baa Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I have been working hard on developing my ability to call my shots. Between lots of practice (both live and dry fire) I have been able to start seeing my sights and calling my shots fairly well. I will run a drill and vividly remember what my sights looks like over the string of fire. Interestingly, dry fire helped me a lot with the ability to really SEE my sights in relation to the target when the shot breaks. This has a been a major discovery for me and over the past month I have been able to consistantly call my shots (95% of shots fired.) However... At actual matches, my shot calling ability drops below 50%. Granted, my brain is also focused on other things like position, entering and exiting positions, when to reload, etc. Any thoughts or tips on how to increase focus on shot calling in matches? My current plan is to just keep practicing the same things and keep refining my vision and really absorb shot calling in to my sub concious. Anyone run in to this situation and what did you do to "fix it?" Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Make it your one and only priority on match day. (Also, is practice, incorporate the things that are pulling your focus on match day.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sin-ster Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 (edited) What you're reporting is common to those of us just learning to call our shots. First and foremost, it boils down to a shortcoming in our shooting after the buzzer goes off. By then, the one and only thing we should be focused on is the front sight! Flex's suggestion to make it the one and only priority on match day is a sound one. My personal opinion is that it boils down to a level of comfort. In practice, even under the timer, there's basically no pressure to perform and it's perfectly acceptable to pay complete attention to calling your shots. So many other factors (want to) come into play during a match that your attention simply shifts away from it. As you get more and more accustomed to these distractions and feelings, you'll be more inclined to relax and let the front sight do all of the work-- dictating when your shots break, and thereby alerting you to the fact that you just snatched the trigger or fired one off perfectly... into the D zone because your index was off. In other words, your notion of "just keep practicing" is sound as well. It's just like the proper trigger press, the fundamental drawstroke, or clean mag changes. They will eventually become subconscious actions and you will notice and correct any mistakes on the fly. Seeing the sights (and thereby calling the shots) is often counter intuitive to speed shooting, where so many visual inputs and so much awareness is necessary. Over time, it too will become second nature. You'll also have to deal with calling bad shots "too slowly", as often happens to me on the follow up shot into a target. Often, I've already transitioned on or even started to leave the position before it really registers in my brain that the shot was poor. During scoring, I always walk back to that target and see just how well I called the shot (even if I didn't do anything about it). Typically, I'm spot on! Note that this happens most to people just beginning to call their shots, but plagues even the best in the world from time to time as well. When asking Max Michel about the phenomenon in a class last weekend, he said he knew exactly what I was talking about through personal experience, and had worked hard to make it as rare an occurrence as possible. Edited November 10, 2011 by Sin-ster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underlug Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I have been working hard on developing my ability to call my shots. Between lots of practice (both live and dry fire) I have been able to start seeing my sights and calling my shots fairly well. I will run a drill and vividly remember what my sights looks like over the string of fire. Interestingly, dry fire helped me a lot with the ability to really SEE my sights in relation to the target when the shot breaks. This has a been a major discovery for me and over the past month I have been able to consistantly call my shots (95% of shots fired.) However... At actual matches, my shot calling ability drops below 50%. Granted, my brain is also focused on other things like position, entering and exiting positions, when to reload, etc. Any thoughts or tips on how to increase focus on shot calling in matches? My current plan is to just keep practicing the same things and keep refining my vision and really absorb shot calling in to my sub concious. Anyone run in to this situation and what did you do to "fix it?" Thanks! "Match day" is just a more structured practice session Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuNerd Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Funny.... I can do a hundred clean draws or reloads in a row. Turn on a Timer and I immediately start missing! That's the next level of proficiency. Not letting your mind wander Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 As long as you are still in the learning curve in any endeavor, an increase in pressure will partially defeat the skills you are learning in practice. But eventually, after repeated effort in the right direction (what Flesmoney said), you will get better and better at calling your shots under pressure. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Funny.... I can do a hundred clean draws or reloads in a row. Turn on a Timer and I immediately start missing! That's the next level of proficiency. Not letting your mind wander Use a timer in practice every time as well. Then you'll always be on a timer and be used to it on match day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biloxi23 Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 The timer is my "delete" button. Everytime the timer goes off, my plan and focus goes out the opposite ear. But, I am noticing steady if not spectacular improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baa Posted November 11, 2011 Author Share Posted November 11, 2011 Thanks for the replies and suggestions! I have been shooting USPSA for around 5 years and I have done pretty well in my class due to raw speed, generally decent accuracy, and pretty good stage planning; but I have found that I have hit a wall in advancement due to not being able to call my shots. I am very pleased with the progress I have been making in practice, now I just need to fix the skill in my thick skull so I shot call at a match consistently... Thanks again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerome Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 Ha! I resemble that 'delete' button remark. How about when the first thing goes wrong on a stage. That just kills the rest of the stage when it shouldn't . I feel like John Daly and just want to go home when I should be like Jack Nicklaus and never remember a bad shot - only the good ones. The timer is my "delete" button. Everytime the timer goes off, my plan and focus goes out the opposite ear. But, I am noticing steady if not spectacular improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baa Posted November 11, 2011 Author Share Posted November 11, 2011 It's funny how we progress in shooting. I have been competing for a while and, for the most part, the buzzer going off engerizes me. I have gotten to the point where I execute my plan well and tend not to make major mistakes. Right now, for me, the focus is on more refined stage planning and doing the more subtle, yet vital, things which seperate the top shooters from the rest of the pack. Consistently shot calling is my big goal right now. Same with not giving up time when entering and leaving positions, shooting on the move, smarter footwork, learning to trust the speed at which I can transition between targets and still get A hits, etc. Not to mention keeping the monkey brain in check. That is the most awesome thing about our sport. There are some many things to master that no one will every truly master the entire skill set that makes up USPSA shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dravz Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 The timer is my "delete" button. Everytime the timer goes off, my plan and focus goes out the opposite ear. But, I am noticing steady if not spectacular improvement. Yeah I remember not too long ago completely blowing a stage and I said, "Dammit it happened again!" Someone of course asked, "What did?" "That stupid buzzer went off! Ruined everything!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msshooter Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 The timer is my "delete" button. Everytime the timer goes off, my plan and focus goes out the opposite ear. But, I am noticing steady if not spectacular improvement. Yeah I remember not too long ago completely blowing a stage and I said, "Dammit it happened again!" Someone of course asked, "What did?" "That stupid buzzer went off! Ruined everything!" That's Good Stuff!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 May sound odd, but one of the best things you can do is shoot a major. As you stress yourself more and more, your heart rate increases less and your focus becomes sharper due to repeated exposure. The mental control may be what is failing you. Shooting in majors makes local matches feel slower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I've just applied shot calling for the very 1st time during a match earlier since I have learned about it a month ago here. And yes it took me some time from one target to another, I just moved more aggressively on the stages. But my shot placement was great, I only had 5 C's, no D's on a 5 stage match. Considering it's only my 4th outing. I ended up 16th out of 53 in Prod Div. I do agree that through experience/exposure to matches, shot calling will be second nature. The mental thing issue is also a burden to me having suffered from anxiety attacks 2 years ago. I can say the mind is so powerful. But getting relaxed, confident and comfortable during a match helps. And right now for me it's all about having fun and just shoot and getting my shots called Thanks to be.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerome Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Wow, nice results Xander! Relaxed and comfortable. Do we really want too much of that? It's the excitement and adrenaline that gets pumping I like - even though it causes me to error at times. Balance I guess. Of course the ego would like to score better. There is a saying in golf, lots of people have one major championships with shaky hands and knocking knees. I'm hoping the same applies in shooting sports. I've just applied shot calling for the very 1st time during a match earlier since I have learned about it a month ago here. And yes it took me some time from one target to another, I just moved more aggressively on the stages. But my shot placement was great, I only had 5 C's, no D's on a 5 stage match. Considering it's only my 4th outing. I ended up 16th out of 53 in Prod Div. I do agree that through experience/exposure to matches, shot calling will be second nature. The mental thing issue is also a burden to me having suffered from anxiety attacks 2 years ago. I can say the mind is so powerful. But getting relaxed, confident and comfortable during a match helps. And right now for me it's all about having fun and just shoot and getting my shots called Thanks to be.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Learning to handle what could have been turned into a stressful event by remaining relaxed and comfortable was, for me, what I enjoyed the most. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Learning to handle what could have been turned into a stressful event by remaining relaxed and comfortable was, for me, what I enjoyed the most. be Very nice I'm also trying to apply it in every aspect of everyday life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Learning to handle what could have been turned into a stressful event by remaining relaxed and comfortable was, for me, what I enjoyed the most. be Very nice I'm also trying to apply it in every aspect of everyday life Me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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