Help me I need to slow down!

[Zmego]

I very new to competition shooting and handgun shooting in general. I am not a great pistol shot but I can squeak by from stage to stage. I have many weaknesses but lately I feel as though I am rushing EVERYTHING. It is starting to cost me big time, and worse it is starting to frustrate me and get into my head. Any tips from the veterans that can help me stay cool and take my time to ensure each shot?

[2MoreChains]

The advice I've gotten from reading this forum is to shoot at whatever speed you need to get your hits, but then do everything else as quickly and efficiently as you can.

I've taken that advice to heart, and it's served me well over the years.

[Sthrngnr]

I struggled with this as well, make it an effort to see your sights before you press the trigger.

[Steve Anderson]

If it was as simple as slowing down, you'd already be doing it wouldn't you?

The simple fact is that you haven't decided that points are important, so when the timer goes off you choose speed.

That's the rushed, frantic feeling you describe.

And pardon me, but how many points do you get for a "hit?"

See the sights before you press the trigger? All I need to see are the sights?

With all due respect, (and apologies for crankiness) there' some damaging stuff going on here.

1. "get your hits" means that you are cool with anything on paper. No misses. I know what that feels like. I generally have felt like that after really burning down a stage (or so I thought) without seeing much.

2. See the sights before you press your trigger? That could be very damaging to a newbie if taken too literally. Could we please instead say, "see what you need to see?"

Thanks,

SA

[jhugz]

I'm in a course this weekend with Gordon Carrell (who might I add is an awesome teacher), you don't need to slow down my friend, you need to shoot a smoother match with less wasted motion so that you can spend the time to be smooth in certain area's, while speed up the less critical area's (not wording this last part correct, and SA is going to be me with a hose because of it)(maybe less technique dependent area's). Did I mention how awesome his class is so far?

I am by far an expert, but have been getting smacked across the head , for saying I need to shoot slower. That's the take away I guess I'm trying to get across.

[JimM]

If it was as simple as slowing down, you'd already be doing it wouldn't you?

The simple fact is that you haven't decided that points are important, so when the timer goes off you choose speed.

That's the rushed, frantic feeling you describe.

And pardon me, but how many points do you get for a "hit?"

See the sights before you press the trigger? All I need to see are the sights?

With all due respect, (and apologies for crankiness) there' some damaging stuff going on here.

1. "get your hits" means that you are cool with anything on paper. No misses. I know what that feels like. I generally have felt like that after really burning down a stage (or so I thought) without seeing much.

2. See the sights before you press your trigger? That could be very damaging to a newbie if taken too literally. Could we please instead say, "see what you need to see?"

Thanks,

SA

cranky or not...thanks for that reminder.

Jim

[Flexmoney]

When all else fails, execute the fundamentals.

(what are the fundamentals?)

[toothguy]

If it was as simple as slowing down, you'd already be doing it wouldn't you?

The simple fact is that you haven't decided that points are important, so when the timer goes off you choose speed.

That's the rushed, frantic feeling you describe.

And pardon me, but how many points do you get for a "hit?"

See the sights before you press the trigger? All I need to see are the sights?

With all due respect, (and apologies for crankiness) there' some damaging stuff going on here.

1. "get your hits" means that you are cool with anything on paper. No misses. I know what that feels like. I generally have felt like that after really burning down a stage (or so I thought) without seeing much.

2. See the sights before you press your trigger? That could be very damaging to a newbie if taken too literally. Could we please instead say, "see what you need to see?"

Thanks,

SA

See what you need to see = the front sight or dot lift. visual patience is needed to wait for this but the info it gives is everything. Shot calling, follow through, not jerking the trigger and the speed at which you shoot accurately is based on waiting for the sight to lift and recording that info before moving to the next target.

[toothguy]

I very new to competition shooting and handgun shooting in general. I am not a great pistol shot but I can squeak by from stage to stage. I have many weaknesses but lately I feel as though I am rushing EVERYTHING. It is starting to cost me big time, and worse it is starting to frustrate me and get into my head. Any tips from the veterans that can help me stay cool and take my time to ensure each shot?

First work on making your grip stronger. Get some 1+ power safety glasses with side shields to shoot with. They will make the targets fuzzy and the front sight clear and crisp the way it should be any way. Concentrate on the front sight with a good over all sight picture in the general center of the fuzzy targets. Think about a good trigger pull and wait for the sight to lift before starting another trigger pull. Don't try to match speed with point shooters. Let the front sight dictate your speed It will tell you how fast you can shoot.

[twodownzero]

When all else fails, execute the fundamentals.

(what are the fundamentals?)

