Range Diary of Cy Soto

[Cy Soto]

I hadn't thought about the time advantage that was gained by keeping the eyes on the first target. The only reason I was looking at the box was because I was worried that I might catch the edge of the box with my foot and land on my butt. I do agree that, had I saved the extra second on the draw and first hit, I would have had a lot of extra time to make shoot the other two targets.

On the field stages you seem to be moving much better than you did at the last match.

Once again I have to agree with you here. I don't know what happened at Weld two weekends ago but I felt (and the video shows it quite clearly) very hesitant in my movement. I definitely need to spend a lot more time practicing movement drills.

Thanks a bunch for the great input!

[Cy Soto]

We had a great qualifier match at Weld County this past Sunday. The weather was a bit hot so I made sure to stay hydrated. This helped me maintain my focus throughout the day and avoid leg cramps later that night.

The day started on Berm 1 with an easy COF that specified a tabletop start with an empty gun. I have seen a lot of these starts lately and I have been practicing them during dry fire. I noticed that there is one thing that I do differently than most other shooters and this is that I use my off hand to “flip” the pistol into my shooting hand. The reason I am doing this is because it ensures a good grip on the gun (and, had the gun been loaded, I make sure not to engage the magazine release). The only issue that I see with this is that I then had to bring my off hand to my belt to retrieve the magazine which means that I lost some time on this movement. (**Note to self** You need to practice doing one handed table top starts and compare them against the current one using a timer).

If I had the opportunity to shoot this stage again I would have probably shot under the table first and engage the targets above the table as I stood up. I would have also shot all targets from behind the same side of the barricade.

At Stage 2 (0:27) I found the first of several “zebra” targets for the day. I have a self-imposed fear of “zebra” targets because I have had so many Mikes on these over the past few years. I know that my problem with them is that I don't follow-through on the sight and many times I end up squeezing my second shot just as I muscle the gun down on target, which 9 times out of 10 results on hit on hard cover on the left hand side of the target. I told myself that, because this “zebra” target was so close (about 5 yards), this wasn't going to be a factor. I told myself “just point-shoot the darn thing; at that distance you cannot miss”. Well, lo and behold, my second shot landed several inches into the hard cover on the left side of the target! Not only that but, on the other side of the COF I had another “zebra” target but, instead of hard cover, this one had No-Shoots on either side of the A-zone. Go figure... I did it again! This time it was my first hit that hit the wrong target. So much for not aiming...

Stage 3 (0:43) was the classifier named Cash 'n Carry. This was the same classier in which I made B a while back. Since we shot Stage 2 and Stage 3 back-to-back I was still a bit mad from my hit on the No-Shoot on the previous stage and didn't get a chance to “shake it off”. Needless to say, this classifier didn't go well either. Not just were my hits bad but, on top of that, as I advanced to the last shooting position, I slipped on the rug and shooting from a sitting position which was not my intention.

Stage 4 (1:00) was the only stage that I won this day. I had never shot a stage such as this one where poppers were used to open ports. I had decided to shoot it a certain way until a good buddy of mine (Josh H.) pointed out a quicker way to shoot it. He told me that if I shot the farthest popper (visible through the last port) from about the middle of the of the COF, I wouldn't have to wait for the second-to-last port to open. The only disadvantage that he pointed out was that I would have to do a reload while running backwards. I decided that since I practice tons of standing reloads during dry fire practice, reloading before leaving that position wouldn't be a problem and this is what I did.

I shot a couple of make up shots (one at the first port and one at the farthest) and it turns out that I didn't need to shoot either of these. I did so because I couldn't tell were my sight was when the shot fired and I want to force myself to call my shots properly. I knew these shots must have been on paper because of the proximity of the targets but I wanted to be certain.

We finished the day at berm 5 (1:32) where we shot a stage that was designed to be shot in two separate strings but, because issues with the Palms, was switched to a freestyle COF. This is where the “zebra” targets reared their heads once more... This stage went nothing like I planned it! Though everything was going well, once I got to my first “zebra” the little voice in the back of my mind began yelling “DON'T MISS” and, what do I do? I hit the darn barrel in front of the target! This threw off my count and, because I was so focused on coming back to it and making up my shots, I hurried my last shot on the target of the opposite side and get a Mike there too! :'-(

Throughout the day I noticed that all of my miss-called shots were hitting the targets on the left side. This is a clear indicator that I am strangling the pistol with my shooting hand and pushing my shots left. I keep telling myself that I need to balance my grip and put some more grip on my support hand. This is at the top of my priority when I dry fire but, once that buzzer goes off, I revert right back to doing it. I wish I could figure out a way to remind myself about this ten seconds before I shoot a stage...

