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Transition from "A" class to Master


sfpmb

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I feel like an A class shooter now.

I made “A” class in production last summer at Area 1 (2009). Since that time I’ve had this underlying confidence/fear that I was not going to be competitive. Too me, being “A” class meant that I should be able to hang with M’s and GM’s, for most skills. That also meant I needed to start or should be keeping up with them at the matches. Even through Area 2, I felt this rumbling before every stage start. I worked through that and had a clean match, really surprising myself. It did boost my confidence but I still felt like I was not worthy of where I landed. Well that sank in and I knew I wanted to come out of winter swinging. Sometimes I think there are defining moments when you’re not scared and willing to move forward. I have no idea what this year will bring but I am here for it.

I have been thinking about this all week because of a match I did last weekend (3/28). At the match, I just nailed some of the courses with the skills I have been training a lot on - reloads and movement. During the match, I felt as if I was shooting slow, seeing every reload, and landing in the right spot for the upcoming appearing target. But when I watched the video I looked smooth and pretty fast. That feels good. When I was climbing “B” class, I don’t remember feeling slow but remember seeing a blur. I have read it before here, Wow, being better actually feels slower than before.

Right now, I feel like an “A” class shooter who sees Master as not to far off.

I searched “feeling” and did not find a topic on it. I feel like I am at a jumping off place and not sure where I will land. Any supporting feedback or experience on your jump from A to Master i.e realizations, disapointments, successes, turning points, inspiration. Thanks

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I'm sorry, I don't have much to offer, just wanted to thank you for this post, as it's one that hits close to home. It's as if my subconscious wrote this post. I'm keeping an eye out on this post for the feed back it's sure to inspire.

Good luck!

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+1 just shoot big matches and they will

bump you to master when its obvious you

are the only A class that wins every year

and off course when you shoot 85% and above

average of the match scores. Tough competition

in Master class..these guys that win Master

should be GM! good luck.

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I appreciate the "smooth" thoughts and I have had that conversation with a really good shooter recently. He was refering to not being fast but instead being smooth. Even though we all know smooth is fast, when I watch videos of top shooters they do smooth really fast.rolleyes.gif

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My best runs are often runs that "feel" very slow as well. Maybe it's because we observe/see so much it seems longer than it is? I have no idea and it's got me puzzled too. I certainly believe what everyone says though- when you shoot efficiently you don't have wasted movement that would otherwise "appear" to be faster but isn't. Good luck getting to Master!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I think this may be a solo journey as many people may not know how to categorize or explain the transition. From my original post I told you about the rumbling. I have learned that is called both mental and physical anxiety. I think this is slowly getting less affecting before the start beep of a stage. I read something today that may help me or shows what higher level people may be doing. The analogy was put as if watching a child play with his toys, completely immersed and focused. I only have to think of my son and when I call him in when he is playing its almost like he doesn't here me. I need to develop that kind of focus further, as if nothing else can get my attention

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Here are some of the huge “Light Bulb” items that once I fully adopted and deployed in my shooting my performance made a dramatic leap forward…… I also want to point out that there is never a time when I feel like I can do any of these things so well that I don’t have to work at perfecting them any more. Its always a work in process on improving how well I can do these things.

Speed up your vision so you are able to call your shots at any shooting speed.

If I just shoot as fast as I can call my shots, I will be fast enough.

Always move towards the end of the COF while navigating the stage.

Move your eyes to the next target, not your head.

Move the gun and your head as one stationary “Unit” between targets.

Do things sooner, not faster.

When I have to run while not shooting RUN!!!

Have the gun up and ready to shoot before entering the shooting position.

Always keep the gun high when you are not shooting during a stage run.

Shooting on the move should be incorporated into your stage runs as much as possible.

Practice outside your comfort zone and focus on the things that you currently suck at the most.

Build the confidence in your skills during practice so you know you can execute them during matches.

Let your subconscious actions be the true judge of your skills.

Don’t “Try” to do anything. Simply allow yourself to do it.

Always strive to keep the gun running as much as possible during all stage runs.

A great stage time with little or no points is still nothing.

If your attention and observation is turned up while practicing it only takes a few repetitions to “Learn” something.

Every shooter has the ability to offer something useful which can allow you to perform better.

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I think this may be a solo journey as many people may not know how to categorize or explain the transition. From my original post I told you about the rumbling. I have learned that is called both mental and physical anxiety. I think this is slowly getting less affecting before the start beep of a stage. I read something today that may help me or shows what higher level people may be doing. The analogy was put as if watching a child play with his toys, completely immersed and focused. I only have to think of my son and when I call him in when he is playing its almost like he doesn't here me. I need to develop that kind of focus further, as if nothing else can get my attention

When facing an uncomfortable challenge, summoning the personality or mental state of someone you know is an extremely effective technique.