On my best days, I execute the fundamentals.

I've yet to figure out how to execute them very fast, however.

[toothguy]

When all else fails, execute the fundamentals.

(what are the fundamentals?)

On my best days, I execute the fundamentals.

I've yet to figure out how to execute them very fast, however.

Years ago I would watch Toolguy shoot his revolver and beat many auto shooters that had greater capacity and faster reloads. The difference was he had solid fundamentals and very seldom missed, Toolguy's background in shooting was bullseye, PPC and Bianchi. All require strong fundamentals to be successfull. Strong fundamentals save time and get you a higher score in the long run.

[jkatz44]

See what you need to see. Nothing more, nothing less.

Align sights, press trigger to rear w/o disturbing sights, repeat.

[carlosa]

If you are very new to shooting pistol, I would run you through a simple test

I would put a target at 15 yards and ask you to draw and hit the head twice..

I would use a timer to give you a start signal but not give you your time unless you made both shots.

If you can't make the shots regularly, I would remove the timer and ask you to try it agein with out the draw, and with out a timer.

What I would be looking for more than your speed is can you shoot?

If I give you a some what challenging shot with no real time pressure how often can you execute it?

If the answer is not, every single time, then before you work on seeing what you need to see, movement, and all this other stuff you need to learn to shoot..

Plain and simple..

There's no shortcut to it..

You say your not a great pistol shot, what does that mean?

If it means you don't always hit what your aiming at then that might be a place to start.

Don't feel bad, very few shooters in or sport actually work on learning to shoot a handgun accurately.

And allot don't progress because of it..

Edited November 12, 2012 by carlosa

[Zmego]

If you are very new to shooting pistol, I would run you through a simple test

I would put a target at 15 yards and ask you to draw and hit the head twice..

I would use a timer to give you a start signal but not give you your time unless you made both shots.

If you can't make the shots regularly, I would remove the timer and ask you to try it agein with out the draw, and with out a timer.

What I would be looking for more than your speed is can you shoot?

If I give you a some what challenging shot with no real time pressure how often can you execute it?

If the answer is not, every single time, then before you work on seeing what you need to see, movement, and all this other stuff you need to learn to shoot..

Plain and simple..

There's no shortcut to it..

You say your not a great pistol shot, what does that mean?

If it means you don't always hit what your aiming at then that might be a place to start.

Don't feel bad, very few shooters in or sport actually work on learning to shoot a handgun accurately.

And allot don't progress because of it..

Excellent advice and probably where I should start. I don't know if I am a bad pistol shot but I do feel I have more weaknesses with it than a rifle. Maybe those weaknesses stem from poor or inadequate fundamentals. I will start with some controlled practice and see if I can work on shooting straight before I work on shooting fast.....and straight. Thanks for all the great responses.

[asontag]

If you are very new to shooting pistol, I would run you through a simple test

I would put a target at 15 yards and ask you to draw and hit the head twice..

I would use a timer to give you a start signal but not give you your time unless you made both shots.

If you can't make the shots regularly, I would remove the timer and ask you to try it agein with out the draw, and with out a timer.

What I would be looking for more than your speed is can you shoot?

If I give you a some what challenging shot with no real time pressure how often can you execute it?

If the answer is not, every single time, then before you work on seeing what you need to see, movement, and all this other stuff you need to learn to shoot..

Plain and simple..

There's no shortcut to it..

You say your not a great pistol shot, what does that mean?

If it means you don't always hit what your aiming at then that might be a place to start.

Don't feel bad, very few shooters in or sport actually work on learning to shoot a handgun accurately.

And allot don't progress because of it..

Excellent advice and probably where I should start. I don't know if I am a bad pistol shot but I do feel I have more weaknesses with it than a rifle. Maybe those weaknesses stem from poor or inadequate fundamentals. I will start with some controlled practice and see if I can work on shooting straight before I work on shooting fast.....and straight. Thanks for all the great responses.

Being not much further along than yourself, I can say that learning the fundamentals of how to shoot is what has really helped accelerate my learning curve. Practicing with a timer is important, but practicing group shooting and shot calling are even more so at the beginning. If you're dealing with trigger control issues, dry fire a lot. If you don't see the front sight lift, do the exercise where you ditch the target and shoot into the berm just trying to watch the front sight lift and return through the recoil cycle.

This forum is an excellent resource that has helped me immensely. Try reading some of the general stuff here like: http://www.brianenos.com/pages/words.html#fundamental and http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=144257. There are also plenty of very knowledgable people here willing to help out with specifics too. Oh yeah, get Brian's book and read it. Then read it again when you get better and want to continue to improve. Rinse, repeat...

