and run with the best in this sport, when others are eating, sleeping, spending time with family, etc - you better be working.

Do some cross training as well. Don't focus everything on strictly shooting (this isn't a bad thing, but you will have gaping holes in your game when you hit M or low GM).

Shoot as many matches as you possibly can. If you skip a match because it's cold, rainy, and crappy outside - you've already lost. In other words, get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Don't neglect your body. Spending hundreds of hours refining your shooting technique is all well and good, but carrying an extra 30 pounds around isn't going to help your match performance. Also get stronger. This will improve your control over the gun and your acceleration from point to point. Note: by exercise I don't mean curls and crunches.

In short - commit - and let nothing stand in your way.

That's good stuff right there. I need to go light on lunch after reading this.

[XRe]

Funny, you've only actually heard from one GM, so far... Scott's spot on - everyone has things they're working on and things that could use improvement (even top GMs). It's hard to see that, at the moment, because the gap between you and them is pretty wide - but as time goes on, and you learn to see the refinements, you'll see difference.

I assume you'd prefer to not take years to reach your goals? So, there are some things that you can do to take big bites out of the time to absorb the skills you need. A number of them were mentioned by Sean and John above (so consider their inclusion here agreement with those guys):

Seek skilled instruction - you can go the "shoot and analyze your own video" route, comparing that back and forth to vids of GMs, etc, but frankly, that takes a long time and assumes that you're cluing in to the low hanging fruit, etc. Having someone who already knows the skills examine what you're doing, and provide immediate feedback is indispensable. You likely have very fundamental issues that need to be cleaned up before considering moving on to advanced stuff (this is/was typical for most of us), and a skilled instructor can nail those things down for you in very short order. This made the largest jump in my game, especially when I was in the performance range you're at. This beats the living hell out of trying to figure all these things out for yourself via video comparison, etc... It may seem expensive, but consider all the cash you'll spend trying to learn all of these things on your own at the range, and then trying to fix and re-fix bad habits you develop along the course of that work....

Shoot video, have it examined - having video of your performances is definitely priceless for picking up on issues that you encounter as you shoot stages, etc. You'll pick up on some things, but having a skilled instructor (perhaps the same one you used for live instruction) look it over will yield a large amount of information, as well. Forum member Jake Di Vita offers this as a service - I do the same for my students, and would be willing to work something out with you, if that's the route you want to go.

Examine video of GMs - learning stage breakdown/strategy is hard to do, as it takes seeing a lot of stages, and seeing how the guys that are beating everyone else are doing it. Sometimes there's no magic, sometimes they find holes, sometimes they find very efficient routes that otherwise get overlooked. If you can find video of stages that shows GMs running them as well as shooters in the other classes, you can start to pick up on the general differences in approach and actual shooting. Competition DVD's coverage of the 2007 Double Tap has some good footage in this format. Other DVDs I've found useful are Matt Burkett's IPSC Strategies DVD, and Saul Kirsch's World Shoot and Nationals videos. You want to watch these for specific things, though, and not just be awed Notice how they enter and exit positions, notice how they route themselves through a stage and which targets they pick up where (and ask yourself why). Notice how many points they shoot (if the scores are shown), and how many extra shots they take. Compare back to your videos. Notice the tempo of their stage - specifically the difference between the shooting and non-shooting portions, etc. See if you can start to see the mistakes or rough spots in even the stage winner's performance.

Strive to take no extra shots - extra shots cost you (usually) 2-3 tenths each, sometimes more. Get your job done right the first time.

Work on your head - find a good mental game program and start using it. A lot of folks on the forum are using Lanny Bassham's approach. I like Tom Kubistant's book, myself. There are others out there, too. At the top level, this is a mental game, like most other sports. If you don't start addressing the things you say to yourself in your head, and the thoughts you let creep through there, you will never advance to your fullest ability.

Shoot As - one hallmark of top GMs is that they drop very very few points. You need points to have something to divide by time. Shooting points tends to feel slow while you're shooting the stage, but in the end, it actually leads to smoothness. There will be times, usually when you're pushing on speed, that you'll start dropping points - it's ok to make mistakes in local matches, practice sessions, etc - but you'll really want to work on pulling the points back in while maintaining pace.

Push on yourself in practice - push on your practice drills hard, until the wheels fall off. Then back off a hair until you can nail it again. Make that your new 100% mark. Push on that again the next time you shoot the drill. Make loud mistakes and risk it all in practice - you want to really know the edges of your skill envelope, and push on them all the time.

