Which is Harder - Overcoming Gobbling or Making GM?

[Esther]

Jon - Thanks!

Aglifter - Good question. Now that I'm applying more pressure to the gun overall, my shoulders are joining in on the effort.

Being on opposite coasts from the one I love sucks (Max is in DC, and I am in Bay Area CA), but so does being in DC without a firearm. (Not that Northern California is all that great when it comes to being able to shoot what and how I want...)

[Esther]

Like (I suspect) a lot of goal- and future-oriented people, I find it challenging to stay in the present.

I catch myself thinking: "When I become the shooter I want,* I will be happy." or, "When Max and I are reunited for good, I will be happy." or, "When I can afford to shoot 1,000 rounds a week..."

And I forget that everything I have is right here, right now.

Becoming a great shooter is sort of in my control but not really. But how much fun I have practicing, how hard I work, how much I value the friends I make through shooting, are.

Today's shooting-related thankful items:

1) dry-firing. I am really itching to go to the range, but every round is precious and I want to make the most of each one.

2) running 2.7 miles of .3 mile repeats at 6-minute mile pace and doing weights

* I realize that the top guys never see themselves as having "arrived," and that is why they are so good. What I meant is, "When I become a much better shooter than I currently am and achieve some of my shooting milestones."

Edited February 19, 2013 by Esther

[BritinUSA]

And I forget that everything I have is right here, right now.

This is so true... been there a lot...

[GuildSF4]

And I forget that everything I have is right here, right now.

As BritinUSA said Right here, Right now, so true.

Becoming a great shooter is sort of in my control but not really. But how much fun I have practicing, how hard I work, how much I value the friends I make through shooting, are.

Good attitude!

[TJ1911]

Right here, right now-enjoy the ride. You might feel a lot of frustration and anxiety right now, but I suspect one day you will look back on this period in your life and shooting career and remember it as a very special time.

[Esther]

BritinUSA - Glad to know I'm not the only one who's dense like that!

GuildSF4 - Thanks!

Tim - Thanks for the wise and encouraging words. I suspect you're right.

Tonight's thankful items:

1) running 4 sets of .75 mile repeats at 7- to 7:30-minute mile pace and 5 miles total.

By this time next year I want to run 2 miles in 12:20 (6:10-minute mile pace).

Running doesn't have that much to do with shooting (though you move a little bit every time your heart beats, and your fine motor control deteriorates when your muscles get less oxygen, so being fitter helps somewhat), but willpower is like a muscle.

Deciding to do something, and doing it, increases your confidence that you can do anything you set your mind to, and that is important.

5) making a start on becoming a much faster shooter.

Before today, getting A zone hits I could do .6-.7 splits. That is way too slow. I had thought it was a problem with my recoil management (and that is an issue I need to work on. My grip tends to slip between every few shots...) Steve told me he doesn't think that is the main issue. It's that I don't know how fast I can go.

Reed's Indoor Range has a rule against shooting faster than 1 shot per second. I try not to dip too far below that. But today, after unsuccessfully trying to shoot A hits faster, I thought "what the hell" and aimed at nothing, just the blue of the target, and pulled the trigger as fast as I can.

.18-.25 splits. Wow. That was a revelation. I didn't know I could pull the trigger that fast. (I am sure I can do it faster if I practice.) But I barely saw anything at all. I wasn't reading my sights, I didn't know where my shots landed. (They landed all over the paper.) All of my awareness was in my finger and my hands.

Wow. I want to try that again and just see what I see.

Now that I know how it feels to shoot fast, I need to see what it looks like. And then control it.

I know I can shoot all A's at that speed. Just not yet.

How can I train myself to see faster?

Edited February 20, 2013 by Esther

[BritinUSA]

How can I train myself to see faster?

I think everyone sees at the same speed, i.e.. speed of light. The 'trick' is seeing the thing that matters clearly. If you can't track the front sight it may mean that you are not focusing clearly on it through the recoil cycle of the gun.

Edited to add: Just thinking about this some more, are you squinting to focus on the front sight ? If so, try focusing on the sight without squinting, i.e.. relax your eyes, it may help you to see 'more'.

Edited February 20, 2013 by BritinUSA

[digby7]

Reed's Indoor Range has a rule against shooting faster than 1 shot per second. I try not to dip too far below that. But today, after unsuccessfully trying to shoot A hits faster, I thought "what the hell" and aimed at nothing, just the blue of the target, and pulled the trigger as fast as I can.

