But, But....how To Go Slower?

[kevin c]

One realization I have finally come to is that, by moving efficiently (in and out of shooting positions, transitions, drawstroke, etc.), I can give myself the extra time that it takes to really see the shot off, rather than rushing it. It ends up either faster overall (no makeup shots, no wasted time in movement), despite looking slower, and with the same or better points, or the same overall time but with much better points.

So, weirdly enough, going faster (movement) allows me to go slower (taking a fraction of a second longer to see what is needed to make the shot, with a slight increase in split and transition time), which makes me faster (overall time, and with potentially better points).

Kevin C.

Edited July 14, 2005 by kevin c

[iweiny]

Kevin,

Funny you should say that. Sometimes I think before a match "shoot slow -- run fast"! But I don't know that it works...

Ira

[Jake Di Vita]

Definetely very true.

For the most part, I see a lot of A or M shooters shoot. A lot of the time they shoot faster than M2 does. They shoot faster, but their times end up being seconds slower with worse points...they look at this and think "wow he is shooting that much faster than me, I better speed up" and they crash and burn very very badly.

The biggest time saver in stages is getting in and out of position. Work extensively on that and just shoot. The secret to winning matches is control....if you don't shoot every single shot in total control, it will eventually catch up to you.

[Lee Dimaculangan]

I gotta agree with my buddy Jake- on most stages, a B class/ A class shooter can pull the trigger just as fast as an M or GM

Time that adds up while shooting

1. getting into position

2. getting out of position

3. draws/reloads

4. transitions

5. just plain hauling butt

#1 and #2 take up most of the time - but with practice getting in and out of positions, you can see where you're saving precious time. Don't rush pulling the trigger, call your shots. Eventually you can put all of those things together and see a hell of an improvement

3-5 doesn't waste too much time - (for example) but if you can draw .1 second faster, reload .2 second faster.. and transition .2 faster... on every stage in a 12 stage match... you've just saved 6 seconds - but imagine how much time you'll be saving if you get #1 and 2 down as well

just my 2 cents

[bpgorbe]

When I found I wasn't improving much, I analyzed my performance and decided that mistakes of all kinds were holding me back. So I picked a couple of initial goals -- better stage planning and execution (no more brain fades) and perfect shots (take as long as necessary to SEE the sights and FEEL the trigger on EVERY shot). When I started making every (well, almost every) shot the first time, my stage plans stopped falling apart. When my plans worked, I could plan better and concentrate more on my shooting. Which resulted in better shots. Which....you get the idea.

I am "shooting slower", but my scores have improved greatly. In retrospect it is so easy to see how the different aspects of action shooting are inter-related. When you cannot control one aspect, all the others suffer too. Now if I would only practice as much as I promise myself!

[tigerkf]

Along with learning to relax and see what you need to. I found that if your grip is not proper and you have to adjust your grip during shooting that your gun doesn't track as well so the sights might not return back where they should after the shot. You then spend time adjusting sight alignment or break the next shot without seeing the proper picture. Of course this could all relate back to being relaxed and not trying to over power the gun.

[Paladin]

Brian has 3 rules of shooting: I think it is locate the target, bring gun on target and keep gun on target until bullet has left target..this doesn't change much.. if you want to reduce time wasting (what many people term 'going faster') you have to know what the target will allow you to get away with (acceptability) so that you are not there overaiming and you also need to reduce lags in your shooting e.g. getting a third sight picture on the target before you transition..what for?? call the shot from the 2nd sight picture and move- really move..

I think too many of us see shooting faster as working that trigger faster, this is only so in about 5-10% of target challenges you will face..therefore the first critical step is to debunk your mind of that concept..

..why worry about going slower when you haven't started going fast???

[boo radley]

I think too many of us see shooting faster as working that trigger faster, this is only so in about 5-10% of target challenges you will face..therefore the first critical step is to debunk your mind of that concept..

..why worry about going slower when you haven't started going fast???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fine, fine comments Paladin.

If I could rename the title of this thread, I would now ask, "But...how to shoot *in control*?"

Some things are getting better. Others aren't. I would like to get to the point where I have enough confidence and experience to know that I can shoot within a consistent comfort zone and be content with the results, and -- if I challenge that comfort zone, be rewarded, or hurt, but at least understand the risk.

Right now, I'm thrashing between being amazed (rarely), and some truly terrible stages.

I think back to when I played golf seriously and well, which is about the best parallel I can draw in my mind, and there was a clear point at which I *enjoyed* the first tee, and a crowd of folks around it, because I had the confidence to know I could step up, and drive the ball cleanly and in control.

I hope to get to that point in practical shooting. I'm still intimidated by some stages, get rattled horribly by mikes and no-shoots, shoot out of control, and am unhappy reconciling my true current level of ability with where my ego imagines my ability.