Recovering after a terrible stage

[grapemeister]

I'm 44 years old, and I've only been playing the USPSA game for about 16 months. I'm not taking home the new Mustang, and I'm certainly not worried about losing a sponsor. Sure, I’m only human; I would like to take home a trophy as a reward to myself for all the hard work, but not earning a trophy will not be a reason for me to stop shooting. I go to the match because it's another opportunity for me to shoot my gun, test my skills, and to be in the company of other shooters that share the same passion for shooting. I root on other B class shooters, and offer words of encouragement. During the match I could care less about how the other shooters are doing. Well, the only care that I do have is that they are doing well, or at least having a good time. If I screw up a stage, I learn from it, and move on. I do my best, and shoot only one target at a time, and one stage at a time. Later in the evening, and after cracking open a cold one, I'll check the scores. If I did well, I'm happy. If I didn't do as well as I should have, I'm still happy. If the other shooters do well, and place higher than me, I'm still happy!

[dchang0]

If you need practical step-by-step instructions on how to adjust your mental attitude so that you can recover from a bum stage, check out the book "Learned Optimism" by Martin Seligman.

I suffered from the same problem you described and went back and re-read this classic psychology book. It is somewhat glib for Zen masters to say, "just focus on the moment."* But it's pretty hard to stay focused on the moment when your egoic mind keeps pulling you back into your past to relive your recent failure. "Learned Optimism" tells you how to stop this and gives you exercises you can practice beforehand so that you can mentally interrupt the bumming-out that happens after a bad stage--in time to save you for the next stage.

It helped me at SMM3G after two bum stages (equipment failures on both). I maintained a positive attitude and focus on the present moment and did decently (one of the equipment failures was just too bad to overcome, 60 seconds lost). But I never felt bad or lost my optimism and focus.

---

* Please note that I hold Zen in the highest regard. I just find it annoying that a Zen master will rarely tell you exactly how to begin to learn to live in the moment. If you are interested in learning how to do so, Eckhart Tolle's excellent book, "The Power of Now," and the equally excellent movie "Peaceful Warrior" are both outstanding resources.

Edited May 11, 2011 by dchang0

[benos]

Thanks dchang0 - just odered Learned Optimism on amazon. And yes, The Power of Now is good stuff.

be

[jdknotts1]

I just ordered Learned Optimism as well. Reading the first few pages the husband sounds a lot like me. Thanks for the recco.

[lugnut]

JD,

I too shot the MD state match and absolutly tanked my first stage (the double swinger stage). I had a miss and wasted an absolute ton of time getting that miss. I have done this long enough to know I can come back from one bad stage pretty much everyone has one bad one in a major, I was just hoping the other guys would muck one up worse than I had just done. I got my stuff together and kept on shooting. My sixth stage (stage 10 with the pop-up targets) I was unloaded when I realized I had not hit a popper so I had to load up and get back to the shooting. At that point I really figure my day was done. I had a little conversation with myself trying to decide how I was going to shoot the rest of the match after considering trying to just go balls out to get back in it(figured that was just going to make it even worse) I decided to just keep shooting. I had yet one more bad stage one the way to finishing.

Since I wasn't shooting with my competitors I had no idea what they were doing, turns out they didn't want to win that day either. after all my screwing up I ended up CDP division champ.

The point I am trying to make is: after a bad stage suck it up and keep shooting, chances are others are going screw up also. The winner is the guy that screws it up the least. If nothing else try and remember my story 3 total pooch screws and I still walk away with the win.

Awesome stuff... I need to remind myself this as well as I've been in those exact situations. I agree too... that going balls to the wall never works... I know this as at my last USPSA match where I had a real bad start- I proceeded to do just that... and ZEROed a 70pt classifier. Still came in 4th Production but would have done much better if I had stuck to my game and even got half the classifier points!! Turns out that some of the other competitors had quite a few Mikes that day... but somehow while I knew I was shooting poorly... I wrongly assumed they weren't!!

