Why does my mind lock up?

[G34 CORDY]

Hey everyone, here is a few problems Iam having that I need help on. Iam a fairly new USPSA shooter about 10 matches or so and I shoot production. I know what I need to do but when the buzzer goes off everything goes out the window. I plan on shooting close targets on the move but when it comes time to shoot those targets I end up shooting them from a stand still which is hurting my time. I would like to be more smooth and fluent. Any tips would be great.

[bkeeler]

Hey everyone, here is a few problems Iam having that I need help on. Iam a fairly new USPSA shooter about 10 matches or so and I shoot production. I know what I need to do but when the buzzer goes off everything goes out the window. I plan on shooting close targets on the move but when it comes time to shoot those targets I end up shooting them from a stand still which is hurting my time. I would like to be more smooth and fluent. Any tips would be great.

Your mind is locking up because you are thinking about what you need to do. Program the stage so you can run the stage with your eyes closed in your mind. Then it is like hitting the play button on your dvd player sit back and "watch" what happens.

Do you have any video?

[Corey]

do you practice shooting on the move much? the more you practice something the easier it is to pull off under pressure. To quote Top Shot from last week, "people dont rise to the occasion, they merely fall back on their level of training". i really like that quote. If you dont practice something a lot to engrain the propoer way to do it, you wont be able to and you'll fall back on the ole standard (stand and shoot). Practice shooting on the move and know when you can and cannot pull it off and you'll start doing it more in matches without thinking about it.

[G34 CORDY]

I dont have video sorry I wish I did. No I dont practice on the move much which I need to start doing because I think that is holding me back. I wasnt very good at reloads so I started to practice them at the house and now I feel comfortable doing them go figure lol. I think I have the stages planned out and when the buzzer goes off I dont do what I know I need to do and it has been getting alittle frustrating. Another thing is when I pull the gun out of the holster and shoot the first set of targets I find that Iam not gripping the gun hard enough so when the gun recoils the gun moves around alot not letting me double tap very well. I dont have that problem in practice but again in a match Iam so focused on the match itself that my grip isnt what it needs to be. I just think I need some more matches under my belt so everything will feel more natural and second nature.

[Corey]

to find out if you truly have the programmed, go to the back of the stage area where everyone is gearing up , close your eyes and visualize the entire run from the buzzer to re-holster. visualize everything, whether the target is high or low, painted hardcover, blocked by a no-shoot or a mover. be able to plan your reloads between certain targets, etc. if you can make a clean run in your head with your eyes closed then you have it programmed. if you cant or get lost, you dont haev it as much as you think you do and may need another walkthrough to finalize things.

As you are waiting for the buzzer, just focus on where your first movement needs to be whether its a draw, a side step to the left or right or opening a door or window port. Then, if you are truly programmed as decribed above, the "program" will run on its own and you'll do fine.

And yes, try to get video of yourself. Not only can you get nice people here to critique you, but you can watch it again and again to find your own mistakes (I know I have done this a LOT lately)

[Field]

you shoot more matches and some of this stuff will work itself out

like corey said you really want to have a stage rehearsed enough where you can visualize yourself shooting the entire stage with your eyes closed. some people learn differently. i am a kinesthetic learner where i need to physically rehearse and do things to get them in my head well.

relax and breathe into your stomach, not into your chest.

think the words to yourself ''con-fi-dence'' and ''eeeaaaaazzzzy''

Edited July 21, 2010 by Field

[GrumpyOne]

Hey everyone, here is a few problems Iam having that I need help on. Iam a fairly new USPSA shooter about 10 matches or so and I shoot production. I know what I need to do but when the buzzer goes off everything goes out the window. I plan on shooting close targets on the move but when it comes time to shoot those targets I end up shooting them from a stand still which is hurting my time. I would like to be more smooth and fluent. Any tips would be great.

From a previous conversation, I thought you weren't worried about time!

There is some really good advicein this thread, take what you think works for you and practice it.

[G-ManBart]

Definitely run through the stage in your head a half dozen or more times. I like to do that while taking small steps so it somewhat mimics the real stage. See everything you want to see, and do everything...like mimic a reload, while doing this air gun rehearsal.

Absolutely, positively, forget the word combination "double tap". You want to shoot paper two times, but each shot is it's own shot, and you're going to have a sight picture on each one of them...even if it's only a flash sight picture on a target 5ft away. Taking one sight picture and pressing the trigger twice is a very painful, long road to travel because you will either never get very good, or spend a lot of time fixing something that shouldn't have happened in the first place

[bkeeler]

I dont have video sorry I wish I did. No I dont practice on the move much which I need to start doing because I think that is holding me back. I wasnt very good at reloads so I started to practice them at the house and now I feel comfortable doing them go figure lol. I think I have the stages planned out and when the buzzer goes off I dont do what I know I need to do and it has been getting alittle frustrating. Another thing is when I pull the gun out of the holster and shoot the first set of targets I find that Iam not gripping the gun hard enough so when the gun recoils the gun moves around alot not letting me double tap very well. I dont have that problem in practice but again in a match Iam so focused on the match itself that my grip isnt what it needs to be. I just think I need some more matches under my belt so everything will feel more natural and second nature.

You need to get the fundamentals correct first, starting with your grip/stance (these things should just happen without any thought processes at all) Work on your grip and stance in dry fire without a TIMER. Work on your draw in slow motion and get your grip before the gun comes out of the holster then make sure to get your week hand grip on the gun properly. Work on this for a while once you have it down start practicing reloads in slow mo and so on. I think you are trying to practice on too many things at once. Need to practice these things in steps. Also I would not worry about shooting on the move this early in your game. Dry Fire about 15mins 4 nights a week on grip and stance until you get it down where you can draw the gun and get your grip with out thought.

