Is there a secret to developing "Visual Patience"?

[Flexmoney]

Something that I post from time to time, but few seem to really latch onto... (maybe I got it wrong )

I consider the near and distant targets backwards of most everybody else. Why? Because we get a hit factor for the entire stage. It's not target specific.

I make sure to collect the maximum amount of points on the easy targets. Those are free Alphas. Others will come up to a quick hoser array of targets and just spray across them. Looks cool. Drops points. And, it really doesn't save enough time to make a relative improvement in the hit factor. In fact, the time saved by spraying on a hoser array will seldom improve the hit factor, when the points lost are factored in. I want to collect those easy Alphas. They are like freebies.

In the same line of thinking... Burning up a lot of time on distant targets might not offset the points gained.

[38supPat]

There's a fixed time classifier that is a great example of this. Partial people eaters 99-40. I see this shot horribly almost every time it is used. There are 4 strings all strings are 6 targets 1 shot each per string:

20 yds freestyle in 4 seconds

15 yds strong hand in 4 seconds

10 yds weak hand in 4 seconds

5 yds freestyle in 4 seconds

Most shooters will try to rip off the 6 rounds at the first three distances, though they are unlikely to make the times instead of just settling down and getting as many A's as possible in the time allowed. Then at 5 yds where it is pretty easy to get 6 A's in 4 seconds, they will still rip the 6 shots off instead of slowing down and getting 6 guaranteed A's

[benos]

I make sure to collect the maximum amount of points on the easy targets. Those are free Alphas. Others will come up to a quick hoser array of targets and just spray across them. Looks cool. Drops points. And, it really doesn't save enough time to make a relative improvement in the hit factor. In fact, the time saved by spraying on a hoser array will seldom improve the hit factor, when the points lost are factored in. I want to collect those easy Alphas. They are like freebies.

Good stuff, that most every competitor could benefit from always applying.

Most levels of shooters, especially A, M, and GM, at 10 yards and closer, can't shoot hits any faster than they can shoot (and call) A's.

Think about that for awhile, and let it really settle in. Then make sure you always program yourself to do it.

be

[kfd147]

A friend of mine passed this drill on to me to help me with the same problem: he said it was the key to helping him to Master. I always call it the Daniel Drill—giving credit where credit is due.

Set up a target at 10 yds. I like to put a black paster down in the upper A zone for a more precise aim point.

Set a PAR time in your timer. I usually start with 3 or 3.25 seconds—whatever it takes to allow a normal draw and accomplish what is required in the following drill—then work to decrease the PAR time in stages.

At the first beep, draw and prep the trigger on the paster, but hold...don't break the shot until the instant of the second beep. The PAR time should be adjusted as necessary, just make sure you are leaving enough time to force you to hold momentarily on the target (and concentrate on that sight picture) as you improve.

Curtis

This I like. It is very easy to setup with other shooters around. Thanks.

Jason

[Dan-O-Mite]

Hardcover everything but the Alpha zone in practice.

A group of us started to place hard cover on targets at our weekly practice sessions, we had usually just used full targets. We started using half targets, "D" zone covered, "C+D" zone covered. We were all quite surprised on the first day of doing this, to get most of our mikes, on the FULL target! After seeing all he hard covered targets, the full one looked huge, and most of us just blasted at it without really aiming.

I really found this to be an eye opener for me. I didn't put many hits in the hard cover, and if I did it wasn't by much, so how could I miss a full targets at the same distance? I believe it just came down to being lazy with my focus/seeing. Thinking it was an easy target, no need to concentrate on the sights, just point and shoot right? Yeah sure.

After a few weeks of doing this, we went back to full targets. I find that overall, I get less misses now, but not because I practiced to shoot Alphas, but because I learned to see the sights for every shot. My confidence to be able to make hard shots increased, and it helped me to learn when to slowdown just a bit and see the sights.

I guess my point here is that I don't think that covering all but the "A" zone of the target in practice will be that benificial in a match with full targets, because you may get a little lazy thinking they are so big, how could you miss. I now try to put up a variety of tagets in my practices, about 6 to 8. Overlapping with scoring tagets and PT's, hard cover, and full ones. I just keep aiming for the "A" zone, whatever the targets looks like. I find it's more realistic to a match set-up, and this has been the most helpful for me.

[Flexmoney]

Dan-o-mite,

You might want to look up my thread on "target spot". It has a discussion that would seem to fit with your current line of thinking.

[seeds76]

The only way to "shut it off" is to not allow it into a position of power.

Your conscience mind can hold one thought at a time. You need to make that one though be the one positive thing your are looking for. In this case, it would seem to be visual patience

Can you put that in front of all other desires? Forget speed. Forget score. Forget looking cool. Forget shooting well.

Make proper vision you one and only desire.

When I have done that, I have shot great.

whoa.

[guns_and_labs]

A friend of mine passed this drill on to me to help me with the same problem: he said it was the key to helping him to Master. I always call it the Daniel Drill—giving credit where credit is due.

Set up a target at 10 yds. I like to put a black paster down in the upper A zone for a more precise aim point.

Set a PAR time in your timer. I usually start with 3 or 3.25 seconds—whatever it takes to allow a normal draw and accomplish what is required in the following drill—then work to decrease the PAR time in stages.

At the first beep, draw and prep the trigger on the paster, but hold...don't break the shot until the instant of the second beep. The PAR time should be adjusted as necessary, just make sure you are leaving enough time to force you to hold momentarily on the target (and concentrate on that sight picture) as you improve.

Curtis

I really like this drill. Sounds like it could be modified to also slow myself down on the plate racks, if I can figure out how to program the timer appropriately.

[Dan-O-Mite]

Dan-o-mite,

You might want to look up my thread on "target spot". It has a discussion that would seem to fit with your current line of thinking.

I found the thread, definately worth the read. I liked the line that someone wrote, Aim for "A", miss and get a "C", aim for brown, miss and get a Mike. So true.

Edited April 13, 2010 by Dan-O-Mite

[benos]

Dan-o-mite,

You might want to look up my thread on "target spot". It has a discussion that would seem to fit with your current line of thinking.

I found the thread, definately worth the read. I liked the line that someone wrote, Aim for "A", miss and get a "C", aim for brown, miss and get a Mike. So true.

Yes. Never (unless restricted by hardcover) aim for anything other than the A-box, especially in the Head Box!

be