I need help on how to be faster

[mikeg1005]

Hello,

I started USPSA shooting this year, I shoot single stack... I have to say that I picked this sport up pretty quickly and typically finish in the top 25% of the single stack shooters... Yesterday I placed 4th out of I think 15 or 16 shooters.... The 1st/2nd/3rd place shooters are guys that compete on a national level, I'd like to shoot closer to their scores.... I am hitting the targets and gettting very similar points to what they are, but they are between 4-10 seconds faster than me on a given course.

I have started to learn how to call my shots so I know where I hit w/o thinking... I have been trying to run between shooting arrays more than just a quick walk, and this past match I tried shooting on the move on the closer targets.. My reloads are typically very smooth and I have finally gotten into the habbit of doing it infront of my face instead of down low... while transitioning I have also started to keep the gun tucked in instead of low down like you see in movies(took a while to get out of that) I always analize the course before firing so to plan reloads on the move, minimize movement, always move forward not back to an array twice.

So... where is the most time saved? I understand the the top shooters are just overall faster on everything but out of all the steps involved in completing the course, where is the most time wasted/saved? I forgot to bring my camera this past trip so I don't have film... I'll try to get some next weekend.

MIke.

Edited August 9, 2010 by mikeg1005

[GrumpyOne]

It's not a question of where the most time is saved, but how much time over all can be saved. 1/2 second here, 1/2 second there, it all adds up. If you wait to load till you are standing in the shooting box when moving from array to array, you have wasted some time (load while moving), quicken your pace between arrays, getting a sight picture that is "good enough" rather than that perfect "A" will shave some time off. Work on your draw, target acqusition, reloads, all of it really. Another crucial time saver is stage planning. If you have to stop to shoot an array, see if there is a possibility that you could take out another target not on the array before moving (if it's legal for that stage), then reload while you are moving...Hope this helps.

[BritinUSA]

When you take your camera, do you just get video of yourself, or the others that you are trying to beat ?

If the former then get some video of the other shooters on the same stage, get some good video editing software that lets you show both at the same time and you will be able to see the differences quite dramatically. I suspect that the biggest thing you will notice is how the top shooters move around the stage. Watching the Ladies Super Squads last year, I could see that they would place their feet in the same spot during the stage as they did during the walkthrough so they would be in precisely the correct place to hit the target without shifting position.

[mikeg1005]

Alright, I see what you guys are saying.

Another thing... this is how I go about speed vs. accuracy.... My theory is this... If you shoot the whole course in half the time and shoot charlies and deltas you will be just as good as the guy shooting all alphas in twice the time... Since its based on HF.

By this idea, on long course (example, one of yesterdays course was 14 paper targets) it would be better off spending less time to get all As(unless you can) and just going faster... because chances are the other person has much more room for error and so do you... and on a course that has 2 paper targets and a steel popper, you want to get As since most likely you and the other shooter will take the same amount of time since you aren't moving, only moving the gun... is this idea right?

I mean I still try go get all As but I try "less" on getting my sights on As when the course is long.

Mike.

Edited August 9, 2010 by mikeg1005

[G-ManBart]

You can pretty much use it as a general "rule" that the winner of any stage at a big match is going to shoot ballpark 95% of the available points. So, as fast as you can shoot 95% of the available points is as good as you're going to get, hit factor wise.

It sounds like movement efficiency is what you want/need to work on. I'd highly suggest taking a competition class with one of the big names and let them help you. I spent two days with Manny Bragg and one day with Dave Re and they pointed out all sorts of little thing that save a couple of tenths here, a couple of tenths there. It's definitely worth it and can save you a lot of time. Get friends to take video of you when you run stages and have someone at a higher level review it looking for where you can save time...just one bite at a time and you'll quickly shave a lot off your total stage times. R,

[SA Friday]

This is the way I've explained overall time in comparison to movement and shooting. Picture the amount of time required to physically shoot holes in the target as a line. Now picture the amount of time it takes to physically move through the course of fire. If you are moving and then shooting and not combining the two in any way, your overall time will be the two lines added together. But, when you start to combine movement (even a little movement) and shooting together, the lines start to overlap and the overall time starts to shrink. Ideally, you want to overlap the two lines as much as possible to shrink your overall time.

To shrink the line for shooting, splits and transitions must be shortened but not at the expense of hits. To shrink the line for movement, any secondary movements like exiting and entering shooting positions, reloads, and draws must be shortened but not at the expense of good form.