[MrBorland]

The point I am trying to make is: after a bad stage suck it up and keep shooting, chances are others are going screw up also. The winner is the guy that screws it up the least. If nothing else try and remember my story 3 total pooch screws and I still walk away with the win.

+1. Happened to me over the weekend at our state match as well. 2 pooched stages and the win.

The 1st pooched stage was the very first stage of the match. An equipment issue, so no re-shoot. A little mental math tells me the DNF cost me about 14 seconds already, but it also tells me it doesn't have to cost me the match.

I stayed focused and shot clean until stage 5, when I got too close to a port and broke my FO. I hear the RO call out "down 1...down 2...down 4...down 3...". A total of 10 PD for the stage. Another 5 seconds in the whole, but more quick math still tells me I may very well win if I keep avoiding mental errors, which I did.

I ended up taking the win...but by only a few seconds, so in the end, the 2 pooched stages didn't cost me the win, but mistakes from carrying emotional baggage and/or trying to re-gain the lost time certainly would have.

Tom

p.s. dchang0 - thanks from me as well. Looks like I've got some good reading to do.

[CatsEye]

Shaking off a bad stage can be tough. One of the greatest things I learned from Brian was to shoot in the moment. I had one of these moments just yesterday. I was shooting the Masters IDPA Championship in Alabama. The second stage I shot was sort of a shoot house / maze. I forgot about one target and ran right by it. I received 10 points down, a procedural and a failure to neutralize. Thats 13 seconds on one target, ouch. I just knew giving away 13 seconds in SSP EX was too much to overcome. I decided to just move on and shoot. Hell, I had driven 3-1/2 hours for a match I might as well have fun. With no pressure I actually shot better than normal. When they posted the scores and I was in 1st I almost laughed. My goal is to learn to shoot free like that all the time.

[Ryan N]

Shaking off a bad stage can be tough. One of the greatest things I learned from Brian was to shoot in the moment. I had one of these moments just yesterday. I was shooting the Masters IDPA Championship in Alabama. The second stage I shot was sort of a shoot house / maze. I forgot about one target and ran right by it. I received 10 points down, a procedural and a failure to neutralize. Thats 13 seconds on one target, ouch. I just knew giving away 13 seconds in SSP EX was too much to overcome. I decided to just move on and shoot. Hell, I had driven 3-1/2 hours for a match I might as well have fun. With no pressure I actually shot better than normal. When they posted the scores and I was in 1st I almost laughed. My goal is to learn to shoot free like that all the time.

+1. I can relate to that. I have learned that it ain't over till its over. Never give up. Last year at the Masters in AL, I had a malfunction(bluged round) on stage 12 that took nearly 15 seconds for me to clear. I was shooting great and that stage really cost me. But I just kept shooting the rest of the match to my full potential. I ended up 2nd place SSP EX and only two seconds behind the 1st place SSP EX.

[benos]

Shaking off a bad stage can be tough. One of the greatest things I learned from Brian was to shoot in the moment. I had one of these moments just yesterday. I was shooting the Masters IDPA Championship in Alabama. The second stage I shot was sort of a shoot house / maze. I forgot about one target and ran right by it. I received 10 points down, a procedural and a failure to neutralize. Thats 13 seconds on one target, ouch. I just knew giving away 13 seconds in SSP EX was too much to overcome. I decided to just move on and shoot. Hell, I had driven 3-1/2 hours for a match I might as well have fun. With no pressure I actually shot better than normal. When they posted the scores and I was in 1st I almost laughed. My goal is to learn to shoot free like that all the time.

Nice work! Thanks for the great report.

be

[fastarget]

I just ordered Learned Optimism as well. Reading the first few pages the husband sounds a lot like me. Thanks for the recco.

I just ordered from BE the Basham Freedom Flight and shooting sports cd when I ran across this thread. I needed help since my mental breakdown yesterday cost me the state match, worked hard for it, so a huge disappointment(soaking wet, 46 degrees, brain stopped, routine was forgotten allowed external things to affect me). Trying to put it behind me, No actually have put it behind me and am ready to continue my quest for learning and improving. since the mental part has been the least practiced of my skills, it is time to get after it.