Practice a wide variety of skills - definitely hammer on your weaknesses, but be sure that that's not all you're doing. Pick two or three, and spend half or 2/3 of your practice on them, but be sure to practice a wide variety of general shooting skills with the rest of your time. This will instill confidence in your ability to tackle any shooting challenge that gets thrown your way.

Practice hard shots

Dry fire is your friend - shooting live ammo is indispensable, but dry fire is better for refining skills, for various reasons, and can be done in far shorter timeframes than live fire practice (and far less expensively). I made it to A with very, very little live fire practice, and made GM still leaning heavily on dry fire for progress in basic shooting skills.

Live fire is your friend - but be smart about it. Don't just flail around on the range for the sake of burning ammo. Have a plan, work drills that address your goals. Be sure to have fun, too - otherwise, you won't want to be there. John's .22 practice seems pretty smart - I haven't had a chance to try that route, myself. In the end, though, nothing will replace stick time on your match gun with match PF ammo...

Squad and shoot with better shooters - specifically, the highest skilled shooters you can. Video them. Ask questions (though, try not to be annoying). Observe, observe, observe. Simply being around better shooters will have a tendency to raise your game, just through osmosis, but take full advantage of it, if you can. I think you'll find most folks are happy to help you out. Realize, though, that just because someone has an M or a GM next to their name doesn't mean they're the "be all, end all", even if they hold a National or World Champion title (though you might want to pay a little more attention to those guys). They don't always have the right answers - so don't take most things as "absolutes". You may actually have better answers already on some topics, but perhaps don't yet have the skills to execute as well as they do...

Work on your general fitness level - there are a number of examples of top GMs who are not physically fit. I'm aware of that. However, this is increasingly a physical game. Flexibility, power, speed, coordination, balance - these are all things that are intrinsically improved by improving your fitness. There's no reason NOT to do it, other than being lazy. It absolutely will not harm your game, worst case - and a number of us have found it makes a profound positive difference on your ability to move quickly and precisely, and also in your stamina through a long day of shooting (which translates directly into better mental and physical performance through the whole day). This game is all about the shooting - being fit without being a solid shooter won't help you all that much. But, in the end, being fit and being a solid shooter will put you in a better overall position than a real storage tank with the same shooting skills....

Hope that helps

Dave

(ETA - I started this post about an hour ago, and some things snuck in in between.... Jake makes solid points, too... And, Jake is a GM - so, you've now heard from three....)

Edited February 23, 2010 by XRe

[Bigpops]

Funny, you've only actually heard from one GM, so far... Scott's spot on - everyone has things they're working on and things that could use improvement (even top GMs). It's hard to see that, at the moment, because the gap between you and them is pretty wide - but as time goes on, and you learn to see the refinements, you'll see difference.

I assume you'd prefer to not take years to reach your goals? So, there are some things that you can do to take big bites out of the time to absorb the skills you need. A number of them were mentioned by Sean and John above (so consider their inclusion here agreement with those guys):

Seek skilled instruction - you can go the "shoot and analyze your own video" route, comparing that back and forth to vids of GMs, etc, but frankly, that takes a long time and assumes that you're cluing in to the low hanging fruit, etc. Having someone who already knows the skills examine what you're doing, and provide immediate feedback is indispensable. You likely have very fundamental issues that need to be cleaned up before considering moving on to advanced stuff (this is/was typical for most of us), and a skilled instructor can nail those things down for you in very short order. This made the largest jump in my game, especially when I was in the performance range you're at. This beats the living hell out of trying to figure all these things out for yourself via video comparison, etc... It may seem expensive, but consider all the cash you'll spend trying to learn all of these things on your own at the range, and then trying to fix and re-fix bad habits you develop along the course of that work....

Shoot video, have it examined - having video of your performances is definitely priceless for picking up on issues that you encounter as you shoot stages, etc. You'll pick up on some things, but having a skilled instructor (perhaps the same one you used for live instruction) look it over will yield a large amount of information, as well. Forum member Jake Di Vita offers this as a service - I do the same for my students, and would be willing to work something out with you, if that's the route you want to go.

