Defeating brain farts...

[Ron Ankeny]

In spite of the thread title, this is a serious question and I think we have all been here. What I am wondering is how does one go about getting past a mental roadblock that is so strong that it inhibits performance on what should be an easy shot or stage? I'll be specific.

The biggest shoot of the year around here is an all steel shoot that features about 148 rounds. The match director and a couple of his buddies designed the stages, and for whatever reason, they put huge penalties on the plate rack stage. In a nutshell, we have dozens of pieces of steel shot comstock with your time being your score until you get to the plates. On the plates, we shoot two strings at ten yards in seven seconds and two strings at fifteen yards in eight seconds. The stage is Virginia count, par time, with a five second penalty for each miss. Obviously, anyone worth his/her salt (experienced shooters) can clean the rack time and again with time to spare. One miss and you are in a world of hurt, two misses and you might as well pack up (this is for high overall and the better shooters) and go home.

With so much at stake, I practiced the plates time and again over the last month. At first, I would clean them over and over. Then I started to miss a few. Instead of backing off, I practiced even more untill I became so discouraged and mentally screwed that I would drop a plate each string. Well, I gave it a rest, then two days before the match, I ran 80 plates without a miss by just seeing what I had to see and doing what I had to do, nothing more or less.

The match was yesterday. I started on the plates at ten yards and on the first string I missed 4 plates. That's right, 4 plates 8 inches in diameter right in my face. I shot over each one. On the next three strings I cleaned the rack easily until I got to the last plate and I looked at the plate instead of following through and shot over it. I finished the stage with 25 seconds in penalties.

For what it is worth, I lost high overall by 12 seconds and I got whipped by three other shooters. I beat one of the other shooters decisively in the other 7 stages and I have never lost a regular IPSC or IDPA match to him. Obviously, the match is pooly designed and that makes things even worse because I get pissed everytime I think about it.

OK guys, I have all of the shooting skills required to easily clean the stage time and again on demand. But I am so mentally screwed up that I blew it. Where do I start to insure that this never happens again?

[38supPat]

You were worried about blowing it, so you did. Its as simple as that. You cleaned all the other stages 'cuz you weren't worried about them, but when you got to the screwy stage you were more concerned with blowing it then hitting the plates. Now I'm curious about the match director, what kind of Doofy is he? Virginia count and fixed time don't and can't mix, add to this the made up penalty of 5 seconds per miss (SC rules). Was this match IPSC? SC? Martian mayhem? Sounds like the MD just wanted a dumbass stage to screw with the shooters, and as I always say "Why would you want to screw with the mind of a guy holding a loaded gun?"

Pat

[xcount]

Ron,

Two questions.

Iron sights, right?

If you can remember, what were you thinking about as you waited for the timer "beep" on the first rack of plates?

[Ron Ankeny]

xcount:

Iron sights. I am blessed with the ability to usually start with a thought free and open mind. I hit the first two and missed the next 4. I know why I missed, I started thinking while shooting and I didn't see the sight lift and I also became visually impatient.  After the first string was blown I cleaned the other racks.

Pat:

You are right on the money. My question is, now that I am miffed how do I get completely over it? I know the best approach is to just let it go. Still, next year I will face the same stage and scoring system. I have half a notion to avoid plate racks altogether and shoot them in the match next year with no practice on that event at all immediately prior to the match. Sound stupid?

As for the match director, he wanted to borrow something from the Bianchi Cup (racks) and assess a huge penalty to "separate the men from the boys". Before the match I made the comment to a buddy that sure as hell one of the better shooters would dominate the other stages, then lose high overall because of two or three shots on the plates. Little did I know it would be me.

[Nik Habicht]

Ron,

I'm not trying to diminish your frustration here because we've all been down that path of poorly designed stages or even poorly designed matches.  The following represents my 2 cents:

It seems to me you have choices.  You could choose not to shoot this match again ---- or you could just go next year and focus on having a good time.  You could offer to help set up the match, work your way onto the crew off people running it, and try to effect change from within.  

Bottom Line, what it comes down to is this: On any given day you can win this match or you can finish in any other place.  Where you finish is only partly dependent on you ---- It's also partly dependent on the other shooters.  This year is over ---- you can't change what happened.  Put it behind you, focus on the things you can control.  Good Luck.

[xcount]

Ron,

As Nik said, I would not want to diminish your frustration with this situation. I have been in your shoes, I have blown the plates.

My time was at the 1993 Bianchi Cup. After the 1992 Cup I decided I could win more fame and fortune shooting in metallic sight division than shooting against Brian and the others for overall. So I put a Ron Power rib sight on my 686 and started shooting. I even cut a notch out of the middle to shoot the barricade event. (Ever hear of such a thing, Brian?)

Our club had a full Bianchi set-up, complete with a mover. So I could spend hours on the plate range. I got so that I could run 47 of the 48 plates with regularity and clean 'em on occasion.

