How to overcome proximity gap?

[yellowfin]

Today I uncovered a problem being worse than I thought that's really holding me back in competitive shooting, actually maybe a couple more things in life too. I had an enjoyable day today at my club shooting a monthly USPSA match. I saw lots of people I know from previous competitions in the couple of series I've done this year, which is always good as they're nice and friendly people who are great to be around. I was mindful of the need to not try to shoot at the same pace as people I know who are better at it than I am, instead just take my time and go by my own sight picture and plan and play the game on my own terms. Think through the stages, concentrate, develop a plan and stick with it, walk the stage every time I paste targets. Stayed safe, didn't forget any targets, maybe dropped one or two mikes on stuff that was hard like tuxedo targets on Virginia count stages and weak hand at distance--again I'm somewhat new and don't have unlimited time and money resources to pour into this like a retired state employee or self employed lawyer, doctor, or architect. But I figured I could live with it.

Or so I thought. I got home and checked on Practiscore and was completely embarrassed. Second from last. This on a day I thought I actually did well, or at least well for me. Days that I knew I had meltdowns I finished better than this--WAY better.

Then it hit me: I hadn't shot pistol but maybe a few times so far this entire year and it's July already, and only one other pistol match at all. I need to practice more and to the level necessary to really make real improvement to the level that other people clearly have done. That's a time, motivation, and resource intensive pursuit--one that clearly would benefit from having people to practice with regularly much like having workout partners, weight loss/quitting smoking accountability partners, etc. Just like fighting that fast food or low activity occupation that's keeping those 30-40 lbs. on some people, I'm fighting daily life tasks, the job, online class work, home and yard upkeep, extended family events, etc. that's keeping me from being like the other professional working people in my squads who have their lives running right AND shooting B classification and above. I need the after-hours workouts for my shooting but everything else is doing one hell of a job getting in the way--several someones to get out and run drills with would likely improve the situation as it does with so many other things.

The problem is that all of the people I shoot with in matches who practice to perform at such level live an appreciable distance away and being intelligent and successful people live pre-established busy lives. I live about 30 minutes west of the club and they live generally an hour to hour and a half east of it. I see them when I see them and that's about all that can be for the most part. I feel a noticeable high and low from it, being around people who share this interest and lots of the perspective in life and pursuit of excellence then afterwards lacking that in other people I see in daily life almost entirely. In contrast I'm new to where I live, and neither neighbors nor family nor coworkers are participants in the sport. Not even my own wife. No extended family available, didn't go to school here, etc. OK, so go find people---uh, problem: the 20-30 minute driving distance radius around me is an area where if you're not from there you're an outsider, and they're VERY, VERY, VERY reserved and insulated--and then there's the whole they're busy too bit.

Anyone else other than me dealing with this problem currently or having beaten it and have insights to share?

Edited July 13, 2015 by yellowfin

[Sarge]

I'd be willing to bet some guys on this forum are closer to you than you may think. Great place to make new shooting friends.

[Nimitz]

one of things which attracted me to competitive shooting vice other competitive activites is that it is an indiviudal activity ... you can train and compete by yourself and be very successful ... as long as you have strong self motivation all you need to succeed is getting some good instructional material from the likes of Stoeger, Seeklander or Anderson (to name a few) and invest in taking a class from one of them. The rest is up to you, putting in the thousands of reps of dry fire & thousands of rds down range.

Personally I've never been able to find anyone locally to train with who has the same motivation & interest that I do so I've aways trained by myself.

[waktasz]

Were you at New Holland?

[yellowfin]

Were you at New Holland?

Yep, that's where I do most matches. Best place I've run into so far.

[DWFAN]

You don't have anything keeping you from practicing that 90% of the other shooters don't have also. Most all of them have jobs, families, wives, kids, dogs, other hobbies, etc. You have to make priorities and practice. I would venture to say that a majority of the shooters also practice alone.

[Hi-Power Jack]

I've read your original post three times - guess I'm getting slower with age, but

I still don't understand your point/question.

Probably just me, since you already have some great responses.

Be glad to help out, if possible, If I understood your point... can you condense it?

[waktasz]

So this is Bill, or Eric?

You're within 90 minutes of about 4 USPSA matches. You can dry fire for 15 minutes a day and shoot a match every weekend and that will take you pretty far. It takes more work than that to make GM but you can make M with that amount of effort IMO. I'm not sure how far you are trying to go, but that's a start.

Being 30 minutes from the club you can practice at is closer than the situation I'm in. Keep coming to the NH matches, I'm sure you can find a practice buddy that will help motivate you. I'm a member, but I don't practice there much, it's 65 miles from my house.

I'm also working on putting together an intro class for competitive shooting in the area if I can get enough people interested. It might be at NH or maybe one of the other local clubs.

Edited July 13, 2015 by waktasz

[LilBunniFuFu]

Dry fire, dry fire, dry fire. That is all. Honestly take at least 10 minutes and practice transitions, reloads, and movement. Best part. IT'S FREEEEEEE.

