How Do We Meet Challenges?

[38supPat]

..."Expectations are the killer. All of our lives we have been programmed to expect. It's as if "not expecting" is somehow irresponsible..." (Sam)

I need this tattooed somewhere where I can read it frequently.

Ohhh...so many comments!!!

[schmitz]

Reading a above postings, lots of answers, lots of explanations.

After studying human pyschology for many years and shooting&training the heck out of myself, I still don't know why I fail at matches.

In training everything go's well, coming to a match and speeding up, mikes, mikes, mikes!

Followed mental classes by Saul Kirsch, little improvement, but on a match mikes, mikes, mikes. Starts to annoy me!

I'm doing something wrong

DVC, Henny. ACME Wile E.

[38supPat]

but on a match mikes, mikes, mikes. Starts to annoy me!

I'm doing something wrong

DVC, Henny. ACME Wile E.

Yes you are...you're missing

Alot of it boils down to visual patience. Or just patience period.

One of your sentence points to it. "In training everything goes well, coming to a match and speeding up, mikes, mikes, mikes!"

In a match, you can only do as you did in practice, to go to a match and "speed up" is the problem. You must have the patience to see what you saw in practice, and do as that dictates. You cannot go faster than what you have prepared yourself for.

[SherlockWV]

After reading the posts I decided to share my personal experience as an old Newbie. I shot my first match of the season today. I had a plan that was sound for me as I have been working on calling my shots and following through. The plan was basicly not to worry about speed but to be aware and focus. Things went well. Shot mostly A's. It was a pretty high round count match, 6 stages with an average of 22 rounds. There were a couple of stages where I got in front of myself and actually missed seeing a couple of poppers, etc. But all in all it was good. Then the reshoot...now here is where I must agree with Pat. I started out ok but at each progressive stage I increased my speed. Now I was getting Bravos & Charlies. Soon at stage 5, I had to reload 5 times where in the 1st stage I reloaded 3 times. I had lost patience, and focus and was shooting WAY beyond my practice standards. Stage 6 was the El Presidente. I shot it very fast (for me) but there were Delta's, Charlies and just a couple of A's. It was after the "reshoot" as I sat eating a sandwich and reflecting on how I did that I became aware of the fact that by stage 4, I had lost my grip, was point shooting, not following my sights, well, all of the things that I should have been doing. Point being that I was totally out of sinc. So Pats comments about shooting as you practice certainly applies to me. But, the good news is that I learned from this experience. Thanks to all of the positive things I have learned from this site and BE's book. I can reflect positivily about the experience rather than be all bummed out about it. To me, that is a part of the growth process. Reviewing, objectivly what I did wrong then work on that in practice. Wringing my hands and covering myself with sack cloth and ashes is not going to accomplish anything. Good & Safe Shooting To Everyone - JC

[schmitz]

Thank you Pat for the reply.

With your posting in the back of my mind, I started todays Bianchi training session, outside temperature 0 degrees Celsius, 32 Fahrenheid.

Bianchi training means fixed times. Checked my shooting and for the first time shooting (since 4 years now) I became aware of my faults, something's happening during pulling the trigger.

I still don't know wat it is , but I'm sure something is going to change in the next coming weeks. Keep all of you informed.

DVC, Thank you, Henny.

[benos]

You cannot go faster than what you have prepared yourself for.

That's good stuff.

MANY years ago I remember watching a competitor typing in his calculator, just before he had to shoot the last stage of the AZ state championships. Robbie and I had both shot, and he had not. So I asked him what he was figuring with his calculator, and he said he was figuring how fast he had to shoot to win. I chuckled, as I thought to myself - you can't shoot faster than you can. I new he'd crash and burn. But you gotta go for it, right?

be

[SiG Lady]

"You cannot go faster than what you have prepared yourself for."

I e-mailed that line to a friend... as much for the analysis of my OWN shortcomings as anything else. It seemed to make profound sense, in my case.

[38supPat]

Another gem...

[benos]

One question, since I've never been there. Is it still "fun" shooting in that mode?

The funest! Especially when "the you" - "comes back."

be

[Harry Potter]

When I am facing the mental problems related to the anxiety and desire to get the GOLD, I am going with my thoughts to Bonsai.

As it is a part of Zen Buddhism as a Zen is a part of Bonsai, I have a very nice picture of it, which reminds me, that a good idea is to be in harmony with nature and not obtrusive to it. So with the stage you are going to shoot.

The traditional bonsai artists believe that the purpose of this arts miniature approach is to promote the shrinking of human foibles such as greed and self-centred thinking. These bad traits of man promote the unthinking destruction of all of nature according to the belief.

For instance the branches stretch towards the sky seeking a richer thought process or enlightenment. That is how I am going to avoid the stress...

I am always thinking possitive, when thinking about Bonsai and shooting itself, because possitivity is the main thing for me in shooting.

The bonsai tree can sometimes live for hundreds of years if cared for correctly. They are a lovely, peaceful piece of art that can be given to your children, and this can be repeated for generations to come. I am not pretending to become the World's Bonsai Nr. 1, I would be happy just to be one of them...

Edited June 30, 2009 by Harry Potter