help FTE's and screwing instructions mid stage

[Mat Price]

OK this is not like me... I have been shooting uspsa for 6 months I have come a long way and just moved to limited with a new sti. I am shooting GREAT! with good times and hits. EXCEPT i am missing targets (FTE's) this started 3 weeks ago... right round the same time i got my new STI.

for example I shot a beautiful classifier today near master time and score but I just forgot a mandatory reload. right in the middle of the stage on the second string. It was free hand reload strong hand string 1 freehand reload weak hand string 2. I hit the first reload set up the next string free hand right to weak hand with out making the relaod. this is not like me. Last week I had 4 Fte's and I saw the targets in pre stage set up my plan and just plain missed them.

GRRRRR some suggestions on stage prep maybe.. am I too into to my front sight its really frustrating shooting with great smoothness and accuracy only to blow a match on a mental error.

[NewColonial]

Can't offer advice, but I can commiserate. I'm running into the same thing. Also in my first year. I've gotten over the big time nerves, and the gun doesn't shake so much these days. But, I'm experiencing mental breakdowns giving FTEs and procedurals. Last week the stage had seven pieces of steel. Directions were to shoot left 3 from left box, center 3 from center, right 3 from right. Beep! I stand in the center box and shoot left three. Didn't even know it until RO told me at end. Then yesterday, during the walk thru, I noted a target low right that was out of my view while engaging the other paper and steel targets (from left side of a wall.) Sure enough I didn't shoot that target; two mikes and a FTE! Ouch, that hurts. I'm not shooting that fast. Sad part is that I was very pleased with my shooting the whole match.

So, you aren't alone. Maybe it'a 7 month itch. :-) Looking forward to seeing what other folks say.

[Biloxi23]

You guys ain't alone in this. I was doing the same things, even so far as to FTE targets on stages that I had helped set up. Then I decided to quit worrying about time and be accurate, and more importantly, shoot all of the targets. So far I have been improving each time.

[JakeMartens]

I am pretty sure it is not the gun....

[Wild Gene]

I am pretty sure it is not the gun....

That's what I ws thinking too. Ha ha!

Honestly, when you do your walk throughs, do every step. Do them untill you can close your eyes and do them. This will become easier the more you shoot. You are probably still thinking about shooting mechanics more than you realize, but as that becomes more natural, you can concentrate more on the procedure through the stage. When you are in the hole or deep hole, don't mess with taping or resetting targets (if you have enough people in the squad), go through the stage in your mind. If you judiciously help tape and reset the rest of the time, no one will mind.

WG

[Coach]

When you think you have the stage programmed into your head test yourself. Close your eyes and run through every shot, movement, reload, and every other aspect of the stage. If you cannot do that then you are not ready to shoot. Get to matches early, walk the stages and decide on a plan. The walk the plan two or three times after you have settled on a plan. Once the walk through has been read walk your plan on that stage two, three or four more times. The harder the stage the more walking that is required. When on deck walk it twice while the previous shooter is being scored. Load and make ready, and then run through it all again mentally.

That is how to burn in a plan.

Making a plan:

1) A simple plan that you can perform is better that a perfect plan that is beyond your shooting abilities.

2) Don't just do monkey see, monkey do. If your plan is different that the first shooter so what.

3) Don't just do a different plan to be different.

4) Don't change your plan while on deck.

[pjb45]

Mental preparation is the key. The discpline to perform the mental preparation can be challenging. Coach has given great advice.

I have observed many a GM in multiple matches. All of them read the stage instructions. Some without their lips moving. Many will read it twice, go walk the stage and come back and read it again.

They all walk the stage multiple times testing differenct shooting scenarios. They will talk about COF strategies with squadmates. Then they settle in with their strategy and walk the stage again and again.

A real eye opener for me was watch TT before the Shooter Ready command. He mentally walked the stage with his head moving much like it would if he was shooting the stage. He imaged each array and target sequence in his mind before the buzzer ever went off.

At a recent big match, I was the first or second shooter on a stage after lunch. I had plenty of time to walk the stage and get my stategy in place. I helped a few other shooters with a strategy, I was solid with my plan. But right before I got on deck, I was distracted and did not reherse the stage at the line. I blew by a port, made it up, but because I came back the opposite way, I totally messed up my target sequence and got an FTE.

The only times I get an FTE is when I do not mentally shoot the stage at the line before I am ready. That is the last place/time you implant your COF in you subconcious mind.

Edited March 30, 2011 by pjb45

[lumpygravy]

As others have said, your mental game is 100% responsible for any FTEs during a stage. Incurring an FTE or a PE suggests that you may have been distracted, your plan wasn't fully defined or set in your mind, or any other one of a bazillion mental mishaps that can occur during a "pressure" situation. All one can do is to try to minimise the number of mental breakdowns during those times where one wants to perform at a high level.

However, don't get too bent about it yet. Even when it goes away, it will come back to bite you some day and you'll gripe/groan about the one in the future but remember these last few and laugh about them. "Hey remember that classifier I shot ..."

Personally, with that new STI, I think you are experiencing "new gun euphoria" which can make anyone shoot a little faster than they should. Put a scratch on it - that'll cure it all.

[spanky]

Relax.

[dchang0]

You might be focusing too much on the present moment (shooting the target you're currently on) and forgetting to split off the part of your mind (the observer) that handles the overall stage strategy and past-present-future sequencing.

That's not necessarily a bad thing--being totally engrossed in shooting each target and counting on yourself automatically flowing from target to target is a good thing (except when you flow right past a target). So you don't want to lose that focus. Just split off the observer to handle the stage plan.

[WhiskeyFoy]

Relax.

This one is key.. I have started telling myself before every stage I shoot now that "This is fun, shoot for fun". If you are shooting to have a good time and not try and smoke through a stage the A's and Time come with good fundamentals. Also as mentioned while you are pasting the stage before your shoot do a mental walk on how you are going to attack each target. Not to mention pasting and setting steel helps in not forgetting those targets are there.

Honestly I am quickly finding out that this game is 90% mental and 10% anything else lol.