Match focus II

[Singlestack]

Have any of you ever shot a State level of bigger match with Max, Chris, Travis and David, all of which are less than half my age BTW?

I have had the pleasure twice now and both times they affected my match. They distracted me in several ways.

1) my desire to improve caused me to study how they diagnose a stage. I spent more time watching them than getting my own plan.

2) my ego. There is no way I can watch Chris and not want to do it "just like that". So I try.

3) my ego. The desire to "fit in". See #2

How do you prevent your focus from straying?

I don't think I want to shoot with the Super Squad again for a while. I'm still suffering from the burnout caused by my match results from my last match shooting with them a month ago.

[tightloop]

Personally, I couldn't shoot with them and expect to do well. There was a time, but it is long past.

About the best thing I can relate is to just try to shoot your own game and disregard what anyone else is doing. Easier said than done when you HAVE to watch several of the best shoot right before you. The guys SS named can do things most other shooters cannot, regardless of what it says on their classification card.

Try to become immersed in the task at hand and the better you accompolish that task usually the better you shoot as a result. Presently, I am not tough enough mentally to accomplish doing that just by reminding myself. If you have a shooting bud who knows you really well and can literally kick you in the butt to regain your attention, that works too. For me, is a cumulative thing, the more matches I shoot, the better I am able to focus on the task at hand and do what I know I can do, but there isn't a quick fix, that I know of. The words, comfort factor, come to mind when I think about this. You have to become comfortable applying those mental skills before you can count on them when you need them...

[Sam]

John, I totally agree with Tightloop. "Shooting your own game" is really the only reasonable thing to ever attempt. I'm already working on the mental game for a big match that I intend to shoot over Memorial Day weekend. There will probably be several very good Ms and GMs there. I will maintain my focus by seeing the match as a test of my skills and nothing more. Mentally, it will be me against the course of fire, in my own private match.

I do some things quite well, and there are other things I could do better with more practice. Skill development is a very long term commitment. There is no way I'm going to improve my skills by even 1% in the next three weeks. However, I practiced my butt off all winter and I am fully prepared to shoot that match today. Last night I went out and practiced the most difficult stuff I could imagine and was very pleased with my current level of ability. Since I'm the lone competitor in this match of one, I'm the only guy who can screw it up for me.

[AikiDale]

I have recently figured out I have absolutely no sense of time. Einstein was right, it's all relative. Last weekend I figured out how to speed up. After shooting a couple of stages which seemed great to me, good hits and it seemd fast until I actually heard the RO call out the time, I picked the fastest shooter in our squad and dry fired with the old air pistol standing several feet behind him while he shot the next stage. On the dry fire run I beat him, even though I had a reload and he did not. He was shooting Open, is a B class shooter and got it done in 7.69. I shot it L-10, C class, in 9.16. One steel popper, two drop turners and six more IPSC targets for 17 rounds. (Winning GM Open shooter did it in 3.8) At my level, I think I really like to have a GM in my squad to inspire me. I'll be more inclined to play my own game when I have one. For the time being, it seems like focusing on repeating a run I just saw may be a good thing.

On the drive home it occured to me---DOH!---I need to practice with the timer....

[Dalmas]

I get inspired if shooting with top class guys and usually do my very best in such situation. I like a challange. They are not superhuman (some stuff they do might seam so), they are normal guys with some or no talent that has praticed a lot. Some are professional and CAN practice a whole lot - so one can expect them to be good. Don't get me wrong I'm not dissing them in any way, but I don't want to sell myselt short either, that is giving away serveral %.

If they can do something - so can I - but maybe not at the moment / maybe not ever - if I shot my best against them now I'll get an indication of how much I need to train to catch up, that is my inspiration becuase I want to catch up.

Take superhuman Steve (Mr. DryFire) that fires 6 A's on 3 different targets in 1.3something... Jawdropper.. how the he..., not possible kinda stuff but hey he inspired me to train even harder. I he can 1.3x I should be able come donw to 1.5x with some training. My goal is set.

It's like if I played golf against Tiger Woods, I'd play my game to win but would understand if I lost. Still wouldn't like it but understandable.

[benos]

SS,

Check your mind frequently to assess why you are studying other, better shooters, at a match. Then apply the knowledge learned, later, in practice.

You shouldn't expect to do more in a match than you've trained to do first, in practice.

If you care how you finish in a particular match, don't try anything you haven't perfected in practice.

be