keeping a game plan in mind

[cali shot doc]

I have a hard time sticking to the plan i come up with once the buzzer sounds and it's time for me to start shooting. I go through the stage 3-5 times and make a mental note of where the targets are, how i want to attack the course and count out my shots so i can have a good idea of when i should reload. I do this a few times to cement the plan in my mind but once that buzzer goes off my game plan goes out the window and i may FTE 1 target or screw up my reloads or something like that.

Any ideas or techniques to get better.

[Corey]

practice it more.

are you truly burning the stage into your short term memory? when you get done walking the stage a few times, step back by urself, close your eyes and visualize the bay, all of it. how the ground looks, where the fault lines are, what color the walls/barricades are, etc. oh yea and the targets . seriously, you should be able to visualize the stage and targets and "see" yourself shooting/reloading/moving. if you cant do that, then you havent completely programmed the stage yet

[benos]

call shot doc,

When I read the word "attack" in your post, and then looked at your member name, it made me wonder if you maybe having the goal to call all your shots instead of attacking the stage might serve you better in the end.

be

[Pro2AInPA]

call shot doc,

When I read the word "attack" in your post, and then looked at your member name, it made me wonder if you maybe having the goal to call all your shots instead of attacking the stage might might serve you better in the end.

be

I think his name is cali shot doc, Brian.

[benos]

call shot doc,

When I read the word "attack" in your post, and then looked at your member name, it made me wonder if you maybe having the goal to call all your shots instead of attacking the stage might might serve you better in the end.

be

I think his name is cali shot doc, Brian.

I'm old. "i's" and "l's" are tough sometimes. But I'm sticking with the attack thing though.

[2MoreChains]

I was having this problem until I worked on visualizing the stage and how I would shoot it as part of my pre-shoot process. What you described as your plan going out the window once the buzzer went off was exactly what was happening to me.

So what I've been doing is walk the stage 3-4 times max, and that would be enough to be able to "see" it in my mind's eye. Once I had the stage more or less committed to memory I would stand quietly off to the side when I was the on-deck shooter and visualize shooting the stage several times in my head. I might even get a chance to do it one more time from the start position while I'm waiting for the RO to give me the make-ready command. I'm not sure if I can explain it correctly, but what I am visualizing is what I hope to be seeing once I was in the stage for real. I think the visualization is more for my footwork, but also the angles, body positioning, and when to reload. Friends have said that they could tell when I was visualizing because my head would be down and they could see my hands moving and trigger finger flexing each time I imagined myself pulling the trigger.

Its hard to say if this has helped my scores any (still in the same class). But I have noticed that I don't have that occasional bewildered feeling mid-stage once I started visualizing, and my runs have felt smoother.

Edited October 14, 2010 by 2MoreChains

[benos]

Good work on the viusalizing! In the end, that's what it all comes down to. So it's good to get a jump start on it in the beginning.

be

[2MoreChains]

Well, the old walk-the-stage-as-many-times-as-I-could-in-5 mins just wasn't doing it for me... But curiously enough, visualizing the stage seemed to make my plan stick in my mind (and body) better than multiple walk-thrus ever did. I'm sure there's an explanation, and I'm sure it could be described in words that I wouldn't understand, but there is definitely something going on that appears to be working for me.

Being of a simple sort, I ain't gonna question it. Just keep doing it.

If wearing garters (like Tim Robbins did in the movie Bull Durham) would make me a better shooter (or help me to breath thru my eyelids like lava lizards do), then I might be one to give it a try...

Thx for the encouragement!

[benos]

Since you don't want an explanation, I won't type one.

Maybe for fun, try shaving with your eyes closed.

be

[2MoreChains]

Never said I didn't want an explanation, just that I may or may not understand!

It wasn't for fun, but I do occassionally shave with my eyes closed because I'm in the shower and I'm trying to keep water/soap out of my eyes.

So I guess what you're getting at is that I am having to visualize the actions of shaving because I'm not watching myself in a mirror?

-Evans

[benos]

I get a better shave when I shave with my eyes closed. Having my eyes closed - it's like it removes a "filter." That probably doesn't make sense but that's the way I feel it. With my eyes closed, I'm not thinking about anything at all - I'm just feeling the blade on my face. I'm in total attention mode. Every once in a while, when I was especially deep into it for the whole shave, when I open my eyes it's a bit of a shock for a second, when I realize that "I" am standing in the shower. It's like the Zone state when shooting a stage. The sense of self disappeared into attention for a bit.

Visualizing the stage with your eyes closed, as opposed to walking around, looking at the stage, burns a stonger plan into your mind of everything you are going to see and do.

I thought about the "filter" thing some more. The filter is thought. More specifically, it's thought that you are not fully aware of. Thought and attention exclude each other. If there's even a little undercurrent of thought, you cannot be fully aware of what you are doing.

be

[2MoreChains]

I think I'm following you. So by closing your eyes, you're removing (unintentionally maybe) any distractions, and allowing you to focus on what you're doing (shaving).

By removing or getting rid of distractions, what you're calling a filtering process, you're able to get into the state of concentration, aka the zone, easier....?

That's the garter belt thing from Bull Durham!

Interesting. Thanks

[benos]

Yes that's it.

Anythign I can do with my eyes closed, I do more thoroughly. Like flossing and brushing my teeth for example.

be

[Powder Finger]

Yes that's it.

Anythign I can do with my eyes closed, I do more thoroughly. Like flossing and brushing my teeth for example.

be

I don't ever remembering visualizing a stage with open eyes.

I would walk the stage and notice things that I wanted to do, but then the "movie process" was in the head.

I think you loose the "feel" of what you want to do by seeing it.

I also remember most of the reload dry training I did was eyes closed.

[benos]

I also remember most of the reload dry training I did was eyes closed.

Good one. I did a lot of dry mag change practice in the dark.

be

[Seth]

I'd recommend writing your plan down. Draw the stage on a pad from memory and literally write the program down. Draw, 2 targets at 8 o'clock thru window. Run to corner, engaging target at 12 o'clock on way in, shoot remaining 3 from window. Reload then run.....

Etc..... It'll get an internal dialogue in your head going.

[mildot1]

I expect a lot of unplanned pregnancies started out with some type of "game plan" in mind.

I would guess that the "Heat of the moment" unraveled those plans to!

Kinda like everything else time and experience has a way of slowing the rush of the moment down.

I would bet that any world class shooter was very "calm and collected" and stuck to the game plan very early in thier career.

Just keep shooting, learning , calming down and going faster at the same time.

It don't happen overnight GRASSHOPPER