4 pillars of the mental game

[Gardener]

I have gotten a ton of info from this forum already, and while I don't have much to offer shooting wise I can post up some techniques that are used by top tier performers around the world. In fact, every single professional performer uses all of these. They may call them different names but "the big 4" are unavoidable if you want to become the best. For the rest of us mortals, they help us become a whole lot better and they're free.

Visualization: Lots of research has been done on this, basically your body doesn't know the difference between what you visualize and what you do. Whether or not you have time for the range you almost always have time to visualize. The more aspects you can include the better. What it looks like, (your point of view, what you look like from another's point of view), what it feels like from grip to stance, what it sounds like with ears on, what it smells like (smell is a direct connection to your lizard brain) and even what it tastes like will all build your training environment and allow you to practice the perfect shot or run.

Self Talk: Pros talk to themselves, from Tiger Woods to elite military shooters. What they say focuses on the positive (nice shot, keep going, hands steady, eyes clear) and NOT what they're missing (darn it, missed that one, oh well, need to speed up etc). The more "I can do this" and "I've got this" you use the more it'll become true for you. It's not magic, it just makes the hard work you put in that much more effective.

Goal Setting: From very short term (hit this next shot) to very long term (Grand Master in 5 years) you MUST have goals if you're going to make measurable progression. If you're serious you'll write them out enough times that they become burned into your brain.

Arousal Control: This is what takes a bi-athletes heart rate from rockin' and rollin' down to shooting between heartbeats. Completely in the head. You can improve this with awareness, which must be constantly practiced. Read Enos. For wazoo out there techniques check out John Alexander and The Warrior's Edge. No longer in print that I'm aware of, usually you have to wait on Amazon for a used one to show up. One technique that is super effective is sometimes called 4-4-4: take 4 seconds to inhale, 4 seconds to exhale, and do that for 4 minutes (or as short/long as you have.) It encourages the brain to calm down and simulate relaxation patterns. Good to do if you have a time where you know you usually "freak out." Like before you shoot a match.

These are the basics. Tons of books have been written about this, if any of you would like to work on your mental game post up what you've got and we'll make it helpful to the whole forum. Used to teach this stuff to fired up young dudes, am happy to use that experience to help you.

[calvary45]

Thanks for the awesome inspiring post.

[West Texas Granny]

I find I shoot best when relaxed and not anticipating the start signal or worrying about engaging the targets. Not reved up like a dragster waiting for that light to turn green. Confidence in yourself and your gun goes a long way too. The deep breathing before stepping up is something I do find very helpful. The problem I encounter is staying relaxed through the course of fire. I start relaxed but many times end up rushing,questioning and worrying. It's those times when I stay relaxed throughout that my scores improve. More practice and experience should help alleviate that problem. I also hope that shooting trap and skeet will improve my pistol shooting.

Edited November 28, 2011 by West Texas Granny

[Gardener]

WTG,

Lots of folks have the same issue; they start off super relaxed and then they fire that first shot and events spiral out of control, or at least beyond your conscious awareness, and that's the issue. Awareness of your mental state is critical to controlling what you're doing, whether you're shooting or talking to your spouse or running a hard race. You're heading in the right direction with more practice and experience. When you do practice, practice awareness.

One thing you can do is try using "dots". You can buy a sheet of little dot stickers of whatever color catches your attention at OfficeMax or OfficeDepot etc. Paste those around the house (above sink, in bathroom, by the bed, at the front door) and wherever else you spend lots of time (steering wheel, desk at work etc.)

Every time you see that dot, just pay attention to what you're thinking, to your awareness. This is the "practice" you're talking about, and it's not restricted to the range. When you do this you're building a habit of awareness that will have implications well beyond your shooting game.

Now, when you're at the range you can run a few drills of awareness, shooting as fast as you can for a mag to amp you up and then doing a SUPER SLOW mag change and bringing your awareness back. You can also color a dot onto your hands where you can see it when you bring your gun up to bear, just something to remind you to stay aware.

I'd wish you good luck, but I tend to believe that folks who work hard get the luckiest, so good work!

Edited November 28, 2011 by Gardener

[sincityvogel]

Good info

I do this in Auto Racing.

I will now do more of it in my shooting.

[Gardener]

That makes sense, these techniques are commonly used by top tier Formula One racers. It's funny, you'd be hard pressed to find top competitors or performers anywhere, in any discipline, that don't use the big four or some variant of them. They work so well and are so natural in the evolution of high level activity that once you know what they are and look for them you'll find them *everywhere.*

I used to race (running) and would specifically use goal setting to plan out how to run. I broke the race up into 4 quarters and called them horse, boat, heart, and home. The horse, or first quarter, I viewed as if I was a jockey and riding a super powerful horse, one that I'd have to pull up on the reins a bit in the beginning so I didn't blow it out. It was a reminder to me to pull back on my pace a little, because almost every pace feels good in the first quarter, even the one that will murder you. The more experienced you get as a runner the more you realize that no one wins a race in the first quarter, but lots of people will run that as if it's the most important one.

The boat quarter I thought about the way you drive a boat, especially one with a slipping throttle; you know, you can put it at full speed but especially in anything other than glassy conditions it'll slip back down a few notches if you're not constantly and firmly tapping that throttle forward. That idea reminded me to keep checking my speed as I ran, to maintain the solid pace I'd set in the first quarter.

The heart, or third, quarter was always my favorite. I saw a military recruiting video once where they showed a bunch of guys running on a beach, obviously a hot day and a hell of a run. As they went along you could see the pain and sweat and struggle in each of them, and the narrator read out a line I'll never forget: "There's nothing quite like running to make a man reach deep down inside himself and see what he's made of." That's what the heart quarter was for me, the time to reach down deep and hold the pace I'd already set. For me, the third quarter is where a race is won. It's where everybody wants to give up, it's usually in a place where the fans don't go so nobody's watching you, and racers are far enough away from the finish line that they figure "a little rest from the pace" is OK. It's not, not if you want to win, and if you want to win you've got to set goals.