What do you think of the book, I read some of the reviews on Amazon, most reviews concerned that there was no "How to" , that the book was mostly "what".............what do you gents think after reading it?

Edited May 22, 2011 by fastarget

[jdknotts1]

I'm about half way through the book. So far, its explaining about how we talk affects how we think, or maybe the other way around. Very semingly small ways we think about things, can determine whether or not we are positive or negative thinkers. From this guys research, he says he has proven that thinking positive actually does make everything easier. I will finish the book up tomorrow or Tuesday so I'll give you the rundown when its finished.

So far, just seeing what I've been doing wrong (without tips on what to do right) has improved my shooting. Today, I shot a club match. Decided to pull out my Kimber Gold Combat. Second stage, magazine follower got stuck half way up the mag. Did not feed... Tap, rack, no bang. Tap, rack, no bang..... Finally slammed the bottom of the mag and knocked the follower back up. Interesting how on the video, I can see I'm very frustrated after the string. But, I did something I didn't know I did until watching the video afterward. I kicked some dirt with my foot, and shook it off. Forgot about it. Went on and shot fairly smooth.

So maybe identifying what your doing wrong, may be all you need to do. Sometimes there needs to be no "how to" on what to do right. So far, I think the book has helped on many things including shooting.

Check out my youtube page jdknotts1. The mag screw up was the third stage, but I started on 2. I think I recovered fairly well. Let me know what you think.

[Jman]

TOTAL disaster. Missed, procedural, disgusted, could not believe, totally muck it up, not my MO, terrible performance, sulking, hammering myself, dumba$.

REALLY need some tips on the quick mental recovery...

No quick fix for you!

Seriously it "appears" you were well prepped to fail. Everything above is TENSION. And a whole lot of it. And with it you have no chance in an athletic endeavor. Zero.

Observe, evaluate, learn and move on. Humility...is your friend.

Jim

[fastarget]

I'm about half way through the book. So far, its explaining about how we talk affects how we think, or maybe the other way around. Very semingly small ways we think about things, can determine whether or not we are positive or negative thinkers. From this guys research, he says he has proven that thinking positive actually does make everything easier. I will finish the book up tomorrow or Tuesday so I'll give you the rundown when its finished.

So far, just seeing what I've been doing wrong (without tips on what to do right) has improved my shooting. Today, I shot a club match. Decided to pull out my Kimber Gold Combat. Second stage, magazine follower got stuck half way up the mag. Did not feed... Tap, rack, no bang. Tap, rack, no bang..... Finally slammed the bottom of the mag and knocked the follower back up. Interesting how on the video, I can see I'm very frustrated after the string. But, I did something I didn't know I did until watching the video afterward. I kicked some dirt with my foot, and shook it off. Forgot about it. Went on and shot fairly smooth.

So maybe identifying what your doing wrong, may be all you need to do. Sometimes there needs to be no "how to" on what to do right. So far, I think the book has helped on many things including shooting.

Check out my youtube page jdknotts1. The mag screw up was the third stage, but I started on 2. I think I recovered fairly well. Let me know what you think.

You recovered well, kept your cool.

I broke down mentally, no issues with equipment. I would go through details, but decided it is behind me, learned from it, I need to forget it, I am better than that(see learning already).

[Walküre]

The trick to to place all our attention on what we are doing. That will leave no attention for what we did.

Furthermore, ignore the farther future as well - don't spend time worrying about what has yet to come in the match.

Before I begin my true preparation for shooting a stage, I may discuss the previous stage, or thoughts on upcoming stages in the match. Similarly, after I have finished shooting the stage, I may reflect upon that performance, compare with others, and so on. But when the time comes to prep on the following stage, I won't be thinking about the one I already shot, or any others that might be remaining. The mind must only be concerned with the present.

There is no last stage. There is no next stage. There is only the stage.