Time Savings

[PaulW]

Just curious what other shooters feel is the #1 area where GM beat lower class shooters.

1 - Split times on targets

2 - Target Acqusition

3 - Movement

4 - other

[38supPat]

Your multiple choice missed one answer...5 - all of the above. The difference isn't "one" thing, its doing everything just a little better. Splits on target, target to target, movement, draws, reloads, specific challenges (doors, table draws, etc.) all add up. On any given day most shooters can do ONE thing as well as a GM, but the GM is going to do everything well. I think the most important thing for a GM over other shooters is the attitude. You gotta want to win and do or learn whatever it takes to accomplish that.

Pat

[Ron Ankeny]

I think Pat is right, but in my case, the upper shooters beat me in target acquisition and movement. I am way slow when acquiring targets from near to far...gotta work on it.

[benos]

Probably, I would have used Pat's answer, now I'll have to come up with a new one. OK, it's targer acquisition.

be

[38supPat]

Add to that> accuracy. The top guys can shoot an accurate shot quickly on demand (o.k. stages these days may not make it quite as important...lol) which saves time by not lingering trying to line up on target or firing an extra round.

Pat

[Michael Fletcher]

I also agree with Pat, but I have a funny story about a GM showing a B class shooter how to improve.  I have been looking for an excuse to write in this story for quite some time.

Last fall Todd Jarrett came up here to put on a course.  Six of are local shooters signed up for the course.  One of them was a struggling Canadian Master shooter and a B Class USPSA shooter.  After a day of going through drills on all of the mentions improvement areas, TJ put them through a drill that involved them all.  The Devils Triangle if memory serves me correctly.  This un-named shooter rips through the drill.  Once TJ stopped laughing, he told the shooter that he was trying to hard.  He had a lot of wasted movement; he was shooter without tracking the dot.  In general he was just flopping around the range.  So, for a demonstration TJ said we was going to walk the course and still be able to do it faster. Well he was right! He walked and still managed to do it in a faster time.

The first thing I noticed was that his feet.  He walks so smoothly.  His shooting was faster, both his splits on the target and from target to target.  There was no wasted movement, as so as he called his shot he moved to the next position.

I will never let the un-named shooter live it down.  All I have to say when he screw up is "How 'bout I walk this one partner."