A book by a University of Chicago psychologist explores why we "ch

[perlslacker]

I'm pretty new to practical shooting, but I saw this article some time ago and I thought this forum would like to see it. It's about a book by a UofC psychologist on why we choke under pressure, along with methods for dealing with it. (I'm too new of a member to post links, but the link is in the first couple results for "uchicago news choke" on Google)

From the article:

Choking in such cases happens when the polished programs executed by the brains of extremely accomplished athletes go awry. In Choke, Beilock recounts famous examples of these malfunctions in the context of brain science to tell the story of why people choke and what can be done to alleviate it.

Thinking too much about what you are doing, because you are worried about losing the lead (as in Norman's case) or worrying about failing in general, can lead to "paralysis by analysis." In a nutshell, paralysis by analysis occurs when people try to control every aspect of what they are doing in an attempt to ensure success. Unfortunately, this increased control can backfire, disrupting what was once a fluid, flawless performance.

"My research team and I have found that highly skilled golfers are more likely to hole a simple 3-foot putt when we give them the tools to stop analyzing their shot, to stop thinking," Beilock said. "Highly practiced putts run better when you don't try to control every aspect of performance."

Even a simple trick of singing helps prevent portions of the brain that might interfere with performance from taking over, Beilock's research shows. Whistling can help at work. "If the tasks are automatic and you have done them a thousand times in the past, a mild distraction such as whistling can help them run off more smoothly under pressure."

Funny how the results of the findings are pretty much exactly what the guys at my old trap club used to say when I was having a bad night. I might buy this book if I have some spare change at the end of the month.

[juan]

Thanks for the tip

I noticed in dry fire if i add a footstep into my reload is was a lot smoother,

witch I did not understand why

[benos]

Whistling can help at work. "If the tasks are automatic and you have done them a thousand times in the past, a mild distraction such as whistling can help them run off more smoothly under pressure."

As a youngster, I noticed my dad whistled all the time while he was doing chores around the house. As I got older and got into Zen/meditation, I realized that while you are whistling, your mind i is silent and not thinking.

As an aside, while my dad never told me he was a zen master, after he died, and I spent a lot of time reflecting on every aspect of how he lived his life, and how he died, I realized he was a zen master.

be

[Mr Unnatural]

thanks for the tip added the book to my wishlist on bookdepositry

this part of the article is very familiar to me.

Thinking too much about what you are doing, because you are worried about losing the lead (as in Norman's case) or worrying about failing in general, can lead to "paralysis by analysis." In a nutshell, paralysis by analysis occurs when people try to control every aspect of what they are doing in an attempt to ensure success. Unfortunately, this increased control can backfire, disrupting what was once a fluid, flawless performance.

Edited July 7, 2011 by Mr Unnatural

[DWFAN]

Interesting article.

http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2010/09/21/psychologist-shows-why-we-choke-under-pressure-and-how-avoid-it

[1911Prof]

When I was young, I was taught to whistle while I walked to the freezer with an ice cube tray full of water. This is what kept you from getting too tense and spilling the water while walking. I never made the connection to shooting... thanks for the post

[Kevin G.]

After this weekend's match which my brother shot with me I was considering shooting on a different squad than him from now on. I always seem to do much worse when competing with him than when not. I guess he's the added stress that gets me over-analyzing. No. I know he's the added stress. I usually don't do much discussing stage plan with anyone else and just continually refine my attack plan until it's my time to shoot. When he's there we always get into this back and forth about every stage. His ideas get all mixed up with mine and what small measure of autopilot I have at the beep when he's not there is completely gone.

I guess trying to learn new ideas during a match gives me "paralysis by analysis".

Edited July 7, 2011 by Kevin G.

[perlslacker]

Whistling can help at work. "If the tasks are automatic and you have done them a thousand times in the past, a mild distraction such as whistling can help them run off more smoothly under pressure."

As a youngster, I noticed my dad whistled all the time while he was doing chores around the house. As I got older and got into Zen/meditation, I realized that while you are whistling, your mind i is silent and not thinking.

