1st Major Match in Open

[Broski]

This is the video from the 2017 CK Arms Ms State Sectional Championship that was held in Biloxi, Ms this weekend. Ended up 1st D and 54/87 overall with 49% of Max Jr's score. Give me some Ideas of where the lowest hanging fruit is that will make for the quickest improvement. Thanks in advance, and don't worry, I have thick skin.

 

 

[Hi-Power Jack]

Looked pretty good to me - that doesn't seem like D shooting - more like

high C shooting, and rapidly approaching low B shooting.

 

Why a reload on the last stage?   Mandatory?

 

What are you shooting?

[MemphisMechanic]

You stand in tall awkward narrow stances at nearly every position. Feet wider, learn to spend your entire USPSA life shooting from a semi-crouch with your weight forward. (Get low to start and stop fast and break the habit of standing up in shooting positions.)

 

Why the standing load in stage 2? Move it somewhere where you're moving.

 

Slow hands on most of the draws. Very slow hand speed.

 

Toward the end you miked 3-4 times on a row of steel plates off to the right, then later on? You attempted to engage the left side's plates while moving. See a problem with that plan for a C/D class shooter? (It's fine for Max Michel)

 

Choose a plan you personally can execute cleanly 100% of the time, and moving mikes are never faster than sprinting, stopping, and connecting. Do not shoot the plan that others are shooting. At your current skill that'll mean shooting on the move less - you're already dropping a few Deltas, a Mike, or hitting a NS in the majority of your stages. The quickest way to improve your scores would actually be to stop racking up penalties.

 

Edited July 24, 2017 by MemphisMechanic

[Broski]

Thanks guys. To answer a few of the questions.

Jack: Stage 10 was 4 paper, mandatory reload, 4 steel. 

Memphis: Stage 2 was mandatory reload between paper and steel. Everyone had to do a standing reload there. Stage 9 - my plan was to shoot all the round steel from the rear, but between one FTF and a few M's on the steel on the right, my brain shut down on me. I know I need to get lower and wider, and have been working one it. Unfortunately, as you can tell, it hasn't clicked in my mind just yet.

[reshp1]

Your arms are way too relaxed, imo, almost like you're using a teacup grip. Try to get your elbows up so when you elbows flex the gun goes straight back. As it is now, when you bend your elbows, the gun goes muzzle up. Adopting a mote aggressive stance helps with this in general since you bring your head down to the gun instead of gun up to your eye level. 

Edited July 28, 2017 by reshp1

[Broski]

Thanks guys. To answer a few of the questions.

Jack: Forgot to answer. I am shooting a G17 Open w/ minor PF

Memphis:  Total the match I only had 3M and 0 N/S. I shot 91.06% of available points. And appx 80% of my shots were A. Am I just going way too slow or what?

[Hi-Power Jack]

If you got 91% of points, you must have been a LOT slower than the top guys

(that's usually MY problem, also).

 

Have to work on speed ....  how often do you do live fire practice?

[MemphisMechanic]

16 hours ago, Broski said:

Memphis:  Total the match I only had 3M and 0 N/S. I shot 91.06% of available points. And appx 80% of my shots were A. Am I just going way too slow or what?

 

Two parts to the answer:

 

1. Yes

 

2. Look up how the scoring system works, then do the math on those three stages again and replace your mike with a charlie. Run the numbers for the match again and see how much that changes things. 

 

I still learn a lot from grabbing a pen, paper, and my calculator app and playing with things like "what if I shot 10% worse points but did it 20% faster?" 

 

Learning how the scoring actually works, and how different stages weigh speed over accuracy or vice versa? Super helpful.

 

Edited July 31, 2017 by MemphisMechanic

[theWacoKid]

Lowest hanging fruit #1: Stop shooting minor.

Lowest hanging fruit #2: Too slow.  Everything is slow that I saw.  Draw, movement, index, reloads, splits, and especially transitions.  All those little 1-5 tenths add up quickly as you see.  

 

Draw: practice, hit it in dryfire.  

Movement: learn to run with the gun, it's a skill.  Also, you tend to lunge into a position with a long step which kills control.  Break it down as you approach a position and get yourself under control with choppy steps, gun up.

Index: dry fire this and come into positions controlled.  IMO this takes the longest to perfect in our sport and it's worth bundles.

Reloads: practice, snatch that mag

Splits:  grip that gun harder, you should be driving it where you want, don't let it drive you.

Transitions:  Huge hitter here.  Push that gun around like you know where you want it to go and like you want it there NOW.  

 

Edited July 31, 2017 by theWacoKid

[sfinney]

I think that some of the above suggestions are great - easiest ways to pick up points - shoot major, don't miss, shoot faster. How hard can thatt be, right? 

 

Dry fire at targets set around the room to practice transitions, practice on your movement skills and foot work, work on draw and reload speed, and have a general sense of urgency. Learn to know when your dot/sight is in the earliest acceptable (not perfect) place to break the shot, and acknowledge seeing when its not - you may need a follow up shot.  And as you are shooting minor, you really need those A's... so a solid  in control pace to really get those A's for your skill level will be fine in D, maybe C. (notice I did not say slower). I think you get to B without really concerning yourself about minor vs major points to much.... once that is really the biggest thing holding you back, upgrade.

 

My silly, very rough, wildly inaccurate interpretation of what it takes to be competitive in each Class: (yeah, I know its not perfect - just a WAG, ok):

To be competitive:

D - Be more accurate than everyone else in Class with less penalties, at the same pace, or much, much faster and some misses/penalties are ok. Gun reliability? Maybe. Probably.

C -Faster everywhere, but anything on paper counts. Few penalties, but not perfect. Gun that works majority of the time.

B- Fast times, at least 50 to 60% A's, few penalties - gun that runs well. 

A- 75% A's at about the speed of a faster B shooter or slow M - rare penalties - gun that hardly ever jams.

M - Fastest yet and efficient, always shooting, no inefficient wasted time; 80 to 85% A's. No penalties. Guns that never jam, 100% sorted out. 

GM - No idea, never got there but they appear to be very fast, very consistent, very smooth, and hardly ever miss the A zone unless really pushing it. Guns? Perfect.