I actually found a way around that at reeds(its 3 seconds), I asked if I could do reloads from the belt and then if I could take a immediate shot after the reload was done. They said yes. I think they probably thought there was no way anyone could do a reload faster than 3 seconds.

[GuildSF4]

How can I train myself to see faster?

Do you know if you are blinking when you break the shot? Hard to see fast if you are blinking. Also if you are blinking you are flinching (maybe not much...). To check this you can either have someone watch your eyes when you break a shot, or bring your focus back to your eye when you are breaking a shot. Bringing your focus to your eye is also how you train yourself to keep your eyes open when shooting.

[TJ1911]

Esther:

You definitely need to learn how to track your sights, so you can time your trigger prep and press for when they come back into alignment. Have you practiced "Bill Drills"? Those can help you do both. Another thing you can do is fire a mag full at a blank target (back side), or just shoot into the berm if you're outside. The thing here is to concentrate totally on the sights, and watch what happens through the entire shot/recoil/follow through sequence. Ultimately you might be surprised at how small a group you fired on that small piece of paper.

[Esther]

digby7 - 3 seconds between each shot??! And, congratulations on the A card!!!

BritinUSA, GuildSF4, and Tim - Thanks for the suggestions! I don't think I was blinking yesterday. I think it's that I was shooting that quickly for the first time, and so all of my attention was focused in my hands. There seems to be a limit on how much sensory data you can attend to at one moment. Now that I know how it feels to shoot faster, I can bring my attention to my eyes and see what is going on at that speed.

I'll let you know what I see.

[lumpygravy]

I actually found a way around that at reeds(its 3 seconds), I asked if I could do reloads from the belt and then if I could take a immediate shot after the reload was done. They said yes. I think they probably thought there was no way anyone could do a reload faster than 3 seconds.

Gamer....

[lumpygravy]

E-

Are you shooting this weekend? The carpool offer is a standing one....

[Xcaliber]

How can I train myself to see faster?

I think everyone sees at the same speed, i.e.. speed of light. The 'trick' is seeing the thing that matters clearly. If you can't track the front sight it may mean that you are not focusing clearly on it through the recoil cycle of the gun.

Edited to add: Just thinking about this some more, are you squinting to focus on the front sight ? If so, try focusing on the sight without squinting, i.e.. relax your eyes, it may help you to see 'more'.

I agree with what you said, but I actually do squint a little in order to see what I need to see. I had a bad habit of "hunting" for the front sight for a split second after a shot, which is slow. By squinting a little and maintaining my focus on the point where I KNOW my sight will always be (assuming my grip/stance is correct), when it reappears after each shot, I am ready.

Esther - Being from Pa, my first thought when I saw the title of your thread was that you wanted to compare learning to call turkeys to making GM. FYI: turkey calling is harder...

I have been a diabetic for about 8 years now. THE most important thing is to maintain your blood sugar at proper levels at all times. Having an eating disorder makes that very difficult, but you seem to be on the right path by channeling your OCD behavior into something constructive. Whenever you feel like you want to "gooble" something, do some dry fire practice. I'm still struggling with my addiction to cigarettes and one of things that has really helped has been doing that very thing.

[Esther]

Jon - Not this weekend, I'm out of town. But the next! And thank you!

Xcaliber -

Esther - Being from Pa, my first thought when I saw the title of your thread was that you wanted to compare learning to call turkeys to making GM. FYI: turkey calling is harder...

Thanks for reading my range diary and sharing your insights. You can quit smoking!

Today was an uneventful shooting day. Thankful item:

3) Alex giving me really helpful advice on gun choices and where to get a single shot exemption in the Bay Area

[beltjones]

BritinUSA - Glad to know I'm not the only one who's dense like that!

GuildSF4 - Thanks!

Tim - Thanks for the wise and encouraging words. I suspect you're right.

Tonight's thankful items:

1) running 4 sets of .75 mile repeats at 7- to 7:30-minute mile pace and 5 miles total.

By this time next year I want to run 2 miles in 12:20 (6:10-minute mile pace).

Running doesn't have that much to do with shooting (though you move a little bit every time your heart beats, and your fine motor control deteriorates when your muscles get less oxygen, so being fitter helps somewhat), but willpower is like a muscle.

Deciding to do something, and doing it, increases your confidence that you can do anything you set your mind to, and that is important.

5) making a start on becoming a much faster shooter.

Before today, getting A zone hits I could do .6-.7 splits. That is way too slow. I had thought it was a problem with my recoil management (and that is an issue I need to work on. My grip tends to slip between every few shots...) Steve told me he doesn't think that is the main issue. It's that I don't know how fast I can go.

