Shooting Field Courses

[Harmon]

this problem has been bugging me for a little while now.

i have noticed that i can stand and shoot with the best of them...made A class the other day..i wasnt pushing or shooting outside of my game, i just shot.

when it comes to shooting field courses, my A class scores go to mediocre B class scores....

seems like when i start moving, the shooting slows down...way down

ill even get one of those mystery mikes.

the field courses are too much work for me to set up and practice them alone, is there any tip to practice shoooting those kinds of courses better?

obviously, if i didnt have any mikes, i would do alot better, but its hard for me to slow down when i know i can hit the targets as fast as i was shooting.

maybe im expecting too much too soon...

i have some things to think about..

[ong45]

Think of a field course as a bunch of speed shoots

James

[XRe]

Break everything down into component skills. Work each individually. As an A-class shooter, you want to probably start thinking about efficiency into and out of positions, shooting on the move, etc. Work box to box on one to three targets per position, in any direction you can think of (while most courses are "free fire zones", boxes force you to plan engagement areas and pay attention to your footwork, which also applies to non-box scenarios). Work moving into and out of strange positions (shooting under tables, etc, barricades, and so forth).

What James says is true - every big course can be broken down into smaller ones. When I approach them as a bunch of speed shoots, though, I get into a "stop and shoot" mentality - I want to be in a "be in position to shoot everything as quickly as possible" mentality. It works better for me...

[Harmon]

Think of a field course as a bunch of speed shoots 

James

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

thats a good way to think about it.

[Ron Ankeny]

I used to think of field courses as a bunch of speed shoots. Man was I fast on the trigger at each array. Problem was, I still sucked.

I find I am better off to approach a field course as one continuous course of fire then shoot it in the most fluid fashion possible.

[Jake Di Vita]

Entire classes could be taught on how to shoot field courses...

[Flexmoney]

My advice to the A-class shooter would be to work on getting into and out of positions. Then, make sure you get the Alphas while you are in postion.

I wouldn't even worry about shootig on the move until that was mastered.

[Harmon]

thanks flex,

i can shoot fast enough static.

i can shoot on the move, but the points go to shit. (this is where the mystery mike comes from)

getting to the positions and getting back out, then transitioning to the next array seems to be the hardest thing for me.

the next match i shoot im gonna relax, shoot points, do it as smooth as possible.

recently i have been practicing shooting steel on the move, 8 inch plates and mini poppers redefine what target focus is when moving!

i gotta talk to Area 4 director, kenneth hicks...he said he could make me a good shooter..i might take him up on his offer!

[Jake Di Vita]

Let me say something about shooting on the move other than the face it is rarely worth it...

If you can't hold an acceptable sight picture (as in a sight picture in the center of the target you are aiming at) you should NOT be shooting on the move.

[eric nielsen]

edit

Edited February 22, 2006 by eric nielsen

[Harmon]

good, im gonna plant my feet, shoot the alphas...move from point to point as fast as possible..

seemed to work when i shot production..

[Flyin40]

I would recommend trying SA stage analysis plan. You can find it on his site. It only takes a few seconds to fill it out your gameplan. You can copy down the stage and mark the spots where you want to shoot each set of targets/reloads etc.

I think field courses, the larger ones by far is where I'm lacking most. It isn't my ability to shoot the courses, its more lack of expierence and poor planning. The last two matches have been my best for field course and I think it due to two things. First, just getting more exposure to them. Every match I feel a little more comfortable with them. Secondly, the main difference between the last two matches and the rest is planning. I have been using SA stage analysis plan and it helped alot. I found that on the smaller field courses where I didn't use it, it was still helpful. Its making me focus more in the walk throughs even though I'm not writing it down its still in my head.

Flyin40

[alma]

I think that the key to shooting a FAST field course is to be aware of your momentum during the course. Starts and stops kill time. The more starts and stops or setups that you have the slower your field course will be shot.

The reason that everyone says the top shooters look “smooth” is because they are not coming to a stop as much and because they transition into and out of shooting positions smoother. A lot can be said about getting into your next position ready to shoot and about starting to leave before you get done.

On a simple medium/close target course that moves from box to box you should be about falling out of the box on your last shot and you need to be shooting as soon as your trailing foot starts moving into the new box.

You also need to be constantly looking for that “sweet spot,” where once you are stopped you can transition quickly to as many targets as possible.

The one thing that you still always have to remember is that speed should never be the goal that you focus on when shooting. Once you start shooting let what you see dictate your pace, not the pace that some other shooter is setting.

[Nate]

If you have room and energy for 5 targets, find 5 partials, and shoot 4 of them from movement to movement. Move into position (a box if you want) and shoot the 4 partials (save the full targets for matches) and move out of the box to a second position and shoot the last target. Change starting positions, direction of arrival and departure and distance. Get rid of all the time you can that you are not shooting. Works ok.

[Jake Di Vita]

"I am beginning to think the key is not how much motion in is a stage but how much WASTED motion."

Hopalong posted that over on Max's forum....let your mind hit that for awhile....there is a boatload of truth there.

