e5young Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I've been shooting a little over a year now. Over this time, I've noticed a lot of different preps in the start box. I've seen people take entire minutes and some people walk up to the box and just start shooting. I usually take a minute or so after I get the "clear to handle and make ready" replaying the stage in my head and practicing my hand movement to the draw. Then I block out everything before I give the nod. What do you guys do? Any tips and tricks? Always wondering what's going on in other people's heads before the timer goes off. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I start out "preparing" as soon as the last shooter is finished, and everyone is down range taping / setting steel. That gives me about a minute to myself, reviewing the COF, and how I'm going to handle it ( shoot it and reload), remove jacket if necessary, make sure my mags are loaded and in their proper pouches, my hat is on or backwards depending on the COF, my earmuffs are in the ready position. At "Make Ready" , I've already reviewed the COF and I'm now ready to make sure I have : 1.a. put my muffs on my ears. 1. turned my red dot to the correct brightness 2. load the correct mag & make sure my other mags are in the right spot 3. check a round chambered, 4. slowly and deliberately holster - make sure it doesn't fall on the ground, and I leave the holster lock off 5. review what I'm going to shoot first 6. confirm with the RO any questions about the COF - tell him which way I'm going to run 7. NOD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will_M Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Personally, I can't stand it when people take forever between "make ready" and assuming the start position. After the make ready command is not the time to be practicing your draw and reloads 10 times and closing your eyes and pantomiming the stage including leans and stuff. If every person takes just 1 minute to get ready, it can add well over an hour to my local match just in watching people stand there and waste time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Mitch Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Focus on your stage plan. Take as much time as you need. No one is being inconvenienced by seconds or minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamboo Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Mine: "Hail Mary, full of Grace...." I figure it can't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justpaul Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I have noticed a pattern: the better the shooter the more time they take to make ready. As I have gotten better I have taken more time making sure I have the stage burned in to my subconscious I do think some guys take to long to make ready though, one guy in our club does 8 to 10 mag drops re insert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will_M Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Focus on your stage plan. Take as much time as you need. No one is being inconvenienced by seconds or minutes. Individually, no. Spread that across a match with 50+ shooters and you've made the entire affair significantly longer than it needs to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatJones Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Focus on your stage plan. Take as much time as you need. No one is being inconvenienced by seconds or minutes. Individually, no. Spread that across a match with 50+ shooters and you've made the entire affair significantly longer than it needs to be. What else do you have to do on a weekend day? After the make ready command it's the shooters time, leave them be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balakay Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I view it like a pre-shot routine in golf. Durations vary but 27 waggles are excessive and annoying. If you take 60+ seconds after "make ready" at local match, I would try to show up earlier and learn the stages and do your visualization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Everybody is different. But I also don't think it should take enywhere near a minute after make ready. Occasionally on a difficult stage I may have a brain dump and have to run it through my head a few extra times but that's the exception. When I RO I just stand there and let them do what they want to do. It's their time after all. But I remember them and after a while you learn who they are and so does everybody else. It gives us something to talk about over wings and beer after the match. The only thing that does bother me is cameras. It's one thing to be slow getting ready but trying to figure out your hatcam when you should already be shooting is annoying. And, what's with the nod? Just assume the start position. One less thing you don't have to think about in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 what's with the nod? "Shooter ready?" NOD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 (edited) Shooter ready? NOD? I just assumed we talking about USPSA. Edited: I actually just read the OP. Clear to handle? Is this IDPA? Edited January 2, 2016 by Sarge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooke Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 " Is this IDPA?" It is not. The IDPA command is "Load and Make Ready". Some SO's say, "Face Downrange and Load and Make Ready'. Nice of them but they ain't the proper command. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTDMFR Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 I've been shooting a little over a year now. Over this time, I've noticed a lot of different preps in the start box. I've seen people take entire minutes and some people walk up to the box and just start shooting. I usually take a minute or so after I get the "clear to handle and make ready" replaying the stage in my head and practicing my hand movement to the draw. Then I block out everything before I give the nod. What do you guys do? Any tips and tricks? Always wondering what's going on in other people's heads before the timer goes off. