Jeremiah's Ladder

[JeremiahD]

5/27 - Buckeye Blast, first level 2 match.

I'll update the range log with observations Monday but one of the most important things I wanted to get down at the moment was this:  

 

Last match I was lowest C.  After that I said: Goal for next match is not to be Tail End Charlie.

 

I finished my first L2 66/105 in C class.  Yes, its remarkably average, but its NOT last.

[JeremiahD]

5/27 - BB:

Ok, what a time.  Great squad, great weather, great staff from the score guys to the Match Director (Thank you SARGE).  My wife came out to watch and paste and had a good time. She was gracious to take video to critique so I have lots of great feedback. 

Goals for my first major match were: NO DQ, make major PF with my newbie handloads (*whew*), NO tail end charlie, apply lessons learned, use your head, keep upbeat and positive and have a good time.  Goals met.

 

Highlights:

• I was sweating the chrono, upped the load I was using 0.1 grain.  Tested in at 187. Should get bonus points for shooting 20+ over major limit LOL...
• Had the pleasure of shooting with some very talented shooters of different backgrounds, including an excellent  'A' SS shooter who was all class.  Took video of him to see what I'm doing right/wrong by comparison.
• Had a very frustrating stage (V for victory) where I planned well, and other than having two makeup shots force slide lock reloads at suboptimal places it went fine... until I got to the last two easy targets because I went dry.  i walked back and found a full mag on the ground.  I thought I had dropped a full mag after reload as I did a few weeks back and cost myself 3 penalties and a procedural because of it. I was so pissed off I couldn't see straight.  After watching the video, I see now I stayed with the right plan, I just knocked the last mag out of the carrier on my second to last reload.  I had been putting off buying more carriers, so its still on me, but wasnt the mental screwup I thought it was. Learned to thank the RO's, walk away, take a breath, come back and paste.
• Had the most trouble in memory stages, particularly where entire arrays would go hidden. Got flustered on one by not paying attention to shooting order (my fault) and had to wing it with a partial plan.  Missed a target/FTE
• Had the most fun (and did surprisingly well) on athletic stages that required movement, odd starting positions, low ports, platforms, kneeling etc.  I'm still not fluid or as decisive with my movement as I'd like but I did well. Hit the Dirt and Charlie Dont Surf were a blast. 
• Was dialing speed back some for fear of a DQ.  Let go more on the final stage (Charlie Dont Surf) and pushed the speed back up for fun. It paid off well and I think I'm sticking with that,  No need to fear the speed if you stay focused.
• My gun is adequate for playing around at this, but I'm rapidly catching up to its limitations.  Pulled low C's and D's on long shots with the trigger, high misses on a couple others overcompensating for it.  On one stage with a headshot at range I found my wide front sight completely obliterated the target area. Had to eat two mikes rather than keep eating up time and hope I got a lucky shot on it.  New gun has moved up the priority list this year.
• Overall the hits were good: 199 A, 6 B, 77 C, only 10 D (3.5% of my overall hits),  2 procedurals (both FTE, 1 turned off brain, 1 lost the mag).
• 11 Mikes, which is unacceptable.  5 weren't engaged at all (!), 2 my front sight obliterated the target, 2 were low into no shoots (trigger), and 2 I lost on the move. Interesting, I can still remember every one of them..
• Times need work. Its really holding me back.

Lessons Learned/reinforced:

• I'm still "slow" but I know where to put some effort during PT. Match videos are helping.  I'm starting to regain some fast-twitch muscle fiber and my joints are improving.
• On DF "stage" days, I need to work in complex stages that require memory.  I may ask my neighbor to occasionally set them up so I only have a few minutes to plan before practicing..
• Staying positive is key.  Leave the bad stage in the bay and move on to shoot. Dont overthink, analyze at home. 
• If someone in your squad is down/negative, bring them up.
• Pasting is (still) good therapy
• THERES ALWAYS A PLAN.  Yes, even for 8 round mags. Find it, rehearse it,and shoot it until its nonviable then adjust!

Mag carriers have been ordered, videos posted and analyzed, more targets, bases/stands, and a barrier made up on sunday for DF.  

