Shooter Grrl Posted January 7, 2002 Share Posted January 7, 2002 My mind is my own worse enemy :-) Any tips on overcoming it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted January 7, 2002 Share Posted January 7, 2002 Get somebody to coach you in a way so you can't think ahead of time about what you want to do. Shooting clays - my buddy and I will just pull at random. Even while we're still loading up or talking. No planning. No prep. You just have to perform. Don't ask me how to translate that over to pistol, but it does work for me. I always seem to fly better on autopilot. If I could only find that silly switch consistently... E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted January 8, 2002 Share Posted January 8, 2002 During the walkthrough, I'll try to decide how I'm gonna shoot the stage. Then as the first couple of shooters go, I'll make sure that I know where, in the course, I need to reload. Then I paste and brass even when I'm the on deck shooter. Why? Because I'm thinking about pasting and brassing, not re-thinking how I already decided to shoot the stage. For me, it makes for a more relaxed start, and then I can just get to seeing what I need and shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted January 8, 2002 Share Posted January 8, 2002 Shooter grrl, I don't think any of us are any different from you. That's why we "keep coming back"! The trick is we have to LEARN when thinking is good, and when it's not good. And then, we have to learn how to not think, on demand, (when necessary). Study, read everything you can on mental management. Read golf books. Read Zen books. Practice a method of meditation to train your mind to become quiet on demand. This will allow your training to manifest at the right time - without TRYING. I remember, some time ago, you asked a good question on some form of "mental failure" and I wrote something specific. (I can't remember what it was at the momemt.) If you can think of a good specific question, I'll work on it. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Auger Posted January 8, 2002 Share Posted January 8, 2002 Quote> My mind is my own worse enemy :-) Any tips on overcoming it? Don't use your conscious mind when you shoot and then it won't affect your shooting. This sounds easy to say and it will take a lot of devotion to get to that point....basically you must first learn and practice all the basics of shooting and moving and reloading until you can do it without thinking much the same as you can drive down the highway and talk to some one else and listen to the radio too...not that you want to try that while shooting a stage?? Once you have all the basics down pat you only have to come up with a plan to shoot the stage and then visualize yourself shooting it, in colour if you can, and of course you will be visualizing 2 A"s on every target. Things such as noshoots and hardcover do not exist in your visualization. I like to think about how I will shoot the stage until I can close my eyes and see every target in the order I plan to shoot them, where on the target I plan to put my shots, where I will stop, where I will reload, everything. This can take a while on a longer stage. When the timer beeps you just shoot. Of course this is everything that is the mental game in IPSC and a whole book or 2 could be devoted to it. Brian has an excellent book which you will need to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Posted January 8, 2002 Share Posted January 8, 2002 Mike & BE, I understand the need to shoot subconciously. I also understand the desire to "visualize" myself shooting. But, what if I can't seem to "see" the targets (or props) in my mind? I can sort of feel them. I can understand their spatial relationships. But, I have a difficulty "seeing" them. On a small array, I can sometimes stare at the array and sort of burn an image in my mind and "see" the array for a short period of time, say 60 seconds. But, I can't seem to hold that image or recall it at will 5 minutes later. Any tips on how to better visualize? I want to visualize the targets. I want to visualize two A's. But, I often draw a blank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted January 8, 2002 Share Posted January 8, 2002 Storm, On visualization, some folks can "see" it in their mind, and others sort of "feel it" or "think it," like you described. Have you read and worked with the exercises in books on visualization? Even if it's not your natural tendency, you can definitely improve. I know that for certain. Furthermore, I know some world class shooters, like Tawn Argeris and Rob Leatham for example, who don't necessarily "see" everything in their mind before they shoot a string. They usually only imagine what they want to see and feel to get started, on the first shot for example, and then let more of a spacial awareness combined with their intention of what they want to do finish the stage. When they move into a position, they know in general where the targets are and what the targets are going to look like, but they rely on finding (exactly where they intend to shoot) them and shooting them ONE TARGET AT A TIME. So, don't worry about it too much. Just work on improving your ability to focus as much as possible. Tawn, Robbie, and I were practicing once and I described what I visualize before I shoot the string and "how it looks as I'm shooting it" and Robbie looked at me with a blank expression and said - "I don't see anything like that!" I can still remember the look on his face. It was great. Does it matter? Obviously not. Learn YOUR strengths, and then develop them. I can tell you for certain that The Great One's strength in competition is in (these are his own words) - "I'm going to find this target and then shoot this target. Then I'm going to find that target and shoot that target." And so on, for the rest of the stage. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detlef Posted January 8, 2002 Share Posted January 8, 2002 oh, man, why didn't I think of it???!?! *Find the next target, shoot the next target* until done! Now I'm gonna shoot like him... Wait, what was it again? *Shoot, then find a target, shoot some more...(no target there, oh well)... shoot some more...done!....shoot some more (just in case)*. Now I got it... --Detlef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Posted January 8, 2002 Share Posted January 8, 2002 BE, Wow! It's good to hear I'm not the only one who can't "see" visualizations. If it works for TGO, then I should be able to make it work for me. No, I haven't worked with the exercises in books on visualization. Can you recommend any good books on the topic? (Besides yours. I'm already in the process of re-reading it again.