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk I work on burning in the stage starting from the end of the walk through up until I'm called to the box. I'm pretty scatterbrained and need all the visualization I can squeeze in. When I'm on deck, I'll check that all my mags on my belt are loaded. When I make ready, I'll do a couple of trigger pulls on the first target (if I can see it) and run the stage in my head one more time. Between holstering and the beep, I run a routine in my head that's meant to turn my brain off and let my subconscious take over the wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainOverkill Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Load my gun, press check, tune everything out, and go. The more I stand there thinking about stuff and fiddling around, the more distracted from my stage plan I seem to get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Shooter ready? NOD? I just assumed we talking about USPSA. Edited: I actually just read the OP. Clear to handle? Is this IDPA? i don't think there's a rule against nodding in any practical shooting sport. some folks nod or say something, others don't. personally, i usually just visualize getting the gun up and to the first target. Everything else should happen on autopilot. All other preparation should have been done before then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e5young Posted January 4, 2016 Author Share Posted January 4, 2016 Shooter ready? NOD? I just assumed we talking about USPSA. Edited: I actually just read the OP. Clear to handle? Is this IDPA? i don't think there's a rule against nodding in any practical shooting sport. some folks nod or say something, others don't. personally, i usually just visualize getting the gun up and to the first target. Everything else should happen on autopilot. All other preparation should have been done before then. How my local club runs it, the RO usually says "shooter give me a nod when youre ready" i shoot uspsa. is there anything wrong with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e5young Posted January 4, 2016 Author Share Posted January 4, 2016 what's with the nod? "Shooter ready?" NOD. Just so everyone has a clear understanding that you are ready to shoot. There are no "i wasn't ready" complaints afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e5young Posted January 4, 2016 Author Share Posted January 4, 2016 Personally, I can't stand it when people take forever between "make ready" and assuming the start position. After the make ready command is not the time to be practicing your draw and reloads 10 times and closing your eyes and pantomiming the stage including leans and stuff. If every person takes just 1 minute to get ready, it can add well over an hour to my local match just in watching people stand there and waste time. I have seen people take forever and I get impatient however, when I get up to the line, I dont want to feel pressured by others thinking about what I think when others are taking their time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTDMFR Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Shooter ready? NOD? I just assumed we talking about USPSA. Edited: I actually just read the OP. Clear to handle? Is this IDPA? i don't think there's a rule against nodding in any practical shooting sport. some folks nod or say something, others don't. personally, i usually just visualize getting the gun up and to the first target. Everything else should happen on autopilot. All other preparation should have been done before then. How my local club runs it, the RO usually says "shooter give me a nod when youre ready" i shoot uspsa. is there anything wrong with that? It's not an "official" range command. They're supposed to ask "Are you ready?", and if you don't say "Not ready" or something similar within a couple of seconds, then you are assumed to be ready. I prefer not having to actually say or nod that I'm ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Shooter ready? NOD? I just assumed we talking about USPSA. Edited: I actually just read the OP. Clear to handle? Is this IDPA? i don't think there's a rule against nodding in any practical shooting sport. some folks nod or say something, others don't.personally, i usually just visualize getting the gun up and to the first target. Everything else should happen on autopilot. All other preparation should have been done before then. How my local club runs it, the RO usually says "shooter give me a nod when youre ready" i shoot uspsa. is there anything wrong with that? It's not an "official" range command. They're supposed to ask "Are you ready?", and if you don't say "Not ready" or something similar within a couple of seconds, then you are assumed to be ready. I prefer not having to actually say or nod that I'm ready. It's in the rule book e5. And yes your local is doing it all wrong. People who know the rules hate chatter that's not in the range commands. There are reasons for only using official range commands. Read the rule book. It's all in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapemeister Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 There was one time I didn't respond to the timer. I played it off like I didn't hear the timer, but in truth my mind totally checked out and I started day dreaming about something that had nothing to do with shooting. In retrospect I should have went ahead and started. It probably would have been one of my best stage runs ever...not thinking about it, just shooting in auto pilot. I really like that feeling now, not the day dreaming part, but just making ready and casually waiting for the timer. I keep the make ready short, relax, clear my mind, and causally wait for the timer. This technique seems to help with not thinking about what I'm doing and all the expectations, anxieties and other crap that come along with it. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Shooter ready? NOD? I just assumed we talking about USPSA. Edited: I actually just read the OP. Clear to handle? Is this IDPA? i don't think there's a rule against nodding in any practical shooting sport. some folks nod or say something, others don't. personally, i usually just visualize getting the gun up and to the first target. Everything else should happen on autopilot. All other preparation should have been done before then. How my local club runs it, the RO usually says "shooter give me a nod when youre ready" i shoot uspsa. is there anything wrong with that? yes there is something wrong with that. the RO is not following the rulebook. The range commands are clearly spelled out in the rulebook. Personally, I can't stand it when people take forever between "make ready" and assuming the start position. After the make ready command is not the time to be practicing your draw and reloads 10 times and closing your eyes and pantomiming the stage including leans and stuff. If every person takes just 1 minute to get ready, it can add well over an hour to my local match just in watching people stand there and waste time. I have seen people take forever and I get impatient however, when I get up to the line, I dont want to feel pressured by others thinking about what I think when others are taking their time. I must be lucky. I have never seen anyone take long enough that I found it annoying, and I've worked 3 nationals, a few area matches, and a few sectionals, so I've spent a fair amount of time telling folks to make ready and waiting for them to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Yes moto, you're lucky. With less than half your experience I know half a dozen shooters that really test my patience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Yes moto, you're lucky. With less than half your experience I know half a dozen shooters that really test my patience! at my age I welcome the chance to rest and catch my breath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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