Fail To Engage..

[scroadkill]

Hey all - new old shooter here. 20ish matches in this year. got my C card in production and limited but Im having trouble lately with my eyes. lots of Mikes lately running limited at aimed shots, so Im checking out carry optics. And I got some new driving glasses - fresh prescription.
my new rig: springer dovetail mount, Vortex Venom 3moa, on a CZ sp01 shadow 9mm Ive been running all year.

First match was a complete fail - stinking dot turned off 4 times in 3 stages. played with tape etc.. seemed ok going into CO match#2 apart from my confidence.

So match#2 was the make or break. Pre-match I was thinking, "ok, its new. go slow. get complete sight picture. squeeze eazy.  focus on the targets - not the front sight.  get As. lets see if carry optics works." I had been wearing progressive lens bi-focals for a few years - and my brain is still adjusting back to the single vision lenses. So Im a bit uncertain about running - but eager to see my hits.

stage 1 - 23A/2C - HF 5.1 - but slow - about 8 seconds off the pace.  And I could see the holes on target - and make good decisions on make up shots. Dot is dead on.

going into stage 2 .. Im thinking "ok, now lets slowly speed up" ....and the wheels came off.

On the day I shot 140-6-14-1-5 - in 180 seconds and 72% of division winner who shot 150-0-16-0-0 in 150 seconds

Im real happy with the 140-6-14-1 ratio - I hit everything i aimed at - no mikes - and the charlies were real close.. the optic did great. Im slow - but I can work on that - .. but I had 2 Fail to Engage  - as I drove right by. - one in plain sight. one sneaky one.

So in breaking down a tricky stage - i'm counting targets per shooting positions then inserting the reload point - like in 14 targets, 8 RELOAD 3 3  - and adding one special note - like activate spinner first, left to rigt, as the appear, hard ones first, more left hand, or what ever my coach has preaching lately.
As I move, I try to step through the plan.... but once the plan breaks down a little it breaks down completely. 
Even when things go great, i will think "damn, this is great" and next think you know the wheels come off.

Its like my left brain and right brain go to war while the clock ticks.
 

Too much thinking? Too little rehearsal? Not visualizing?  Time for a lobotomy?

 

[paul788]

If you forgot a target you must spend more time visualizing the stage.  Do this over and over and over.  If you "know" where each target is and what it looks like as your vision sweeps across it  you will shoot it. 

 

Paul

[Hi-Power Jack]

11 hours ago, scroadkill said:

 I shot 140-6-14-1-5 - in 180 seconds and 72% of division winner who shot 150-0-16-0-0 in 150 seconds
Even when things go great, i will think "damn, this is great" and next think you know the wheels come off.

 

Where I come from, C's do NOT shoot 72% of the DW.  You're expecting too much.

 

What do you mean by "the wheels come off" - your time and accuracy are both great - what wheels?

[scroadkill]

On 7/2/2017 at 6:22 PM, Hi-Power Jack said:

 

You're expecting too much..

I expect to
at least shoot AT everything
execute the plan I got in my head.
learn something every match.
string together a FULL match of decently executed staged.

Ive read up on it on a few other threads and boards since posting here - and it seems visualizing and programming the subconscious with movement, sight pictures and feelings may help once the buzzer goes off. I'm working on it.  IM feeling confident in my mechanics and gear - focusing on planning and mental execution.
next match 4 days and counting.  staying relaxed. chill.
 

[davsco]

i try to count # targets per each of my shooting locations (ie target arrays).  so maybe it's 4, 4, 5, 3.  if i get to the 2nd array and only shoot at 3, i (should...) know there's another one there somewhere.

[tanks]

On 7/2/2017 at 11:57 AM, paul788 said:

If you forgot a target you must spend more time visualizing the stage.  Do this over and over and over.  If you "know" where each target is and what it looks like as your vision sweeps across it  you will shoot it. 

...

 

^^^ This.

I have been shooting USPSA for a little over a year now. I was missing whole arrays let alone individual targets. Now, I visualize each target, my entry and exit positions, steps, reload(s), etc.. When not taping, I sit down, close my eyes, and visualize the whole COF over and over again. It has helped a lot. One other thing is not to change your plan if you see someone executing "a better" plan. Too late to change.