Reed's Indoor Range has a rule against shooting faster than 1 shot per second. I try not to dip too far below that. But today, after unsuccessfully trying to shoot A hits faster, I thought "what the hell" and aimed at nothing, just the blue of the target, and pulled the trigger as fast as I can.

.18-.25 splits. Wow. That was a revelation. I didn't know I could pull the trigger that fast. (I am sure I can do it faster if I practice.) But I barely saw anything at all. I wasn't reading my sights, I didn't know where my shots landed. (They landed all over the paper.) All of my awareness was in my finger and my hands.

Wow. I want to try that again and just see what I see.

Now that I know how it feels to shoot fast, I need to see what it looks like. And then control it.

I know I can shoot all A's at that speed. Just not yet.

How can I train myself to see faster?

I'm no Steve Anderson, but I think the fact that your shots were all over the paper is a sign that your speed (or lack-thereof) is a physical issue as well as a mental one. Speed is more than being able to pull the trigger fast - it's also about having a grip that allows you to shoot fast (if your hands are slipping you don't have such a grip yet), and more importantly, being able to see the sights the whole time (which you already know).

The common misconception is that accuracy is about the quality of your sight picture and speed is about how fast you can pull the trigger. In reality it's the opposite - accuracy is about the quality of your trigger pull and speed is about how "fast" you can see the sights. Don't let anyone make you think those two things are just mental and "believing you can do it" will get you to GM. There is a great deal of physical training that has to be done as well. After all, what it comes down to is the shooting, not the thinking or believing.

Edited February 22, 2013 by beltjones

[monicataliani]

Hi Esther!!! I know I am a bit behind the curve (I have been hibernating all winter...) but welcome!!!! and good luck!

[Esther]

The next few days I am shooting in Oregon with one of my best friends.

I successfully checked guns on a plane for the first time, and it was a pain in the butt. I can see why so many shooters prefer to drive whenever possible.

Andy - Thanks for the advice! You're absolutely right that my grip needs work. I learned today that I can be contacting more of the gun's surface than I had been. Also finally learned how to adjust my feet and hip to find my Natural Point of Aim.

Monica - Thanks! Hello from hibernation!

[TGO]

Quit trying to visually focus on only the front sight, this is a common mistake. See everything having to do with the shot and see clearer the element most important to the quality of shot you are trying to shoot.

You do not have to see the sights clearly if you are shooting fast and or at close targets.

Remember, easy targets are only easy if you are going slow and hard targets are only hard if you are going fast.

The process of trying to always see too much clarity in the front sight will only cause you to stop aiming and not see the other elements of the sight picture.

Learning to operate the trigger fast is necessary to shoot fast (obviously), and is a highly underdeveloped skill for many.

Aiming is more important than looking at the front sight. At the beginning you may simplify the process by emphasizing one third of the items involved in, but at some point you are going to have to move on from that fixation.

You should arrive at a point as your skill develops where you see the sights but do not have to over emphasize looking for them, especially just the front. Most shooters have been relentlessly drilled to the "focus on the front sight thing" so much that they now believe it should forever be there mantra and only focal point. This will always limit your speed and accuracy.

As far as seeing and keeping in sharp focus the sights during the recoil cycle, few if anyone can do this with a gun that has much vertical movement in recoil. I mean by this that they are not able to track the sights during recoil well enough to actually keep the center of focus on the sight. Your eye doesn't move fast enough. Nor would you want it constantly being moved out of alignment with the target.

Fuzzy sights and a clear target are sometimes better. This will be hard for some to understand and for many more to accept. That's OK, many viewpoints are being expressed and mine is only one, albeit based on over thirty years of intense study and training on the subject.

One truth: Do not search for or accept as gospel a single trick to always focus on other than Skill, confidence and experience. If you do you will be missing something that you oughta be seeing or feeling and your performance will always be lacking......

[digby7]

Learning to operate the trigger fast is necessary to shoot fast (obviously), and is a highly underdeveloped skill for many.

@TGO - what do you do to learn to operate the trigger faster?

[monicataliani]

Not picking on women but my 60+ years of observation says that they don't develope enough interest in hobbies that involve some physical activity. Part of being a GM will involve reaching a level of fitness that allows you to get there, get a FITBIT and start doing 10K steps a day, then press on with a fitness plan.