 

 

Edited May 29, 2017 by JeremiahD

[JeremiahD]

week of 5/29- 6/3: DF- still following the stoeger plan, concentrated especially on practice stages since I was off and I had some time to set them up and reloads because my new carriers came in and I need to continue erasing the bad habit I drilled.  Practice stages are definitely helping me move better around a course. Reloads are about back to normal. Making sure I practice "around the belt" to work all the mags.  Speaking of, I reached a landmark this week and wore out two "new" mags.  Had to reset the feed lips in a vice, would no longer drop free.  Mags retired to range use.  Overall, NOT impressed with Wilson ETM mags between the follower issues and the feed lips. Yes I know its a consumable item..

PT- still frustratingly slow progress, and as a result of getting rid on distance running I've put on five pounds (and not in a good way). I will not change course for six months on the lifting etc, it takes time to see results but annoyed w/ weight gain.  will watch the snacking, improve the diet. May add a long, slow run/ride day

 

Friday 6/2, live fire. Worked target transitions and reloads in a modified bill drill for an hour. I'm pulling the first shots low and left on T1, both shots better but low on T2 and dead on on T3. Not sure whats up.

[JeremiahD]

6/4 Oxford match - Results in attachment. Went in with no goals or expectations, just packed my stuff and went to have fun. Ate well, hydrated (85F), caffeinated, and stayed motivated. Good squad, good match. Went surprisingly well. First stage (2) gun had multiple (like 5...) malfunctions. 1 was my failure to seat a mag (arg), the rest were FTF. Kept it together and got my hits. Second stage (3) I started crapping out on my follow up shot accuracy. 1 FTF. Disassembled gun and found it was pretty dry on the rails. Had switched lubes, this one didn't last.  I lubed it up nice and wet and it ran without an issue the rest of the day.  Will stick with wilson ultima lube in the future.

Did reasonably well on the classifier (el presidente) but had a brain malfunction and it took me a full second to pull the trigger on T1 after the turn.  no idea. I was on the sights, just froze.

Last stage was a blast. gave myself fits trying to split it into 8's during the walkthrough, said screw it and threw in 2 more mag changes.  practice is paying off, nailed them and got a respectable time and a 6.4399 HF

 

Need to work on follow up accuracy, getting right back on the sights and pressing the trigger.

Need to stay with a thick lube in the summer

(still) need to improve speed

 

keep on keepin' on

 

 

oxford.bmp

Edited June 5, 2017 by JeremiahD
spelling

[JeremiahD]

PT note- Core work last night showed how much I need to put back. Good form demands good core but does not build it.

Note for when I reevaluate.

[JeremiahD]

Am totally 'off the reservation' on PT, and only doing %50 DF days since last tues, and it shows. Worn out from home improvements, etc. pulled a muscle in my back and not sleeping well due to it. Will do mon, tues, wed this week stretching, alternate cycling, and some light (very) lifting, cutting DF back to just 15min/day to make sure I do it daily. will rehab back

 

Still evaluating gun options.  Leaning towards an off the rack gun with a trigger job until I make mid-B at which time I'll go full custom and keep it as a backup. 

[JeremiahD]

Back is improving.  Looking forward to getting back to actual exercise.  Have added a total of 6 pounds around the waistline.

 

I reestablished my DF constancy this week.  As a matter of fact, I'ce had to hit it pretty hard in the last 24 hours as I (finally) picked up a 5" 1911.  

  I'm sure I'll catch flack about it but my reasoning is this: I need to keep building basic skills.  A full custom gun may well be a better investment in the long run but I'd be out the cash now and have a 5 month wait, use the same gun I vave until then, and by then the season is over.  I could have gone with a standard STI or Wesson plus trigger job, but then its back to >2k for a gun that will eventually be relegated to backup status in the next 12 months.  Instead I picked up a Kimber eclipse target II for a song, added my Dan Brown backstrap and magwell for now.  Dawson front sight and ICE magwell being ordered this week, and a trigger job/pin safety is in the works.  This gets me a full size 1911 of decent quality (not concerned about the MIM parts, most being replaced anyway..), target rear sights/FO front/magwell/full-on trigger job by a reputable smith etc for well under 1500.  As it is now, I can now put a full mag on a head target at 75 feet no problem. That was an issue at Buckeye.  

As soon as I make mid-B, I'm dropping the $$ on a custom ground-up build.