[Beastly]

It seems overwhelming because you haven't figured out HOW to efficiently train, in the privacy of your own home, any time you want, for as long or briefly as you see fit.

You wouldn't be posting if you didn't have desire. Dry Fire is the key. Ben Stoeger and Steve Anderson have laid it out in books and videos.

It is a solvable problem - if you choose to solve it.

[yellowfin]

So this is Bill, or Eric?

I'm also working on putting together an intro class for competitive shooting in the area if I can get enough people interested. It might be at NH or maybe one of the other local clubs.

Bill, no less. I'd definitely like to do one of your classes, I'll keep an eye out for when you have one scheduled.

Hmm...dry fire it is. I've been picking up lots of CCI aluminum cases to make into dummy rounds to weight my mags for dry practice, using the aluminum to make it obvious they're dummies. Now, where did I put that rubber band to go in the loading port...

Edited July 14, 2015 by yellowfin

[yellowfin]

I've read your original post three times - guess I'm getting slower with age, but

I still don't understand your point/question.

Probably just me, since you already have some great responses.

Be glad to help out, if possible, If I understood your point... can you condense it?

OK, the skeletonized version--

A. Shot a match, 2nd of the year, only 2nd full year of doing matches. SUCKED for no reason other than lack of cultivated ability. Know how to do it by grasping the general ideas but lacking the thousands of hours of practice and acquired skill. Disappointed with results, thought I was doing better and should be.

B. I know good people, but they're far away and I see them at matches but very little else. Bad problem w/ out of sight out of mind. Worse problem with day to day life contacts being not useful for motivation in this pursuit--work and nearby family not similar people to myself and other competitive shooters, little useful to say. People with whom one associates is a known major input factor in life--motivated people motivate and achievers drive achievement, but the opposite does the same in the negative.

C. I recognize the problem is needing to get into better habits. Lots of life's problems and solutions are a matter of constructive habit forming.

D. Being not from the area I live (to the tune of ~800 miles or so) working my way in with positive, beneficial people in the immediate (10-15 minutes) area is very difficult at best largely due to cultural factors--people around here clam up and generally aren't available to those who they didn't grow up with, don't do new things, etc. They're busy and they have their friends already--if that's not you, then sucks for you and not their problem.

So, long haul and steep hill to climb, that much is expected and normal I suppose. Just working with a couple of major resources missing that would otherwise at least help with the task. I wondered if anyone else was in the same boat. Oh well. Back to work it is.

Edited July 14, 2015 by yellowfin

[BoyGlock]

You need somebody to start you up in this game and you prefer him to be at your easy reach but tough luck he is nowhere. Thats really bothersome specially if your are dead serious to work out asap.

Try some other way. If so inclined, get the books and learn and practice by yourself. Attend local club matches regularly and assess your know how. Make these matches your training exams. Eventually somebody may befriend you and share shooting ideas with him.

[Ladi]

I'm co-director of the New Holland match, and formerly the world's worst ever competitive pistol shooter. The forum ate my earlier post. Here's a short version:

1. You've gotten a LOT better since you started. You might not feel like it, but you really have. For some of us, it takes a lot of time to get 'there', and we may take a step backwards for every two forwards. It sure was (and is!) that way for me. That's why the small wins can be so important: shooting your plan; doing awesome on that one target you were really worried about; not coming in last.

2. NH matches are hard. We do our best to make them accessible to all comers, but make no mistake: they aren't easy and they aren't intended to be easy.

3. Take classes and dry fire. Ask specific questions. Classes don't have to be competitive shooting-specific, but it helps. Dry fire is where the most gains will come. If I can find time to dry fire 5-7 days/week working 10-12 hours/day and commuting nearly 1.5 hours round trip every day, you can find 5 minutes. Asking focused questions have the dual role of helping you learn more of the finer points of shooting while also giving you a connection with other shooters. I like to ask things like - why did you shoot the stage that way? can you help me with a stage plan? what's a good way for me to shoot that swinger? After a while, I found that some shooters took pity on me and now just anticipate the questions and volunteer up the answers.

4. Your sub-community of shooters may not be in-person or in-person all the time. Almost all of my dry and live practice is solo (we all know my husband doesn't practice ), but over time, I've built up a group of people I can reach out to via internet and phone/text and who keep me on track by harassing me via the same. I suspect that's true for many serious shooters.

5. We are right now at mid-July or so. I'm challenging you today to commit to 8 dry fire sessions - every MWF for the rest of the month - and to report back on your progress. We can chat via FB on things for you to work on.

Edited July 14, 2015 by Ladi

[yellowfin]

That I'll do, thank you so much! I definitely expect and accept the challenge--that's the entire point anyway, right? I certainly don't want anything watered down, that just creates false expectations. It doesn't seem like it's a matter of particular matches being hard or not--having worked in the golf business for a while taught me that hard courses are the only ones really worth doing.

Edited July 14, 2015 by yellowfin