Although I shot this stage many years ago, I can still remember this particular stage clearly. To be shot well, you needed to be moving the entire time you were shooting. And a lot of the shots were difficult - you had to be in the perfect position, while still slightly moving, to make the shot. I knew I was going to suck, compared to how Robbie would shoot it. He ate those types of stages alive.

Now I could dry run those types of stages perfectly, but for the match run I'd typically tighten up and get all herky jerky, and doubt my shots.

Then for some reason, as I was dry running the stage, the thought came into my head - Be Robbie. So I ran it a few more times, imagining I was Robbie shooting the stage. By the time it was time to shoot, I felt I was going to be Robbie while shooting the stage. And the cool thing was - I was. And I even won the stage.

After that I've summoned various friends, even movie actors, to get me to do something I normally could not or would not do.

be

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When facing an uncomfortable challenge, summoning the personality or mental state of someone you know is an extremely effective technique.

This is the "fake it 'til you make it" strategy :) And I agree, it's very effective. You can sort of fool yourself into believing you are something you don't think you are by simply acting as if you were that something. Sometimes, imitation is more useful than doing it au naturale. I've done a lot of this... and it sometimes shows up in my shooting style, too... anyone want to guess where I picked up the "chicken wing" with my right arm? :lol:

Phil (Phil Burt is your name? :surprise:), to a large extent, everyone walks a private journey on this little voyage of self discovery - it's mainly because we all experience things subjectively and through the lens of our own perception and experiences. Some folks will get what you mean, and some won't - but even those who do may not have the right words to explain to you what they felt in those circumstances, because they're different people.

Fear is a normal thing. That voice in your head that tells you that you don't deserve to be where you are? That voice is really called "fear of success". It's sort of a half-brother to "fear of failure" - they kind of go hand in hand in a lot of cases. It's a normal feeling - I've been through a lot of that one, myself. Basically, if you succeed, of course you're going to expect to do better than that next time... and what if you can't? That voice is trying to tell you that maybe you can avoid that failure situation if you never succeed in the first place. CHA-LEE has a lot of good things to say about how to get on top of both of those fears. Owning the skills through proof in practice goes a long way toward telling that voice to STFU - cold logic, and proof on paper can help silence the irrational voice of fear.

When you feel fearful like that, that rumbling you describe, use it. Know that you've already proven to yourself that you can do the things you know you can do, and that rumbling is just that... prove it wrong. Take the energy you're spending (mentally) on that rumbling and pour it back into your performance.

True speed never feels fast when you're in the middle of it. It sometimes feels sharp, urgent, present, and almost like on auto-pilot... But I can't remember a time I'd describe a maximal performance as feeling "fast"... that term is usually reserved for sloppy, herky-jerky kind of runs... Smooth, uneventful, sharply executed (Matt Burkett would say "boring") runs are fast on the clock ;)

A final thing I'll say... the terms "should" and "need"... Thinking along the lines of "I should be able to do XXX" is just another vehicle for fear. You either can or can not do XXX - and if XXX is based on the performance of someone else (ie, how other shooters perform in the match), you're now talking about something you simply can't control or affect. Strive to call every shot, and shoot smooth at the soonest possible pace (refer back to CHA-LEE's post), and you will shoot at the highest level you are capable of at the moment. If you need to improve upon weaknesses, do so - and you'll bump up what the highest level is in the future. "Need" implies something you can't attain... instead, insert "want". I "want" to develop that kind of focus further, not "need" - that will develop a sense of desire to achieve that goal, rather than a feeling that it's something you can't do. If you want to do it, you will - you will find a way, you will be creative about that solution to that want... "need" gives you permission to not have it... "want" gives you permission to figure out how to get it.... ;)

Hope that helps, anyway :)

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The son of a friend of mine just posted this on Facebook... don't know where it comes from... but I'd say it's apt to this whole conversation :)

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do, And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.

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I told someone a couple of years ago I was going to get good at shooting. I have worked on physical skills and made steady and marked improvement. I found that with motivation I can learn physical techniques. What I don’t know about and what I am going to learn is me and my minds performance. I have glanced through some of the posts on mental conditioning and zen. I never spent much time there because I did not understand the concepts. I will read them to help understand another shooters experience.

Cha-lee – I printed your excellent list for daily reference and incorporation with my training.