 

The good:  decent sights (front could be thinner, replacement coming), 5" barrel, better sight radius

The bad: very mediocre trigger. (I'll live with it until the smith can get it in.)  Out of spec slide lock lever (filed for now, replacement on the way) some MIM parts (most will be lost during the trigger job, grip safety will get pinned.)

 

I've been beating the hell out of this thing since I picked it up tuesday.  Straight home for a detail strip, daily (sometimes twice..) range trips (going back again friday for final function check, then detail strip again.)  Nightly DF trying to acclimate myself to the weight, heavier front end, extended safety, sights etc etc etc.  To me Everything is Wrong about this gun... but I suspect its because I've shot nothing but my commander for ages.  The gun is too heavy, swings too wide on transitions, grips wrong, trigger sucks, etc I hate it lol

(not really:) The fact is, I'm just not used to it, from the way the frontstrap bites my fingers to being a slacker and rebuilding my grip on the way up (baaad habit I'm about to break..) to the weight and the momentum the longer front end gives to the sights, its all just change.  I am having to start over and work hard at the basics to get acclimated to this gun and return to a level of proficiency I'm comfortable with.  To that end, 2 weeks of DF Elements, minimum :30 daily to reboot.  Focus on grip in particular.

 

PT: slowly return to running.  Will be cycling on mondays and fridays to work as time permits. Otherwise, weight training returns fulltime next week.

 

Miamisburg match is Sunday.  Will shoot the new gun, will focus on basics and run the match at half-speed.

[JeremiahD]

another hour plus of DF, another 100r at the range for a total of 600. Getting more comfortable with the new gun, but it still feels completely alien to me. Replaced out of spec mag catch with a Colt part, otherwise gun is good functional. will see this weekend. Concerned about lack of practice with it, I wont be acceptably good with it for months

Back is good to go, some minor twinges. Going for an overdue run in the am. 

Killed the last of the Wilson ETM mags, by the way, into the parts bin. Kind of a cool landmark in my DF

Edited June 17, 2017 by JeremiahD

[JeremiahD]

6/18 - Miamisburg match.

 

Having a hard time finding anything positive to say about this, and wanting to blame the new gun, but fact is the new gun ran flawlessly, shot well, and had no issues.  Wish I could say the same for myself.

 

The Good: Gun ran great.  Got a chance to redeem my garbage performance on V for Victory at Buckeye and shot the same stage again today completely clean, smooth, and fluid for a HF 7.2323. Shot the indoor stage completely clean, timed mag changes perfectly, moved well and finished slightly faster than a local B shooter I'm watching and aiming to catch up with.

The Bad; everything else. Am very disappointed in my performance today, but I'll own it.  Penalties, procedurals, misses abounded. I actually zeroed a stage. several misses or m/ns from transitioning poorly or taking eyes off sights to transition.Fumbled reloads at the belt.  Memory stages are an issue. Two Interesting problems I think I've developed issues in DF: 1- I reload while moving, always,Once I drop a mag, I want to move now. 2-  I shoot Left to Right or vice versa all the time. I dont ever practice engaging targets over 120-130 degree spreads (corner shots), then reengaging targets dead ahead. on one stage, I FTSA one target, on another stage I missed FOUR WIDE OPEN TARGETS DEAD AHEAD. Had a great plan, once I transitioned to the right target array and went to reload, to rushed to the next position rather than doing the standing reload and engaging center array, THEN proceeding.  It did not help the array fell outside the peripheral vision range of my glasses and was then not visible.My handling with this gun needs serious improvement (expected that). My distance shots need improvement. My mental game needs serious improvement.  Forgot to eat.

 

Side note,  I need to start looking for a mentor/coach or at least take classes.  Shooting & DF alone with no feedback other than match results only points out my bad habits after I've drilled them in

 

Things I learned (and should have known.....):  1- Focus, focus, focus. 2-  Look at the sights, stay on the target, and call your shots. 3- I desperately need to focus on the fundamentals with the new gun until its at Least as familiar as the commander, then return to the stoeger plan I was following, and ONLY then.  4- I need a mentor, group, or coach to help me identify where I need to apply myself.  5- I need to return to focusing %100 until I've shot. No chit chat, no screwing around with gear or taking a leak or whatever. 