Examine video of GMs - learning stage breakdown/strategy is hard to do, as it takes seeing a lot of stages, and seeing how the guys that are beating everyone else are doing it. Sometimes there's no magic, sometimes they find holes, sometimes they find very efficient routes that otherwise get overlooked. If you can find video of stages that shows GMs running them as well as shooters in the other classes, you can start to pick up on the general differences in approach and actual shooting. Competition DVD's coverage of the 2007 Double Tap has some good footage in this format. Other DVDs I've found useful are Matt Burkett's IPSC Strategies DVD, and Saul Kirsch's World Shoot and Nationals videos. You want to watch these for specific things, though, and not just be awed Notice how they enter and exit positions, notice how they route themselves through a stage and which targets they pick up where (and ask yourself why). Notice how many points they shoot (if the scores are shown), and how many extra shots they take. Compare back to your videos. Notice the tempo of their stage - specifically the difference between the shooting and non-shooting portions, etc. See if you can start to see the mistakes or rough spots in even the stage winner's performance.

Strive to take no extra shots - extra shots cost you (usually) 2-3 tenths each, sometimes more. Get your job done right the first time.

Work on your head - find a good mental game program and start using it. A lot of folks on the forum are using Lanny Bassham's approach. I like Tom Kubistant's book, myself. There are others out there, too. At the top level, this is a mental game, like most other sports. If you don't start addressing the things you say to yourself in your head, and the thoughts you let creep through there, you will never advance to your fullest ability.

Shoot As - one hallmark of top GMs is that they drop very very few points. You need points to have something to divide by time. Shooting points tends to feel slow while you're shooting the stage, but in the end, it actually leads to smoothness. There will be times, usually when you're pushing on speed, that you'll start dropping points - it's ok to make mistakes in local matches, practice sessions, etc - but you'll really want to work on pulling the points back in while maintaining pace.

Push on yourself in practice - push on your practice drills hard, until the wheels fall off. Then back off a hair until you can nail it again. Make that your new 100% mark. Push on that again the next time you shoot the drill. Make loud mistakes and risk it all in practice - you want to really know the edges of your skill envelope, and push on them all the time.

Practice a wide variety of skills - definitely hammer on your weaknesses, but be sure that that's not all you're doing. Pick two or three, and spend half or 2/3 of your practice on them, but be sure to practice a wide variety of general shooting skills with the rest of your time. This will instill confidence in your ability to tackle any shooting challenge that gets thrown your way.

Practice hard shots

Dry fire is your friend - shooting live ammo is indispensable, but dry fire is better for refining skills, for various reasons, and can be done in far shorter timeframes than live fire practice (and far less expensively). I made it to A with very, very little live fire practice, and made GM still leaning heavily on dry fire for progress in basic shooting skills.

Live fire is your friend - but be smart about it. Don't just flail around on the range for the sake of burning ammo. Have a plan, work drills that address your goals. Be sure to have fun, too - otherwise, you won't want to be there. John's .22 practice seems pretty smart - I haven't had a chance to try that route, myself. In the end, though, nothing will replace stick time on your match gun with match PF ammo...

Squad and shoot with better shooters - specifically, the highest skilled shooters you can. Video them. Ask questions (though, try not to be annoying). Observe, observe, observe. Simply being around better shooters will have a tendency to raise your game, just through osmosis, but take full advantage of it, if you can. I think you'll find most folks are happy to help you out. Realize, though, that just because someone has an M or a GM next to their name doesn't mean they're the "be all, end all", even if they hold a National or World Champion title (though you might want to pay a little more attention to those guys). They don't always have the right answers - so don't take most things as "absolutes". You may actually have better answers already on some topics, but perhaps don't yet have the skills to execute as well as they do...

Work on your general fitness level - there are a number of examples of top GMs who are not physically fit. I'm aware of that. However, this is increasingly a physical game. Flexibility, power, speed, coordination, balance - these are all things that are intrinsically improved by improving your fitness. There's no reason NOT to do it, other than being lazy. It absolutely will not harm your game, worst case - and a number of us have found it makes a profound positive difference on your ability to move quickly and precisely, and also in your stamina through a long day of shooting (which translates directly into better mental and physical performance through the whole day). This game is all about the shooting - being fit without being a solid shooter won't help you all that much. But, in the end, being fit and being a solid shooter will put you in a better overall position than a real storage tank with the same shooting skills....

Hope that helps

Dave

(ETA - I started this post about an hour ago, and some things snuck in in between.... Jake makes solid points, too... And, Jake is a GM - so, you've now heard from three....)

Well there you have it!

Awesome response!

[DWFAN]

Awesome response!