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 I know Shakti Gwain's (sp) book is a best seller, although I can't really "recommend" it because it's been SO long since I read it. An author I can recommend is Jack Schwarz, specifically, "Voluntary Controls". be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Bagoly Posted March 25, 2002 Share Posted March 25, 2002 I don't think you can overcome yourself. It is inevitable that you will BEcome yourself, so make yourself what you want to be. What are you fighting over? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooter Grrl Posted March 25, 2002 Author Share Posted March 25, 2002 Nice answer Rich! The problem I've been encountering lately is this... I break down the stage, visualize it until I'm sure I've got the picture, relax when the buzzer goes off and then about half way through the stage, my concious thought kicks in and starts berating me during shooting - Oh that wasn't right - why'd you do that - those shots sucked - fun stuff to be me, huh :-) So how do I turn off that nagging witch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Rock Posted March 25, 2002 Share Posted March 25, 2002 SG, I don't think you will ever "turn off" that "nagging witch" in you, however, I be-lieve that all of us have the same little voice in us. The control over that voice is like the comparision of the "good angel' & "bad devel" that sits on your shoulder day to day, that is the real deal. The competitive nature in most of us wants "us" to do better, even if better is not good enough for (the voice). So what am I telling you? Let the voice motivate and drive you, just don't let it control you. I had the same voice talking to me this weekend, and I like an idiot listened. Hence, I did not shoot up to my expectations or the voices. All the while my bud "Hardball" is there telling me to let the bad stuff in the last stage go and just get to the shooting. I tried, but could'nt get certain things out of my head, ie; having a mike and knowing you could have picked up a good hit on that target, (idiot). You gotta let that voice motivate you....just don't let it control you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardball Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 Best answer that I can give to turn it off is like this. Think baseball for a minute with me. I grew up with a baseball coach as a father. He was a good baseball coach and everything I have ever learned from him was through the coach side. One thing that he told me at some point in my life is relevant to what you are asking. His comment was fairly simple and it went like this. " Anyone can hit a slow pitch fairly well because they have time to think about it and watch the arc of the ball as it rises and falls. A 100 mile and hour fast ball is another story. It takes a good hitter to hit a fastball at 100 mph. The only thing that differentiates a good hitter from everyone else, is that he doesn't think about hitting the ball, he just does. Kind of like, just shoot, isn't it? Well, when you are shooting a stage and you allow your focus to become thought,(Bad shot, that was dumb, or whatever.) then you have just lost your focus. You have allowed a distraction to capture your focus, kind of like a hitter striking out because the other team shouted "SWING!" Distractions happen very subtly in this sport. It could be a tan paster in the middle of hardcover, or whatever the excuse is, but the bottom line is...FOCUS! If you know you made a bad shot and it isn't because you noticed that your sights were off when you pulled the trigger, then you are allowing other things to distract you. Whether that is the target that has two d's or whatever. Remaining calm when you are on a self imposed time limit, that is the key. Ride it out, and drive it to where you want it to be. I am only a B class shooter, but I am now a SERIOUS B class shooter. My goal is to have my M by the end of the year. We shall see how realistic that goal is. I know it is possible, therefore I will try. Good luck and I hope that this made sense... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 Shooter grrl, I'm with Hardball - for whatever reason, you simply stop paying attention (and start thinking). True attention does not admit inattention. Your mind is not your worse enemy because it is what pays attention. The thinking (one thing while doing another thing) mind is your worse enemy. Make a list of all the "triggers" you can remember that have caused you to lose your attention. See if there is a pattern. If so, can you see the root of the pattern? Are you one of the most self-critical people in the world, for example? Do you judge everything you do? Whatever the problem is - mechanical, psychological, whatever - the only way to prevent it is to learn to pay attention at all times. Or at least more often. When you are truly paying attention, thoughts do not arise. That's the great power of awareness. Investigate how you program a stage. Maybe you have key thoughts or visual "intents" that you preprogram for various areas. Think of new ways to program yourself so you pay attention during the entire stage. Gear practice sessions toward paying attention instead of techniques or skills. Make paying attention your goal for practice sessions. Are you rock solid until you have to move or run? If so, experiment with different ways to preserve your attention while moving from place to place. Maybe, as soon as you fire the last shot from a position, shift your attention to either the exact next spot where you want to end up, or visualize yourself in the next position, and hold that visualization until your body replaces the image. Find various ways to consciously shift or place your attention so that you never allow distraction. Typically, we remember the shooting, but we don't remember how we got from one place to the next. When the mind is not attending, it is easily distracted. That is the problem. Find new ways to keep the mind in attention. Maybe investigate some meditation or yoga techniques to increase your capacity to attend. I did a short talk on a mental topic (of my choice) for a video Matt Burkett is filming. I chose the topic of "consciously shifting or placing your attention" with regard to executing the fundamentals. I wrote an outline for it, and decided to expand it into a written piece. When I get it done, I'll post it. