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The pressure of being watched.


kita

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I was assisting with setting up stages, running errands, etc. for a Mink/Stoeger class this weekend, and had the opportunity to step in and shoot a couple of the drills with the class. Whenever Ben or Matt walked up behind me to critique and offer pointers, I fell apart and couldn't shoot. At all. If I'm going to shoot matches, other people are obviously going to be there while I'm shooting. How can I get over this "stage fright" so to speak? Does anyone else have this issue?

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Yep; Shooting USA taped me at Nationals one year... freaked me out.. I could not focus on anything. If I know that someone is filming me, I screw up. Every. Single. Time...

Its ironic that I now subject competitors to this same torture each time I cover the matches. I have no idea how the top shooters deal with it, so I can't help you find a cure. I'm not bothered knowing that people behind the line are watching... it's the cameras that I have an issue with...

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I was assisting with setting up stages, running errands, etc. for a Mink/Stoeger class this weekend, and had the opportunity to step in and shoot a couple of the drills with the class. Whenever Ben or Matt walked up behind me to critique and offer pointers, I fell apart and couldn't shoot. At all. If I'm going to shoot matches, other people are obviously going to be there while I'm shooting. How can I get over this "stage fright" so to speak? Does anyone else have this issue?

Just understand that we aren't watching your shooting.

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How can I get over this "stage fright" so to speak?

Embrace the spot light! This is your opportunity to teach all those "amateurs" in the super-squad how to shoot the stage.

Yep! It is the mental that is the problem. The fear of failure in front of those you respect. There are several mental games you can play with yourself until you get the confidence to execute what you know you can do. This is coupled with the ability to shed the bad stage and go out and just shoot the next stage the way you know you can. The power of positive thinking is not just a saying.

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I had the same general nerves at local matches. A few years ago I shot the Bianchi Cup for the first time. I remember that I couldn't keep my hands from shaking. When I returned to shoot local matches I wasn't nervous anymore.

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I had the same general nerves at local matches. A few years ago I shot the Bianchi Cup for the first time. I remember that I couldn't keep my hands from shaking. When I returned to shoot local matches I wasn't nervous anymore.
I used to get the shakes really really badly when I first started shooting. I had to stop drinking my morning cup of coffee before I started shooting and get plenty of sleep the night before. It eventually went away. This is something different. It's like I lose my fundamental skills, and when Ben or Matt reminded me of that fundamental skill, I was then able to execute it. I don't normally have to consciously think about pushing the gun straight back out after my reload, I just do it. In this case, I had to be reminded by Matt. Or when Ben says "I'm watching you" to put on the pressure, I miss an easy shot. I didn't realize he was referring to my derriere. Edited by kita
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Based on some of your older posts on the subject, you have (had?) a problem with aiming sloppier in order to shoot more efficiently. You want to make sure you are absolutely correct with every shot you take prior to pulling the trigger. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and actually translates to a very good technical execution of the fundamentals, but gets in the way of your ability to succeed at this sport. Last time, I told you this was due to your ego wanting you to never be wrong and relating it to my own struggles along the same vein. I was very pleased when you told me that my observation was very insightful, as it was obviously based on conjecture - I can't read your (anyone's) mind.

Anyway, I believe it is all connected.

Think about this - what is the only difference between a relaxed, solitary practice session where you perform just fine, and on the line when you know that someone is specifically watching you? The only variable is you being observed, and knowing that you're being observed. Do you think you are being judged by your performance, and that if you fail it will reflect badly on yourself as a person? Honest question! :)

Shooting takes a certain amount of free resources in the brain to be able to perform well. For most people - myself included - it commands almost every spare bit of horsepower to perform my best. If I'm not able to let go, at least temporarily, of the things that are bothering me on any day I happen to be trying to shoot, bad things will happen, or at least I simply won't perform at my best. It could be that you are so preoccupied with looking bad or being wrong that you barely have any free resources to devote to your performance. It is a textbook example of a self fulfilling prophecy, and just like the sloppy aiming thing, if you don't find some way past it it will significantly get in the way of your ability to succeed at this sport.

So how do we resolve this? There is a 100% probability that you are not alone in this struggle. I don't want to infringe upon your belief system, that would be inappropriate, but purely based on this post it would appear that you may tend to look outside yourself, or at least to other people, to find out what is good, bad, right wrong etc. I don't see why else you would have such a problem with being watched. I would advise channeling your inner

, and just do your own thing without giving a crap what other people think - at least to a level sufficient to allow you to perform well and be happy, with your performance.

*shrug*

Edited by DonovanM
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May be The Only Advantage to being OLD, but when the buzzer goes off,

it's just Me, the red dot and all those targets .... :cheers:

I am actually partially deaf myself, but maintain the capability of feeling Ben's eyes boring into the back of my head..or more likely other regions. I think it causes too many things to run through my mind at once, disrupting my ability to block everything else out. You're right. I need to find "the zone".

Edited by kita
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Interesting...

Brian and the other Zen adherents here advise achieving a state in which we are able to observe ourselves dispassionately. Why then should OTHERS observing affect our performance?

Maybe we are worried about judgement and expectations, either our own or of others. You aren't merely observing if you are judging performance at the same time, and if you think others observing are judging your performance at the same time, it's hard not let that influence what you are doing.

