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How do we catch the GM's?


Tinyvic77

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I get more out of showing new shooters to our sport the ropes, than any M or GM card would ever give me...

That's a great attitude. I think sometimes I lose focus of what my priorities are when I shoot

1. Have Fun

2. Get Better

3. Win

Number 3 takes over a lot of times at the expense of 1 and 2.

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I used to do all ofthat, knee deep in brass 4 nites a week, dry firing EVERY free moment, was shooting 9 matches a month, and believe it or not, nope, i didnt make GM, or even M, god knows i wanted it, it just isnt in the cards for me, the upside for this is that I am an A class shooter, who now, likes passing on the 20 yrs of knowlege that I have garnered over the yrs in the silly sport(this yr will be 21) I get more out of showing new shooters to our sport the ropes, than any M or GM card would ever give me...

I'd like to see the details of your training regimen if that's the case. Did you hang on to your log books?

I would suggest that the question/mindset not be how to catch the GM's, but how do I surpass the GM's. Having just made B at 61, I don't think I'll get there, but there are those who will.

True, but I'd say worry about getting the base skill sets of a GM first, and then we will program the areas you need to work on to surpass them.

Largely, I don't believe they are much different - although shooting IQ is a big part of it.

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Does anyone think that there comes a time when you just don't have the physical attributes any more (because of age, poor eyesight, decreased speed/reaction time/endurance/strength, etc.) to make GM?

I started in USPSA 10 years ago this spring. My journey went C class, B, A, Master, GM, then I was moved back to A class when "stuff" happened. This topic has been beaten to pieces, but making GM for me was just a matter of devoting the resources. Then again, I did come into the sport with a substantial history in some of the more precision oriented shooting sports.

At the last match above club level that I shot, Ron Avery watched me shoot a stage that had quite a bit of movement involved. I had taken a class from Avery many years earlier and after I shot he simply asked, "What's the matter with you?" I replied something to the effect of, "Arthritis, surgically altered joints, half blind, and out of shape." To be honest, the most important factor on that stage was just being out of shape.

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thats just it, Jake, back in the day, there wasnt the wealth of information that we have now (internet) noone was out there doing classes or video's on how to get better, we were for all intents an purposes just flingin leaddown range with nary a purpose, cept maybe to enhance the muscle memory aspect of it all....we...I admittidly did all kinds of things wrong that hampered my progress, BUUUUUUUUT hindsight being what it is, allthat being said, it has made me a better, if not smarter shooter inthis sport than I ever was, and like i said before, now??? I get a bigger kick out of showing s new shooter the ropes, and to see the look ontheir faces when they come off a stage, that together we worked outtheir gameplan and it all worked out forthem, and they 'get it' and more importantly they arnt overwhelmed by it all, and COME BACK THE NEXT MONTH for another match

thats why i dont care if i see GM....

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Several thoughts here.

First off, TGO's quote about the game being simple, but not easy, is very true. This game is hardly complex and is largely about efficiency. If one can figure out how to be MOST efficient, then you can get there.

The title of the thread does have one implication. One difference. "Catching" the GM is difficult because most GM's don't really know what to catch. They don't know what's on the "other side" because every time they aspire to be just a bit better tomorrow than they are today. In that spirit, there is no catching. No "getting to 95%". The goal is to get to 100%. And when you get there, go further.

99% of what you need to know is in this forum. Hell, for that matter 95% of what you need to know is in XRE's post. Here's the deal though. You ever had an employee that you coached, talked through what they need to improve on, and though they understood what you said and they half assed applied it you could tell they didn't really apply it? That happens a lot in this game. I've referenced a hundred times in these forums my own personal example with turning my shoulders in a golf swing. At the end of the day the information needed to get where you need to is both in these forums and likely inside of you. The question is, do you know what you do well? And do you know what you don't do well. And are you willing to work on what you don't do well if in fact you can recognize it?

The other day I was at work and our CEO said to me that he at times wonders if we believe our own bullshit. If we really do well at what we believe we do well. I believe a lot of paper GM's believe their own bs. It's why they aren't in the mix at a big match. That is also why several Masters tend to be in the mix. Want to know who is striving to be better?

I remember days when I would set up a stage and say to myself "this is the final stage at nationals, you are in the running with two or three other guys. This is it" At the same time, I was practicing my exception speech. And when I shot, I shot believing that was the final stage at the national championship. If I shot it well, I wondered what I could do better. If I shot it poorly, the rest of the practice was spent fixing what went wrong. Again. And again. And again. And the next practice session? Do it again. Prove you can do it - over and over and over. And then, figure out how to do it better.