 

DF and PT return full time this week, no residual issue with back pain today.

 

DF Goals for this week:

•  I WILL Draw from the holster to point of aim at 21 feet focusing on establishing a shooting grip AT the holster 100x (or until my form begins to deteriorate) 4 DAYS (M-Tr)
• I WILL Slow fire trigger control 100x 4 DAYS (M-Tr)
• I WILL Transition random target arrays focusing on managing the extra 1/2 pound of gun, extra barrel/slide length, and momentum 100  at least 200 targets (or until form deteriorates) MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY 
• I WILL Reload 100 magazines working completely around the belt TUESDAY AND THURSDAY
• I WILL live fire a modified el prez 20x focusing on draw, trigger control, transition, and reload to build on this weeks DF on FRIDAY
• i WILL Reassess Friday evening, and plan the following 7 days.  Next week will look very similar

 

PT Goals: 

Return to original schedule, drop weight to %80 last week lifted.

Edited June 20, 2017 by JeremiahD
increase Transition goals

[JeremiahD]

DF observations:

100 target transitions is not many, particularly when dealing with an array of 9-10. Its only 10 reps from draw. Can be doubled at little cost in time. Given how much I need practice, I will do just that.

Focusing on grip at the holster has shown me why initial point of aim with the new gun tends left: Beavertail  makes less contact with left side of hand/thumb. commander grip safety is practically buried in my hand, no movement lots of support.  Have established a much better, much higher grip on the new gun that does the same.

Found a great 'line' to draw and present. Just drill it in.

[JeremiahD]

DF observation: I'm dipping low land left, indicating a bad trigger pull or reflexive grip when pulling (?). I know its not the trigger pull. Will try the trigger pull while holding a tennis ball drill a bit this week and see if I can isolate the grip more.  Cant figure what's different about my grip on this gun, its identical (other than the aforementioned beavertail issue).

 

DF this week (forgot to update this weekend) stays the same as last week. Am adding in 50-150 rounds of live fire every other day this week to build on DF and to check progress.  Have returned to slow-fire bullseye type shooting for half of that to maintain good trigger discipline and sight alignment basics.

 

PT- going badly.  No progress, muscle loss, weight gain.  Not sure whats going on, will take a hard look at what I'm doing and what results I should expect.

[JeremiahD]

7/2 Oxford match - ended on a bad note, so thats the overall impression thats hanging with me.  trying to shrug it off as a learning experience, but tough to do since I did the exact same thing last match (strolled right by a port and left targets on the field) so I should have learned it THEN.. Not one to usually dwell, but this ones eating into me: Its a really awful rookie mistake,  kept me from taking first in my division, balanced out several very good stages into an overall mediocre performance, dragged my overall score right back to dead center, and was frankly outright embarrassing.  Also came dangerously close to AD'ing on what should have been a very straightforward classifier.  "I'm not last" isnt an adequate goal anymore, I'm better than this, I need to put the work in and prove it.

 

Good: First two stages, excellent scoring, moved adequately (not as fluid or fast as I'd like, but adequately),  felt good. Gun ran flawlessly, new mags ran flawlessly. Up early and did some light lifting to get the blood flowing which worked well. Hydrated and ate well.  Good squad, excellent shooters to watch and learn from, good advice and feedback.

 

Bad: Mental Mental Mental and Mental issues.  Changing 'make ready' routine due to different pants lost a mag and I had to fumble around and finally just used mag 6, make up shots and steel changing my mag plan on the fly and having a stage collapse around me (wind) while I'm in the process of making ready/gun out all rattled me enough to throw stage plans in the trash. I need to think of this like freestyle jazz: if you miss a note, keep playing and incorporate it in on the fly.  Mental blackout running past the port, I have no idea.  I have to find a way to approach the mental game, and I really need to work on my memory.

 

Goals:  1 Go to bed, leave the match behind, get up and start again. 2 continue to work in technique on new gun 3 start hitting practice stages hard with an eye to memory 4 Address the Mental aspect in some way every day

 

DF this week: Covering the basics all over again for an hour a day is paying off, so I'll stick with that.  Particular focus on mag changes and transitions.  Re-adding practice stages 3x/week for an hour, 2 live fire days to support DF basics.

