what do you do to prepare for a major match?

[joedodge]

Im curious what you all do a wek or two before a major match. Do you change your diet do you hydrate more than normal, dry fire or live fire practice more? Whats your routine.

[joedodge]

no one maybe i posted in the wrong area.

[n1guess]

i like the question... what do you do?

[joedodge]

only been competing for a year in production I live in Florida so I try to over hydrate, I don't work out my legs the week before and I try to dry fire a little More than normal. Just looking to hear what others are doing to get ready

[Singlestack]

Are you looking for range practice or what?

[joedodge]

just interested in what you all do as far as diet practice dry fire just your general preparations

[Steve Anderson]

There's really nothing you can do a week before a major to get exponentially better. Sorry, that's just the truth.

60 days out would have been a better time to amp up the training.

What you CAN do is some intense mental conditioning.

Imagine every possible weather condition, even going so far as to HOPE for rain and enjoy it when it does.

Resolve to shoot A's and ignore the times of your competitors until the match is over.

Imagine how it will feel when you get there and get those particular butterflies to fly away early.

If you do any live fire, focus on building confidence.

Don't overdo the dry fire, especially with iron sights. (my opinions on dry fire vs. live fire with iron sights have been well documented)

Realize that unless you shoot a clean match, you won't really know how good you are.

Accept that you won't be any faster on match day than you were the day before.

Good luck.

[Brian Payne]

This coming from a 3-gunners perspective but it shouldn't be whole lot different.

I like to give the weapons a good cleaning and then get a couple of practice sessions in to make sure all is well with the guns.

I make a list (several actually), listing every item I want to make sure and have with me. When I leave for the match, nothing bothers me more than to have that nagging doubt in the back of my mind that I might have left something at home.

I go for nice slow daily jogs just to keep loose, nothing overly taxing or trying to set any time limits. Break a nice sweat and stay loose. If I think the match will require shooting from unusual positions (very common in 3-gun now), I will attempt to do a lot of stretching.

Check my vehicle over including tire pressure, oil, anti-freeze, windshield washer fluid, etc.. Make sure my spare is in good shape and I have the number for roadside assistance close to hand.

If the match is in another state I like to leave home very early in the morning a few days prior to the match (I am not sleeping anyway), drive through the night and arrive early enough to look over the stages and maybe watch some of the RO's shoot. Bring along a notepad, binoculars, range finder, and stop watch. Try to get a general feel for how the match will go. Spend some time relaxing.

I like to load all of my mags the night before the shooting begins. I have notes written down for every stage, telling me which rifle and pistol mags to use, and which shotshell carriers I will need. I will include notes on which type of shells to use for the shotgun and rifle if the stage calls for something unusual (slugs or heavier shot shells for a specific target).

Basically everything I do is done to clear my mind of all distractions other than the upcoming shooting.

[spanky]

Nothing different except for maybe some mental preparedness.

[Tom D.]

Excellent advice, Brian. Especially liked the 'try to do some stretching'. LOL!

[joedodge]

Thanks for the replys everyone and i agree with you totaly Steve the reason i asked is i have started training and practicing for the florida state match nov. 5-6 and factory gun classic in december.

[Singlestack]

Since this is more of a general traing topic I'm going to move it there.

[bigphiltheshootist]

Hydration is key. Got to keep the whole system lubed up. I dry fire practice mostly but do nothing two days prior. A little tip from Olympic athletes I once heard. Apparently sprinters and the like tend to have a lot of sex actually. I guess the message here is to stay active to burn off the nerves but keep it non shooting related. I like to meditate or go on a long walk alone at night. The peace and the act of walking tends to reset my whole self.

[t0066jh]

The Area 2 Match is 2 weeks out. I'm going to shoot 2 steel matches and 1 USPSA match. I'm challenging myself to focus on hits. I've got to learn to shoot to my skill level, not the M and A shooters that will be in my squad. Other than that, shoot some groups to focus on what a good sight picture looks like.