But I'm not in agreement with the whole "give up your life, family, job and dog" approach. As I said earlier - making GM is about efficiency. Always has been. Be efficient in practice. Believe and dedicate to it - and you won't need to give up your life to get there. Practice with no goals, no objectives, and no pushing - you'll need beyond a lifetime. If you shoot a match and really begin to understand your areas of opportunities - then dedicate every practice to improving them until a match pops up where those skills are a huge strength. Then figure out the next weakness. In that loop, it is entirely conceivable that your "strength" of today could become your "weakness" of tomorrow as you evolve. As you pick what to work on. As your game gets better, six sigma begins to take place - picking apart even the smallest parts of your game. It is in this type of thought process that the "list" of things to improve never goes away. It simply changes as you improve.

If you go and shoot a bill drill within the established 2 seconds, and you say because you can do that you should be "there" then the whole brain factor alone is going to inhibit really being there. If you shoot a bill drill in 2.31 seconds, and that is the best you can do to your ability, and even still you know there is so much better and you realize you have to figure out how to get to 2.28 seconds - your brain is already in a better place. You aren't practicing to practice. You're practicing to get better. Be better tomorrow than you are today. ALWAYS. So when you get to that .55 draw - you can only figure out how to get it to .54. Not because you should, but because in your heart you know you can.

Competitive shooting is not about time put in, not about dedication, not about ego, and not about personality. It's about performance. That performance is driven by zero mistakes and extreme efficiency. However you have to get there is your choice.

Catching a GM means chasing what is beyond any GM you know. Shoot for Mars, land on the moon. But once you're on the moon, shoot for Saturn. Because someone knows you're on the moon, and they are going to figure out that Mars thing.

Jack

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There is a great book called Outliers. It describes those people who lie outside the norm. Canadian Jr Hockey, Bill Gates, etc. The 10,000 hours is a magic number in this book also. There is a chapter on tracking Genius level students in CA. It divides them into three groups; high achievers, moderately successful, and not so successful. Remember, they all have the same intelligence level. It was environmental factors that made the difference. Some environmental factors are out of your control while a great many are in your control.

My take on the conclusions is you may not innately have the fastest reaction time but you can work on all aspects of the game and improve to achieve success. You may have some physical constraints or limitations on your talents but that is only one part of the success formula. As others have stated, excellence lies in how you dedicate your resources in a plan that achieves your personal goals.

Strategy for Success

Do a current assessment of skills and talent.

Form a plan

Measure performance

Modify the plan

Repeat steps 1-4 over and over again

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Several thoughts here.

First off, TGO's quote about the game being simple, but not easy, is very true. This game is hardly complex and is largely about efficiency. If one can figure out how to be MOST efficient, then you can get there.

The title of the thread does have one implication. One difference. "Catching" the GM is difficult because most GM's don't really know what to catch. They don't know what's on the "other side" because every time they aspire to be just a bit better tomorrow than they are today. In that spirit, there is no catching. No "getting to 95%". The goal is to get to 100%. And when you get there, go further.

99% of what you need to know is in this forum. Hell, for that matter 95% of what you need to know is in XRE's post. Here's the deal though. You ever had an employee that you coached, talked through what they need to improve on, and though they understood what you said and they half assed applied it you could tell they didn't really apply it? That happens a lot in this game. I've referenced a hundred times in these forums my own personal example with turning my shoulders in a golf swing. At the end of the day the information needed to get where you need to is both in these forums and likely inside of you. The question is, do you know what you do well? And do you know what you don't do well. And are you willing to work on what you don't do well if in fact you can recognize it?

The other day I was at work and our CEO said to me that he at times wonders if we believe our own bullshit. If we really do well at what we believe we do well. I believe a lot of paper GM's believe their own bs. It's why they aren't in the mix at a big match. That is also why several Masters tend to be in the mix. Want to know who is striving to be better?

I remember days when I would set up a stage and say to myself "this is the final stage at nationals, you are in the running with two or three other guys. This is it" At the same time, I was practicing my exception speech. And when I shot, I shot believing that was the final stage at the national championship. If I shot it well, I wondered what I could do better. If I shot it poorly, the rest of the practice was spent fixing what went wrong. Again. And again. And again. And the next practice session? Do it again. Prove you can do it - over and over and over. And then, figure out how to do it better.