 

PT- I'm returning to a PT program I had used 5 years ago to make a dramatic change in my build.  Basically its back to running 3-4x week, cycling on off days, freeweights and core every single day. i will need to sacrifice some of that time for DF, so progress will be slower, but I expect changes in the next 10 weeks, noticeable improvement by Oct 1.. I will not deviate until then.  Between fighting a middle-age metabolism, and trying to do on again/off again rotating workouts ("leg day" etc), its just not working for me and its a drag. i need to feel like I'm getting somewhere, or be seriously enjoying myself for motivation and that worked.  back on high-veggie, fish, heavy on the protein and yogurt foods to make it happen.

[superluckycat]

You may find that what worked 5 years ago is over-training now if you're middle aged.  I've had to go to three day a week weight workouts for the main body parts and cardio, forearms (tennis elbow), abs on the remaining days.

 

[Sarge]

Jeremiah, you have only been at this a short while. Dude, I forgot a target at my own Ohio match on a stage I proofed repeatedly. It kept me from doing much better in my division and especially my senior category. Those things happen. It's ok to be frustrated but embarrassed? Never. It was a mental error. Move on. Remember the guy on our squad who shot the classifier and only had one loaded mag? That's really a match management mistake to be embarrassed by! You are doing great so just let it come.

[JeremiahD]

8 hours ago, superluckycat said:

You may find that what worked 5 years ago is over-training now if you're middle aged.  I've had to go to three day a week weight workouts for the main body parts and cardio, forearms (tennis elbow), abs on the remaining days.

 

Your point is well taken. I don't do low reps at max weight or any crazy powerlifting, short twitch muscle fiber type stuff. (wrecks my joints and takes way too long to recover from for me).  I'm generally focusing on higher rep, medium weight work with an eye to building long twitch muscle fiber.  I do still need to recover.  

[JeremiahD]

3 hours ago, Sarge said:

Jeremiah, you have only been at this a short while. Dude, I forgot a target at my own Ohio match on a stage I proofed repeatedly. It kept me from doing much better in my division and especially my senior category. Those things happen. It's ok to be frustrated but embarrassed? Never. It was a mental error. Move on. Remember the guy on our squad who shot the classifier and only had one loaded mag? That's really a match management mistake to be embarrassed by! You are doing great so just let it come.

 

Thanks Sarge. I guess the first step to working on that mental game is to learn the lesson and let it go as quick as possible. Went to bed last night and finally left it. Today I'm more embarrassed about complaining about it in my post than I am shooting it. I was just shocked i did it two matches in a row . I appreciate the encouragement and advice!

 

[Sarge]

1 hour ago, JeremiahD said:

 

Thanks Sarge. I guess the first step to working on that mental game is to learn the lesson and let it go as quick as possible. Went to bed last night and finally left it. Today I'm more embarrassed about complaining about it in my post than I am shooting it. I was just shocked i did it two matches in a row . I appreciate the encouragement and advice!

 

You shot an otherwise good match. Good to let it go and try to do better each time you compete. 

  I'll squad with you anytime!

[JeremiahD]

DF- DF basics most of the week, gun handling is progressing. New gun feels less alien. Wednesday set up 32-round 'memory stage' field course in the garage incorporating over and under and quads with at least 3 shooting positions.  That was an eye opener, have even more mat'l to work on this weekend and next week.

 

PT- solid PT this week, feel great. Feels good to get back to something I know.

 

Mental breakthrough- I'm actually not 'better than this'. I'm a mid-C shooter with mid-C field skills and a mid-C mental game.  But that's cool for now because I can be better  if I keep pushing hard, listening, learning, and putting the time in to train.  Now that I realize that I can relax and go focus on planning the stage and calling my shots at matches and instead sweat it in training.

 

Edited July 7, 2017 by JeremiahD
spelling

[JeremiahD]

DF- progressed this week through elements drills, focused on transitions.

 

Live fire- shot 250 rounds Thursday (obligations today..) 100 rds shooting dots and focusing on watching the front sight lift and calling it, 100 rds shoot 3x2, move on the reload, shoot 3x2, return and move, shoot 3x2 etc until out of mags. 50 rounds slow fire from 50'.  Accuracy is improving again, still pull shots low left more than I like.