Be - that is a great idea, I look up to a few very good shooters

Xre – I did not realize how passive my statements were. Yours are very empowering.

This is a pretty cool adventure.

thanks

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The son of a friend of mine just posted this on Facebook... don't know where it comes from... but I'd say it's apt to this whole conversation :)

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do, And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.

I remember that quote from the movie Coach Carter. very insightful

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I have glanced through some of the posts on mental conditioning and zen. I never spent much time there because I did not understand the concepts.

In theory zen practice is simple: It means to study one's own mind.

Zen practice, however, is difficult. Because we are seldom aware of our thoughts. So we don't make the connection between what we think and why we do what we do.

be

Edited by benos
added: and why we do what we do
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  • 4 weeks later...

I feel like an A class shooter now.

I made “A” class in production last summer at Area 1 (2009). Since that time I’ve had this underlying confidence/fear that I was not going to be competitive. Too me, being “A” class meant that I should be able to hang with M’s and GM’s, for most skills. That also meant I needed to start or should be keeping up with them at the matches. Even through Area 2, I felt this rumbling before every stage start. I worked through that and had a clean match, really surprising myself. It did boost my confidence but I still felt like I was not worthy of where I landed. Well that sank in and I knew I wanted to come out of winter swinging. Sometimes I think there are defining moments when you’re not scared and willing to move forward. I have no idea what this year will bring but I am here for it.

I have been thinking about this all week because of a match I did last weekend (3/28). At the match, I just nailed some of the courses with the skills I have been training a lot on - reloads and movement. During the match, I felt as if I was shooting slow, seeing every reload, and landing in the right spot for the upcoming appearing target. But when I watched the video I looked smooth and pretty fast. That feels good. When I was climbing “B” class, I don’t remember feeling slow but remember seeing a blur. I have read it before here, Wow, being better actually feels slower than before.

Right now, I feel like an “A” class shooter who sees Master as not to far off.

I searched “feeling” and did not find a topic on it. I feel like I am at a jumping off place and not sure where I will land. Any supporting feedback or experience on your jump from A to Master i.e realizations, disapointments, successes, turning points, inspiration. Thanks

The single biggest thing I can say if forget classes. Just shoot. A class or M class or whatever class is a label someone else is giving you. Something everyone should learn how to do is look at their shooting without judgement. Look at it for what it is. Something I do and really didn't realize I did was now only view classes as a reference and not as an identity. I'm a shooter working on getting better(though not right now, long break from shooting) and I just shoot.

I'll give you my first experience as a Master. I had been shooting about a yr It was an Area Match and I ended up squadding with some big shooters. Since I made Master I now just thought "I have to shoot like a Master" and quickly forgot that I just needed to shoot. I started trying and placing expectations on my shooting because now I have a new shiny Title.

Making Master or whatever class doesn't all of a sudden give some super shooter powers. Just keep shooting the same way that got you there. Keep working and improving. Don't try to shoot like a Master, just shoot.

3 months after that horrible Area match I learned to settle down and I won my first Major.

Flyin

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Phil~ It was nice chatting with you at the Glock Match. As you make the transition from A class to Master, you'll learn that the easiest part of the game is developing the physical gun manipulation skills. Once you learn how to do a sub-second draw or reload you realize that the trick isn't to be able to do those things, its to be able to repeatably do them under the pressure of a match! That is the challenge and one that requires more than just dryfire/airsoft.

The rumbling you talk about effects people at all stages in their development. As Xre mentioned it comes from fear of success/failure. Nothing was so frustrating as getting a Master card and then realizing that with it comes the expectation of shooting at that level! No one wants to be the guy who gets beat by a ton of guys "classed" below them! That's just one way that success brings with it new challenges.

I could be wrong but my sense is that you tend to compare yourself a great deal to other shooters and strive to beat people. That is by no means a bad thing, I'm the same way! I remember seeing Dave Sevigny at the MO Fall Classic in 2006 and thinking, "I want to beat HIM!". I've come to learn that such a view can be helpful or detrimental depending on how its fostered. It's thoughts like that (comparisons) that can serve as an excellent tool to motivate you in your practice or induce stress in a practice environment. That's the ONLY place those thoughts should be employed, because thinking that way in a match can ruin performance(again I know from experience). The key in a match is to look back at your practice and realize that you'll shoot as good as you've practiced and have the confidence to know that IT IS GOOD ENOUGH.

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Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do, And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.

The full quote is

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

great quote..it's Marianne Williamson, but a lot of times is mistaken to be from a Nelson Mandela speech. (Not). It's from her book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles".