But I'm not in agreement with the whole "give up your life, family, job and dog" approach. As I said earlier - making GM is about efficiency. Always has been. Be efficient in practice. Believe and dedicate to it - and you won't need to give up your life to get there. Practice with no goals, no objectives, and no pushing - you'll need beyond a lifetime. If you shoot a match and really begin to understand your areas of opportunities - then dedicate every practice to improving them until a match pops up where those skills are a huge strength. Then figure out the next weakness. In that loop, it is entirely conceivable that your "strength" of today could become your "weakness" of tomorrow as you evolve. As you pick what to work on. As your game gets better, six sigma begins to take place - picking apart even the smallest parts of your game. It is in this type of thought process that the "list" of things to improve never goes away. It simply changes as you improve.

If you go and shoot a bill drill within the established 2 seconds, and you say because you can do that you should be "there" then the whole brain factor alone is going to inhibit really being there. If you shoot a bill drill in 2.31 seconds, and that is the best you can do to your ability, and even still you know there is so much better and you realize you have to figure out how to get to 2.28 seconds - your brain is already in a better place. You aren't practicing to practice. You're practicing to get better. Be better tomorrow than you are today. ALWAYS. So when you get to that .55 draw - you can only figure out how to get it to .54. Not because you should, but because in your heart you know you can.

Competitive shooting is not about time put in, not about dedication, not about ego, and not about personality. It's about performance. That performance is driven by zero mistakes and extreme efficiency. However you have to get there is your choice.

Catching a GM means chasing what is beyond any GM you know. Shoot for Mars, land on the moon. But once you're on the moon, shoot for Saturn. Because someone knows you're on the moon, and they are going to figure out that Mars thing.

Jack

Jack,

Thanks for taking the time to make a great post! :cheers:

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Not a big fan of T-Nation personally - for all the obvious reasons.

They do have some decent posts on there though.

But I'm not in agreement with the whole "give up your life, family, job and dog" approach.

That isn't how it has to be in 100% of the cases at all. My point is, if you want to be the best or among the best, you sure better be willing to do what's necessary to get there.

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That performance is driven by zero mistakes and extreme efficiency.
Isn't that also true of winning at any ability level?

I have pm'd back and forth with j1b off and on for many years. Jack was one of the primary forces that motivated me to develop my shooting skills, along with Brian, Sam, Jake, Flex, and countless others. From day one I never doubted I could develop the pure shooting skills required to shoot GM scores on demand from Box A. Deep down I have never felt I could develop the ability required to apply those shooting skills effectively in a competitive venue. I didn't commit the necessary resources when I was at the top of my game (as far as the fundamentals of making the shot). As I look back, I too bought into my own bullshit, and I defeated myself from the start. That's the difference between a champion and one who tinkers at this sport for fun. Of course, there is nothing wrong with tinkering. :lol:

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I struggle with using skill level ranking systems which set predetermined limits of performance to a level that is set by others performance results. Such as “I want to be the best shooter in my club, or division, or state”. This also applies to the USPSA classification system. I don’t want to set a goal of achieving some percentage level of shooting classifiers. Who really knows what the rating system is based on? Just because I am able to shoot a particular classifier at whatever percent does not fully define the ability of my shooting. I also don’t want a preset limitation of what maximum performance really is. Who cares what the 100% Hit Factor is on a given classifier. If you strive to perfect your shooting and are shooting to the best of your current ability does your classifier result really matter? When you base the results of your performance on an “Outside” rating system it usually only ends up being an ego stroke or blow based on how you do. You should know if you shot a stage to the best of your ability or not. If you are using classifier results as a yard stick to see how good or bad you are doing, you are missing something huge in your skills tool box. You should KNOW if you are performing good or bad. Just like they use to say in the 80’s G.I. Joe cartoons “Knowing is half the battle”. You need to be able to evaluate your own performance so you can modify your goals to take your skills to the next level.

With all of that said, to put it into perspective with regards to this topic, I don’t want to catch GM’s in performance. I want to work hard to perform to the best of my ability. Where that lands me on the USPSA Classification system does not really matter to me. What matters is that I am honest with myself and earn what it takes to be the best shooter I can be. But on the priority list I have to put performance below enjoyment. If I am not having fun with shooting and competing then its not worth the effort to be the best I can be. If being the “Best” erodes the fundamental of having fun while shooting then I have failed no matter how good or bad I am able to perform. Sure I like to compete and try my best to shoot to the best of my abilities, but I also consider having fun and enjoying time with my friends are the range just as important. I would rather have a crappy shooting performance and have a great time with friends while sucking, verses winning and not having any fun. But these are my priorities.