Results: http://www.uspsa.org/mr/stage_display.php?local=1&clubid=ECO09&year=2010&match=07_18&dir=Production&file=Pistol_Finals.dat

Videos:

[MarkCO]

Using both hands to pick up a LOADED pistol is fastest. The reason most of us went one handed was to cut down on the load time. On stage 4, they tried to convince me to shoot it the way you did, but I felt the elimination of 5 yards of movement for going to the far port first and then working back uprange was worth it, still do.

Front sight an follow through is important for your friendly zebras, and steel. You shoot steel fine, so think of the zebras as 2 steel plates. If you push the gun through the point of aim on both shots, it will cost you maybe .05 per shot, but you won't get misses.

[Cy Soto]

I RO'd and shot this year's GSSF match for the first time this past weekend. Prior to the match, a lot of people mentioned that I should watch out for some of the newer shooter's gun-handling skills and I am happy to say that everyone that came to the line was very observant of the rules.

I had a wonderful time and even managed to make a few new friends in the process!

I wasn't going to shoot the match but it turns out that if you help with RO duties, you get to shoot one gun for free. A couple of good buddies of mine convinced me to sign up for a second gun and compete as a team which I did. Neither of my entries produced stellar results but I still managed to get some much needed practice. One thing I discovered is that, when you can't make up shots, you need to tell your trigger finger to stop pulling if the sights are not perfectly aligned. This match is an accuracy match; speed is not the primary concern here! I delta hit earns you an addition three seconds to your time so there is absolutely no reason to sacrifice points for speed; three seconds is an eternity!

This coming weekend is the USPSA Colorado State Match which I am not going to be shooting; I will be shooting a local IDPA match on Saturday instead.

[Cy Soto]

I shot a match today at Boulder Rifle Club. My wife signed us up with Squad 1 so that we could shoot the two indoor short stages before the heat got to be unbearable (as it is typically the case by mid-morning). Both of these COF's were very straight forward.

Stage 1 began with an unloaded pistol and all of the required magazines on a barrel and the shooter standing on two "X"s about ten feet up-range of the barrel. On signal, retrieve the gun and engage two targets from the left side of a wall, two more through a port, and the last two through the right side of the port. Stage 2 required one shot per target on an array of six partial targets, reload and repeat. I shot both of these well dropping only a few points and winning both of them in Production.

Stage 3 was a different story... This was a "box-to-box" stage where there was only one way to shoot it; no room for experimentation here! It began with a few open targets and some poppers at a distance of approximately 25yds. It took me a few extra shots to knock down a US Popper that was back there and I thought that would be the end of my troubles. Once I was done shooting from that box I had to run to a second one where we had to engage two poppers and a plate rack. I couldn't hit those plates for anything in the world. I think I went through a second magazine trying to finish off the plates. At this point I still had another five targets and two more poppers left on the COF. One of those targets was a DT so, not knowing if I would have enough rounds to finish the COF, I didn't even engage it. I finished the stage with something like four Deltas and two no-penalty Mikes; I was furious!!

Stage 4 comes along and this is a looooong COF with a fun combination of partials, open targets and a bunch of steel plates. My plan is flawless and I am ready to once again repeat the great performance that I had in stages 1 & 2; this is when the wheels fell off the wagon and I crashed... I shot my first set of close up targets just fine and I then went to shoot a set of two open targets and three plates at a distance of about 25yds. I take my sight picture on the first plate and shoot missing it with my first, second, third, fourth, fifth (you get the idea) shots. I removed the magazine from my pistol and cleared it. The RO me the “if you are finished command” and, after that, I had to walk away. My level of frustration was so high that I went to the car, took my gear off, and decided that I was not going to shoot the rest of the match.

I stuck around and RO'd the rest of the afternoon but I couldn't, in good conscious, shoot another round. I am still so mad that I have decided that, as a self-imposed penitence, I will not shoot another match for the rest of the year. This past few months I have just been wasting money and ammunition by going to all these matches and I haven’t been capable of performing well so I don’t deserve to compete.

