Lurper

Z It's a skill that you build off of the range. You can do this two ways. One is to focus your concentration, the other is focus your vision. I cannot tell you here how to focus your concentration, it would take too long. I can send you some information later on. But, there is an exercise you can use. Materials needed: Stopwatch (not absolutely necessary), blank sheet of paper, red pen or fine point marker. Take a red pen or fine tipped marker. Place a small dot in the center of a blank sheet of (white - preferrably unlined) paper. Place the piece of paper on a table with the stopwatch next to it. Sit down at the table and get comfortable. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Clear your mind, then open your eyes, hit the start button on the stopwatch and focus on the red dot. What you are trying to achieve is the point where the little voice in your head is silent. Then you have focused your concentration. The second you hear the little voice, stop and start over. Your first goal should be to reach 15 seconds, then 30, 45, 60 and so on. When you reach that level, only the dot will exist. It will actually seem to grow in size as you focus. It is much harder than it sounds and much more effective too. To focus your vision, try these two techniques: Point your empty pistol at a blank white wall. Don't cock the hammer or anything else, just point it at the white wall. If you use optics, make sure they are turned on. With optics, focus on the wall but "see" the dot. With iron sights, focus on the front sight. When I am focused, I can actually see the serrations on my front sight. Again, the idea is to turn off the little voice in your head. Build the length of time that you can hold that focus in the same way you did in the exercise above. The second way is to find a quiet spot to sit down and relax for about 10 minutes or so. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and relax. When you are relaxed, picture your front sight in your mind's eye. See it in crisp, clear, perfect detail. See everything clearly. Then, see the rear sight appear blurry with the front sight still in crisp focus. Also keeping the front sight in focus, see the alignment of the front sight in the rear sight notch. Then, see the sight picture in perfect alignment move up and to the right as the gun recoils, see it come back down to where it started from. Then see it move as the gun recoils and you drive the sight to the next target. Then see it settle after you stop shooting. Keep it focused for a while longer, then let it go. The goal again is to quiet that little voice (your conscious mind). The entire process should take about 10 minutes or so. If you do that at least 3 times a week, you focus and performance will improve.

For me. the match I was always trying to win was in my head. I knew that the only person who could beat me was myself and the only person I could truly beat was me. Rob or Brian told me many years ago that they would much rather shoot their best and come in second than not shoot well and win, especially if someone crashed and burned. I agree. The matches I won, I always stayed within myself. I never paid attention to what others did. In those days, I was running with the big dogs and I knew that if I saw someone run a smoking run, it may influence my shooting. So, I started making one of my primary goals to shoot my own match. That removed my conscious mind and ego from the process. In fact, many times I would have a walkman and be listening to music until I was in the hole. I found that when I stuck to my goal of shooting my match, I always did better. I think when we focus on winning as being beating someone else, we lose sight of the fact that shooting really is an inner game. If I shoot my match and accomplish all of the goals that I had set (none of which are tied to standings), then I know I am unbeatable. If I shoot my match and don't win the match, I am still satisfied.

Thank you Mr. Moneypenny, I am giving serious thought to shooting all the SS stuff.

My take on no shoots. Someone here taught me this years ago. I also shoot for the center of the visible target. However, what I think is more important is that I don't see, think about or acknowledge the no shoot. That is the key. You don't want to tell yourself "don't hit the no-shoot" because you are focusing on the no-shoot. It does not exist. The target is the only thing that you mind should be focused on.

Richard, show Todd the video. He will get a kick out of it. Then ask him about my house in VA. I have not actively competed for about 15 years. However, I was sponsored by several companies, won several matches, stages at the Nationals (but never the whole enchilada), and shot every match on the circuit for about 6 years. The range for all of those videos is 7 yards. That was how I was taught them. That is Rio Salado, one of the finest facilities anywhere. I am not a crackhead and Mr Nesbitt is exactly correct in the reference to my nickname. I don't hang out here near as much as I should. If you have any other questions, post em or PM. I am always happy to talk shooting. P.S. Thanks for the compliments.

Having been on both sides of the prize table, I have a solution. Before the classification system, prizes (when we had them) were awarded by overall finish (this is after all an individual sport). It was extremely prestigious to finish in the top 16. When the classification system was introduced, a lot of the old timers grumbled. I supported it. The purpose was to recognize the achievement of the individual shooters and provide them with a baseline by which to measure their skill nationwide. It was never the intent to effect prize distribution. Unfortunately, the class system became a way to sandbag to win a better prize, or shoot it so many times that you end up in a class that is really above your ability just to impress your friends. As a match director, I have tried several approaches which were unique at the time. They included letting the sponsor specify what class shooter the prize went to, lower entry fees and seperate prize structure for B,C,D class shooters, trophies for class winners and prizes by overall finish. None was perfect. The reason for competition should have nothing to do with winning a prize. It should be about your personal best. I would much rather place lower and know that I shot my best match than win knowing that I did not. My solution: Suck it up and be glad you get anything. The prizes are here by the grace of our sponsors. Prizes should be awarded by overall finish IMHO. However, the match director can decide to distribute them any way he sees fit. It is poor etiquette to shoot a match and then complain about what prize you recieve.