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So the last few weeks I have been on the forums trying to find different ways to practice and make myself a better all around shooter. I read through posts on dry fire, live fire, the mental side of the game, and anything in between. My goal was to try to develop a system for myself that would help me catch the guys who are leading in my division. I am a B class shooter. I have worked for my B and am damn proud of it. Some higher ranked shooters probably think thats not a big deal. To some of us it is.

Ok, so on to the point. My question is, what do the GM's do that make them so much better? A lot of people can pull the trigger fast and get average hits. Some are better at strong/weak hand shooting. Others are blessed with speed. The GM's, have it all. Every single aspect of the game is polished. For an average shooter like me, I strive to meet the same standards. I put in as much time into practice as possible. I want to make it into the M to GM class someday. So what is holding me back?

Its the basics. Working on the stuff that I am not great at. Sure I'm ok strong/weak handed, but I'm not great. I lack confidence in that area. I don't pick up my sights like I should every time.

It is amazing how many people on here, me included at times, have a reason that some thing didn't go the way we wanted it to. It was the gun, the ammo, the buzzer, ect. Its never us.

So I guess the whole reason I am writing this post is to say one thing.....shut up!!!! To myself, and to everyone who blames why they are shooting poorly on everything but themselves. I understand stuff happens, but it almost always comes back to the shooter.

So I am going to strive to push myself to work on the most boring, weakest area's off my shooting until I get my M. Might take 6 months, might take 6 years. But I am not gonna blame it on anything but me.

Not personal.

Your right its pretty much YOU that determines success or failure. I have only been screwed over a very few times in twenty years and could blame another for a failure.

Your title says a lot. Its not "we" its "I". You have made a decision to improve but I challenge you to REALLY decide. Making the letters GM is a by product of a decision to reach a goal. Why not say, I will be a M in Limited by Sept 1 and I will get there by dryfiring 6 times a week for 30 minutes,I will go to the range twice a week shootiing at least 300 rds per session, I will shoot 4 club matches and 2 steel matches a month with increasing higher placements with a HOA by June 1. I will start squading with Mr Speed at the club match. I will shoot 5 majors with a goal to place at 75% or higher. I will read Sal's/Steve's/Matt's book/DVD by April 1 and apply their drills and techniques with s specific plan of action. In fact I will track a specific set of skills like draw/reload/Elprez/Movement with standard drills to see improvement.

Here is a very important attitude. I will not be able to say phrases like "my weak hand shooting is ok" by Aug 1.

This is large part of what it takes to make M/GM and I'll give you another hard cruel fact. Winning M/GM is another demanding improvement process.

As to being a natural? Well once you learn how to get good at something you can apply a lot of skills to another sport. Some Masters in say, dirt bike riding or golf, start shooting with us and advance faster than average and some people see them as gifted or worse that you need to be gifted to become a M. Those Masters already did their 10,000 hours and you do get some credit for that. Some "transfers" think you get full credit for it and I get a little tired of their intenseness but only thing that counts is the final results.

Its Blood, Sweat and Tears to become a M/GM. Period.

Good luck but you really don't need it.

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Cha-lee,

In my eyes, I use classes simply as a guideline for skill level. For example, if I know the layout of a particular stage, and I know the score of a shooter on that stage, I place them in a certain class based on what I think each class is capable of performing.

When you hear me talking about any class, I'm not at all talking about percentages or the actual class system. I'm talking about the skill sets and level I believe someone of that class should have.

As another example, take the Bill Drill.

If a shooter cleans a 1.8 Bill Drill, regardless of what their actual class is, I view that as a Master level performance. If the same person then shoots an El Prez in 6.0 with 55 points, I view that as a B level performance (even though it comes in as A class percentage wise).

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Well put, Jack! :)

But I'm not in agreement with the whole "give up your life, family, job and dog" approach.

That isn't how it has to be in 100% of the cases at all. My point is, if you want to be the best or among the best, you sure better be willing to do what's necessary to get there.