As an aside, while my dad never told me he was a zen master, after he died, and I spent a lot of time reflecting on every aspect of how he lived his life, and how he died, I realized he was a zen master.

be

Funny how different cultures have the same methods for dealing with problems, just by different names.

Also I think it's really neat to see scientists start to discover the neurological/psychological basis for why Zen methods work.

[southtexaswoman]

I have come to realize that is thinking too much that makes me a slow shooter. In practice I can shoot fast but when it comes match time I analyze way too much and then hold on to that as I shoot it and it slows me down. I am now trying to "cut loose" more from my mind. I think we probably all have different levels that are appropriate for ourselves.

[benos]

I have come to realize that is thinking too much that makes me a slow shooter. In practice I can shoot fast but when it comes match time I analyze way too much and then hold on to that as I shoot it and it slows me down. I am now trying to "cut loose" more from my mind. I think we probably all have different levels that are appropriate for ourselves.

Eventually, you will perform your best from a state of observation without thought. Or a state of thoughtless witnessing.

be

[Skynyrd]

Feeling confident is a key. When I am feeling confident... I can naturally relax and you just let it happen.

[calvary45]

I'm pretty new to practical shooting, but I saw this article some time ago and I thought this forum would like to see it. It's about a book by a UofC psychologist on why we choke under pressure, along with methods for dealing with it. (I'm too new of a member to post links, but the link is in the first couple results for "uchicago news choke" on Google)From the article:

Choking in such cases happens when the polished programs executed by the brains of extremely accomplished athletes go awry. In Choke, Beilock recounts famous examples of these malfunctions in the context of brain science to tell the story of why people choke and what can be done to alleviate it.Thinking too much about what you are doing, because you are worried about losing the lead (as in Norman's case) or worrying about failing in general, can lead to "paralysis by analysis." In a nutshell, paralysis by analysis occurs when people try to control every aspect of what they are doing in an attempt to ensure success. Unfortunately, this increased control can backfire, disrupting what was once a fluid, flawless performance."My research team and I have found that highly skilled golfers are more likely to hole a simple 3-foot putt when we give them the tools to stop analyzing their shot, to stop thinking," Beilock said. "Highly practiced putts run better when you don't try to control every aspect of performance."Even a simple trick of singing helps prevent portions of the brain that might interfere with performance from taking over, Beilock's research shows. Whistling can help at work. "If the tasks are automatic and you have done them a thousand times in the past, a mild distraction such as whistling can help them run off more smoothly under pressure."

Funny how the results of the findings are pretty much exactly what the guys at my old trap club used to say when I was having a bad night. I might buy this book if I have some spare change at the end of the month.

The whistling is interesting but i cant see myself whisling through a stage, I have found that having a set for mental program has helped my shooting and golf game.

My set in shooting is looking at the concentrating on the first target till my mind goes blank.

Thanks for the tipI noticed in dry fire if i add a footstep into my reload is was a lot smoother,witch I did not understand why

+1

Juan i recently started doing the same thing with my reloads in dryfire and quickly figured out that my reload was done in one step or less everytime.

[Chad C.]

I have come to realize that is thinking too much that makes me a slow shooter. In practice I can shoot fast but when it comes match time I analyze way too much and then hold on to that as I shoot it and it slows me down. I am now trying to "cut loose" more from my mind. I think we probably all have different levels that are appropriate for ourselves.

Eventually, you will perform your best from a state of observation without thought. Or a state of thoughtless witnessing.

be

This is a realization (maybe better referred to as the realization) that has changed my entire perception of competitive shooting. I had never heard the concept of "witnessing" rather than consciously "attempting/executing" an act before I started lurking on these forums. Reading a few older posts on the topic was truly one of those lightbulb moments for me.

I had stumbled across this mental state a couple of times while shooting collegiate bullseye (unfortunately, it tended to happen when things weren't going my way), after my goals shifted from shooting a competitive score to "shooting my own match." After these matches, I would sit down and try and put the pieces together, but was never really able to understand how and why this change of headspace occurred. I now understand that, due to a change in conscious goals, I was unintentionally changing over from the "execute" mindset to the kind of "witnessing" Brian is talking about.