One additional point: If you are going to be moving from the barricade to the right, then you would especially want to shoot D,E,F. Your torso will be facing left while you are trying to move right. Not the smoothest way to move. As mentioned above, ideally you will fire your second shot at F as you are leaving the box. You won't be able to do that anywhere near as easily if you shoot F,E,D.

There are a couple of problems here. First, it seems that you have made a conscious decision to (in your own words) "shoot faster than I can really see." Then you (perhaps without realizing it) provide yourself with the solution: "I accept really sloppy target focus . . ." remove the word "target" from that sentence and you hit the nail on the head. Learn to shoot your sights. If the sights are aligned, break the shot. For a close up shot, the alignment doesn't have to be very fine. If the sights aren't aligned then don't break the shot until they are. You don't become fast by trying to be fast. You become fast by becoming smooth. Remember: SPEED=ECONOMY OF MOTION Another mistake I read in your statements is that accuracy, speed, misses, whatever "show up". They dont, you allow them to happen. Push yourself in practice, not in a match. Perfect your technique when you dryfire. Strive to eliminate all uneccessary motion. At your level, learning how to move properly will help trim your times. Work on quick sight acquisition - if you know where your sights are, you know where the bullet will hit. Then when you practice, push your limits. If you have a video camera, tape each practice and critique it or better yet, have a M/GM shooter critique it (send it to me, I'll critique it). Video is one of the best training tools available. At match time, shoot your ability. Learn how to put your mind in neutral and shoot what you see. At "B" level, you should also start learning the mental game. If you haven't figured it out, shooting is 98% mental. Learn to focus your concentration, to remove your conscious mind from the equation. You want to rewire your brain so that there is a direct link between your trigger finger and your eyes. When you reach that level, time is irrelevant. You shoot your sights as you see them. Don't worrry about becoming "Fast". Work on being consistent. The biggest lesson I learned from Rob and the single thing that I think makes him so good is consistency.

Great points, Lurper...Heh, but there's still no consensus. I see shooting "ABC" first, and that's an excellent tip about moving so that the feet will be set for the inside shot on the 2nd array, but why would you then shoot "D"? Because it's your preference for transitioning the gun L->R? As a general rule, you should shoot left to right because the gun wants to move that way. Also, from the right side of the barricade, you want to shoot DEF because 1. if you are going to move that way(to the right), you want to be in a position that facilitates that movement (in fact, you should be firing your last shot at F as you take your first step but before your foot touches the ground outside of the box) 2. it is usually better to begin in the akward position and shoot out of it as you engage the rest of the targets. I picture it as winding and unwinding. You want to be in the akward shooting position for as short a time as possible. If you are an intermediate shooter, foot position and reducing the amount of unneccessary movement will put you ahead of your competition. If you are a M/GM then it will be completing the exercise smoothly that will make the difference. You won't get a consensus because the vast majority of shooters are intermediate level. I would venture that you would be much closer to a consensus if you asked only M/GM class shooters.

Shoot it abc def. Especially if there is a reload or movement into or out of the box behind the barricade. You don't want to be leaning to the left if you have to move to your right to the next box or vice versa. Use the natural movement of your gun during the recoil cycle (right and up) to speed up your transitions. Unless the ranges are great (35 yds. +) you don't gain any advantage by indexing on the hardest shot because of the barricade. If the angles are severe, your foot position is perhaps more important. If you have to lean way out to hit the inner most target of the array, start with your feet in the position that most comfortably allows you to do so. With a wide barricade, find the same foot position for the other side. Engage the first array, move your feet to the next position and engage the next array. This is where an intermediate shooter will save time. Most people have trouble with barricades. While they are moving their feet around (which is burning up time), you have a stable platform. Remember: SPEED = ECONOMY OF MOTION. If possible, set your stance to where you don't have to move your feet at all to engage all of the targets. When it's not possible, set up in a way that will require the least amount of movement to engage all of the targets. Also, don't touch the barricade with your hand or your gun as a general rule.

