MilkMyDuds Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 I have been reading many great threads in this forum, while studying Lanny Bassham's book. It is very obvious that many shooters have their best while they let the subconscious mind take over on the shooting part. However, what should the conscious mind be doing during all that time? I have seen people suggesting focusing on ONE and ONLY ONE thing, may it be "grip", or "seeing target", etc. I am curious, shouldn't the conscious mind focus on the stage execution that was formulated during the walk-through/planning/visualization? Or, the state execution should have been visualized so many times such that it also becomes what the subconscious mind does? My personal experience has been that I have to memorize my stage plan via visualizations, then remind of myself of the positioning, reloading, etc. during the execution. That work is certainly done by my conscious mind. Is that a good way to occupy one's conscious mind during a stage? Any insights are welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcobean Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 I'm sure it's different for everyone, but one thing I've been experimenting with is letting my conscious mind focus on my breathing. I used to find myself out of breath after a 20 or 30 second stage. I'd get done and think to myself "why am I out of breath? I moved 50 feet in 30 seconds." Then I realized that I just held my breath for 30 seconds. So now, I try to set my conscious mind to the task of reminding myself to breathe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTDMFR Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 I try to visualize the stage enough times so that I don't need to think about it consciously during the shooting. When I'm on the line, before the beep, I keep my conscious mind occupied with an image of a perfect sight picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimitz Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 (edited) your conscious mind is only capable of doing one thing at a time so give it one simple thing to worry about so it gets out of the way, allowing the subconscious to take over ... asking the conscious mind to do something as complex as worrying about stage layout is not a good idea, give it something simple to do like "grip the gun", 'see the sights', 'just shoot' etc ... Edited May 21, 2015 by Nimitz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeartGlockage Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Brian Enos' book covers everything you've asked. I found this site becausevof his book. But, I am realizing now that of the 3 threads I've seen, maybe one has read his book? Would love to see a "book icon" next to everyone's name that read it, just out of curiosity! I have also seen quotes from "other newer books" that are already in Brian Enos book. For example someone will say something from Enos' book, but credit it to another author... Never stop learning. Read all you can. But Brian Enos' book is one of the best places to start. After his book, you can try the 3 latest books by Ben Stoeger. When you read Enos' book, your brain might hurt. Let everything soak in over a period of time. Read (and reread) each part. Then move on. Don't just speed read it. Stoeger has great Dry Fire guides. And an easier to read Enos type book. But, Enos book is good info to have before you read Stoeger's book. If nothing else, Enos book teaches you enough to recognize that Stoeger is dead on with his points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reshoot Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 That reminds me, I have not re-read Brian's book this year! I go back to his book at least once a year, done so for the past 6 years. I find that I understand, and relate to the information, more so each time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeartGlockage Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Same. Each read sheds new light. And it's always good to read the intro by Rob Leatham each time. Totally sets the mood for the rest of the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Dividing the mind in two - conscious and unconscious - never worked for me. Visualize the stage over and over until you can see and feel - with your eyes closed - everything you will do and see. When your visualization is complete you will have produced a movie of you shooting the stage in your head, complete with how the sights will look on every target, where you will do mag changes and what you will see while doing them, and for me, it also helped to include how you will feel - calm and sharp perhaps - at key points throughout the stage. At "load and make ready," calmly and fully aware - go through your pre-stage routine. At the buzzer - start your movie. If you don't make it any more complicated than that, all you need to do from there is trust. Trust that your body will do what you have trained it to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunBugBit Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I pressed the 'start' button on the movie a few times, and another movie played. It was due to inadequate skills, which I can fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I pressed the 'start' button on the movie a few times, and another movie played. I forgot to mention that selecting the correct channel is key. It's the one that is calm, sharp, and is never in a hurry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunBugBit Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) Thanks Brian. As a beginner I sometimes try to rush. Edited July 9, 2015 by GunBugBit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyB Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Dividing the mind in two - conscious and unconscious - never worked for me. Visualize the stage over and over until you can see and feel - with your eyes closed - everything you will do and see. When your visualization is complete you will have produced a movie of you shooting the stage in your head, complete with how the sights will look on every target, where you will do mag changes and what you will see while doing them, and for me, it also helped to include how you will feel - calm and sharp perhaps - at key points throughout the stage. At "load and make ready," calmly and fully aware - go through your pre-stage routine. At the buzzer - start your movie. If you don't make it any more complicated than that, all you need to do from there is trust. Trust that your body will do what you have trained it to. I'm a huge proponent of visualisation. Even when I used to shoot (Bianchi Cup) regularly over here, I would spend a considerable amount of time "playing" the different stages in my head when not at the range. As time moved on, my practice time was limited to 1 week before the match in May, so visualisation played an even greater part for me. It really helped me to maintain focus and familiarity with the event. Obviously with a match like Bianchi, there is the advantage of it being a fixed course of fire, so your memory can help you with the visualisation, but even so, having that picture in your mind can really help. Even now, 12 years since I last made it to Bianchi, I still run through the different matches in my head regularly. I have wondered what my scores would be if I just turned up and shot one year, without any prior practice, but I think that would be an expensive experiment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerba Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 My best stages have been the ones I don't remember...I believe my conscious mind is looking for anything that goes awry... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shooterrdy Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I have trouble making stages to complex when they should not be, I still rush to much and out run the gun a bit a mind clear of distractions is paramount not thinking of things outside of what your doing when the buzzer sounds is important for sure. and I hate fast starts from the R O I allow things like that to rush Me still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Thanks Brian. As a beginner I sometimes try to rush. Rushing is pretty much the death of every IPSC shooter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reshoot Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 My best stages have been the ones I don't remember... I do not remember stages either. I make my plan and when I hear a beep my subconscious mind takes over. The only thing my conscious mind does is tell me to "reload here", a physical location within the stage, that I chose during my walk through. Funny thing is, after I have holstered and hear range is clear my conscious mind will sometimes think "DOH!" At that point I know that I did something wrong, and follow the RO to see what it might be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinceislander Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Glad I'm not the only one who can hear their "inner" voices . During the COF, I talk to myself . I make comments like: "Call your shots, dummy" and "Get ready to reload soon". I don't remember most details, especially when I had a particular good run. BUT I do remember where I screwed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerba Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Glad I'm not the only one who can hear their "inner" voices . During the COF, I talk to myself . I make comments like: "Call your shots, dummy" and "Get ready to reload soon". I don't remember most details, especially when I had a particular good run. BUT I do remember where I screwed up. You remember because you were thinking... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMC Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Rushing and trying too hard are my weaknesses. Good insight in this thread. I hav Brians book and have failed to read it, that's on me, time to hit the books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 Whether the student practices swordsmanship, archery, caligraphy, or tea ceremony, any conscious understanding of the practice that remains in the mind will only cause conflict during a performance. -Munenori Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrispies Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 My goal is to develop the best plan possible, mentally rehearse it as much as possible, step the line and think "clear mind," then see the top edge of the front sight as clearly as I can muster. If I don't especially remember the stage when I'm done, I probably shot it well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaskan454 Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 I've started assigning targets in blocks or arrays that need to be engaged and letting my unconscious actions do the rest. Not planning to finer details has greatly improved my speed and helps to keep everything moving smoother than when I was over analyzing. The hard part is just getting to the right mind set for that to happen and staying there, half of the time I catch my self overthinking when I shouldn't be. I was practicing reloads with a stopwatch yesterday and the ones that "just happened" were noticeably faster than when I had to control each phase of the process. Things to strive for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocrrhbow Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 I find that relaxation, as illusive as it may be, is key to seeing the stage and being able to bring all the aspects of engaging targets. As someone already said, the conscious mind can only focus on one thought at a time, however, if I am not relaxed I find that my mind is a jumble of things like grip, aim, stage layout, footing, movement, etc. Brian talks about relaxation in his book. I never realized how important it was until reading that. Since then I try to focus my attention on maintaining a relaxed state and I believe it helps get everything else in better order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soon2b Posted January 25, 2016 Share Posted January 25, 2016 I seem to have a means for having few issues related to sub conscious shooting. Where I ensure that I know what my plan is, where I plan to reload, what my focus would need to be for each target, what I need to see. From there I try to visualise the stage in my mind. Once I step onto the line I try to clear my mind as best as possible of things that would force my mind to focus on something consciously while shooting the stage.I have found that the best means of doing so is being able to find what you need to do in order to relax your mind and your body and knowing what your limits are - in my experience. On some stages I will still need to enter some conscious thought if I have not developed or worked on my particular limits on that stage or target array in order for myself to either slow down my splits on difficult targets and ensure that I can call every shot without rushing myself (as mentioned the biggest killer to IPSC Shooters) an example would be two targets at 50 ft with on the first target I engaged realistically I called both shots but on the other target I called the first shot on target and my second shot came up to fast and moved on - I would recall that my split was to fast on that particular target and can recall it, but the rest of the stage was more a blur of enjoyment. I am also currently reading Enos book and starting to get a better understanding of everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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