Looking back at my early IDPA/USPSA matches (back while I was still trying very hard to "execute" stages), I see that the dynamic nature of IDPA/USPSA only compounded the problems associated with mental overload due to trying too hard. Mental overload is bad enough on a square bulleye range; incorporate moving/shooting, reloads, transitions, and everything else associated with USPSA and the overload can be even more apparent and frustrating.

I feel like I can now get into the witnessing mindset on-command during matches. It took a complete overhaul of how I approach stage planning (the "Stage Analysis and Ownership" document I found here is a great resource), but it was absolutely worth it.

For me, it's almost like writing all the code to a computer program (this would be "Stage Planning" in shooting terms), then sitting back and watching the program run its course...you just enter the execute command (the buzzer in shooting) and the program (you the shooter) runs itself (shoots the stage). Sorry if my parallel is a bit confusing, but the computer program comparison is the best one I've managed to come up with.

[bayoupirate]

My best runs have been when I just stepped up to the line and said "let's go".

Walking through over and over and filling my head with a plan, hasn't yielded my best results.

[kevinj308]

Added it to my Amazon wish list. Thanks for the tip.

Kevin

[benos]

For me, it's almost like writing all the code to a computer program (this would be "Stage Planning" in shooting terms), then sitting back and watching the program run its course...you just enter the execute command (the buzzer in shooting) and the program (you the shooter) runs itself (shoots the stage).

I like it.

The analogy that worked for me - I visualized everything I was going to do, see, and feel, down to the most minute detail, which I turned into a movie of what was going to happen. Then started the movie at the buzzer.

be

[Chad C.]

The analogy that worked for me - I visualized everything I was going to do, see, and feel, down to the most minute detail, which I turned into a movie of what was going to happen. Then started the movie at the buzzer.

be

(Bold emphasis added by me)

I understand the do/see components of your description, but how does the "feel" part come into play? Is it more of a "feel" with respect to the actual shooting (recoil, driving the gun, the tactile feedback of executing a reload) or are you referring to the mental state you foresee yourself experiencing during the stage?

[benos]

The analogy that worked for me - I visualized everything I was going to do, see, and feel, down to the most minute detail, which I turned into a movie of what was going to happen. Then started the movie at the buzzer.

be

(Bold emphasis added by me)

I understand the do/see components of your description, but how does the "feel" part come into play? Is it more of a "feel" with respect to the actual shooting (recoil, driving the gun, the tactile feedback of executing a reload) or are you referring to the mental state you foresee yourself experiencing during the stage?

In MBTI Temperament language, I'm a "feeler." So rememebering and programming how various aspects of what I am going to do may be easier for me than for "thinkers."

... or are you referring to the mental state you foresee yourself experiencing during the stage?

It's that - the mental state of calmly being aware of everything I am doing and seeing. And it's also how I remember the feeling of my body's Index shooting position. More on that in The Set Topic.

be

[MQW]

Take a look at 10 Minute Toughness by Dr. Jason Selk, he gets very specific as to why people choke, its because when you think about what can go wrong and try to stop it from going wrong, it will eventually go wrong.

You must be visualizing success for success to happen i.e. tell yourself - what to do, not -what not to do; Another great book is Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin. this book deals with Deliberate or Deep Practice.

I'm pretty new to practical shooting, but I saw this article some time ago and I thought this forum would like to see it. It's about a book by a UofC psychologist on why we choke under pressure, along with methods for dealing with it. (I'm too new of a member to post links, but the link is in the first couple results for "uchicago news choke" on Google

[a matt]

I have always shot my best when I felt comfortable, relaxed. It's hard to stop the pressure of a major match. I am working on it by going to as many majors as I can. Maybe I'll get a little comfortable with the pressure?

[benos]

I have always shot my best when I felt comfortable, relaxed. It's hard to stop the pressure of a major match. I am working on it by going to as many majors as I can. Maybe I'll get a little comfortable with the pressure?

Definitely. The top guys, in part, got to be top guys by shooting a lot of major tournaments.

be