Demotivation

[dsb45acp]

I have noticed that in just regular everyday situations I have no problem at all motivating myself to dry fire or practice. However, as soon as I have what I perceive to be a "major" match coming up I loose my motivation & start having difficulty with my dry fire. Any idea why this is or suggestion on how to overcome it? Do I have a severe form of performance anxiety, fear of failure or success, or just a poor self image? Input is greatly appreciated since I have a classifier match coming up soon and would like to do well. Maybe I should try electroconvulsive therapy or just get my buddy to stand behind me with a cattle prod or something.

[Flexmoney]

What is your goal?

[dsb45acp]

Long term kind of "intangible" is to be the best shooter I can be. Short term is I want to class as "B" or better in SStk at this classifier.

[Flexmoney]

How do you achieve your immediate goal?

[dsb45acp]

I am working on the immediate goal by:

-Dry fire at least 3-4 days a week. I am currently working to make all movements as smooth as possible.

-Concentrating on seeing the front sight in the "A" zone for all shots. (I'm using a business card in the A zone of 1/4 size metric targets.)

-Improving my physical condition through wt training and aerobic activity @ least 3 times a week

-Attempting to improve my self image to be congruent with my goals. This is the one I'm having the most problem with & usually where the problem in the OP crops up.

[Flexmoney]

Something to ponder... Why isn't your self image matching up with your goals?

But, maybe forget that.

How about this...

Try putting all of your attention and focus into the execution side of things. Boil things down to their fundamentals and work on executing those fundamentals extremely well. Let the outcome fall where it falls...only take notice of it as a gauge of what (fundamental thing) you might need to work on next time.

Own the execution of the fundamentals.

(Sounds like you are on the right track. You should progress nicely.)

[lugnut]

The more I shoot the more I believe it's the fundamentals that win matches.... when I do poorly at a match, I know I've ignored or not performed well on the fundamentals. When I do good, I look back and realize I had great execution of the fundamental skills... D's and Mike's can't happen if your fundamentals are solid. Silly as it sounds (or obvious) but the most important for me is sight picture and trigger control. B shooter here fwiw.

EDIT:

Oh and some other things I do to WORK on the getting the fundamentals down- as by themselves they aren't difficult. I sometimes have a challenge going from hoser range targets to long small steel... this causes me problems as you go from one target that requires "little" trigger control and sight picture to another that is virtually the opposite! Easy to set up with two or three targets. Run them in different orders- live fire or dry fire.

Bottom line is USPSA challenges us in unique ways, in ways that challenge the fundamental skills like few other shooting sports.

And on the self image- EVERYONE wants to look good and perform well. Otherwise they wouldn't be at the matches- they could just practice. It's just a matter of building some confidence so that the anxiety doesn't overwhelm you. If you don't have some anxiety and matches- you are dead.

Edited July 20, 2011 by lugnut

[Dan Burwell]

However, as soon as I have what I perceive to be a "major" match coming up I loose my motivation & start having difficulty with my dry fire. Any idea why this is

You are giving yourself an excuse to not perform up to your expectations. I am pretty good at this as well.

suggestion on how to overcome it?

Change in goals is necessary here. Continue your long term goals, but add a short term goal of dry firing every day for the next X# of weeks. Or maybe set a goal of getting the perfect sub second draw 5 times in a row during dry fire. Basically, something that you can only achieve if you actually dry fire, but is not tied to a match.

Remember goals are something written down and looked at daily. If it isn't written down it is a dream not a goal.

[Supermoto]

I have noticed that in just regular everyday situations I have no problem at all motivating myself to dry fire or practice. However, as soon as I have what I perceive to be a "major" match coming up I loose my motivation & start having difficulty with my dry fire. Any idea why this is or suggestion on how to overcome it? Do I have a severe form of performance anxiety, fear of failure or success, or just a poor self image? Input is greatly appreciated since I have a classifier match coming up soon and would like to do well. Maybe I should try electroconvulsive therapy or just get my buddy to stand behind me with a cattle prod or something.

