Getting in the Zone

[Indiana James]

To be a top competitor, I think, it is necessary to get into the "Zone." I'm new to IPSC, but have competited at the NCAA I Level. I've been in the Zone and recognize it after any competition. I can't will it to happen, but I can make it happen more often. In other words, I can improve my chances of being in the zone.

To me the zone is when your mind stops thinking and just reacts. There's a fine line between stop thinking - the zone, and stop thinking, my mind is a sleep. Practicing has nothing to do with the zone. Your performance will improve with practice because your mind will react quicker through "muscle memory."

When in the zone, your competition goes by and no thoughts have entered your mind. Your plan does not pop back into your head. You simple watch your sights go up and down, your eyes skim to the next target and your don't think about your movements. Everything just happens as if you we're walking down the street. The time that goes by seems slow when your all done. However, your result will be one of your fastest. Now, here's an important point. When you compete in the zone, you will get your maximum capable score or close to it. For all practical purposes, that is what you are capable of. Now, with practice you will be able to go faster and more accurate and your score will improve, but to beat your best score you'll have to be in the "zone" again. Some people compete their whole life without every experiencing the "zone." I think all people are capable of it and it gets easier with teaching and practice.

The best way I can put it is your in the "Now." You are present. Your not thinking of the past (your plan) and your not thinking of the future (the time you'll have, the score you'll have).

And that is how I improve my probablity of getting in the "zone." I go over my stage and plans. I settle on one plan. I walk through maybe once sometimes twice, just enough times to memorize the plan. Then I visualize the shoot. The tragets for each shooting position, reloads, any difficult foot movements, any key markers - things on the ground where I want to stand, things behind a swinger that allow me to hit the "A" zone when the swinger bases through that point, marks by a window that bring my gun to the right level of a target before seeing the target. Ok, so I visualize. When I feel comfortable visualize the whole sequence without strain ------ now here's the Getting Into the Zone part! I shut my mind off. I shake my arms. I roll my head. I feel the strectch, smell the air, close my eyes. Basically, I take in all my senses and stop thinking. I don't think about the stage again until I'm on deck. Then I visulize, walk through the more difficult pieces and lastly, Get Into the Zone, right before the buzzer. That is right before I node my head, I try not to think. I just look at the gun if I'm pick'n it from a table or look at the target if I'm drawing - no thoughts. Then react to the buzzer.

No guarantess I'll be in the zone, but it does happen often to me. I just started shooting 3 years ago. But it's only been once a month or less until a few months ago. I shot sporting clays and hunted, but never really shot a pistol until 3 years ago. I was on a step learning curve to learn how a pistol works and how to reload (never did that until 3 years ago). My being in the zone and my stage scores correlate well with being in the zone. At my tenth match or so I was able to get in the zone. It was in Sacramento at a local CAPSL match. I beat all the GM's on one stage with my open gun. Now mind you, I'm a D and just this year a C class shooter. I've shoot every major match this year starting around June??? At Ridgecrest I shoot 85% on one stage. I was in the zone. I had my first clean run, all A's. I would have never guessed my time was that fast. I shot my first nationals and shoot 50% in Limited. I had 0% and a 6%, but I also had a 70%. I shot Reno (those we're my last two matches). At Reno, I shoot 70% and many 60%. I got into the zone at three stages in Reno. The most I've ever done. And Reno was my most consistent match ever. This just tells me that I have the skill to be a 70 to 80% shooter. Oh, and I've never practices standards or been able to practice IPSC anywhere (except for the last two weeks with Eric Warren - thanks Eric). I have just gone and shot local matches.

Anyway. I now I can do it. The above discussion describes it as best as I can. Please chime in and add your thoughts or questions. I would love to hear how others "Get into the Zone" or better describe it to those that want to hear.

Indy

[BSeevers]

Great mental preparation I would add that you must master the fundamentals of shooting or any sport before you can "get in the zone" at your max potential and win at high levels. You sound like you have a good handle on "match nerves" which you can leverage to some wins too.