The fourth quarter is where they make movies, it's the one where you're running home. While physically it's the hardest quarter because you've already expended so much effort, mentally it can be the easiest; you're close to the finish, you usually start to hear the roar of the crowd, and you know that even if you charge and blow yourself out you'll be done soon.

Those four quarters are super helpful in physically demanding races, and it's a good concept to think about and use when you're shooting your various stages. Is there anything like it that you use?

[dravz]

I really like that pacing analogy, wonder if it'll apply to shooting a match.

The one thing I don't see on your list (and I agree maybe it isn't a Big 4) was attention control. I know BE talks about it a lot, it is the ability to focus on the one thing that needs it at that moment. To shift your attention to your hand and only your hand as it makes the grip, to the sight picture, to the trigger as it comes back, and so on. That laser focus on the only thing that matters at each moment, and to ignore all the distractions at the same time. I think BE may call it being in the now or in the present, something like that.

[Gardener]

Hi Dravz,

Totally agree that attention control is a critical part of shooting well under pressure (or shooting well at all). It probably fits in somewhere under Arousal Control, although the point is not whether it's a Big 4 skill but how useful it is to any fine motor control enterprise. Let me know if you use that pacing during a match, or something like it. Cheers!

[dravz]

Oh yeah, something else too, regarding Self Talk.

It's okay to talk to yourself negatively, IF and ONLY IF the negative talk is temporary and specific, and followed by positive talk after. It is never okay to say, "Wow, another interception, fantastic. Great job, dumbass." But it is okay and honest to say, "Wow, really underthrew the ball on that play. Next time just put the ball where it needs to be." Temporary, and specific.

This is great for matches. I can admit to myself my reloads were slower than they needed to be, and make a note to practice them more, but then also acknowledge all the great things I did on the stage and move on. Rather than throwing my hands up and thinking I bombed the stage completely. I'm sure everyone has their own examples.

I think self-talk has to include that honest self-critique, but you can't dwell on mistakes or beat yourself up because that can cause even more negative performance and a quick downward spiral into a blown match.

[The Guy]

Thanks for the awesome post. Totally helped me out. Any helpful hits on breathing?

[Gardener]

You should definitely breathe.

Brian covers the idea of soft belly & breathing really well in his book. If you try the "dots" method from the fourth post and just check your breathing every time you see a dot you'll build your awareness of it and learn to just breathe through all those sticky parts.

Are you looking for anything in particular, or are you just finding yourself not breathing when in competition?

[The Guy]

Not breathing in competition. Seem to happen when I really try to focus or concentrate hard on something in general.

[Gardener]

Ok, try setting up your practices as close to competition as possible. De-conditioning is the order of the day. It sounds like straight stress that's causing you to stop breathing, so try and induce that pressure outside of comp as best you can. Timers, similar courses of fire, racing a friend, having someone watch you; all of those can help you practice relaxing under pressure.

Try putting a dot on your support hand (use a marker) to remind you to breathe when you're shooting your course.

You can also work on developing a breathing mantra every time you shoot in practice and then let that carry into competition. As stupid as it sounds, every time I start to get under pressure I'll say this over and over (it's stupid, I know) "one-two-diddy-bop-ka-choo-huh, wa" Weird, it came from a short story I read many moons ago and morphed into something that automatically fires in my mind under stress conditions. It's a good indicator to me that it's just stress and I need to focus on the task at hand.

Has worked at high level international competition, shooting stress courses, heavy weather/small boat sailing and even busting my butt working on the house. Once you develop that it carries into every aspect of your (stressed) life. Come up with something that has meaning to you (obviously doesn't need to make sense to anyone else) and start using it.

Through hard work, victory!

[spideysteve]

Wow. Great posts.

I'm reading Saul K's book right now, Thinking Practical Shooting. It's full of great stuff like this. Thanks for sharing

[pjb45]

I like your home analogy. I have found myself performing poorly on the last stage of the day/match. I need to rethink that stage as home.

In my youth, i ran a lot! Big miles during the week. Races whenever one was available. Running was therapy. I was not obsessive compulsive enough to break into the top but I was a decent second tier runner.

The course I ran had a third quarter was a flat straight away with hill at the end, some would slow down their pace on the hill, I would increase the REVs and just motor up it.

I will start applying the running mantra to my shooting.

[Mig01]

Very informative thread.

This is my first post, besides my introductory post to the forum last fall. I read and learned a lot on this forum. I do not contribute more because there are lots of experienced shooters here who offer valuable tips and advice.

Nevertheless, I may have something to offer here, more specifically on the arousal aspect. I noticed that my performance degrades when I want to achieve, be it in bullseye shooting or IPSC shooting. I cannot get a stable sight picture, being too anxious to totally control the gun, then tend to slap the trigger... With poor results of course. Last Saturday, I went to the range with no expectations whatsoever, having decided just to be attentive to my shooting form rather than to improve anything. I was very relaxed.

Fisrt thing I noticed was that my sight alignment and my whole sight picture were very stable. I prepped the trigger and a second later my first shot broke without any conscious decision. I saw the sight lift very clearly and knew right away it was a good shot. I looked in the spotting scope and saw the hit, dead center on the bullseye target 25 yards away. I continued to shoot, staying relaxed and attentive, and shot my best ever ten shot group, measuring less than 3 inches.

If I could retrieve that state of detachment on demand, I am confident that my performance would improve (less trigger slapping, fumbled reloads, etc...)