Its self sabotage.

You are giving yourself an excuse for not shooting well at the major match. You have justified and more than likely insured a crappy performance, whether you actually did dry fire or not. Worry about the results after the match not before. No expectations, just shoot

[warpspeed]

I think the key to staying motivated is setting a very short term goal that is attainable. It gives me something to focus on and as long as it contributes to my long term goal, it is helpful. It might be something like shooting the next match without any penalties or 90% of the available points. Maybe it is just match with no misses.

Now you can evaluate yourself against something that has nothing to do with how others perform, just you. Next goal builds on that. Making it attainable is the key. A short term goal that is too much of a stretch based on past performance will do more harm than good if not achieved.

[JeffWard]

Another perspective....

I find if I "grind" too much for too long, I get burned out, and my performance slips. I develop apathy, and sloppy habits. When I take a week or two off, then do a few sessions of dry-fire, then come back for a match focused only on good fundamentals... I kick a$$.

Same in the gym... I force myself to take an off-week every 8 weeks or so. Let the body heal and recover. Come back hungry and strong.

Shooting and training can get mentally grueling. If you're burning yourself out one week before a match, you're hurting yourself more than helping.

My 2 cents...

Jeff

[dsb45acp]

Thanks for all the insight and advice guys. I'm putting it to use and concentrating on the fundamentals. I'm also working on the mindset that if I'm "B" in Ltd, then there's no reason I can't make at least "B" in S.Stack. I'll let y'all know how the next match goes.

[benos]

Lots of good perspectives in this thread.

Put me down for one more - stick with the fundamentals. Find the middle of the target; shoot the middle of the target. And repeat, endlessly.

be

[lugnut]

Find the middle of the target; shoot the middle of the target. And repeat, endlessly.

be

Damn... I love that line... I might steal it.

Seriously though... in many ways it REALLY IS that simple... the fundamentals. Most of us can hit A zones at 25 yards all day long or mini poppers at 20 yards... it's only when something in the brain tries to tell us "The heck with the fundamentals man- you need to pick up some speed!" that things go into the crapper. We all know that we need a controlled trigger pull and a certain sight picture for these shots but somehow we "forget" this in a match.... I really wish I was a better student at teaching my self this.... but then again- there are some parts of the brain that just loves speed and smacking that trigger fast!!! It's all mental IMO.

[Sam]

However, as soon as I have what I perceive to be a "major" match coming up I loose my motivation & start having difficulty with my dry fire.

I have experienced this too. I have wondered if this was the reason: Matches come and go. We win some, we lose some. But, being a shooter is a way of looking at things. Seeking to do well in a particular match is really just a temporary attraction. Not what we are really after....?

[Steve Anderson]

"However, as soon as I have what I perceive to be a "major" match coming up I loose my motivation & start having difficulty with my dry fire."

This is about as sulf-fulfilling as self-image can be.

"I have a classifier match coming up soon and would like to do well."

This is a flashing sign that reads: Caution, extreme trying ahead.

Simple answer: Brian and Flex nailed it. Fundamentals. One shot at a time. Best way to do that is to visualize each stage in tremendous detail and then see yourself shooting two As on it. At load and make ready, there is nothing in your mind but Alpha. This is subconscious shooting and it's how you give your body permission to do all of these things better than you can if you "try" to do them.

What's different about a major match? I never saw one that used different targets than local matches. Same rulebook.

(your expectations are different. you want to do soooooooooooooo well)

What's different about a classifier match? They're the easiest ones to practice for...

(you reeeeeeeaaaaaly wanna move up)

These desires can be very helpful, but not after load and make ready.

You lose your motivation because you've struggled at these kinds of matches before and are likely to do so again.

Long term, you need to pick a new self-image and become it.

I was "hot local shooter who chokes at big matches" for a long time. It actually felt good to screw up at a big match because it relaxed me...I was me again. That self-image WILL NOT ALLOW a good clean match. It doesn't know how to handle it because it's not normal.

i was used to kicking ass locally and struggling nationally/regionally and I became that self-image.