PS Read Brians book. You already have a lot of those fundamentals.

Good luck

[Jake Di Vita]

In my case I can't force it. If I follow the law of the 7 P's (Proper Previous Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance) that alone is usually enough.

The zone isn't about forcing it, the zone is about being is a total state of mental and visual awareness. For me, it is an almost out of body experience. It feels like the gun is moving itself.

You are either in the zone or you aren't. I use the analogy of being pregnant. If you are 99% pregnant, you ain't pregnant. It's an all or nothing thing. The whole key is being able to keep your ZL (Zone Level ) in that space between 99 and 100%. No one can always operate in the zone, it just doesn't happen, but if you always strive to allow your body to be right on the cusp every time you shoot, you will hit it more often than most.

Hopefully that long winded response made a little sense.

[mcoliver]

When you're "in the zone" do you know that you're "in it at that moment"?

I've always viewed it as an "after-the-fact" thing. My best stage runs always had a common denominator; "I never felt rushed during..." but "I got a stellar performance out of it" kinda thing.

Which leads me to my next questions, "Does being in the zone guarantee a better than your average performance?" Or can Mr. Murphy be by your side while still being in the zone?

[ong45]

Performing well for me usually depends on two things, doing one thing at a time, and paying absolute attention to whatever i happen to be doing.

james

[Indiana James]

James Ong simplifies it well - Pay attention to what your doing! I like to say "Be in the Now"

mcoliver asks:

When you're "in the zone" do you know that you're "in it at that moment"?

If your talking to yourself, you are not in the zone. So, no you can not no it until after you shoot. Then your mind thinks - says something like, wow - I just reacted, it seemed like slow mo, but my time was fast.

"Does being in the zone guarantee a better than your average performance?"

I think so. Bruce Lee wrote about it and that's what his martial arts were based on. Your react. No thought. Therefore, you will be better than "your" average performance. While in the zone you will be at your peak performance. If all other factors were equal it would always be your best performance ever. For our sport best performance is based on more than being in the zone, such as, training, your abilities, does the stage map well to your abilities, does it map well to your training, environmental conditions, equipment, etc. Being in the zone means that it will be your best performance for that moment in time! You just can't do any better at that moment. Or in other words - thinking will always slow you down and not paying attention to your senses - sight and feel will slow you down. It's space between thinking and sleeping!!!

[D.carden]

James is undisputedly 100% correct.

Being a full time revolver shooter i spent alot of time dry-firing at home. Things i have perfected are the DRAW, and RELOAD. But each is done with total FOCUS. I stare the moonclips into the cylinder, then come up to sight picture in one motion without stopping ( 1.6 to 1.8 sec). Thinking of something else during the reload can get ugly. KEEP IT SIMPLE!! Practice-Practice-Practice.

James, I have a young cousin in Sparks that might want to try IPSC, do you guys shoot in the winter??

[Paladin]

you'll know you are in the zone when 'you are able to watch yourself shoot'..it's like another you standing with the original you..

if you ever RO somebody you can almost tell how good they are shooting..you see all the good shots and all the bad shots.. when you can transcend to this level where 'U.RO.U' then you are in the zone...

[Catfish]

For me, the zone happens all by itself. I don't force it to happen, it just does. The more I relax and try to not force it, the more it happens.

That being said, I have had some very good personal performances when I'm not in the zone. After talking with Matt Burkett at a class here in Dallas, I've started to come to the conclusion that for me at least, there are two zones.

Zone 1 is where everything is subconscious and you flow through the stage without thinking.

Zone 2 is where I flow magically through the stage, but I'm very conscious of everything. This is where my personal stellar performances happen. I am *consciously* shooting at the subconscious level. As with Jake - the more I plan out the stage, the more this seems to happen.

I think the best way I can describe this is that it's like translating Spanish. If I just sit back and talk to someone in Spanish without trying to translate to English every word, I do very well. Just talk. If however, I'm trying to translate every word from Spanish to English and then back to Spanish, it's ugly.