Ron Ankeny Posted August 4, 2001 Share Posted August 4, 2001 Considering all of the ammo that I have burned in the last year, one would think that I would have decreased reaction time considerably. A brief history goes like this. When I started using a timer about a year ago, I timed my reaction time and it was around .30...a bit slow. Well, after a year I noticed my reaction time was down to about .24 seconds. I was watching Lenny in his IPSC Secrets film and his reaction time runs around .18 seconds. Grrr...if that muscle bound bundle of fast twitch muscle can react that fast, well then so can I. Lemme back up. Even though I am new to IPSC I have considerable experience at PPC and NRA Action Pistol. Many years ago I refined the ability to relax and patiently wait for the buzzer with an uncluttered mind and with my visual awareness focused on the scoring area, my eyes prepared to transition to the sights. Well, it occured to me that maybe I was clear out in the ozone layer and the buzzer was actually bringing me back to reality. I tried doing things differently this morning. After preparing and making ready, I cleared my mind, aligned the sights, then listened very intently for the very beginning of the audible tone. In other words, I prepared to react to the buzzer rather than just react in a random fashion. You guessed it, my reaction time went down to .20 seconds or less. OK, so what is the proper technique when preparing to shoot. Do I relax and zone out and let the buzzer wake me up with a .24 reaction time, or do I listen intently and cut the reaction time down? I know the obvious answer is to turn up the hearing and react quicker, but I am wondering if there are any unseen pitfalls or snares to watch for. Thanks in advance for your suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted August 4, 2001 Share Posted August 4, 2001 The only 'snares' I've run into is that because you are listening so intently for the start of the beep (be aware some timers actually 'click' before the beep, probably from the button or switch) you may actually twitch when you hear any sound eg. shot fired on next range, car horn, dog bark etc. I used to worry about this but saw almost the whole super squad 'twitch' on one stage at the nationals. Guess anyone is capable of jumping the timer now and then. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bird Posted August 4, 2001 Share Posted August 4, 2001 I just stare at the target like a mental patient and react when the buzzer goes off. I don't wait for the sound, I let it suprise me. You too could probably get as fast as Lenny if you had his hairdresser. Gotta be the hair....he he (Edited by bird at 8:54 am on Aug. 4, 2001) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted August 4, 2001 Share Posted August 4, 2001 Consider this too, you are only dealing with .05 of a second, how much time do you want to spend on this one small aspect of the shooting. There are so many other area's to apply yourself to. My reaction time is around 0.12 and Brian has stated that his is around 0.20 if I recall correctly. Any bets which one of us is gonna win a stage in reality? I wouldn't get to twisted up about it. Lenny don't win matches either, in spite of his 'twitch' speed Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted August 5, 2001 Author Share Posted August 5, 2001 Pat: I am not all that hung up on the .05 seconds. Just wondering if a guy is better off mentally to be listening intently for the buzzer or zoned out and waiting for the buzzer to bring him/her back to reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted August 5, 2001 Share Posted August 5, 2001 I like to listen. I tried zoning out and missed the beep a couple of times. I like to have my mind focused and alert for the start note of the beep. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted August 9, 2001 Share Posted August 9, 2001 Ron, That's a good question because it's difficult to explain EXACTLY. I know I'm definitely listening for the buzzer, but then again I don't feel I'm TOTALLY listening for it. If I were totally listening for the beep, my mind would not be able to hold an image of what I want to see when the beep goes off. Or I would have to generate that image between the time of the beep and the time it takes until the gun hits the site plane. The best I can explain it is that I feel like I'm doing two things at once. Maybe 70 - 80% holding (an image), and 20 - 30% listening (for the buzzer). After so long, I think the listening becomes somewhat second nature. I don't think there is a right or wrong, but I would be careful of using all my available attention to listen for the buzzer. Like Pat said, it's just not that important. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted August 9, 2001 Share Posted August 9, 2001 Ron, I pick out the exact spot on the target I want to hit and wait. The important thing is that you go upon hearing the start of the beep, the "b," you don't listen for the whole .3 second beeeeeeep. At the 2000 LimNats in the Bay of Broken Dreams, I drew at the beep and the RO stopped me before I got the shot off. (Shows you how slow my draw is!) I had drawn on the beep from the neighboring range over the berm. Musta been listening intently for that one. (I had plugs and non-electronic muffs, no less.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMyers Posted September 6, 2001 Share Posted September 6, 2001 Forgive my ignorence... but what "reaction" are you timing? Are you talking about time from beep to hand contacting the pistol or beep to tap of the start-stop button on the timer? I hope it is the later, if not, my reaction time is so slow I would be certifiably dead! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted September 6, 2001 Author Share Posted September 6, 2001 GMyers: I am just measuring the time it takes to react to the buzzer. To measure your reaction time load and make ready, point the pistol at the target, set the timer for random delay, then torch the shot off at the buzzer. Obviously, the difference between slow reaction times and fast ones is only perhaps .15 seconds. But every little bit helps... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBChaffin Posted September 7, 2001 Share Posted September 7, 2001 I did some reaction time measuring tonight as described by Ron with BroadSide from here on the forum. We both had .17 second runs as our best times. I feel like I am consistently a .20 or so, with a good many of the runs between .19 and .22. Slowest was a .26. Kindof fun practice. .12 is smokin' Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaseyj5056 Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now