Complex stages

[Vlad]

At my club we shoot monthly 7 ot 8 stage matches. We get a pretty good mixure of stage types. However we also have 3 really large and deep bays and those often get some really complex stages with lots of walls, activators, ports, and little tricks. We generally only have one, max two, per match built that way and sometimes none.

However these are the kind of stages which really stress my plan making. Shooting L10 or Production like I do, means that I have to really break down the stage and make sure I keep to my plan, remeber were all the targets are, where I reload, which were engaged from what port and so on. It seems that every time a part of my plan goes wrong, a forget to do a reload, forget about a target, think that I have already engaged a target but haven't, run past a shooting position and have to come back, that sort of thing.

Any hint on how deal with the complex stages? Note that my problem is not making the plan, which I can generally figure out pretty quick, but remembering it and following it. This is not a problem I have with more "normal" stages, but a house of horror type stage with about 30+ rounds gets me almost everytime.

Vlad

[Flexmoney]

I like to put things in "cluster". Then I can just remember the cluster.

kinda like phone numbers...

In the USA, we have an area code (3 digits)...and prefix (another 3 digits) and a suffix ( 4 digits).

That is ten numbers. It's hrder to rember a string of ten numbers than it is to remember 3 clusters of numbers (area code + prefix + suffix).

Same thing goes for targets. Sometimes it helps to group them into clusters.

Also, visualize each and every target...play the movie in your head before you shoot.

[PaulW]

Flex said what I was going to say.

I'll break it down into groups (clusters) of say 4 targets/3 targets/4 targets etc.

Some stages you really have to switch from sub-concious thought to concious thought to get through it.

[DogmaDog]

A lot of stages at clubs I shoot at are symmetrical. If you can see the symmetry, then you may be able to simplify the plan in your mind. Instead of cluster 1 then cluster 2, it's cluster 1 left, cluster 1 right, and you just mirror each step.

Or if you can break it down such that all clusters are 4 targets (or 3 or 5), then reloading comes at regular intervals.

Also, take a look at contingencies. A plan that saves you a reload is good unless it absolutely depends on you hitting that steel with one round from 20 yards while on the move. Shooting a more conservative plan might not get you the maximum possible score, but it will mitigate against a total screw-up.

One thing I found on some stages that weren't too complex was that my plan during the walk through wasn't detailed. I knew which order I would go to each shooting position, but I didn't form a definite plan for which order I would shoot the targets available from each position--clockwise? Counter-clockwise? L to R, Bottom to top?

I'm learning two things from making more detailed plans on even relatively simple stages:

1) That small advantages can be found in the details...if I'm entering a port from the left, and leaving to the right, I should shoot the targets from right to left in order to move smoothly and continuously past the port while shooting, for example.

2) Even though the minute details might not make or break my run (if I shoot the targets left to right, instead of right to left, it won't hurt my score much), remembering them and following them is just as difficult as remembering the larger details that are more costly to bungle. Practicing planning and carrying out the small details will help you learn to remember complex plans.

DogmaDog

[TriggerT]

I shoot L-10 99% of the time, and I know exactly what you mean Vlad. I try to break the stage down by mag changes. Also, when I am trying to work out how I am going to shoot the stage I try to figure out how best to avoid the dissaster factor. That is to say I try to allow for needing to take an extra shot, whenever possible. Other than that, all you can do is try to walk through the stage, and visualize you plan. Sometimes when you are shooting one of the lower capacity guns you are much better off to slow down a little and REALLY call your shots, than trying to rush and having to do an extra reload, then blow that reload, and then run out of ammo. Not that I am speaking from experience or anything.

[mcoliver]

This was one of my nightmare stages when I used to shoot a singlestack gun. Add to that are stage designs that have targets that can be engaged in more than one position.

What helped me get through it is to visualize how the targets look like from a position. I note how they look like relative to one another and how many. But I first need to decide which positions I will be shooting from (this didn't improve my shooting on the move actually). Resist the urge to update your gameplan based on what the others have done.

Also, in practice, I've timed my reloads and they are equivalent to making 2 steps (generally). That helped me greatly in identifying reload portions of my gameplan.

[Nik Habicht]

Vlad,

two short thoughts --- more to come later.

Often it helps to figure out how far down the bay you need to move to finish the course. How many rounds do you have to take from that position? If it's more than ten, can you take any of them earlier --- slowing down for a longer shot is likely to be faster than a standing reload. When I have difficulty breaking a stage down from the front, I often find it helpful to try to break it down in reverse...

Also --- if the stage has two sides, is the left or the right more advantageous for a ten round gun? For the way you like to move?

Reloads --- if you're moving, the reload shouldn't cost you anytime. Sometimes it's worth it to reload after only firing two or four rounds --- either because it lets you knock out two close positions without reloading, or to engage a bunch of targets on the move, or an array that includes steel, with a couple of "spare" rounds in the gun....