It also was in the movie "Akeelah and the Bee"

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I can remember climbing through A class..there were times of a lot of doubt and fear. I practiced hard to overcome those fears. Once I developed that skillset and learned consistency I was able to make the jump to Master. In the first month or so, the wheels just came totally off. Somehow when I got the M card in the mail it included an ego. And with the ego came expectation. That is a recipe for crashing.

This is where they say it becomes boring. You harness in and banish the expectations, you train and practice to have no doubts and when you are the LAMR; You place it all on an autopilot where your conscious mind takes a ride.

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Duke Nukem, I am the total opposite. Maybe it comes from constantly challenging authority or something but I SUCK at classifiers!! Start here, shoot this, reload here......... Its a basic skills challenge, none of which I've mastered since I don't actually practice. My favorite stages? Start here, engage as visible and if it specifically doesn't say you can't in a walkthrough, I will do it to gain any advantage.

Back to the original post. I am shooting the Area 5 match next month and just a couple weeks ago got my "B" card in Limited. I was proud and showed it off but deep down inside it kind of bummed me out as I had this feeling I was going to get my ass kicked all over Polo!! The only other "real" match I shot I won C class in Limited even after zeroing the classifier (SEE!!) and got to take a check home to the wife to show her I was worth a hoot at this game.

My biggest fear is that I would show up to Area 5 and not even be competetive with the other B's since I am at the low end of B. The nice part is, once the buzzer goes off, I won't even remember this post, how I feel about my classification, how anyone else is shooting. Just me and the targets I must shoot in the shortest amount of time possible, nothing else F-ing matters.......

Brad

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We fear what we don't know.....ex: Am I going to lose my job? Is my gun going to run? Am I going to be able to compete at this level?

Fear stems from a lack of control, can you control if your gun is going to run? Can you control the fact that your boss is going to lay you off no matter how good you are at your job?

To reverse this you must gain confidence and assurance..If not you will always be fearful, get some wins under your belt, get your confidence.

Brian,Dave,charlie have some excellent responses to your post. All of these guys are winners at this sport. They have forgotten more than some of has have learned.

Regarding feeling slow and fast during a stage, unfornuately what you feel during the course of the stage is not always correct. Your conscience mind is always trying to help the sub conscience and vice versa. If they don't help each other, we would go insane, literally. What is happening during the course of fire, your conscience mind is trying to help your sub conscience mind during a sub conscience pre programed event. wrap your head around that one!

Remember: time is an illusion, the only thing that is true, is what the buzzer says.

Sigmund Freud out!!!!

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Well I have really hard time lately to find balance between smooth and fast. Because when I feel smooth I am very slow at running from A to B, but when I try to be fast at running I am loosing a lot of smoothness, if you understand me. I just need to learn how to shift from smooth to fast modus and vice versa. I've made a lot of progress in one year and now I feel that this holds me back the most in my performance.

Smooth but slow: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMaksable#p/u/6/hGAsoUpJy9I

Fast but not smooth: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMaksable#p/u/3/nAti92g3szM

Balanced: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMaksable#p/u/9/qqPA_f91JG0

You are welcome to write down any comments about videos.

Edited by Maks_H
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Making Master or whatever class doesn't all of a sudden give some super shooter powers. Just keep shooting the same way that got you there. Keep working and improving. Don't try to shoot like a Master, just shoot.

Earlier in this post someone told me to just shoot and I did not get it. I felt this was not helpful at the time. Your statement makes more sense because it has the caveat that it is not free, will require work, but ultimately I just have to shoot. I can digest that.

I could be wrong but my sense is that you tend to compare yourself a great deal to other shooters and strive to beat people. The key in a match is to look back at your practice and realize that you'll shoot as good as you've practiced and have the confidence to know that IT IS GOOD ENOUGH.

Guilty as charged. When I read it, it sounded horrible to me but its how I have found some specific motivation. On the other hand I have fed heavily on getting trounced and thanking them for the experience by saying to myself, I will be more prepared next time. Good to have, but possibly mentally corrosive . I have not looked at it that deeply.

You harness in and banish the expectations, you train and practice to have no doubts and when you are the LAMR; You place it all on an autopilot where your conscious mind takes a ride.

I want that.

To reverse this you must gain confidence and assurance..If not you will always be fearful, get some wins under your belt, get your confidence.

I'm on it.

I was doing some other searching through the site and read where Enos talked about "technical" and "Feeling" style shooters. I am a "feeling" shooter. I don't shoot because some thing might be technically better but because it feels better in my game plan or position or what ever. Maybe that is the link to desire also.

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