rondog Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 I need help with finding a drill that will help stop the shakes during matches. I am shooting a SW PRO 5" 9mm. When i dry fire practice on a par time clock i can aquire the front sight well. But when in a match it comes time to pull the pistol when aiming I get the shakes so bad its like I've had 14 red bulls and can't hit squat. Is there a dry fire drill that i can do to help eliminate this problem as i dont have tons of $$ or time to get to the range to practice live fire? I'm shooting 3gun mostly and dont have this issue as badly with the other guns as badly as i do with the pistola. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 I used to get Very Nervous when I shot a local match, UNTIL I shot a Regional Match. Then, I never sweated the Local matches, ever again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mhall Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 I think the adrenaline dump is what hooked most of us in the sport. After a bit more time in the game, you will get a bit mellowed to the excitement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edge40 Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 I used to get the shakes like crazy when I first started shooting competition. A few years later and its pretty much no existent. Time will definitely make it better. I also like to try to shoot a few rounds the morning of the match. If thats not possible then the day before. I hate shaking off the cob webs on the first stage or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocrrhbow Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 I notice that the faster I try to go the more I shake and the slower I actually am. Deep breaths and mental relaxation training. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickbfishn Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 I've only competed in 6-7 matches and only got the shakes during one stage of my last match this past Saturday. I spend my mind energy on thinking about my plan and really focus sit on following it. By doing this I don't have extra mind space to think about getting nervous. The stage I got nervous on this weekend was a classifier that included weak hand shooting and all I could think about was anticipating that part of it and it made me shake and have an aweful stage performance. So, my advise is to stay intently focussed on your plan of action and I think the nerves will take a backseat. I flush out all the background interference and pretend im the only guy at the range. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rondog Posted June 22, 2016 Author Share Posted June 22, 2016 Thanks all for the help. Thinking back at my last match I do remember telling myself. Breathe breathe. Relax relax. Darn that stupid BEEP!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muldune21 Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 I have been shooting for 2 years and that first stage or two is always jittery with the shakes. Let me know if you find a solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimitz Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 (edited) Lanny Bassham is what you seek .... Edited June 26, 2016 by Nimitz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rondog Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 (edited) Nimitz, Can you expound on that a little more. I'm not following you. Is that a book? Or a drill? Never mind. I just googled him. Thanks for the help Edited June 26, 2016 by rondog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a matt Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 It will pass, I remember the "make ready"np command and then i would start shaking and thinking to myself what in the world is going on. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimms Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 The shake passes in few stages. But I would point out two things.It has been said before that it is your body getting ready for fight-or-flight mode by dumping adrenalin into your blood. This is your body's way to help you to become faster and tougher. You shouldn't dread it nor fight it but welcome instead. It will pass faster if you understand it.On the other hand, if you ever get into situation when you need to defend yourself, the shake will be very real and much much worse. And you will have to perform under this to survive. Being in sports it is too easy to get rid of this shake as unwanted, but it will freeze you in real life scenario. So I would rather welcome this shake as a slimmest chance to train under its influence to perform despite of it. Thats about closest we range guys get to real life stressful situation, so why not make good use of it.Train not to get rid of it, train to shoot well despite of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bright Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 The shake passes in few stages. But I would point out two things. It has been said before that it is your body getting ready for fight-or-flight mode by dumping adrenalin into your blood. This is your body's way to help you to become faster and tougher. You shouldn't dread it nor fight it but welcome instead. It will pass faster if you understand it. On the other hand, if you ever get into situation when you need to defend yourself, the shake will be very real and much much worse. And you will have to perform under this to survive. Being in sports it is too easy to get rid of this shake as unwanted, but it will freeze you in real life scenario. So I would rather welcome this shake as a slimmest chance to train under its influence to perform despite of it. Thats about closest we range guys get to real life stressful situation, so why not make good use of it. Train not to get rid of it, train to shoot well despite of it. Man, I like this post. I've been shooting for 16 years with only two years in the competitive realm. I occasionally get the shakes after a COF when the adrenaline is coming down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTDMFR Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Thanks all for the help. Thinking back at my last match I do remember telling myself. Breathe breathe. Relax relax. Darn that stupid BEEP!! Having some sort of fixed mental routine to run before shooting a stage will help calm your nerves and shoot more subconsciously, which also usually means faster and more accurately (assuming your technique is otherwise sound). Like Nimitz mentioned, With Winning In Mind by Lanny Bassham is good reading. Also, The Inner Game of Tennis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okdee Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 I used to get the shakes. A couple of items that I dealt with. Too much coffee or caffeine pre-match, and living in the future/anticipation of a stage run. I found that for me, any coffee prior to shooting caused shakes and sweating. So I stopped drinking coffee and replaced it with a diluted tea and lots of water. No more shakes. I also found that once I knew the stage run well, I was anticipating some areas of the stage run, which caused stress in me, due to the expectation of a hard part of the stage run. Now I, get my run down and believe in myself and strive to be present minded during the stage run. I do not judge myself or anticipate with my conscious mind. I let my sub-conscious take over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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