[kevin c]

Something useful from way back:

Posted 13 May 2005 - 03:30 PM

Great (original) post Scott.

I've told this story before, but your post reminded me of it, so I'll bring it up again. At the Masters, way back in '89, all I had to do was shoot a fairly clean run on the Action Event to win the match. (It was the last stage.) At some point before shooting the stage, Jerry Miculek asked me what my "plan" was. I said that instead of just shooting at the plates, I was going to shoot each plate near the middle. I asked him what his plan was, and his reply has always stuck with me: "You ever shoot a shot and you don't remember seeing a sight picture?" Of course I said yes. Then he said: That's what I'm gonna avoid. I loved that answer. But I stuck to my original plan. Man was that tough. But I think I finished 2nd on the Action Event. In the heat, it can feel painfully slow to make yourself see what you know you need to see. But it usually isn't slow at all.

be

So: See your sights lift off the target for each shot.

Edited November 14, 2012 by kevin c

[Steve Anderson]

There are 3 modes of practice available to us.

1. Accuracy: Where speed is not judged

2. Speed: Where accuracy is not judged

3. Shooting: Where the subconscious mind does everything other than calling the shot.

Always be in one of those modes and know which one you are in.

Most importantly, do not allow yourself to fire a single shot without learning something.

SA

[Ben Stoeger]

I very new to competition shooting and handgun shooting in general. I am not a great pistol shot but I can squeak by from stage to stage. I have many weaknesses but lately I feel as though I am rushing EVERYTHING. It is starting to cost me big time, and worse it is starting to frustrate me and get into my head. Any tips from the veterans that can help me stay cool and take my time to ensure each shot?

Don't worry so much about how fast you are going, worry about executing the techniques you want to execute properly. You will FEEL slow, but I doubt you will be. Rushing is one of the primary problems that people face. The best solution I have found is to simply direct all your attention to technique and work to get it right.

[toothguy]

I very new to competition shooting and handgun shooting in general. I am not a great pistol shot but I can squeak by from stage to stage. I have many weaknesses but lately I feel as though I am rushing EVERYTHING. It is starting to cost me big time, and worse it is starting to frustrate me and get into my head. Any tips from the veterans that can help me stay cool and take my time to ensure each shot?

Don't worry so much about how fast you are going, worry about executing the techniques you want to execute properly. You will FEEL slow, but I doubt you will be. Rushing is one of the primary problems that people face. The best solution I have found is to simply direct all your attention to technique and work to get it right.

+1, I alway love to hear "Wow those first five misses were so fast!"

[skip62]

I very new to competition shooting and handgun shooting in general. I am not a great pistol shot but I can squeak by from stage to stage. I have many weaknesses but lately I feel as though I am rushing EVERYTHING. It is starting to cost me big time, and worse it is starting to frustrate me and get into my head. Any tips from the veterans that can help me stay cool and take my time to ensure each shot?

Don't worry so much about how fast you are going, worry about executing the techniques you want to execute properly. You will FEEL slow, but I doubt you will be. Rushing is one of the primary problems that people face. The best solution I have found is to simply direct all your attention to technique and work to get it right.

To add to what Ben said, you can only feel rushed if you are thinking about time. If you are thinking about time, then you aren't giving full attention to what you need to do, there for, you are going slower than you can go. Time is not the enemy, giving it attention is.

[Graham Smith]

Something I have tried to do when I get into that mode is to stand off by myself while I am on deck and "practice". I just stand and work my index finger at a constant smooth rate and think bang, bang, bang, bang. Over and over and over again. Develop a rhythm. Keep that rhythm in your head until your last shot is fired. Doesn't fix the problem all the time but by doing this it forces the rhythm to the front of your mind and helps keep it there.

[benos]

When all else fails, execute the fundamentals.

(what are the fundamentals?)

Hold the gun pointed at the target until the bullet has left the barrel.

be

[Xander]

When all else fails, execute the fundamentals.

(what are the fundamentals?)

Hold the gun pointed at the target until the bullet has left the barrel.

be

+100, and that is what often neglected.

[jmorris]

Shoot revolvers for awhile. Once you have trigger control down you will only need to go back once you get sloppy again.

The same thing goes for rifles. If a flinch develops from shooting a 50 BMG, shooting it more isn't going to get you near as far as going back to a .22 for a few rounds.

[JimmyZip]

Rushing really does make you suck. It just does. Anytime I suck, I'm rushing. Whenever I do well, I am surprised because I was just executing and not thinking about time. When I let my sights dictate my speed, things generally go well.