Do you count your shots?

[IHAVEGAS]

On 9/8/2016 at 0:26 PM, wtturn said:

I count shots in walkthrough, and plan my reloads accordingly.  If you're actively, literally counting shots as you pull the trigger, you're thinking.  Thinking costs time.  Time costs hit factor.  Hit factor costs stage points.  Stage points cost match points.  Match points cost matches.

 

 

It is interesting the way practiced thinking activities seem to go back toward the subconscious the way that practiced physical activities do. My stage plans (production) will be something like '8 here' - reload - '4 on the move' - 4 here - etc.. Awareness of shots fired seems like a help rather than a hinderance, and sort of a necessity on stages where you may have little or no room for make up shots. 

When I shot limited I did not count shots, on rare occasion I would need to count make ups. 

[JWBaldree]

Weired the stuff you subconcioisly do. I was shooting Outer Limits for the first time in five years last weekend. I shoot single stack and production, so normally I am reloading between arrays. You can guess what happened when I moved between boxes. Took me three runs to break the habit.

As to the original question, I usually breakdown stages by shots per array or position. 8, 6, 8, 4, etc. With low cap, I usually track make up shots to avoid standing slide lock reloads. Subconciously run the stage, but conciously track errors until I can get back on my automated program.

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[HeathForbis]

I also count by array 8, 6, 3, 2 on both the left and right sides of the stage getting a total count before a needed reload. With this information I keep count of Mikes in my head as I shoot the stage and adjust accordingly as I shoot the stage.

[DASR4]

i try to count my shots but i havent got the hang of it yet

[AzShooter]

t's ingrained in my mind to count my shots every time I shoot.  I'm shooting a revolver.  Can't pull the trigger on an empty cylinder without loosing a second to 2 seconds  on an unneeded reload.  If I count my shots I get a fast reload because I'm prepared for it.  

Same is true with an auto. 

[mrasam]

Indoor match two days ago--dropped a mag when I wasn't planning to and tried to re-plan the stage on the fly rather than just reload and get back on plan.  The new plan worked OK and the time was good, but I had 8 mikes--just because I was thinking and not letting myself shoot.

[bluedevil008]

I do not count my rounds.  Yes I have tried to count rounds, but it is a conscious distraction.  If you read Brian's book, it is all about making the execution subconscious.  If I have a stage where running dry could be a problem, I try to program a specific position where I have time (in between shooting targets) to consciously think about making a reload if necessary, and then get back on subconscious track. I am not 100% sure this is best way,  and it has failed me before, but it's the way that works for me the best so far. Yes running dry is bad, but my instincts kick in and reload and get back on track.  I think the 2ish seconds it takes to reload after running dry (assessing, reloading and racking) is quicker than running a stage with a conscious thought the entire time, but obviously length of stage matters as well. Shooting for 4 years now.

 

Edit:  wanted to make sure I mentioned that I am not talking about subconscious reloads here: i.e. those I've already programmed into my stage plan.

 

Edited October 11, 2017 by bluedevil008

[carlspeed]

I try to, but I generally count the rounds before starting the stage, so I know where I'm going to reload. During the match I just shoot, and then when I hit the area I set for a reload, I complete it and keep going.

[Mcfoto]

Ironically, after two and a half years of shooting production, I was getting the hang of when to reload. Rather than count shots, I would pick locations within the stage. Shooting production this often would be whenever I moved my feet. Recently I’ve moved to Limited Major getting 18 rounds per mag. It’s almost like starting over again planning reloads. A couple of times, I have unconsciously dropped an almost full mag when starting to jog to the next array.

[L3324temp]

I know where I need to reload and am aware of my misses.

There is no way I could count shots and maintain speed.


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[touji]

With my stage plan, I count the number of misses I can afford before my planned reload. On good days, I don't have to worry about it too much. With plate racks at 20 yards, I always throw in a contingency reload into the plan during the walkthrough.

[abigger04]

Still new somewhat but I’ve been shooting production and I reload at certain predetermined parts of the stage. 

[casarez]

I am not a high classified shooter so keep that in mind. I plan my reload points during my walk-throughs. I also know from that how many make-up shots I can afford on a string before I go to slide lock. That is all I do.

 

Now as I said I am not a great shooter so more than a few times I have been caught doing a flat footed reload due to missing targets (Most small steel) too many times.

[mwray]

When I first started shooting single stack major I was counting my shots. As time went on I got over that by carrying more mags and putting a fresh one in every time I moved. It’s like the entire match is Virginia count.

[eggman]

I just started shooting REV division in IDPA this year so I have started counting shots to prevent pulling the trigger on an empty cylinder . When I first started shooting the revolver this would happen at least three times in a 6 stage match and now not as much . I might pull the trigger on a spent cylinder once during a match when I lose track of my round count and have completed a couple of matches without doing this at all so I am improving . In IDPA I can't let unfired rounds hit the ground without picking them up  so I can't reload everytime I move . However if I can get my round count to allow me to reload while I'm moving I do so. I was once told that shooting a revolver in IDPA makes every stage a limited stage .

[mont1120]

I shoot L10 or SS, I doggone well better count my shots......

[stick]

Now that I shoot PCC, I don't count.  I carry 41 in the mag.  If I need to reload other than a malfunction I have issues.  I did shoot a USPSA match last month where the stage count was 39 (a texas star, 2 poppers and 16 targets) sucked for production guys.

[sean_stw]

On ‎4‎/‎30‎/‎2016 at 12:00 PM, DarksideCZ said:

Typically I count shots during my walk through and plan my reloads. Then I try to only remember where the mag changes go instead of consciously counting shots.

Anyone else ever catch themselves Subconsciously count shots?

I usually do the same thing when I plan for reloads. I go through the walk through, plan things out and just plan where on the stage im going to reload. I think its easier to get rid of the thought process of counting shots and just remembering where on the stage I want to make the mag changes. Having said that I do also find I must be subconsciously counting shots because I have plenty of times where its like I instinctively know that I went through more shots than I had planned and am going to be short a few round near the end and I will change mid run where I do a mag change/add a mag change.

[Snowb1rd]

Echo the above, but I don't count shots, I count misses and adjust accordingly. Been working ok so far 

[synchronicity]

With only 6 in the mix, it's not really counting.

[AngelDeVille]

My new pistol hold 21, I'd have to be nekkid to keep count.

[StuckinMS]

Whether you are shooting 8rd SS major or 30 rd Open:  Don't consciously count!  Do not max your round count and train to reload if the " plan" fails to get back on track like a few of the others have stated. If you want to get better at stage planning, shoot revolver of single stack.  

[tanks]

I have shot IDPA a few times. I just count number of rounds I need to dump in cases where I can reload on the move rather than do a standing slide lock reload.

[JeremiahD]

I number targets and count mag changes.

I do not count rounds

[rubern]

I do it but honestly, I lose track of what shot I'm on sometimes.