DDustin Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 (edited) I'm not sure if this is the right section for this but it seemed like it might be. If not can it be moved? What are some of your pre-match rituals? Not just the day of, but leading up to the match. For me Starting a week and a half before a match I change my workouts to HIIT cardio and circuits and I start carrying my rifle around the house with all the attachments, suppressor, and a double mag with powderless rounds in it to weigh it down. I also do nightly shotgun loading drills with dummies and dryfire with the pistol and spend the week watching match and training videos before bed. I also change my diet to a lighter low sodium diet. The night of, I do my gear checks, ammo checks, load my mags and clean everything do some light cardio, do a lot of shotgun loading drills, relax and watch some more training videos. My day of ritual is still a work in progress. I'm working on a non jittery energy solution but I drink a glass of OJ, 32oz of water, take vitamins, go over my gear check list again and do function checks on my weapons and optics. What does everyone else do? Edited October 30, 2013 by DDustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimitz Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 Hmmmm .... And I thought I was serious about becoming the best practical shooter I could. I don't do anything different the week leading up to a match because I don't want my subconscious thinking any match is more important or different than any other match. I just stick to my normal training routine and I don' t want any distractions that come from changing routine. If there is something unusual in an upcoming stage I may work a little extra on that but that's it. The night before a match is when I load my ammo, check that all my gear is ready and clean my gun ... Pretty standard stuff. Again, I don't want matches to become this "big deal", it's just another day of shooting ... The more match day becomes something out of the ordinary the more likely you are to assign additional value to it thereby increasing the pressure you put yourself under to do well ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDustin Posted October 31, 2013 Author Share Posted October 31, 2013 I like to be prepared, some of it comes from my time in the Army such as the way I check and recheck my gear but a lot is because I'm the poster child for Murphy's law. If it's important I'll forget it, lose it or break it the day of. My friends say I'm cursed. As for my workout routine, I change it up because I usually workout for bulk not performance so it leaves me slow and unflexible. Also I find the more I build up and prepare for a match, the easier and more relaxed it is when it happens. That might get less as big of a deal after some more matches. I'm pretty new to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonSnow Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 (edited) My pre-match ritual goes something like this: Night before I set the alarm so I can get up early and eat a real breakfast with plenty of time to check my gear, clean my gun in needed and arrive at the range 30 minutes before the shooter's meeting. Day of I groggily turn the alarm off and stumble back into bed, waking up with just enough time to grab a Clif bar, throw everything in the car in a panicked rush and get to the range (an hour away) halfway through the meeting. And you know what? I actually think that works well for me; I get so worked up about getting there that I'm happy to just be shooting at all. Helps keep me from over-thinking and shooting faster than I can see my sights. Edited October 31, 2013 by JonSnow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDustin Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Sounds like my last few matches and it's looking to be how this weekends going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain037 Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 I usually completely dissemble and clean weapons early in the week then go shoot a small amount of rounds to check for function. Case guage match ammo and make sure I have powdered drinks to add to water and replenish snacks in my bag. Check other equipment and that's pretty much it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapemeister Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Spagetti, green beans, and canned peaches for desert, Friday nights before Saturday club matches. Try it, you might shoot as well as I do on Saturdays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen7942 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 night before a match I will do a gear check and clean my mags. Usually clean the gun sometime during the week before. I usually will case gauge ammo after I load it but if its not I'll do it the night before. Like others have said, I have good intentions of getting up and getting a good start to the day but it usually ends up being a hit the snooze button kind of morning.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapemeister Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I like to be prepared, some of it comes from my time in the Army such as the way I check and recheck my gear but a lot is because I'm the poster child for Murphy's law. If it's important I'll forget it, lose it or break it the day of. My friends say I'm cursed. As for my workout routine, I change it up because I usually workout for bulk not performance so it leaves me slow and unflexible. Also I find the more I build up and prepare for a match, the easier and more relaxed it is when it happens. That might get less as big of a deal after some more matches. I'm pretty new to this. I like what Nimitz said. The first couple of years I use to get pretty worked up before a match and doing everything you've said. Now, the match is no different than any other day of shooting. I don't do anything different with guns or equipment. It's just as ready as any other day. Although, I'm usually setting up a stage for the match the day before, I try to leave everything behind at the range when I'm done. I usually don't watch DVD's or anything related to shooting. I pretty much don't even want to think about shooting. I just want have a good meal and relax. Everybody is different, of course, but for me thinking too much about an upcoming match leads to anxieties, thoughts of wanting, trying, doubting and all those things that my mind should be free of. I shoot better when I'm in that state of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroyB Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I don't do much of anything but relax like any other sloth the day before a match with the exception of loading mags and checking ammo and load my bag. I like to get to the match with enough time to sign in and walk stages if it's USPSA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B_Seehawer Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Switch to light beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel1212 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Put my guns in the bag? Nothing changes. Dry fire what I need to during the week. Shoot on the weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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