Jump to content
Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

Shooting with better shooters...


astephenson

Recommended Posts

Shooting faster is not necessarily a good thing.

And therein lies a trap. When you are shooting with several fast shooters, your times may seem quite slow. In fact, you can well find yourself feeling like you are dragging your feet and try and speed up - to the detriment of your scores.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 141
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Just remember to pay it forward and start to share with those who are new since you are now the "better shooter". Get them to join your squad or split your squad up so they can enjoy what you have been enjoying. We ignore them at our peril, can't grow without people and we can't always just be thinking of ourselves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

This is the trap I see new shooters falling into, they equate speed with good. So they end up short cutting to fast times but then hit an enormous plateau. My Guru taught me to try to always shoot, especially practice, with shooters better than me but to try to execute like they do not just come up with a comparable time with no hits. Obviously I'm not in the "learn to shoot fast and then the accuracy will come later" group.

There is a reason why many of the best shooters have had excellent shooting partners.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Shoot slow and do everything else fast"
Where did I hear that? It was from a GM, so I know it must be true.

Yeah, it worked out that way.


If you don't think so, try it the other way around and ket me know how it works for you.
biggrin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are two camps of thought on this... One says if you shoot with better shooters it will help your game. The other, says that it is being with friends and enjoying the sports .... :blush:

Make friends with the better shooters. You'll gain new friends and become a better shooter yourself!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I regulerly shoot with shooters better than me. They are always willing to share thoughts on stage planning and other things I wouldn't even consider.It really opens your eyes to how much more there is to this game besides shooting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree 100%. Nobody likes to be the worst shooter of the bunch.

That's why I thank god for new shooters!:roflol:

I secretly think that reason is why one of my co-workers got me started in the first place. The joke's on him as I beat him by a decent margin last match and my goal is to continue to do so :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites


"Shoot slow and do everything else fast"
Where did I hear that? It was from a GM, so I know it must be true.

Yeah, it worked out that way.


If you don't think so, try it the other way around and ket me know how it works for you.
biggrin.gif

I read this post this morning before going to a match "shoot slow and do everything else fast" thought about it all the way there and on every stage along with shooting with some very good shooters...scores havent been posted yet so I dont know how much better than normal I did but it sure felt like things meshed way better than normal for me. On several stages it seemed like in my mind "shoot slow and do everything else fast"....beep the buzzer went off...then show clear the stage was over. I just I guess made a plan before the stage and did that plan without thinking. No Im sure I didnt beat the way better shooters but I believe I beat my old self and thats who I really compete against at every match. Back on thread I 100% agree shooting with better shooters does make you better, just like any sport.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I read this post this morning before going to a match "shoot slow and do everything else fast" thought about it all the way there and on every stage along with shooting with some very good shooters...scores havent been posted yet so I dont know how much better than normal I did but it sure felt like things meshed way better than normal for me. On several stages it seemed like in my mind "shoot slow and do everything else fast"....beep the buzzer went off...then show clear the stage was over. I just I guess made a plan before the stage and did that plan without thinking. No Im sure I didnt beat the way better shooters but I believe I beat my old self and thats who I really compete against at every match. Back on thread I 100% agree shooting with better shooters does make you better, just like any sport.

I've also heard it phrased as: Minimize the time your gun isn't firing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was starting off with AP, many moons ago, I always had a tendency to rush my first shot especially on the Plates, so my shooting partner, whom had been to many Bianchi Cup Matches the 80's, told me *Slow Down and You Will Speed Up* That advice certainly helped, as my draw become much smoother, had a tendency to snatch and not get a good grip and first shot always always where it should be in the center of the plate.

Cheers ....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is another problem here. Many will compare themselves against the better shooter which in turn leads to turmoil,pressure and a lack of progress in their shooting skills. Some may just give up and quit the sport because they can't shoot like shooter A.

You learn from the best but judge your performance against your own past performance. Compete against yourself and the rest falls into place naturally.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I too like to squad with others who are better than me (still easy for me to do, look at my classifications :surprise: ). However, I think it is a bigger benefit to squad with different shooters sometimes too... You can get in a rut, or worse yet, you can get into somebody else's rut... Squadding with different people will open up new possibilities!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Surrounding yourself with better performers will help you in any skill. You will rise, or sink, to the level of those around you.

On the subject of speed; Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

"Smooth is fast, but slow is just slow." Had an old TL that used to tell me that, it used to piss everyone off. Been drawn into the speed trap once when shooting with the super squad... luckily it happened early in the match and it hasn't happened since. I just remind myself that I'm competing in my class and division not in theirs. I try not to shoot faster than I can see my front sight unless I'm 5 yds and in, then I just let it rip!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Surrounding yourself with better performers will help you in any skill. You will rise, or sink, to the level of those around you.

So true. Shooting with masters is what keeps me motivated. Always something to learn from them. New shooters are our life blood. Without them we will cease to exist one day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

A lot of it is what kind of personality you have and how well you know yourself.

For certain you are not likely to pick up bad habits if you shoot with successful shooters.

I've always thought it's difficult to get a whole lot better than the people you shoot with, if you do shoot a lot better than the people you normally shoot with it's easy to slip to the point where you are just barely ahead of them. So you need goals that are not dependent on the performance of others.

I have friends who would see someone burn down a stage and automatically give up, "no way I can shoot it that good" attitude. Not to sound egotistical but I always approached it from the standpoint of "that guy just showed what is possible" now go to work and improve your game. If you are a competitor, at some point you will have to find a way to insulate yourself from the negative thoughts put out from those who are not going to improve, and still enjoy yourself at the match.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If everyone only shot with better shooters, no one would shoot.

When I first became SC, I made it a point for a season and a half to shoot with people I had never shot with before, mostly newer shooters. My shooting did suffer but I gained an entirely different perspective on how new shooters look at this sport.

I think everybody who has posted on this thread is missing an incredible opportunity to advance the sport if they only took some time to shoot with newer and lower ranked shooters, or bring them into the squads they shoot with. Advancing personally is great, advancing the sport is our legacy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with the last post, although I am only B class shooter, there are plenty of guys I have shot with that suffer with a teriible grip, or starting a T-star with a bottom plate or whatever,...and right there is simple help I can offer at his level,...I remember when I started and knew nothing, and to toss 4 mags at a star is frustrating and embarassing, I know how that guy feels his first time out, if they accept some advice.. I am always willing to help the next guy, same as one of the guys i shoot with every week, took him to his first major this weekend at the Northern Classic here in AZ, he was shaking and nervous as whore in church,...but he was surrounded with guys from our club who pointed out foot faults, 180 traps, etc,.. and Angus Hobdell was in our squad,...so he learned ways the GM looks at shooting a stage that he (we) would have never considered, and one stage doing it the "Angus way" took out 2 stations and made it so much quicker to shoot, that is invaluable experience...anyway my buddy calmed down after a few stages and started to have fun, but there is no doubt some people come, ..shoot,...and dont come back for a variety of reasons, but I try not to let be because they were left alone to fend for themselves... if at all possible....and Im sure that many clubs embrace the new shooters as well...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...