Stuck, Many people misunderstand grip. The grip doesn't come from squeezing your hand (s) like you would squeeze and udder. Two handed grip comes from a pinching action between strong and weak hand. Start by gripping the gun in the same fashion you would if you were going to shake someone's hand. You should keep your strong-hand thumb as high as possible. This helps get your arms in line w/the axis of the bore. The more in line w/the axis of the bore the more contol you will have. Place the heel of the palm on the grip in the open area left by your strong hand. Rotate your weak hand slightly forward so that your strong hand thumbnail is sort of on top and next to the first knuckle on your weak hand thumb (the reason for rotating your wrist is to get your weak arm at the same angle as your strong one - the gun will be centered in front of your dominant eye, not your body). Your weak hand thumb should end up about parallel with the slide, just underneath it - mine hits my scope mount on my open gun, just under the slide on iron sighted guns. Whether or not you touch the gun with your weak thumb is immaterial. If you choose to place your weak hand thumb on the gun, you need to be sure that you exert no pressure with it. Your entire grip should be neutral. That is where the problem you are having now is coming from. Don't squeeze the gun with either hand, just hold it. Hold it the way you would a greased egg or a steering wheel. Any more squeeze will result in muzzle tremors and many other issues. I prefer more finger on the trigger than many people. From my experiments I can achieve faster splits (about .11) if I get almost to the first knuckle of my trigger finger on the trigger. I used to have my triggers custom made. The danger with that is if you get too much finger on the trigger, you will lose neutrality and push the gun left as you pull the trigger. Get a stop watch and hold it the way you hold your gun. Hit the start/stop button twice. Check your split times and watch to make sure you aren't pushing the stopwatch sideways when you press the button. Experiment with how much finger to put on the trigger to get your fastest split times. This will also help you to eliminate the stress in your grip (milking). I have a video of this, I just don't know how to upload it. The key to remember is that your grip should be neutral.

Daniel, I think you missed the point of my earlier post, so let me restate it. If courses are properly designed there is no reason for L10 including restrictive state laws. 6 shot arrays with some movement between arrays negates any advantage. What I find troubling is the defeatist mindset that capacity makes a difference. On a properly designed course, TGO, Todd or any of the other great shooters with single stacks will still win over high cap. As I said in my first post, I don't have a strong opinion of L10 either way. I just think that there is no reason for it. While I sympathize with those who live in those people's republics, the solution to their problems doesn't lie within the USPSA rules.

Yes, I do. With no limits we would all be shooting MAC-10's for the 30 round capacity. As fun as that much be, it isn't really practical. And that pesky P is still in the name of the sport. No one in their right mind would carry a Open gun or even keep one in their night stand, for more reasons then I want to list. Most Limited guns are only a step behind, some of them are actual "real" guns. If you break up the game into open, stock, revolver, with no capacity limit, you just kicked out that P and all new shooters who don't own a super wiz bang, never needs to be reloaded, open gun with a Dillon 650 attached to the bottom of it. What someone carries has nothing to do with the sport. I believe that in the old days there was much more "P" than there is today, so I don't understand how you arrived at your conclusion. Oh really? So in the old days when you run what you brung didn't count? Open class was the only class. Comps and open sights don't make winners and losers, ask the Burner. Good shooters make winners and losers. IF courses are properly designed, the only advantage high caps have is one less chance for a mistake. There are plenty of good shooters with single stacks that will beat good shooters with high cap. When the stages are designed properly, high cap has no real advantage. Properly designed courses negate the need for any classes other than open, stock, revolver. As for our friends in restrictive states, the best thing we can do to help them is to advocate that they become politically involved. One of the premises of limiting magazine capacity is that there is no "sporting" use of high capacity magazines. By limiting the number of rounds loaded, we are making a de facto argument that supports that premise.

You hit the core of the issue that no one seems to notice. IF a course is properly designed, there should be little or no advantage to magazine capacity. In the early years, most shooting positions had 6 shot arrays. That was considered a neutral set-up. If that concept was followed, competitve advantage through magazine capacity would be a non-issue. The problem is that it requires more work on the match director/course designer. The other issue is that as more people joined the sport, some of the better ideas were not passed on. I don't particularly care for the other classes outside of open either way. If it were up to me, there would be three classes: open, stock and revolver. No arbitrary limits on mag capacity (it's ironic how we blast congress for imposing an arbitrary limit and then do the same) or anything else. The reality is that a good shooter is competitive in any class with any gun. Shooters should strive to become a good shooter, not a good L10, productionor open shooter. I find the mindset that we need to bend the rules or create new classes to attract new sponsors/shooters troubling. The sport grew before this mindset creeped in and would have continued to grow without it. Do you really think the sport would be less fun without all of the different classes?

I didn't take it personally SA, I thought you were making reference to my statement about the "B" class national champion telling me that he had sandbagged all year just to make sure he won. That was more than 10 years ago and obviously it still bothers me. BTW I have not spoken to him since. I just wanted to point out that my opinions come from experience on both sides of the match picture.