First shot

[petrojc]

I noticed yesterday on a couple of stages that my first shot seemed to take forever. It was almost like everything was in slow motion. My times weren't terrible (I am improving each time I compete), but my first shot seemed to take like 30 seconds. I am also not doing well on my classifiers. I am very relaxed on the other stages, with a few brain lapses here and there, but the classifiers are killing me.

[Gooldylocks]

Did you ever stop after your run and look at what the draw time actually was? You might see that it's actually faster than it feels like, especially if there is movement right from the start position it can be easy to make yourself think that there was a huge delay before the first shot.

As far as classifiers, treat them like any other stage.

[Hi-Power Jack]

look at what the draw time actually was

As far as classifiers, treat them like any other stage.

+1. compare your draw time to others - around 1.5 seconds - that's fine.

no such thing as a "classifier" - just COF's - shoot it like a COF and

let someone else "classify" it.

[GunBugBit]

Do you have your own shot timer, and have you measured your draws/splits/transitions/reloads?

[petrojc]

Thanks guys. I do have a timer, but I haven't had an opportunity to use it at the range. I did some dry fire practice last night with a 1.2 sec par time. I could get an aimed shot off 90% of the time, but it felt rushed. I am going to try to stop freaking myself out on the c-word stages and treat them all the same. I will start asking more questions after the stages to be aware of what is going on. Sometimes I feel like I'm in the matrix. For instance, reloads...I grab the mag and put it in the gun. I have had very few mishandlings, but I am not aware of how I grip the mag. I just do it.

[RecoilJunkie]

after the stage I'll usually ask RO what the first shot was unless it was something that involved running to a firing position.

[teros135]

This may sound counterintuitive, but it seems to work best if I'm relaxed, not tensed-up and waiting for the beep. That way my brain can make my body do what it already knows how to do. (We don't suddenly learn new things on the fly; we learn them by practice and perform them on the fly.)

[GunBugBit]

I like the feeling of being relaxed and then quickly putting out a burst of motion for the draw. It's easier to be quick from a state of relaxation than from a state of tension, although we might feel quicker when more tense. If needing to deliver a lot of force in conjunction with speed, it might be helpful to start out tense, but the draw doesn't call for that.

Beyond gross physical movement it's about picking up the sight picture quickly and acting on it with no time wasted.

[superluckycat]

Thanks guys. I do have a timer, but I haven't had an opportunity to use it at the range. I did some dry fire practice last night with a 1.2 sec par time. I could get an aimed shot off 90% of the time, but it felt rushed. I am going to try to stop freaking myself out on the c-word stages and treat them all the same. I will start asking more questions after the stages to be aware of what is going on. Sometimes I feel like I'm in the matrix. For instance, reloads...I grab the mag and put it in the gun. I have had very few mishandlings, but I am not aware of how I grip the mag. I just do it.

I do the same thing. I'm on auto pilot during a course. Reloads just kind of happen and I have no real memory of how I did them.

[TennJeep1618]

Is the problem a result of trying to maintain a good sight picture while firing the first shot DA?

If so, try pointing the gun at a blank wall in dry fire and see how fast you can pull the trigger without disturbing the sight picture. Play around with your grip, especially how you grip the gun with your weak hand until you can pull the trigger very fast, straight back, with no movement of the sights.

[EngineerEli]

I would say that matrix feeling is relatively common. What happens for me (B class shooter) is that after enough practice and experience, all the fundamentals of shooting become automatic. This allows you to only focus on certain critical things while shooting a stage, like sight picture and seeing the tip of the mag into the mag well (as well as any mistakes you may have made). Because you are able to focus on such a simple task, allowing all the fundamentals to be automatic, it seems easier and slower while actually shooting. If you watch a video after the fact, you may find that what felt very slow, wasn't.

[nickbfishn]

I feel like I could take a nap between the buzzer and my first shot. I think only practice will improve speed.

Edited June 23, 2016 by nickbfishn

[Hi-Power Jack]

after the stage I'll usually ask RO what the first shot was unless it was something that involved running to a firing position.

That is really helpful. I've had one RO mention this fact to me a couple times - always good to know.

