Transition from "A" class to Master

[benos]

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.

Good stuff. Yes, it will take some time and commitment to comprehend the depth of what's meant by "just shoot." But the effort involved is certainly worth it in the end.

be

[djeffers]

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!!!!

Actually, insane is a legal term and not a diagnosis.

[djeffers]

FWIW, I had to do some research and came across a good article from a "scientific journal" that studied performance of biathletes. Basically, the ones that didn't choke had an intense task focus and didn't let any other outside distractions affect their thinking regarding the task at hand.

[djeffers]

Oh, by the way I am not anywhere near becoming an A class shooter, let alone Master.

[sfpmb]

Well, it has been a good summer so far. Had a great mental learning experience at Area 1 (jacked myself to hard with visualizations), should have toned it down a notch. But I felt my core skills where better. Finished 84.5% to some top 10 national guys. My sectional match went really clean.

Today's USPSA update put me at 84.81%. I am ready. Bring it. It is going to happen.

Well back to that transition phase. Last weekend I squadded with some really good master open shooters (I don't normally squad with them). They have seen me for a while and not said much but were always nice and we always said hi. After a couple stages one of them pulled me aside and said "We need to talk". He proceeded to tell me 3 examples he saw in my shooting, that I need to work on now. I sat shocked and happy. First because I took it as a compliment that he knew I was working and he was going to try and help me. Second, because I have overlooked the details of these areas (absolutely required for master). Talk about right timing. I had set some goals earlier in the year and did well to improve those. These will now be my new goals to improve for the short term training that should take me straight through the nationals and into area 2.

The funny thing is if I had heard these observations a few months ago, I don't know if I could have obsorbed their importance so quickly. This is a progressive process that needs time to work. If I try to much to fast, I bog down.

[mhop]

Well, it has been a good summer so far. Had a great mental learning experience at Area 1 (jacked myself to hard with visualizations), should have toned it down a notch. But I felt my core skills where better. Finished 84.5% to some top 10 national guys. My sectional match went really clean.

Today's USPSA update put me at 84.81%. I am ready. Bring it. It is going to happen.

Well back to that transition phase. Last weekend I squadded with some really good master open shooters (I don't normally squad with them). They have seen me for a while and not said much but were always nice and we always said hi. After a couple stages one of them pulled me aside and said "We need to talk". He proceeded to tell me 3 examples he saw in my shooting, that I need to work on now. I sat shocked and happy. First because I took it as a compliment that he knew I was working and he was going to try and help me. Second, because I have overlooked the details of these areas (absolutely required for master). Talk about right timing. I had set some goals earlier in the year and did well to improve those. These will now be my new goals to improve for the short term training that should take me straight through the nationals and into area 2.

The funny thing is if I had heard these observations a few months ago, I don't know if I could have obsorbed their importance so quickly. This is a progressive process that needs time to work. If I try to much to fast, I bog down.

what were those 3 things

[sfpmb]

I did not put those three things because what I was told could be debated and frankly they were what I needed to hear now. Some of what I was doing is fine but would not apply to certain distance/target arrays/next position etc. This should give me more options in a stage when doing the walk through. But since you ask, I will make it short and to the point.

I had a match today and tried to incorporate some of it. match video today

Draws - I need to be less conservative on my close targets. Practice and learn a snatch draw. I was told to go home and push it so hard that the gun almost flys out of my hand (beyond what I can control)so I can feel that. I have to speed up my draw and I can't unless I push hard at home.

Position - I am a rather upright shooter but when I leave a position from upright I have to drop down and step backwards to push off. I was told to get a wider stance since I am tall so I can push off torward my next array without moving my feet. The caveat was that I could arrive in the position high but load up (get lower) as I shot the array for a good push off.

Reload - I need to grab magazine faster to have it out and up torward the gun, ready for insertion at the push off. I currently do alot off running while doing the mag change. For longer distances I should be focusing on running and getting to the next position.

My back is sore from all the training I did this week. My hands were sore, my back was sore. But I did find that I can go faster than I thought and in some ways it was smoother and less total body movement (jarring). These don't mean I lose the things I was doing, I just have some more options in the tool box.

[Filishooter]

I'm 84.09% A and just shot a 91% on a classifier last weekend. That "should" replace one of my lower scores on file and put me in M. It happened rather quickly. I went from B to A in a classifier match, shot only 2 matches as A, now I'm going to be in M. So now I get to get my ass kicked in M for a while!

Biggest thing that I noticed was first, you have to want to be there (M). You have to accept going from being a successful A to fighting harder in M. Second is that you can't try to be better while shooting a match. The "just shoot" advice is probably the best advice that I've listened to. IMHO, skill in A isn't so much different from skill in M. I find the shooters I'm competing with in M are just doing it more naturally with less effort.

Edited August 16, 2010 by Filishooter

[sfpmb]

After area 2 in 2010 (production) I transitioned to open division. I worked hard and shot seven matches with the open pistol over the next couple of months until my state sectional. I got a letter from Val today stating that I have made master in open ( I shot 96% to some gm open shooters). Will finish the year in L10 and production as I have slots for those in the nationals. I am going to do it.

I just shot my match and it happened.

[kevin c]

Congratulations, Phil!

Kevin

[shooterbenedetto]

Tough competition out there, dont expect much. but to be ccompetitive

in M class, got to be shooting GM times and points. I have been in that

class for the last 6 years. I now finally just train to shoot for fun and it

does show that fast times, good points does have to come naturally..when you start

winning in area matches then consider yourself in top M! by then expect to be bumped to GM.

At GM level I hope you can train hard and hopefully can beat super GM's someday.