I don't have to describe to you the feeling as I walked off the Chapman plate range having left 5 plates still standing, do I? That "This has got to be a dream, that really didn't happen, did it?" kind of feeling.

But your question was not about my experience, it was about how you will deal with your demon in the future. Maybe the way is to not view it as a demon but as an ally.

On the old forum, someone suggested a book called "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect" by a sports psychologist by the name of Dr. Bob Rotella. Can't remember who posted that but, whoever you are - Thanks!! I got the audio tape and keep it in my car to listen to while driving to practice. You might want to check it out.

On the tape, Dr. Rotella talks about how Mark Twain said the inability to forget is infinitely more devastating than the inability to remember. Everyone will have a storehouse of shooting memories, some good and some bad. The question is, as you stand facing those plates again next year, what will you choose to remember?

Will you choose to remember the 80 in a row that you ran? Or will you remember the 4 you missed at 10 yards?

Because the memory you choose will dictate how you will view the plates - demon or ally. You can walk to the line next year with trepidation, remembering what happened the last time you were in this situation. Or you can walk to the line with anticipation, knowing this is the part of the match where you can slam the door on your competition.

By your previous postings it seems you already know the mechanical mistake was focusing on the plate rather than the front sight. That's common. Trying to sneak a peek to watch the plate fall. Don't beat yourself up over it. And you already know you are not supposed to be thinking as you are shooting. So you have the knowledge and skills necessary to clean the racks.

Now all you have to do is let the plates be your friend rather than seeing them as an enemy to do battle with.

Maybe the tape or book would help. There is a lot of great information in it about learning to think correctly in order to enhance your performance.

I hope this helps. If it does let me know. Also, let me know where this steel match is. So I can stay the hell away from there. If the only thing keeping you from winning the whole damn match was a couple of plates, I reckon we already know who next year's match winner will be.

Good luck.

[ErikW]

Sounds to me like that plate rack stage was a mindf**k, and nothing else. The par times were very generous and you had all the time in the world to get a good sight picture and use a good trigger pull so as not to miss. The miss penalties were put out there to make you worry.

Poorly designed? For sure if it was supposed to be an approved USPSA match, it was totally bogus. But it seems this stage has a purpose, to allow you to self-destruct.

Last year at the Limited nationals there was such a stage and I think it decided the match. It was fixed time, but not generous, with mostly only A zones visible behind no-shoots. With no miss penalties, you could only hurt yourself by dinging no-shoots. I racked up some points in the freestyle and strong hand strings, then in the weak hand string I hit no-shoots and lost a lot of those points. The right strategy was to shoot only at the two larger targets, or the heads, farther away from the no-shoots. That stage made me realize there was such a thing as overall match strategy.

What you describe is not a simple brain fart, but a serious mental block. Maybe next year on that stage, think about something else as you wait for the beep. Sing your favorite song or recite a movie scene, I don't know. (Heyyy, I'm gonna try this next time!) Don't dwell on the potential trouble or how it has burned you in the past or how you need to shoot it.

[38supPat]

Excellent posts! BTW what is the name of that match? I want to know so I won't bother signing up for it next year...lol!

Visual Idea. Try to visualize what it would look like to see the bullet tear through the plate, instead of looking for it to fall, will the bullet through the surface. Picture your sight plane as if it were a laser and the bullet is traveling along it to burn through the plate. This just came to me and I'm going to try it out (not promising it will work but it might make you stay with the target and not pull off or lift your head to watch it fall) Just a thought!

Pat

[Ron Ankeny]

Actually, the match is one of our local matches and the guy who designed it is a friend of mine, but he is hard headed. I spoke with the club president and we will be effecting change from within. Thanks for the posts guys.

[Flexmoney]

Sounds to me like the stage is a keeper.  Anything that screws with the brain that much has got to be worth doing.

Now that Hoser Heaven...whoever designed that stage needs a kick in the back-side.  

[PaulW]

I think most shooter go through the same feelings on certain things.  You were worried about the plates and that effected your shooting.  Change it around, use it against your opponents......challenge yourself to make them come and get you, and not give it away.  The thing about screwy stages......everyone has to shoot them.

[bonedaddy]

Ron, quit busting yourself up!   You are one hell of a fine shooter!  There was only one guy who cleaned that stage out of about 50 shooters.  ( It wasn't me) We all got screwed on that one.  

[Ron Ankeny]

It's a small freaking world. Seems bonedaddy shot the match that I am complaining about. In fact, he won high overall. Next year bonedaddy, it's mine...all mine.

(Edited by Ron Ankeny at 7:54 pm on June 8, 2001)

[bonedaddy]

I'm believing you, Ron!   (You dang near took my butt this year!)  Let's just make sure that who ever wins, he's drivin' something with one of those little buckin' ponies on his liscense plate.

[Flexmoney]

Ahhhhh!

So...it's the liscense plate.