I understand that the RO is busy, but he has a wealth of information on his timer about how you

shot the COF - including time to 2nd shot, transitions, etc.

[nickbfishn]

I didn't know this! Thanks for sharing. I'm going to bug my RO's this Saturday

[IHAVEGAS]

Thanks guys. I do have a timer, but I haven't had an opportunity to use it at the range. I did some dry fire practice last night with a 1.2 sec par time. I could get an aimed shot off 90% of the time, but it felt rushed.

That might be fairly good, or it might be not as good as you want it to be.

The number does not mean much to me without the target specifics.

For very short distance (say 7 yards or less) I'm usually right at 1.15 with a best of 1.02 .

As distance increases the number climbs if I insist upon shooting alphas, for 20 yards I'm probably something like 1.65 ish or maybe more.

[Peterock]

I'll have to ask the RO what my draw/first shot is between long and short first targets.  I have found that if I'm much faster when I start relaxed before the buzzer and I bring my weak hand to my chest while drawing the gun then grab my thumbs forward grip where my hands would connect if I were to clap.  I began shooting in IDPA so when I draw with no concealment garment (Hawaiian shirt, I refuse to where a fishing vest) it feels lightning fast comparatively.

[teros135]

23 minutes ago, Peterock said:

I'll have to ask the RO what my draw/first shot is between long and short first targets.  I have found that if I'm much faster when I start relaxed before the buzzer and I bring my weak hand to my chest while drawing the gun then grab my thumbs forward grip where my hands would connect if I were to clap.  I began shooting in IDPA so when I draw with no concealment garment (Hawaiian shirt, I refuse to where a fishing vest) it feels lightning fast comparatively.

Is that what they refer to as a "shoot me first" vest?

[Peterock]

Yes sir, I would rather look like Magnum P.I. Then a photographer

[mrasam]

I've gotten comfortable with the "forever" feeling of the first shot--now when I don't have that I get nervous that I pulled that shot.  I have the same feeling after a long movement coming onto the first target--I have to recite to myself "wait, wait, wait...OK" before I shoot or I will have a mike.

[benos]

On 5/23/2016 at 7:57 AM, Hi-Power Jack said:

No such thing as a "classifier" - just COF's - shoot it like a COF and

let someone else "classify" it.

 

Perfect.

[sstephns]

21 hours ago, benos said:

 

Perfect.

 

Best advice I was ever given...

[Prerunnertrd]

Agree with HiPower Jack.  Treat every classifier just like any COF or you'll try too hard and mess up.

[IHAVEGAS]

On 6/22/2016 at 10:26 PM, nickbfishn said:

I feel like I could take a nap between the buzzer and my first shot. I think only practice will improve speed.

 

I don't know if that feeling ever goes away.

 

Best I can tell, the big boys and girls are all shooting matches at the speed that will allow them to avoid mistakes, it feels slow to them and it is slow compared to what they can do full tilt in practice.

 

I'm just a B person though, maybe one of the big kids will chime in? 

[benos]

Actually it is more like the big boys, when they are doing it right, are shooting a stage in a match at the same speed they would shoot it in practice. What allows them to do that is the result of their dedication to training long and carefully.

 

When you are shooting to your maximum capacity in a match, it feels slow because you are paying so much attention to what you are seeing and feeling that the sense of passing time diminishes, sometimes going away altogether. The feeling of timelessness is beautiful on its own.

[Tonka]

On ‎5‎/‎22‎/‎2016 at 4:21 AM, petrojc said:

I noticed yesterday on a couple of stages that my first shot seemed to take forever. It was almost like everything was in slow motion. My times weren't terrible (I am improving each time I compete), but my first shot seemed to take like 30 seconds. I am also not doing well on my classifiers. I am very relaxed on the other stages, with a few brain lapses here and there, but the classifiers are killing me.

Classifiers are a strange monster.  I tell others and do the same myself, just shoot that stage like you could shoot it 10 more times the same way.  Don't push it let it go.  You don't want to be labeled a GM but only be a B class shooter just because you went crazy and shot the classifiers good.  Just relax and shoot the way you always do, it will often turn out best