+100

[CHA-LEE]

I am not a GM so I can’t offer any more than what has already been said. But I find that the vast majority of shooters who want to get better think that there is some magical “Thing” that is going to convert them from their current skill level to something better virtually over night. There is no magical pill, saying or potion, only a boat load of hard work and determination. Hard work and a never ending determination to get better is what makes people the best of the best. Not just in shooting but anything. Since the Olympics are going on right now it could be used as a good analogy. These Olympic competitors have probably churned through THOUSANDS of hours of practice for every second of their final performance. This endless strive to do better is what makes them top level Olympic competitors. The same amount of dedication and hard work is what makes some shooters able to perform at a GM level. Sure, some shooters are more naturally talented than others, but they all have to work hard to earn a GM classification.

In the end it comes back to the dedication level of the shooter. Are you dedicated enough to earn a GM skill level of shooting? Not all shooters are or ever will be able to obtain a GM skill level. Some are too lazy, others don’t have the time or finances to dedicate in order to earn it. If someone comes into the game with an attitude and dedication of “I will do whatever it takes”, then it will get done. If you come into it with an attitude of “Maybe some day I can be that good” then you are in for a disappointment. Its all up to YOU, no one else. You either want it and will earn it or you wont.

[Ron Ankeny]

GM's are people blessed with genetics from the GM gene pool. Normal people can aspire to that level all they want, but forget about it if you weren't born with a blaster in your hand. Of course we all know that's a bunch of crap.

[Flexmoney]

You can always build off a solid foundation.

Figure out what aspects are the 'most fundamental'.

Identify your weaknesses, with top priority going toward what is most fundamental.

Make that fundamental into a strength.

Wash. Rinse. repeat.

[MarkCO]

Put a nice fat doughnut in plain view as you are setting the stage on the way back, just before they shoot. Sprinkles with a high contrast work really well.

[Pezco]

Tiny,

I believe you said it in passing, the GM are strong in all the fundamentals. You only get there by quality (goal oriented, measurable) practice.

Just another 'B' shooter here that just came back from a training class were the G.M. instructor (Nationally ranked) essentially echoed this thought.

Good shooting!

Edited February 23, 2010 by Pezco

[Tinyvic77]

Well to be honest I never thought I would get this many responses. Unreal. Thank you all for your input. Before I posted the original thread I thought hard about if I should post it. Didnt want to come off the wrong way. Im gald it didnt. Again, that you all.

[benos]

My best advice is be the hardest working person you know. If you want to step in and run with the best in this sport, when others are eating, sleeping, spending time with family, etc - you better be working.

Do some cross training as well. Don't focus everything on strictly shooting (this isn't a bad thing, but you will have gaping holes in your game when you hit M or low GM).

Shoot as many matches as you possibly can. If you skip a match because it's cold, rainy, and crappy outside - you've already lost. In other words, get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Don't neglect your body. Spending hundreds of hours refining your shooting technique is all well and good, but carrying an extra 30 pounds around isn't going to help your match performance. Also get stronger. This will improve your control over the gun and your acceleration from point to point. Note: by exercise I don't mean curls and crunches.

In short - commit - and let nothing stand in your way.

Rock solid advice from the horse's mouth.

be

[Ron Ankeny]

I have had the opportunity to squad with some pretty decent GM shooters, and I always come away with the same lesson. The big difference is they are much more effective and efficient with those tasks that are performed off of the trigger. Including what happens between the ears. When I shoot open but lose a stage by five seconds to a Production National Champion, it has nothing to do with trigger time.

[Paul Burtchell]

We do have to be realistic that not everyone that picks up a pistol, dryfires and live fire practices religiously and takes classes etc...... is going to make it to the GM level. Just like not everyone that picks up a baseball bat and commits 100% is going to make it to the Major leagues. Same with any other sport.

Genetics plays a large role. Woody Allen could train with weights, eat perfectly and take super doses of exogenous steroids etc. and he ain't ever going to be Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Take it as far as YOU can!

[Ron Ankeny]

We do have to be realistic that not everyone that picks up a pistol, dryfires and live fire practices religiously and takes classes etc...... is going to make it to the GM level.

Well yea, if there is some physical reason that would prevent one from performing. I am certainly no GM shooter, but I did experience a time when I could depend on high M to middle of the road GM scores on classifiers, and I have a lot of problems.

[Jake Di Vita]

Let's be real here.

Being a GM in practical shooting is not 1/10th as difficult as becoming a pro baseball player.

Sure, genetics plays a role in things. You'll have a hard time convincing me that only genetically superior people can become GMs in USPSA.