Finally, dry fire reload drills.

Joe

[BillD]

Hydration is key. Got to keep the whole system lubed up. I dry fire practice mostly but do nothing two days prior. A little tip from Olympic athletes I once heard. Apparently sprinters and the like tend to have a lot of sex actually. I guess the message here is to stay active to burn off the nerves but keep it non shooting related. I like to meditate or go on a long walk alone at night. The peace and the act of walking tends to reset my whole self.

I think I'd rather use the Olympic athletes plan.

[want2race]

One thing I do is hit the zero range. Confidence building if nothing else. Shoot groups at 25 and 50 yards. I do a little dry fire, not for speed but for muscle memory of what perfection is. Clean the gun(s), inspect ammo and mags. Write down my packing list of everything I want to take. Bug juice and vanilla spray is usually number two on the list for SS nationals. My diet doesn't change. For warm climates I prehydrate at least 24hrs before the match. This has helped me at more than one extreme heat major match.

Then I just remember that I'm going to have a good time. I shoot at my peak performance when I'm having a really fun time. That is the biggest thing for me. I have to let go of all negative stress and just REALLY enjoy it. The difference is night and day.

[pjb45]

I will never ever again sight my gun in prior to a major match. I did it from a rest and it was different than when I shoot freestyle. It changed my POI, which was not apparent until the the small round plates at A2.

My prematch routine is pretty simple. The only live fire practice I will do a week before the match is some accuracy or group shooting. That is it. I want the last live fire rounds in my memory to accuracy A zone groups.

I clean the gun down to bare metal. I treat it with Nano 386, some hi tech lube and reassemble it. I may take it to the range to test fire into a berm only.

I will do some dry fire draws and target transitions in my back yard.

I stopped all heavy physical workout a week prior. I will do some light bike rides or short easy runs during the week and nothing two days prior to the match. You really want to give your body time to recoup.

I make sure my gear bag has everything I want to take.

If I was in AZ, I would clean my gun and shoot Tuesday Night Steel and probably relax the rest of the week.

When I get to the Desert Classic, I make sure I eat at the Cheese Cake Factory at least once, Barra's pizza once and RWB for lunch at least once. This helps my mental game.

[pjb45]

I try to adhere to Steve's and Mike Seeklander's guidance as much as possible.

Anything I do prior to a match is only to re-inforce the proper way of doing things. I will not try and learn something new, like improving a draw speed or reload speed. I want to ensure proper technique is executed correctly and reliably.

Learning new skills is not for a week before a major match.

Execution of proper technique is fundamental to a successful match.

I remember very vividly the year Taran went minor at A2. He said he was going to focus on getting his points. He was second by four points or so. IMO due to a scoring problem on one stage, he would have won the match. He was focused on execution of proper technique, not on hosing.

[Ofishl1]

I try to adhere to Steve's and Mike Seeklander's guidance as much as possible.

Anything I do prior to a match is only to re-inforce the proper way of doing things. I will not try and learn something new, like improving a draw speed or reload speed. I want to ensure proper technique is executed correctly and reliably.

Learning new skills is not for a week before a major match.

Execution of proper technique is fundamental to a successful match.

I remember very vividly the year Taran went minor at A2. He said he was going to focus on getting his points. He was second by four points or so. IMO due to a scoring problem on one stage, he would have won the match. He was focused on execution of proper technique, not on hosing.

Thanks, thats good advice, I just found out yesterday I made the list to shoot A2!! (my first major),...and my mind started scrambling, gotta load.., gotta practice,.. live,.. dry,..read more Benos,.. shoot the next 3 locals.. hit Rio steel tues nite,...then I read this thread and thought WHOA, slow down.. if I shoot 4 matches before the Classic I may be burned up and loading ammo like crazy at the last minute...load, chrono, confirm, then load all match ammo, then practice...