Take the above, add 150,000 rounds and 5,000 hours of practice; stir and bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

Video is the key to see where you are losing time in those three areas.

[Corey]

i feel your pain. new to the sport, also chose single stack. there are a lot of stages that my points are as good or better, just slower. I try to videotape myself as much as possible to not only review on my own time, but have others critique and also to compare the same stages shot by better shooters. Ive learned a lot about myself and my shooting from watching me shoot a stage then watching a GM class shooter (same division or it kinda defeats the purpose) to see how they broke down the stages (was my way slower or faster) and how they made the transitions, reloads, etc. I've had what felt like great runs and when i watch the video i scream at myself to get moving faster, stop wasting time etc. its a great tool to utilize if you know how to do it well

[CocoBolo]

I have a very simple answer for you pausing. Pausing eats a lot of time its the difference between a good run and a great run. An easy example of pausing is the first shot, the gun comes out it gets mounted then there is that pause, that is what I am talking about. Sunday at a match an Open GM I was shooting with said now that was a fast run, I said you had two pauses you will get beat, a B class beat his run no pauses. Learn to recognize when you are pausing and elminate those.

Since you are single stack a lot of focus needs to be on planning the stage and the reloads. Even reloads on the move cost some time. Foot work is another area that much can be done to save time.

Notice I did not mention shooting, that is because shooting speed is determined by seeing what you need to see and breaking the shot, waste of time shooting is covered in not pausing if you saw what you needed to see what were you waiting on Sana Clause.

Who me I didn't pause, threw in a reverse transition and 2 extra shots for 2 points, went way too fast couldn't call the shot so hit it again. Only coverted 2 C to A. Dont' you just hate it when you do something and you know better. One more thing work on minimizing the mistakes.

[Aristotle]

If you want to be faster... get a red dot, comp and big stick. :-)

I started off much the same, I had a pretty good Freshman year, also shooting in single stack/production, exceeding my expectations, and hungry for more. Something I realized later on is, not just 'learning' or 'knowing' but "being". That sounds like a lot of Jedi talk, but that's the best way I know to explain it.

It's practicing it until you can do it with your eye's closed, practice to the point where you never get it wrong, practiced to the point where you make the difficult look effortless, then applying it to the match setting "consistently". There are a number of things I "know" of, but I am still not at the proficiency. It's funny, because when I 'learned' some of the tricks, and I felt like I was 'close' to the local legends, the more I practiced it, the more I tried to bridge that gap, the more I realized just how far I still am from them. I had a few lucky days, the key was being consistent.

Edited August 10, 2010 by Aristotle

[dansy]

From the start I was pretty much trained by a Canadian Champion GM, what he told over and over is get A's and speed will come...well he was right getting A's is the way to go...and I mean on the first shoot, learning to be one your gun and calling them....I never try to pick-up a C but I will pick-up a D if I called them as such...and yes I have had many targets with 3 A's (I also believe that you never stop learning).

Speed is how you engage the targets, in and out of positions, the targets sequences and everything else....to get fast faster try shooting 100,000 bullets a year, and shoot a match every week-end (2 if you can) that should speed up thing's up....time and patience is the other way...I shoot about 20,000 to 30,000 bullets a years and go as many matches I can....I'm still a long way from the top but I'm still learning and improving can ask for more...I also use vide to see my stages.

[BillChunn]

As stated, speed will come as your trigger time (read practice) increases. Watch the better shooters and you will see what I call "economy of movement". It looks like the shooter is moving in slow motion but very smooth. Smooth is fast.

To me, it seems like I'm shooting at the same pace as when I started. The timer tells a different story.

HH

[Noah my boy]

As stated, speed will come as your trigger time (read practice) increases. Watch the better shooters and you will see what I call "economy of movement". It looks like the shooter is moving in slow motion but very smooth. Smooth is fast.

To me, it seems like I'm shooting at the same pace as when I started. The timer tells a different story.

HH

Now thats jedi talk. Very well put I like it..

[colt22man]

Have to be able to shoot on the move and shoot accurately. A GM once told me he always finished 4th to 6th at state/sectional match's and figured out the competitors he finished behind were accurate shooters while moving. He needed to improve his shooting on the move. Moving left, right, fwd, backing up, pactice, practice, practice and I don't mean standing in a box. May feel uncomfortable but improvement will appear if you push yourself.

[entropic]

Stop encouraging him! I'm tired of getting schooled by Mike