After awhile on that wheel, I just decided to....wait for it..................................................................

Put two alphas in every target.

Edited August 4, 2011 by Steve Anderson

[lugnut]

I'm convinced a positive self image is key to being successful and advancing.... yet it's difficult to do in some ways. Saul Kirsch talks about this in his video. You can't have an effective positive image that isn't "realistic". Like I can't, today at least, walk into the nationals thinking I'm going to kick everyone's ass. I haven't worked hard enough, developed enough skills, etc. However- I can go to a stage at every match thinking that I can go one for one on every steel, nail my reloads and shoot As... but only because I KNOW I can and have done these shots many times in practice!

I was talking to a Master level shooter years ago and asked him what he thought was the biggest contributor to doing so well in his recent years. His response was something like: "You know, I think it's just that I'm more confident now." Sounded simple back then.. but there's a lot to what he said. You can't with without a winning attitude!

[benos]

I just decided to....wait for it..................................................................

Put two alphas in every target.

Beautiful - there ya go!

[dsb45acp]

Alright y'all! I have taken the advice. I am using meditation as a path to a new self image. I am dry firing and working on improving my physical condition. I have a detail cleaned gun that functions flawlessly, GREAT ammo from DC Ammo, and have checked, double checked and function fired all equipment. The match is Sunday and I will go and shoot "A"s on all targets because that is just the kind of shooter I am and is my default mode of shooting. Thank you all for all the advice and when I earn that GM card, I'll post it here!

[Flexmoney]

Forget about that card. Come back and show us the Alpahs!

[grapemeister]

I've only been doing USPSA for about 18 months, and I'm an average B class shooter, for now. But, here are a few things I've learned and am learning. I use to get really nervous about upcoming classifier stages, classifier matches, and bigger matches. Sometimes I would get so worried and to the point of losing motivation, like you. In my mind I had already failed, and was defeated. The more I worried about hitting a no-shoot, or hardcover on a classifier stage the more likely I would hit the noshoot or hardcover.

I'm not all the way there yet, but I'm learning that I do better, keep my motivation stronger, and have more fun by telling myself I'm a good shooter and I have the ability to do awesome things. So, just go and have fun, oncentrate on the fundamentals, and let the chips fall where they may. I know I will be an A class shooter, but that will only happen when I'm an A class shooter.

[Toolguy]

I've been shooting matches for over 30 years. I only shoot S&W revolvers, only double action.

As for the shooting part, to me all shooting is the same. The size of the target or the distance is irrelevant. All that matters is sight alignment and trigger control. You can only control the path of the bullet to the end of the barrel, then it simply continues that path until something stops it. You must get it started correctly. Concentrating on the sights and trigger pull will do that. Looking past the sights at the target will not.

As for the mental part, I believe we process information in one of 2 ways - emotion or logic. They do not work together.

Emotional thinking is results oriented. For example, if I am happy or upset at a shot or string of shots, my performance suffers. Making a judgment of each shot, good or bad, seriously slows you down and chops a smooth performance into little pieces.

Logical thinking is execution oriented. Do this shot, this shot, this shot, making each hit as good as it needs to be. In this mode there is no judgment call or worrying about a bad hit. You simply observe what is happening like watching a video of someone else. There is plenty of time to be happy or sad after the gun is holstered. While you are shooting, Job One is to work the sights and trigger.

I have shot up close and fast and out to 200 meters and everything in between. It all comes down to how much concentration you can bring to the sights and trigger.

There is no new content here, just my personal way of thinking about what many others have said before.

Edited August 17, 2011 by Toolguy

[dsb45acp]

Well, didn't do as well as I would like to have. In spite of all my prep, I still had butterflies in my stomach on the first couple of stages. By my guesstimation, I should be high "C" class on the next update. It is disappointing but is past now & I will work on flawless execution of fundamentals for the Gator Classic this fall. Thanks for all the help & advice everybody.

[benos]

Nice summary Warren.

be

[Toolguy]

Thanks Brian! That's a very generous compliment.