There's a big part of "know thyself" here, too - if I try to do the 100% full commit style of going at it, I burn myself out in a big hurry (got the T-shirt on that one). I've found (through hard won experience) that I actually do better if I take a more balanced approach to it. My practice time yields more results. I still have to do the work - I can't sit on my kiester and expect much out of it, obviously. But, for me, in some ways, less is more. For others, being a "grinder" (to use a golf term) works best. I think you have to experiment with it, and figure out what style actually provides the best results. But, either way, you better be willing to figure it out, and do what it takes - the "couch potato" method won't get you anywhere but fat and sloppy. I think that's an extremely valid point, and I think you're both making it in different ways ;)

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Several thoughts here.

First off, TGO's quote about the game being simple, but not easy, is very true. This game is hardly complex and is largely about efficiency. If one can figure out how to be MOST efficient, then you can get there.

The title of the thread does have one implication. One difference. "Catching" the GM is difficult because most GM's don't really know what to catch. They don't know what's on the "other side" because every time they aspire to be just a bit better tomorrow than they are today. In that spirit, there is no catching. No "getting to 95%". The goal is to get to 100%. And when you get there, go further.

99% of what you need to know is in this forum. Hell, for that matter 95% of what you need to know is in XRE's post. Here's the deal though. You ever had an employee that you coached, talked through what they need to improve on, and though they understood what you said and they half assed applied it you could tell they didn't really apply it? That happens a lot in this game. I've referenced a hundred times in these forums my own personal example with turning my shoulders in a golf swing. At the end of the day the information needed to get where you need to is both in these forums and likely inside of you. The question is, do you know what you do well? And do you know what you don't do well. And are you willing to work on what you don't do well if in fact you can recognize it?

The other day I was at work and our CEO said to me that he at times wonders if we believe our own bullshit. If we really do well at what we believe we do well. I believe a lot of paper GM's believe their own bs. It's why they aren't in the mix at a big match. That is also why several Masters tend to be in the mix. Want to know who is striving to be better?

I remember days when I would set up a stage and say to myself "this is the final stage at nationals, you are in the running with two or three other guys. This is it" At the same time, I was practicing my exception speech. And when I shot, I shot believing that was the final stage at the national championship. If I shot it well, I wondered what I could do better. If I shot it poorly, the rest of the practice was spent fixing what went wrong. Again. And again. And again. And the next practice session? Do it again. Prove you can do it - over and over and over. And then, figure out how to do it better.

But I'm not in agreement with the whole "give up your life, family, job and dog" approach. As I said earlier - making GM is about efficiency. Always has been. Be efficient in practice. Believe and dedicate to it - and you won't need to give up your life to get there. Practice with no goals, no objectives, and no pushing - you'll need beyond a lifetime. If you shoot a match and really begin to understand your areas of opportunities - then dedicate every practice to improving them until a match pops up where those skills are a huge strength. Then figure out the next weakness. In that loop, it is entirely conceivable that your "strength" of today could become your "weakness" of tomorrow as you evolve. As you pick what to work on. As your game gets better, six sigma begins to take place - picking apart even the smallest parts of your game. It is in this type of thought process that the "list" of things to improve never goes away. It simply changes as you improve.

If you go and shoot a bill drill within the established 2 seconds, and you say because you can do that you should be "there" then the whole brain factor alone is going to inhibit really being there. If you shoot a bill drill in 2.31 seconds, and that is the best you can do to your ability, and even still you know there is so much better and you realize you have to figure out how to get to 2.28 seconds - your brain is already in a better place. You aren't practicing to practice. You're practicing to get better. Be better tomorrow than you are today. ALWAYS. So when you get to that .55 draw - you can only figure out how to get it to .54. Not because you should, but because in your heart you know you can.

Competitive shooting is not about time put in, not about dedication, not about ego, and not about personality. It's about performance. That performance is driven by zero mistakes and extreme efficiency. However you have to get there is your choice.

Catching a GM means chasing what is beyond any GM you know. Shoot for Mars, land on the moon. But once you're on the moon, shoot for Saturn. Because someone knows you're on the moon, and they are going to figure out that Mars thing.

Jack

Jack,

Thanks for taking the time to make a great post! :cheers

Great response Jack, totally agree.

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CHA-LEE:

Nothing wrong with your philosophy. Unfortunately, life is based on comparisons, whether it be raises in the work place, grades at school, or levels of performance in a sport. Wanting to simply do your best is fine, but how do you set goals if you don't quantify performance?

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This has been said in different ways in this thread.