[Graham Smith]

I know what I need to do but when the buzzer goes off everything goes out the window.

It's a normal reaction to a sudden stress. The body shifts gears from the slower conscious control of things to the faster autonomic control of things. This is why practice is so important. Practicing reinforces things so that you don't have to think about them.

Also, as you get used to shooting on the clock, you will find that you have less trouble with losing track of what you are trying to do. Again, practice can help. Get a timer and practice doing things both dry and live fire. Use high par times to start with then start reducing them. And remember that 5 seconds seems a lot longer than it really is so when you are on the clock, things are actually happening faster than you probably think they are.

[G34 CORDY]

thanks guys for your advice iam going to use this info to practice

[raz-0]

Sounds to me like you are running into lack of experience breaking down stages, strategizing, and making a plan. I had a problem with this when I was new, and it took me a while to stop having critical brain farts right out the gate.

To begin with, you don't care much if your plan is right or wrong. As long as you are making one, executing it, and reducing stupid things, you are developing the skills to needed to do the right thing. From there, you have to learn good strategy, but that is a totally separate issue form the process of breaking down a stage and making a plan as it involves judgment calls about what is smart on a stage, and what is the most optimal course of action given your current skill level. 

The advice on really locking in your plan with visualization so far is good, but skips over some basics in coming up with the plan.

Remedial stage breakdown 101:

The first strategy the beginner must embrace is stop doing "stupid stuff". Stupid stuff are things that are never beneficial, even if you are a GM and can do it quicker.

1) Pay attention to the walkthrough and if you can read the stage description. You REALLY want to know the start position, the number and types of targets, and the required hits on target. Also any additional requirements such as opening or closing of ports, carrying of stuff, etc. 

2) FIND the targets. I almost never jump into the IPSC conga line from the get go, because if there are any tricky targets, the stage designer PLANNED for them to be tricky from inside the course of fire.  Walk around like you were going to tape and reset and FIND every target.  NOW go to the conga line, and find where you want to shoot all of them from. Making a plan without every target in it is doing stupid stuff. You never want to waste time wondering if you got everything on the clock. 

3) Know how you are going to get to the targets. Going over your friends house to pick them up, heading out to burger king, seeing a movie, and going home. Going to orlando (or some similar place you have never been) on vacation and visiting disneyland, sea world, and bush gardens. Bot are plans, one's a lot simpler, because you already know all the details of how youa re going to get to all the important spots. You found the targets. You know what you want to see. For things to go quickly and smoothly, you need to know HOW TO GET THERE.  IMO the easiest way to do this is much like getting actors in the right spot in a play. You want to hit your mark. On the stage, they actually put marks down. The rules in USPSA forbid this, so you do the next best thing and use natural landmarks.  Planning to shoot all the targets without a plan of how you are going to get there is stupid stuff. You never want to waste time thinking of how to get to any target on the clock. 

4) Know where you are going to do your reloads. This is often nearly meaningless for open shooters, pretty easy for limited shooters, very important for l-10 and production shooters, and verging on a major PITA for single stack and revolver shooters. Extending the vacation metaphor, if you don't get there with enough bullets to get the job done, it's like going to sea world without enough gas in your car.  You might get there, but overall the experience will lose it's shine when you run out of gas unexpectedly. Pulling the trigger on an empty mag is stupid stuff.  

5) If for some reason you have to deviate from the plan DO NOT start recalculating your stage plan in the middle of executing it. Throwing out your stage plan in the middle of the stage is stupid stuff. If you had to take unplanned shots, reload ASAP, and even if you have more than you need, reload at your next mark to reload. 

That's the very basics. 

Then of course there's the stopping "stupid stuff" elements of strategy. 

- You will hear people tell you that it is the indian and not the arrow when talking about gear. Usually this is in reference to spending money on stuff assuming it will get you better scores. Yes, you can't buy talent, and most money is better spent on ammo to practice than on new shiny gear. However, when it come to stopping stupid stuff, you CAN buy better scores. Yes, dodgy gear and ammo can give you lots of time to practice clearing jams really fast, and that's a nice skill to have, but in terms of score, gear that runs right is worth more than anything else.   It doesn't have to be expensive or fancy, but it needs to work right every time (or as close to it as you can manage).  Clearing jams and fighting with your gear in the middle of a course of fire is stupid stuff. 

-In the same vein, BUY ENOUGH MAGS AND MAG POUCHES. Serious, especially for production, l-10, single stack, and revolver (ok speedloaders and holders there). Runing out of ammo is stupid stuff. Having to pick up a fumbled mag because you don't have an extra is stupid stuff. 

-Practice your reloads. It's simple, there isn't a lot of technique to argue over that I have seen, you don't need to spend money on ammo to do it, and when you have just wasted time doing something stupid, very often step one to stopping the stupid stuff and getting back to your plan is reloading your gun ASAP. 

The low hanging fruit can make a HUGE difference in your score. Shortly after I started USPSA shooting in l-10 with a single stack, my extractor got sketchy. It took me a while to figure out that was the problem. That problem was good for 15-20 positions in my finish at my regular match with about 60 shooters.  

[G34 CORDY]

thanks for all of this info.

[Field]

Clearing jams and fighting with your gear in the middle of a course of fire is stupid stuff. 

this is very important to have everything from your holster, belt, pouches to your gun and ammo everything needs to be working reliably and consistently and never giving you trouble. you can never get real good if your stuck goofing with junky gear. virutally impossible to actually get good, concentrate on the match and progress with stuff that aint workin

[benos]

More good info on this topic, here.

be

[FN fan]

Just shooting more with the timer going helped me, the extra eyes add to the stress but practicing like a real match got me over the hump.