1st in the stack = great match

[mda_II]

Shot my best match in a really LONG time today.

SO'd a squad around the match and decided to shoot first every stage. Times were good, runs were clean. I found that by shooting as the first in the stack I Didn't get mentally polluted by watching people ahead of me, and I didn't seem to care or think twice about order, sequence or the myriad of other IDPA rules.

I've shot like this before on occasion but it was nice to get that feeling back after a bit of a lay off from match shooting.

I'm curious of some others opinions about going first in the stack like that. I'm going to try it some more to see if I can replicate the no preconceptions type of day I had today...

[Hi-Power Jack]

I found that shooting first I Didn't get mentally polluted by watching people ahead of me,

I come up with a plan for shooting a COF, but frequently get some excellent ideas re: how

to shoot it faster/simpler by watching other people shoot it.

If I get a chance to reshoot a stage, I frequently shave 1-2 seconds off the 2nd time.

No, I like to shoot last.

[GunBandit]

As a new shooter (2 matches in) I don't really like going first. I do come up with a plan each time, but I will sometimes adjust that depending on what I see. My club rotates the shooting order at each stage. So if I went first on stage 1 I go to the back on stage two and move up each stage after that. At this point I would prefer to go 2nd or 3rd if there was an experience production shooter ahead of me so I could see what they did and bounce it off of my plan in my head. I have noticed on the 12 COFs that I have shot, it is best to stick to your original plan and not to try to do what the masters are doing every time. Like I said though sometimes the light will come on, for me at least, and I will adjust my movement plan. And of course walk through that when I am on deck or in the hole before I shoot. Take all that with a grain of sand because I am a newb and I am still learning a lot.

[klee]

I definitely don't like to go first. At our local matches, we rotate 1 or 2 down on each stage so its not the same person going first. I'm usually one of the ROs in our squad so I get to see what works and doesn't before my turn.

[BoyGlock]

I like and prefer to shoot first same reason as the OP. It took me a little while to arrive and realize its advanages. Need to conquer my fears w/c often turns out to be baseless.

There was a time in a local match where my close competitors tried to pressure me purposely to beat me by placing me on top of the cue in all stages not knowing they were playing to my advantage. I ran and shot all the stages just to my known ability w/o much mental baggage from my competitors. I handily won my division

[Tubguy]

I don't like shooting first either. I've only been shooting for a year, so I like a little time to run the movie. But when I do get called to shoot first. I just try not to think and just shoot.

[stephen1776]

So for those of you that run in the middle or near the end of the stack, do you stick to your walk thru game plan or do you make changes to it after watching other shooters. And does it usually work out better for you or not ? Not sure if runing in the middle or end is good for me. The new shooter in me wants to just run smooth and clean. The competitor in me wants to run as fast as possible, trying to hang with the big boys. So running near the top of the stack coud possibly get rid of some of the clock issues.

Edited April 21, 2014 by stephen1776

[Travtastik]

I hate to shoot first if it means that I am going to the back of a the stack next stage. It takes me out of my game having to watch and wait while everyone shoots. Last 3 gun I shot it was about 2 1/2 hours between first and second stage for a local match. I like going around 6th. Every stage I move further up the order and don't have to worry about changing my plan since I am not watching everyone shoot the stage before me.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Travtastik

[jcc7x7]

Like to.followw the shooting order.

Watch the better shooters and turn around with others.

Work really hard tostick with my original plan

[camocarmen]

Shot my best match in a really LONG time today.

SO'd a squad around the match and decided to shoot first every stage...

I'm curious of some others opinions about going first in the stack like that. I'm going to try it some more to see if I can replicate the no preconceptions type of day I had today...

YES! Same here. I find that if I am SOing (which is most of the time), I shoot better if I am 1st, 2nd, or 3rd because I can focus on me vs herding cats. LOL. At a major match (where I am just shooting), I find that being 1st-3rd helps reduce anxiety but if I have some better shooters on my squad, I do like having the advantage of seeing them run a stage before myself. The more experienced I become, the more I concentrate more on strategy

[awfaxis]

As I've become an RO and SO lately, my scores have suffered. I may do the "shoot first" which will be my prerogative as squad leader, and see if it does keep me in the game. I've been shooting last to get things moving fast as we start a new stage.