There was not a classification system when I started shooting IPSC. Which in some ways was a good thing. I didn't "stop" with GM's.

I had one goal: Figure out what I need to do and not do to conistently beat every one at the match.

be

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That performance is driven by zero mistakes and extreme efficiency.
Isn't that also true of winning at any ability level?

I have pm'd back and forth with j1b off and on for many years. Jack was one of the primary forces that motivated me to develop my shooting skills, along with Brian, Sam, Jake, Flex, and countless others. From day one I never doubted I could develop the pure shooting skills required to shoot GM scores on demand from Box A. Deep down I have never felt I could develop the ability required to apply those shooting skills effectively in a competitive venue. I didn't commit the necessary resources when I was at the top of my game (as far as the fundamentals of making the shot). As I look back, I too bought into my own bullshit, and I defeated myself from the start. That's the difference between a champion and one who tinkers at this sport for fun. Of course, there is nothing wrong with tinkering. :lol:

Thanks Ron. I do also agree that yes, flawless execution complimented with extreme efficiency yields success in basically anything.

As you and I both know, I think we both have likely gone through those times of believing our own BS. For me the fact is that for most of my career I wasn't doing everything that I thought I was doing. It's just a fact.

And thanks to all the great replies and thoughts - particularly to the OP.

I had two other thoughts about all of this after I read the thread again. I think the road to continuous improvement is hard. I don't know how else to say it, I think if you're a person that inherently just has to get better at whatever it is you do - I think that's hard. Because it means always figuring out how to do better what you're already trying to do as best you can. But you have to. Because it was said earlier, winning as a GM is harder than making GM. But once you make GM the next goal would (likely) be winning as a GM. And then once you win as a GM at a local level or whatever, then the goal would be something like winning a state championship. And once you get that state championship, you'll obviously want to go and win an Area championship. Then you win one of those and really like it, so you gotta go win a couple more. And once you win a couple of area championships then clearly Nationals has got to be in the scope. Win nationals and then all of the sudden you have to go figure out how to win Worlds.

Every step means being better. Better this match than the last.

This weaves into my other thought. I hear a good number of times about just executing what you can execute. Do the best you possibly can within your skill set, and when you've done that then really be pleased with that accomplishment - regardless of where it lands you. THe biggest challenge in all of this is that we don't know what we don't know. I don't know what I don't know. You don't know what you don't know. So yes, I agree that executing what you can execute is really critical to any real success. The thing I would always encourage is expanding what you can do. So that what you have to execute against as a base grows. It wasn't 20 years ago that shooting a sub 5 second el pres was considered pretty freakin' amazing. Now a days it probably wouldn't keep you in the top 20 on that stage. I don't know if we'll ever see an intentional IPSC draw on a 7 yard target A hit in .40 seconds that wasn't an AD. I don't know if it'll ever happen. I don't know if I can do it. Doesn't feel like I can do that today - it's pretty damn tough for me to get a .80 second draw much less a .40. But I remember working so hard for a sub .70 second draw (many years ago) .71, .74, .71, .77 - and then one magical moment, after hundreds of draws - .67. Nearly immediately the goal switched to a .65.

But that's how it works. In the time it took to do the .67 draw, reholster the gun, look down at the timer, relish the new achievement - the goal changed. What is that? 5 seconds? Maybe 10 seconds if I really beamed after the shot. After hours of draws, in 10 seconds the goal changed. And likely I wasn't aggressive enough. Given the times, I probably should have shot for sub .60. And if every time you see success the goal gets higher then is it inconceivable to shoot a .40? Again - it feel out there to me (for me). But it sure could be out there. Somewhere.

So it's all hard. It's fun. It's rewarding. But it is hard. And that "yearning" doesn't go away. Or at least it didn't for me. After I made GM I wanted that state championship. And after that state championship I wanted . . . you catch the drift.

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This has been a fantastic thread and Kudos to some of the great shooters that have taken the time to post some very in depth responses. I've earmarked the thread and will reread it on a regular basis.

Personally at 54, I'm not sure I want or can dedicate the kind of effort that would be required to ever make GM. I have(thanks to this thread) though ramped up my practice to include more focus and attention to detail.

With recent use of video I have come to realize the importance of the mental aspect of the game. After disecting some of these videos, things I thought were inherent weaknesses in my game are not hurting near as much as I once believed.

Again, thanks Dave, Jake and the rest of the great shooters who have contributed to this thread, It has been enlightening to say the least.cheers.gif

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