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooter Grrl Posted March 26, 2002 Author Share Posted March 26, 2002 Thanks Brian - in case no one has told you lately - You Rock! My true nature is a scatterbrained chatterbox - it's been a damned hard struggle to overcome that with paying attention and focus (not my strong point - I wander all the time!) I'll work on staying "en pointe" during practice - I like that idea. I've also thought that I should have some sort of "trigger" that I can pull during a stage to switch back - any suggestions or recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 SG, Lately, I have been experiencing some mag problems that make it diffocult to maintain focus. After my first match with mag problems, I noticed while watching video that I would mutter to myself while clearing the mag problem. In an effort to correct the loss of focus problem, the next match I told myself "focus" during a mag problem. It helped because at the third match with the new blaster and its mag problems (they wern't droping free this time) I was able to stay completly in the "zone" while clearing the stupid mag from the gun. It only took 1 match of saying to myself "focus" when things wern't going according to plan to fix the problem. Your problem is different than what was pulling me away from the "zone", but it might work for ya. I try to never talk to myself while shooting a stage. When that little voice starts spouting crap in your ear, think focus, and have it mean whatever it takes to you, that I'm busy right now, we'll talk in a minute. This is something that you can practice at anytime. Make any sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulW Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 I love Brians awareness vs. focus talk. I've been asked about 10 times lately about this a our local club matches. When I prepare to shoot a stage I am focused on finding the best possible way for me to shoot it. I am thinking about where to do a mag change, what position I want to be in, how to apprach a port, etc, etc. Now, I get to the line, while I am loading and making ready I am running through my plan one last time. Then, I completely clear my mind and wait for the beep. After that it is all instinct's and awareness. I just let it all happen, just like I programmed. The ONLY time I will be in the concious state is when I have a jam or something not expected happenes, I fix it in the concious mind set and then switch back to awareness mindset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davecutts Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 SG: I've, in the last couple of weeks, been finding new performance plateau. I used to do allot of the things you are talking about, and I too am an eccentric in my thought patterns. I had tried telling myself things like don't look at the no shoot, making it a good reload, and putting foot here to shoot this target. Just a lot of crap that distracted me from the shooting what has helped? Rereading Brian's book mostly the awareness focus seeing parts, and then Swede20 posted "just get to the shooting” and I went hummm, and went on with the rest of my day. Well I was awake all night going over that post. I came back and reread it and wow "just shoot" can it really be that easy. I have shoot three great matches since then and I like it. I do my walk through and visualize the stage I go to the line and I do it I don't think about it. I'm seeing my sight move and all the good stuff..... I'm not thinking move here shoot here load here whatever, It's like the map analogy you read it and you know it so you don't have to go back to look at it. That said I practice the basics allot because I think of myself as a beginner. What I find is that when I practice say reloads I do 10 to 15 to warm up and progressively speed up. After I'm warmed up I try to burn through the reloads as fast as I can. Notice I said I try, I concentrate on the details and f*&k up 80% of those reloads. I go to the match and I can't remember the particulars of any of the reloads, (but I know they are good clean reloads you know the ones where the mag doesn't seem to touch the pistol untill it hits the catch, and people have been saying "great reloads dave" except the one I f*&k up and then I swear repeatedly (and loudly), but as soon as the mag was in the pistol my mind snaps back in to the shooting and I flowed through the stage. It may be a leap of faith (it was for me) give it a try it's worth it. (Edited by davecutts at 2:40 pm on Mar. 26, 2002) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 Shooter grrl, If a malfunction is the distraction, then the very next thing you are (probably) going to do is shoot. So, come up with some sort of mental command, like FRONT SITE!, or mental image, like a perfectly detailed image of perfect sight alignment, and then you must CONSCIOUSLY say/apply the command or create the image in your mind; in addition, you must ALLOW your body the time to respond to the command. That's really about all you can do. An important concept is - you have to practice/develop the command beforehand, and then DO IT when needed. The resolution developed beforehand plays a large role in your actually accomplishing it. One that works for me, not only with a malfunction, but when moving from point to point, is to consciously exhale as the gun is coming into position. It's a very relaxing, meaning releasing excess tension, exhalation. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 It's pretty cool. All this stuff is in Brian's book. About the third thing in, Brain talks about shooting in the present tense. I am going to go read it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 Quote: from Flexmoney on 4:42 pm on Mar. 26, 2002 All this stuff is in Brian's book. I am going to go read it again. Me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Law Dawg Posted December 27, 2002 Share Posted December 27, 2002 One thing I notice about many shooters is they try really hard to beat the top dog at a local club. i used to think like that and it didnt get me very far. The only person that I need to beat out there is myself!!!!! This mentality has really helped me overcome many of my fears when it comes to competition.... Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Anderson Posted December 27, 2002 Share Posted December 27, 2002 "If you're nervous, you're probably thinking about results." SA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A33435 Posted December 27, 2002 Share Posted December 27, 2002 "Don't be afraid to win" Adrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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