This sport is crazy… It frustrates me to no avail yet I keep coming back for more weekend after weekend. I have been thinking about taking a break from shooting matches and I think this is a well deserved punishment. My wife is doing very well and she wants to continue to shoot so I may tag along with her and run the clock. Then again, I may use that time during the weekends to do something else.

It’s funny that during this Spring when the weather was horrible (cold and rainy) I couldn’t wait to get out and shoot in good weather. Now that Summer is almost over and the weather is perfect in the Rockies, this is when I get most frustrated with my lack of shooting ability and decide that I am better off walking away from the sport for a while.

[BritinUSA]

Cy, I'm sure everyone on the squad felt your frustration. I think you did the right thing in stepping back, so you can put this into perspective.

All your shots on Stage 3 were going low and left, which I think is caused by squeezing the gun as the trigger is pressed.

I think you are trying too hard; Some days I have seen you move around a course very fluidly, other times it just doesn't seem to flow right and on those times you push yourself too hard.

You can shoot accurately and fast, I've seen you do it enough times but when the tension kicks in it seems to have a huge impact on your performance.

Relaxation is the key, perhaps taking a couple of matches off may be a good idea, perhaps just watch the match, tape some runs of various shooters etc. and get used to being relaxed on the berm.

[Cy Soto]

You are right about that Paul; finding that relaxed state has been an uphill battle for me!

[BritinUSA]

Cy, I suspect that this is the root cause of the problem. You are trying to relax instead of just ignoring the tension.

[CHA-LEE]

Cy> Its all about personal expectations and self image. Are you creating an unrealistic performance expectation for the stage runs? I agree that if you are getting increasingly frustrated then its time to take a break. Shooting should be fun and its really up to you to make it fun. Forcing anything usually ends up a lot worse than just letting it happen. This really applies to everything we do. Allow yourself the latitude to let things happen.

[eerw]

Cy

sorry to hear about your frustration. it is truly a difficult thing to deal with as we deal with expectations, performance and critique.

the challenge is to manage expectations, relax state or mind in performance and positive critque.

Sometimes a small break is what is needed..sort of like cross-training.

I know a lot of people that have been burned up by their expectations and not progressing fast enough.

Cy..hope you find the balance in all this.

let me know if you want to go shooting sometime.

[MarkCO]

Cy, first, it was a tough set of courses for sure. I had my worst match in well over a year. On that same stage you stopped on, I had 3 no-shoots trying to get ONE plate!

Second, passion is power, provided it is directed in a profitable direction. Question is, what is that direction?

Third, to jump on Charlie's comments...if you don't have a goal(s) for each match, it is hard to meet them. You appear to be pretty performance/goal oriented in your general persona, but I wonder if you don't have, or don't know how to set your shooting goals. In reading through your diary over a period of time, at least what you have written, lacks a clear direction. The goal CAN be just to have fun and hang out with friends, make GM, or pretty much anything you want it to be.

Fourth, Paul hit the nail on the head! Tension is eroding your performance and removing your fun. Go read through your posts here and you can see it.

Maybe try some "fun" shooting at the range. Shot some clays, some .22s and break the choke-hold of tension on your trigger finger. I'm going to try to get out to the range with some rifles Friday morning, let me know if you want to unleash on an AR.

Best my friend!

[Cy Soto]

Thank you all for the positive encouragement and for helping me understand what it is that I am doing wrong!

[Cy Soto]

Went to AGC today but did not shoot the match. Helped with RO duties and watched other shooters to see if I can get some pointers (which I did). Tomorrow I am taking the day off from practice so that I can do some hiking and do some work in the PM. Back with the practice schedule on Tuesday!

[Cy Soto]

Been doing some practice and quite a bit of dry fire but I am still keeping myself away from shooting any matches. I feel like a junkie going through withdrawal... NOT BEING ABLE TO SHOOT ANY MATCHES SUCKS!!

[CHA-LEE]

Make sure you are not attending matches for the right reason. Not attending matches "Just because" isn't the right reason. You need a plan or goal to achieve in order to make whatever you do effective. Your planned abstinence from shooting matches needs to have a positive purpose. Its really no different than practicing. If you don't have a solid plan with distinctive goals to achieve during the practice session then whats the point in practicing?

[eerw]

CY

why did you decide not to shoot matches??

I am not catching what the benefit would be.

it seems you were applying pressure/stress to yourself when shooting the matches and finding the edge to fall off of.

now you are forcing yourself not to shoot matches and you seem to be frustrated with that.