I'm I blowing hot air, here, or is this something to pursue? I'm thinking, if I could somehow tune out any audience, internal or external, while I'm shooting, and only become aware of them afterwards ("Oh, hi there, I didn't know you were watching, what did you think?"), I might be able to perform without judgement/expectations, but take the real time observation afterwards for analysis. I just am not sure how to do that...

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Interesting...

Brian and the other Zen adherents here advise achieving a state in which we are able to observe ourselves dispassionately. Why then should OTHERS observing affect our performance?

Maybe we are worried about judgement and expectations, either our own or of others. You aren't merely observing if you are judging performance at the same time, and if you think others observing are judging your performance at the same time, it's hard not let that influence what you are doing.

I'm I blowing hot air, here, or is this something to pursue? I'm thinking, if I could somehow tune out any audience, internal or external, while I'm shooting, and only become aware of them afterwards ("Oh, hi there, I didn't know you were watching, what did you think?"), I might be able to perform without judgement/expectations, but take the real time observation afterwards for analysis. I just am not sure how to do that...

What if you are passionate about the observer? How then can you be dispassionate about observing yourself if they, too, are observing you?

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I watched you fall apart a couple times this weekend Kita, along with at least one other student & I felt like almost interjecting my opinion at the time but being at another instructors class I felt like it wasn't kosher to.

I have seen this at every level of recreation competition & work: you are hardly alone. A lot of people will melt down in front of someone they really wanted positive energy from or someone that has direct influence over their career etc.

I haven't been in this game long and can't say I've had it happen to me on the line but I have been through this in the professional world knowing that my boss's & his boss's eyes were on me, elvaluating, judging etc.

The first few times I was charged with securing a site & establishing a cordon I was a hot mess. I knew verbatim what to do tactically but when it went live I found I was changing my plan & essentially running around doing the chicken dance trying to make everything perfect so I would look better for those who had influence on my future. In the end I noticed I looked a little foolish in my actions because I wasn't concentrating on my job. I was making a NEW job of trying to impress leadership vs completing my real job on the ground. It was hectic to say the least.

I believe that you were probably making impressing the instructors your job vs simply completing your shooting task as your job.

I see some zen comments but I'm not read up on zen so I don't know if I subscribe to it's intent fully.

I do believe that when it's time to work, only the work matters. Like a martial arts kata. When I'm on the ready line for a drill the only thing that deserves my attention is the plan & the target. Once I'm faced off on the target nothing else warants thought.

as a slight example: I awoke from a drill trance on Sunday realizing vaguely that Ben was behind me & my buddy was tapping my shoulder for some reason wanting me to move positions. My response "I'm set already dude" which I recall Ben laughing at & saying something as my focus again went completely back into the target.

As I look at this game, when I'm Facing an array, the only thing that deserves the attention of my mind is the stage, my plan, and the 180.

I don't know where this philosophy will take me in this game but it's done real well other places I've implemented it.

YMMV,

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There are plenty of books and literature to be found about overcoming Performance Anxiety. Google is your friend.

Personally, I think that performing anything in front of other people is a skill that needs to be learned and mastered like all other skills. Your best tool in overcoming this is to replicate the performance anxiety scenarios and work though it. The more experience you have in the scenario the more you will learn to deal with it.

For me a major step in the right direction was accepting that failing is a possible outcome that can not be eliminated fully. Since failing is a possible outcome while performing there really isn't a need to worry about it excessively. All you can do is deal with the failure as needed and keep charging ahead.

Another major step for me was limiting my expectations of the performance to what I know I can do and have confidence in doing. I can only control what I have direct control of, which is myself and what I do. I can't control what other people think about my performance or how they choose to judge my performance, so why worry about it. All you can do is practice what you need to perform until you have solid confidence in executing it. If you have solid confidence in your skills then it shouldn't matter if you are performing by yourself or in front of a huge group of people.

Lastly, when you feel doubt in your ability to succeed you need to change the goal to something more basic that you know you have confidence in completing. For example, if you are worried about completing a whole stage run properly and it seems overwhelming, break it up into a bunch of mini goals. Such as drawing the gun aggressively, hitting a shooting position, or having visual patience while engaging targets. Doing this forces you to focus on the task at hand verses worrying about a possible outcome at the end. If your attention is focused on the present tense there is no time to worry about a possible result.

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What if you are passionate about the observer?

Perhaps you have a different goal then? What is your goal?

My goal is to shoot better. Perhaps I have turned the people who can help me most into obstacles as opposed to being auxiliary.
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What if you are passionate about the observer?

Perhaps you have a different goal then? What is your goal?

My goal is to shoot better. Perhaps I have turned the people who can help me most into obstacles as opposed to being auxiliary.

I think you are all over it.

It just takes a while to learn that we always have to shoot our own game.

Once we figure out what that is.

:D

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What if you are passionate about the observer?

Perhaps you have a different goal then? What is your goal?

My goal is to shoot better. Perhaps I have turned the people who can help me most into obstacles as opposed to being auxiliary.

I think you are all over it.

It just takes a while to learn that we always have to shoot our own game.

Once we figure out what that is.

:D

That actually makes sense. Thanks.

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