I have often wondered about this. I know that I am certainly the exception... not the rule!!! As a girl who is into intense hobbies, many times i am the rare female out there. I fill all my spare time with...well... moving. Aside from shooting I do tae kwon do, road bike, mountain bike, kayak, hike, am an avid runner (both competitive- i do local races, train for marathons, race in duathlons- and just run for fun with my boxers,) have been a "gym rat" and now am loving P90X and Insanity since it is too cold here in Ohio to go outside much. I know that my athletic demeanor is certainly an advantage in shooting, but honestly at my skill level, I haven't really been able to tap into it. I am capable of moving much faster than I can shoot at this point.

[GuildSF4]

Fuzzy sights and a clear target are sometimes better. This will be hard for some to understand and for many more to accept. That's OK, many viewpoints are being expressed and mine is only one, albeit based on over thirty years of intense study and training on the subject.

One truth: Do not search for or accept as gospel a single trick to always focus on other than Skill, confidence and experience. If you do you will be missing something that you oughta be seeing or feeling and your performance will always be lacking......

Fuzzy sights, very true. I have shot a groups (all a-zone) at 15 yards using slide index (no sights). As TGO and Brian have said 'See what you need to see' (getting there takes a lot of practice and observation).

[Esther]

Rob and SFGuild4 - Thanks for the advice on seeing what I need to see!

Monica - That's so cool that you spend most of your spare time moving. I'm not exactly sessile, like a sponge, but I'm not nearly as athletic as you are.

Highlights from the weekend:

1) finally fixing my recoil management issues so that my grip no longer slides in between shots. I had been over-gripping the gun and tensing my body in anticipation of recoil. Jeremy had me grip the gun as loosely as possible so that I would see just how little pressure it took to keep my support hand on the gun. I fired several magazines into the berm without aiming at anything to get the feel of keeping my wrists flexible and both hands on the gun between fast successive shots. I can shoot .3 splits easily now!

We also changed my grip so that more of my strong hand contacts the gun's surface.

2) setting up a practice stage and shooting it. The first time Jeremy hit the buzzer, my mind went blank and I just blasted at brown until halfway through when I remembered to call my shots!

3) shooting my first competition!!! :) My goal was to shoot slow and smooth and call all A's. I didn't quite manage all A's (I shot four C's, two of which I made up with A's), but I was happy with how I performed overall. I didn't get nervous, shot at my natural pace and called almost every shot, and had fun.*

Jeremy helped me with the stage planning and let me shoot his 9mm competition XDM with the 19-round mags!

4) finding a competition gun! I fell in love with Jeremy's 9mm XDM with Powder River trigger and grip tape. The gun is so light and balanced, there is barely any recoil, and the trigger pulls like a dream.

* The only part I didn't enjoy about the competition was how much waiting around there is between my turns to shoot!

Edited February 26, 2013 by Esther

[lumpygravy]

* The only part I didn't enjoy about the competition was how much waiting around there is between my turns to shoot!

Waiting between turns? There's no waiting between turns! You're supposed to be resetting the stage for the next shooter

Great reading about your progress.

[Esther]

Jon - Haha! And thanks!

I finished 14th out of 44 shooters. I had one procedural penalty that cost me 20 seconds (the first stage was a weird one where you had to draw and shoot from the hip two SHO, then transfer and shoot two WHO without acquiring a sight picture. I raised my gun too high and got a penalty). Had I not incurred the procedural, I would have finished eighth.

Things I was happy with:

- shooting a smooth, clean match and calling almost all of my shots

- successfully incorporating major changes that I had made to my grip, recoil management, and draw the day before. My support hand didn't slip for any of my shots!

- my mag changes (I still need to get faster at these though...)

Things I need to work on:

- shooting at targets from awkward angles and positions. The hardest stage for me was one in which we had to use cover and shoot at targets from tight angles.

- shooting on the move and without having a 100% stable position.

- pressing the trigger before my sights are completely settled.

- my draw

- planning the best way to shoot a stage, which may not be the most comfortable or obvious. And keeping track of round count and finding markers on the ground to move to.

Things I need to remember:

- Always look behind targets! There were two shoot targets that could have been lined up and shot with two rounds (2 rounds, 4 A's).

- If you hit a hostage (I didn't in this match), follow it up with a hit! Don't incur a no-shoot and a miss penalty!*

* I watched Skyfall last night, and in the opening scene, Naomie Harris' character makes this mistake by accidentally shooting Bond and then, instead of following it up with a clear shot at the bad guy, lowering her gun.

Edited February 28, 2013 by Esther