I think we all want you to succeed..so what's up

[Cy Soto]

It's self-imposed penitence... I am hoping that a little bit of negative reinforcement will help me reset my mental plan. Goal setting has been my weakest point and, by spending more time practicing, I am starting to figure some of these out and applying myself more on developing a plan to work more on those areas.

Brian R. was kind enough to give me a copy of Lanny Bassham's With Winning in Mind and I am trying to digest the plan that the book presents.

I am also taking this hiatus to enjoy other hobbies which I have neglected because of my addiction to shooting.

Shooting (as well as any other hobby) is supposed to be fun and I have been at a point when I wasn't having any fun shooting anymore.

Blair H. recommended that I should try shooting a few matches with a gun with which I know I can't place well and just try to have fun. Sadly, I have a hard time doing this; I am one of those poor bastards that thinks that "if I can't win, I don't want to play..." Yes, I know this is a childish behavior but I can't shake off the thought. This is just another thing to work on!

[Cy Soto]

I've shot a couple of matches in the past few weeks and it is fun to be back on the saddle! Nonetheless I have been spending a lot more time shooting rifles which is causing me to slow down my pistol rate of fire. I'm still dropping more points than I should and this is probably because I am forcing myself to speed up halfway through the COF.

Shooting .22LR out to 200 yards and .308 out to 600 yards is such a different game from USPSA. It is much more relaxing because I am not thinking about time.

I shot the Aurora match yesterday. I shot Single Stack simply because I have been wanting to shoot something different. Though I must admit that I don't enjoy shooting Major, I am hoping that it will somehow help me have better recoil control of my Production setup once I go back to shooting it. I have been shooting Minor for so long that I had forgotten what true recoil felt like!

On yesterday's match I was shooting against two GM's and another solid shooter (he's either high B or Low A). Needless to say, I got pwn3d pretty good! I also had a few gun malfunctions. The rounds were hitting the ramp and not going into battery. I am not used to having this sort of malfunctions with the good ol' Glock and they messed me up mentally a couple of times. I have switched the recoil spring for a heavier one and I need to run a few tests with this new spring but the wonderful Fall weather with which we have been blessed the past few weeks is leaving us. Man-oh-man, how I miss the Summer...

[Cy Soto]

I shot a match at Weld range today. The weather was simply amazing! The temperature was in the low to mid 50's with no wind; now that is my perfect Winter weather right there!

Since this was the last match of 2010 I decided to shoot Production (instead of Single Stack). Going back to shooting Minor was a welcome change. I still haven't gotten used to the recoil impulse of Major PF. The big trade off was going from shooting a 1911 trigger to a Production gun trigger. Man-oh-man is easy to get spoiled with an SS trigger! In order for me not to slap the trigger I had to be more conscientious of my trigger pull which slowed my splits down. On the other hand, I shot a lot many more Alphas than I typically do so that was nice.

With the exception of one stage, my match went well. My only mental hiccup for today was on a Memory Stage in which I was the first shooter. I made the mistake of taking one step while I was reloading and, when I did, I took my eyes off the target I was supposed to shoot next. When I was done shooting in the position I knew that I hadn't engaged a target but I just didn't know which one was it. On top of this, I was the only person in my squad that received an FTE (though not the only one that earned one) and this took me off the fight for first place on this match.

The match results are not out yet but I feel that I did well on the other stages so I still expect to have done OK. Nonetheless it still would have been nice to shoot a clean match today. Well at least the weather was great!

[Hannu]

75.7439% Classifier, nice work Was it your best PD classifier so far ?

[Cy Soto]

75.7439% Classifier, nice work Was it your best PD classifier so far ?

By golly you are right; this is the first time that I have shot an "A" classifier... Woo-hoo!!

[MarkCO]

How did the trigger work at race speed? Nice match!

[eerw]

75.7439% Classifier, nice work Was it your best PD classifier so far ?

By golly you are right; this is the first time that I have shot an "A" classifier... Woo-hoo!!

Great shooting.

[Cy Soto]

How did the trigger work at race speed? Nice match!

I am ashamed to admit that I didn't shoot the Glock today... I brought the CZ out to play instead.

Great shooting.

Thanks!!

[Hannu]

Do not be ashamed ! Keep shooting CZ and single stack and you are gonna shoot more A classifiers soon