The more I train, the worse I get

[ktm300]

I had taken a couple of months off due to family issues. The first match back was a local match with zero practice and did pretty darn well. I started practicing quite a bit and my practice times are moving in the correct direction. After about two weeks, I go to a match and have the worst finish I have had in a year. I think, OK just had a bad day. I spend two more weeks on the practice range, again my drill times are getting better and better. I go back to another match, I am no better, if anything I am worse. I miss a lot and I am slow. On my practice range I am shooing 6" steel at 15 yards with no trouble. I get to the match and miss a full size popper at 10 yards.

[GrumpyOne]

Stop thinking, start shooting. Empty your mind of all thoughts before the buzzer sounds. What is happening is that you are thinking "Man, I do this all the time in practice, and smoke 'em all, so this should be a piece of cake." Then the adrenaline takes over, makes time slow down (makes it seem like it's flying to you), and you try to go faster, to make up the time that you think you've lost (but haven't), and you start rushing shots. Another thing, stop watching other people (especially those faster and better) shoot for a while in the match. All you are gonna do by watching them is try to compete with them, and it will throw you off your game. Take your time, get your shots and points...Play the game your way, not someone else's way.

My .02....

[38superman]

Your first match back with no practice went well.

Perhaps because you had no expectations to live up to.

You just went about your business and did well.

Your performance will suffer if you push too hard.

Don't make it happen. Let it happen.

[ktm300]

Thanks guys, I get to try your suggestions tonight on our Monday night shoot.

[38supPat]

There are always some ups and downs when you are training, more so if you are changing anything you do. When you first shoot after some time off you are working off what is programmed from before. When you start to train again you may find that there are some subtle differences in what you are doing now vs. What you did before. When you focus on these techniques in practice they can work very well. But when you go to a match and just shoot you may find that you are not able to perform the née techniques on demand and you are caught between the old and the new. Anytime we make a small change to something we do this will happen. The problem is, after a lay off, everything we do is affected in this way. Do where normally a small change will nit have a big overall effect in our match performance, now a bunch of small changes will.

I took a few years off where I didn't train at all and just shot the occasional match and I managed to do fairly well, top 15's at area matches and winning some smaller matches. When I started back I had some good matches and some good stages. But not quite as good as what I had been doing. A couple of bad techniques crept in and it had a slightly negative effect. Last year I really put some effort into fixing a lot of the problems, accuracy, movement, draws, reloads, acquisitions, etc. In almost every aspect I was seeing huge improvements in my practice sessions. In matches however I sucked, I had some of my worst performances ever at the big matches. I've come to realize that that just a part of working through the various techniques, when all these things are ingrained again I will be better. But I'm going to have to work at it and for a year or two I'll have to struggle a bit, but I see the improvements and know that they will make me much better in the end. And then I can get back to making the small changes that will have less of an effect.

[AlamoShooter]

Change the word 'weeks' to years and you have your self in the Normal Range.

Its how you take the challenge that makes you a "Good" shooter.

Almost 20 years ago Brian Enos autographed my book with "stay sharp and stick with it"

[ktm300]

There are always some ups and downs when you are training, more so if you are changing anything you do.

This fits, I have been working on my grip and my draw and reloads so they are not as automatic as they were. I shot tonight and did much better, I just let myself go and watched the sites. Good hits, pretty good time.

Thanks for the help guys.

[susanexpress]

I took a few years off where I didn't train at all and just shot the occasional match and I managed to do fairly well, top 15's at area matches and winning some smaller matches. When I started back I had some good matches and some good stages. But not quite as good as what I had been doing.

[Chris iliff]

I am with you and I think it is expectations. When I really practice I start to expect and try. I also have trouble shutting my practice brain off in matches. Not caring is something I'm working on and its funny, that used to be easy as a d,c,and b. Now as an A, I am having trouble with the concept. I'll get it though. So will you.

[KPIC24]

I see improvement in shooting in matches in very short segments or 1 or 2 stages from practice, still messing up 1 or 2 stages in a match and its costing me alot of points for example last weekend 2 stages in the top 10, 4 ok runs and 2 in the 25th range half of my points down were on those two stages cost me a close 1st-2nd overall ended up 4th, while not bad their is a lot of room to smooth out the ups and downs

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: Just relax and shoot Don't worry about times or going fast just be smooth. Thanks, Eric