best strategy to be competitive in production

[lugnut]

Funny, the more I read and learn the more it's all the same. I've come to the realization on a few things:

-Nothing substitutes for lots of good hard work, shortcuts don't exist.

-Shooting fast and accurate takes time to get good at.

-Make sure to learn from good shooters, take a class if you can.

-Faster times are mostly from running a COF more efficiently- not by shooting faster.

Simple isn't it?

[Sarge]

Pretty much.

[Sarge]

How many spare mags do you carry on your belt? I carry four.

I carry 5 and load my start mag from my pocket. That actually has become one of my mini preshot routines. No matter how small the stage, or even on a classifier, I do not step to the line without all my mags on board. I feel that will keep me from ever going to the line short someday.

[redbird1976]

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to respond. I'll add your advice to my bank of knowledge and employ it in the future. One last question, what do you look for when you break a stage down for production?

Thanks,

Thomas

[Sarge]

Economy of motion.

Edited to clarify economy of motion in every aspect. i.e. footwork, reloads and target arrays. But with alot of emphasis on reloads for me.

Edited March 13, 2010 by Duane Thomas

[Loves2Shoot]

The same thing you do for any division, how to get the most points with the least amount of movement.

[G-ManBart]

I've only been shooting USPSA for about a year and it seems that while production is the easiest division to get started in, it's the hardest to shoot well.

Honestly, I think Single Stack is a little harder. Yes, C's don't hurt as much, but you really have to shoot every stage like it's Virginia count...one makeup and you're stuck with slide lock reloads for the rest of the stage, and two makeups forces you into doing a standing reload (in many cases). I know a pretty good Production GM who just recently started shooting SS and he told me it's a lot harder for him.

For the OP, I normally run five mags on my belt, with a start mag in my pocket, for Production.

[j1b]

I'd agree with the economy of motion component as well.

The only other thing I do is look at the stage and how to shoot it for ME. Plenty of open guns and limited guns running these stages. Their path may be different. As has often been said, matches are generally won by who makes the least mistakes. So i try to plan my stages based on what I know I can execute - not what I think I can execute.

J

[sfinney]

Everyone has hit on the economy of motion and the "don't focus on speed" issue. One thing worth mentioning that touches on all that is that alot of times when someone is shooting slower than their natural pace in "gotta get A's" mode, is that EVERYTHING tends to slow down in the stage as deliberate as the shots themselves. If it takes another tenth per shot for you to see the sight picture you need to get A's instead of C's, so be it... but don't get caught in the trap of doing EVERYHTHING at that more deliverate pace...... your movement, reloads, everything except the actual shooting.... all should be at explosive speed. Learning to still be fast and efficient through the course overall, and yet still be patient on the sights, when you need to, is hard to master.

The extra time per shot to get an acceptable sight picture may add up to a second or two per stage, but the meandering aimlessly around the stage without explosive speed and efficient movement between the shots will be what sends your time upward out of control.

[Duane Thomas]

This may sound self-evident, but try to take a complex stage and simplify it as much as possible. For instance, let's say you have a stand and shoot stage that has a mix of targets at various distances, like there's a row of targets at 10 yards but in-between those targets you have static targets, drop turners, etc. at various closer distances. It looks like a carnival shooting arcade. It's overwhelming.

The temptation is to go for "economy of motion" and shoot everything left to right to save transition time. But that's going to entail shooting far out, close in, far out, close in, switching between targets of various types, as well. And somewhere in there, unless (probably) you're shooting Open or Limited, you're going to have to do a reload, and remember in-between exactly which of those very different targets the reload should take place. Why not just shoot all the close stuff first, do a reload, then shoot at that row of targets at the rear in one fast left to right pass instead?

You've taken something that seemed at first complex, isolated all the clutter that made it seem complex, and found that dealing with that part of the stage was actually really easy. Then, once you've gotten rid of the clutter, you find you're left with a very simple shooting problem. You have broken a seemingly complex stage down into two simple mini-stages with a reload in the middle. Just something to think about.

[eerw]

speed is speed, it's what it is. you can't make it go faster and you can't make it go slower. Just shoot, let that sight be the controlling factor.

Production is points. you cannot give those up in any shape or form.

you shoot a 28rnd stage and shoot 7 C's, you just gave up the equivalent of a miss.

Production is focus..points, reloads, stage planning.

[Sarge]

This may sound self-evident, but try to take a complex stage and simplify it as much as possible. For instance, let's say you have a stand and shoot stage that has a mix of targets at various distances, like there's a row of targets at 10 yards but in-between those targets you have static targets, drop turners, etc. at various closer distances. It looks like a carnival shooting arcade. It's overwhelming.

The temptation is to go for "economy of motion" and shoot everything left to right to save transition time. But that's going to entail shooting far out, close in, far out, close in, switching between targets of various types, as well. And somewhere in there, unless (probably) you're shooting Open or Limited, you're going to have to do a reload, and remember in-between exactly which of those very different targets the reload should take place. Why not just shoot all the close stuff first, do a reload, then shoot at that row of targets at the rear in one fast left to right pass instead?

You've taken something that seemed at first complex, isolated all the clutter that made it seem complex, and found that dealing with that part of the stage was actually really easy. Then, once you've gotten rid of the clutter, you find you're left with a very simple shooting problem. You have broken a seemingly complex stage down into two simple mini-stages with a reload in the middle. Just something to think about.

Duane, well put. But the way I used "economy of motion" would probably entail shooting it as you described. If you are shooting stationary then that part is solved. Now I look for the smoothest way to run the targets which would rarely be the way they look at first glance. During the walk through I look for various ways of running it and finally settle on one to practice a few times and then keep running it in my mind. In my short experience the best designed stages are the ones that lure you in with what looks like a cut and dried solution until you step in the box and see all the possibilities start to emerge.

[Strick]

So i try to plan my stages based on what I know I can execute - not what I think I can execute.

J

Excellent way to put it.

[Navysteve]

I'm not the best person to answer this question. I would say shoot your game. Everyone else is getting scored the same, unlike someone who shoots minor in Ltd,Ltd10,SS,Open. There is no one in production getting major score. I shoot production like I shoot L-10, I look for the most effective way then go when my front sight tells me to go. I also do a LOT of dry fire. I hope this helped.

Stephen Hogg Jr.

[benos]

Slowing down or speeding up = the wrong approach.

The trick lies in learning to see what you need to see so you can shoot each A at the earliest opportunity.

If you try to "slow down to shoot the points," your barrel will be pointed at the A-zone for some time before you actually fire the shot.

If you try to "speed up," you usually won't see enough to call your shots.

So it's better to forget both and learn how to keep your eyes open and "read the sights." Everything you need to know can be known by looking right in front of you.

be

More on this topic here.

[redbird1976]

Slowing down or speeding up = the wrong approach.

The trick lies in learning to see what you need to see so you can shoot each A at the earliest opportunity.

If you try to "slow down to shoot the points," your barrel will be pointed at the A-zone for some time before you actually fire the shot.

If you try to "speed up," you usually won't see enough to call your shots.

So it's better to forget both and learn how to keep your eyes open and "read the sights." Everything you need to know can be known by looking right in front of you.

be

More on this topic here.

In essence, what I'm getting from the posts is to pull a Henry David Thoreau and simplify, simplify, simplify.

Thanks for the input.

[G-ManBart]

In essence, what I'm getting from the posts is to pull a Henry David Thoreau and simplify, simplify, simplify.

Yeah, wasn't he that famous GM out of Massachusetts or something? Just kidding