Interesting Article: The Influence of Confidence on Perception

[benos]

Candis emailed me this link from NPR on the power of positive visualization (relating to golf).

I especially liked the last sentence (page 3). (Pondering that one.)

Relating how the better golfers "see the hole bigger," to shooting - I can still clearly remember exactly what I saw when I shot some of the better Steel Challenge stages of my life. The 8, 10, or 12" round steel targets looked HUGE - like while garbage can lids as opposed to little steel plates. Not surprisingly, the worse I was shooting, the smaller the targets looked.

Interestingly, the article correlates the distortion in perception (seeing the hole bigger than it actually is) being due to a higher level of confidence in the better golfers. To me, and even more intereesting, after I'd finished the "big target" stages, I never wondered why the targets looked so big and not-missable. Weird, for Captain WonderAboutThings.

Thinking back on it today though, I was possessed by an extreme level of confidence before I shot each of those stages. I knew, without doubt, that I was going to shoot well. Because I had made up my mind: I was going to see what I needed to see to shoot each target in the middle. That was all I was going to do, regardless of how it felt.

In the many hundres of stages I shot over 20 years, I seldom reached that level of certainty before shooting a stage. But when it happened, the result and the feeling afterwards made all the work worth it.

be

[Dillon b]

Ive noticed the same thing about targets looking so small. There was a 6" platerack at 10 yards and i didnt even give it a second look on the walkthrough, its the same platerack that i have shot hundreds of times, just 2" smaller, piece of cake. But then everyone who shot it was missing like crazy. I remember thinking to myself a few times, "man that guy is a M and he is better than me and he is having a lot of trouble, that must be hard" then another M shoots with the same results that further instilled the perceived difficulty of the rack. I went to the line and on the load and make ready i looked at the rack i could have swore the plates were 3" instead of 6, and I set myself up for failure before i even shot.

[kevinj308]

I heard that on the radio this morning too. Really cool story. I can't say that I've ever noticed the targets seeming bigger, but I'm sure gonna think about them that way from now on.

That last sentence is interesting. The paragraph before that he suggests that a little uncertainty will make the athlete try a little harder. I'm not sure that's a good thing for shooting a stage. At least not for me, when I try hard in a match it usually doesn't end well. It might apply well to a more physical contest, like running or weight lifting.

For me a touch of uncertainty makes me shoot a stage safer. Maybe not take that super tight shot when I could move closer. Over a whole match that works well for me, at my C level anyway.

Thanks for posting it

Kevin

[old506]

I know the day when I am going to make lots and lots of money. My confidence is up and I just "know" that it is going to happen, and it does. I also know when my confidence wanes, I need a short vacation and a book or two, that seems to get my confidence back up and I make another load of money. My theory is that the top 5% make 90% of the money, I guess it is the same with shooting.

I just can't translate it (for myself) to shooting, just yet!

[Xander]

I can totally relate to it, pretty cool

[davisjarrett]

Makes perfect sense in that confidence exudes perception of simplicity. If you are prepared for your big meeting/presentation and practiced it you nail it and make lots of money. If you practiced for that stage or transition you nail it. The difference in the winners and losers is the amount of practice to the perceived level of confidence. If you shoot the Bianchi movers all the time then the anxiety is less at load and make ready, thus the score is typically higher. Pro athlete coaches and sports psychologists have taken this approach for years. Quality practice is much better for the confidence than simply "running through the motions" to get it done.