 

PT- daily PT plus DF with a ride to cool down is doing me good.  Need to get running back online again. Took some time off as the 'old' workout I returned to is heavy on the squats, deadlifts, and step-ups and wanted to rest the knees. stronger, but not moving as fast lol.  Its all a trade off. equilibrium will come as the routine burns in some.

 

Miamisburg match Sunday. will revisit next 2 weeks df afterwards.  Already seeing a need to focus on position changes and landing smooth/on target, and reloads on the move

[JeremiahD]

7/16 Miamisburg- Warm, sunny and dry. Got there later than I'd like for sign-in and missed the tagging along on the supersquad but made it on a good squad with lots of people to learn from. Excellent RO. Went in with a new attitude and the goal to simply call all shots. Focused hard on stage planning, walkthroughs, visualization, and maintaining focus until my turn came up.  Shot all field stages clean, no mikes, no-shoots, or procedurals. One mike on the classifier, which was disappointing, but I called it when it happened. I'll be interested to see the scoresheet when its posted.  Times were slow I suspect, but I'm happy with how the gun handling is coming.  Movement was a bit uncertain, shooting on the move was a weakness.

   I feel I can start to begin progressing with movement etc again, as long as I keep working on elements during df.

   I started listening to Andersons podcast on the advice of another shooter a few weeks ago after Oxford.  as a result, I had been taking notes, and this week did sort of a modified version of his 'stage ownership plan' using printouts of the stage plans posted.  Good feedback for the next two weeks.

 

this week: DF- maintain :30/day of elements, 5 minutes each for each drill.  another :30-45 daily focus on position changes, landing low and smooth, gun on target, reloads on the move, and snapping that big ol' gun on transitions to where I'm looking. One skill per day for the duration.

  PT- pt/lifting continues, light warmup sets, set working on speed, working set to build. add sprints back in to runs 2x this week.  Adding an extra ride in, its beautiful out and the snow flies too soon in ohio not to take advantage. 

 

Edited July 17, 2017 by JeremiahD

[JeremiahD]

double post :/

Edited July 17, 2017 by JeremiahD

[JeremiahD]

A quick update, Miamisburg scores are posted, took first in each stage and the division.  Yes, its a local match with a shallow field, but its my first win so its worth noting here.

For a deeper comparison, looking at the overall times and scores, if production and single stack were combined, I would have placed 5th of 20.

 

(Now put it behind me, go outside and dryfire.) 

[Sarge]

4 hours ago, JeremiahD said:

A quick update, Miamisburg scores are posted, took first in each stage and the division.  Yes, its a local match with a shallow field, but its my first win so its worth noting here.

For a deeper comparison, looking at the overall times and scores, if production and single stack were combined, I would have placed 5th of 20.

 

(Now put it behind me, go outside and dryfire.) 

Nice work! Keep at it.

[JeremiahD]

17 minutes ago, Sarge said:

Nice work! Keep at it.

Thank you sir! one step at a time!

[JeremiahD]

PT is progressing well!  Did not get my sprints in on runs last week.  making it a priority this week. Also need to work on short-stepping into position, gun up.  The "old" routine is working for me.  Need to watch what I'm eating and lose the jiggle without starving the muscle.

 

DF, didn't get the time in as I planned.  I did make an effort to get at least :30 of elements in per day to stay on it.  live fire Thursday, chrono'd loads and shot dots before working on some transitions.  No live/dry fire or PT this weekend, had to get things together for the youngest grandsons first birthday party. Felt rested today on PT, did well.

Live fire today out of schedule.  Received new Dawson front sight for the 1911 Friday and installed it.  chrono'd a few more loads and sighted in from a benchrest before switching to simply blasting away for 100 rounds between two targets and staring at the sight.  Man! does that skinny little fiber optic make life easier!  benchrest tested for sight picture from 35 and 55 feet, only 1.5" drop, still good groups.  shot as fast as I could see, landed pretty much everything in A.

 

side note...  I'm suddenly seeing the wisdom in that trigger job.  even carefully pressing the trigger  on a benchrest, I was moving the sights just a bit to overcome the weight of the trigger. 

 

This weekend: Saturday, NROI clinic. Sunday, my first match as RO.  Really don't want to screw that up.