[Harmon]

gonna set up some drills to practice...somehow i think shooting on the move is OK if you can accept the points loss,(should be never)

if you can shoot alphas and move, go for it...i cant.

also when im moving, my transitions and splits are longer. my hits are worse.

thats telling me that where im at right now, its gonna be best to plant my feet and shoot the aphas.

i gotta practice shooting through tite ports and stuff like that, im killing too much time while im at a port.

gonna dust off the single stack and play with that tonite..sometimes its fun to shoot guns of a bygone era

[GuildSF4]

gonna set up some drills to practice...somehow i think shooting on the move is OK if you can accept the points loss,(should be never)

if you can shoot alphas and move, go for it...i cant.

also when im moving, my transitions and splits are longer. my hits are worse.

thats telling me that where im at right now, its gonna be best to plant my feet and shoot the aphas.

i gotta practice shooting through tite ports and stuff like that, im killing too much time while im at a port.

gonna dust off the single stack and play with that tonite..sometimes its fun to shoot guns of a bygone era

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

For shooting on the move Matt B. suggested practicing with a water bottle, bottle half full, hold where the waterline is at eye level. The object is to keep the water calm while moving, to do this you have to move smoothly. You can practice this anywhere. (paraphrased)

[Steve Anderson]

I've been watching this one for a while, and have a few things to add.

Many times we can improve our technique just by being more aware of what is required. For example, when you walk through a field course, are thinking about making the shots or are you thinking about the best way to enter and exit each array?

If you are thinking (or Good forbid worrying) about the shots that are required, you likely will not maximize your ability to treat the movement well.

It doesn't take much, just a slight change of focus. Next time you walk a field course, really look at the most efficient way to get from the beginning to the end., with the least amount of stops. Then, look at those stops and visualize being ready to shoot the instant you stop and then leaving AS you are firing the last shots.

It will take confidence in your shooting to shift gears like this (as opposed to thinking: go here shoot his hope I don't mis...) but it will get you down the road to better field course shooting.

Good luck.

SA

[Loves2Shoot]

I shoot the fastest on field courses when I try not to plant my feet ever. I used to run to a spot shoot and stop, unless I have to I try not to do that. You have to slow down the shooting part a smidge, but you can gain a lot of space while moving and shooting acurately. The trick to shooting on the move is to move very slowly and shoot A's. It is not easy, but that is one place you can use less time in many field courses. If you think of flowing through a course you tend to get in and out of shooting positions faster, atleast I do anyways

[Harmon]

good stuff guys.

looking back at some of my match results, i have had alot of A class scores with some field courses(namely at last years ET section match)

bad news is, i had a few mediocre C class scores too...

looking at them i had a mike or did something stupid.

on the virginia count speed shoot, i was 86 percent of what Matt mink shot...

im gonna look into what SA said...seems to be good stuff.

off to the range for now..

[GRD]

Great stuff, guys. I totally sympathize with harmon - I get crushed the hardest on the bigger courses. The longer they are, the more the distance opens up between me and the more experienced shooters.

Shooting a classifier the other week that was 3 targets, move to a new box and shoot 3 more I really made a point of focusing on getting going out of the box in a hurry and being ready to shoot (gun up, sights coming together, finger getting on the trigger) as I arrived at the 2nd box.

The run didn't really feel all that special, but I ended up with an 82% on it, most of my classifiers lately are around 60 or 65%. It wasn't a big field course, but I know the same principle helped me out there. Minimize wasted motion. I've spent so much time focusing on that concept for all the skills: draw, reload, transitions, etc. but am only now starting to make the connection that it's the very same principle applied on the large scale that can help to bring those big courses under control.

- Gabe

[Harmon]

I have been thinking, watching and learning about the field courses i have shot well, and the ones that kicked my ass...

I can say that what i have been doing wrong is not giving enough visual attention to the sights or the A zone.

today, i shot a match and paid little attention to how fast i was shooting, or moving, but more to what the sights were doing as i was moving...I shot a 31 round field course with some tough shots on steel through a port and wide spacing between the targets plus some 20 yard shots in 15.19 seconds. I did this and felt totally relaxed, its not untill i look back and remember what i can that i recall exactly how fast i did shoot it.

sometimes all it takes is a really good asskicking to make you realize what your need to work on...I still need to work on some things(weak hand shooting in particular)

thanks for all the responses.

[Paladin]

Overall, it is all about coordination of thought and action...and not any one thing such as increasing visual awareness..become the total package!!

[Flyin40]

I went to a match this weekend and its a pretty laid back match. You can show up whenever and shoot through several times. Well I got to the match and jumped in a squad on stage 2. Everyone had shot the stage when I got there but they wanted me to go ahead and shoot the stage. It was a large field course with doors, ports, walls, swingers, drop turner and a clam shell. Well I walked through once and because I didn't want to hold the squad up. The range is on the family farm and I was shooting with the father and 2 sons. Well anyway I load up after the walk through, that is load my mags then head up for the start. By this time they have been waiting for about 10 mins for me to get my stuff together. Instead of taking another look at say I'm ready to go. I run the stage and shoot it really well. It even had about 10 steel through ports. I couldn't believe I shot it so well with very little preparation. They started scoring back to the front. I was getting good hits, even where on the turners, swingers and clamshell where I shot the activator then 2 steel prior to engaging the target. (I learned this from SA and Flex) Well there was one target left and 2 mikes???? What????

With my quick walk through I didn't see the one target in the front tucked neatly low and up against the wall. I didn't even know it was there.

I still view it as a good stage, not because of pts or score but more for the things I realized.

Thats the 2nd time this has happened. Short preparation time for a stage resulted in good runs.

I found if I try to figure out a stage too much it kills my stage and score. I still need to play with it alittle but so far I found I need to take a couple looks at the stage, use SA stage analysis and just shoot it.

I think sometimes it is too easy to over analyze a stage which leads to doubt and hestitation on our gameplan for the stage.

Flyin40

[caspian38]

what's in a field course that is not in a speed shoot ?

If It was me (and it was/is )I would start working on movement drills...stops, starts, corners, wind sprints, agility drills, but most of all squad up with the best shooters every chance you get ! they will improve you mental plan and help to PUSH your limits. you also might start using boxes in your training a-to-b kind of thing just far enough apart to do a reload mini filed courses.

mix it Up !

C38