First Match and I Did Horrible

[Clamper13]

So I've been shooting in USPSA style fun shoots and have seen good progress in how I finish.  I shot a all stage qualifier a month and made class C.  I thought this was accurate.

 

Yesterday I went to my first club match and it was a rude wake up call.  I was 76/110 overall (my last fun match was 23/105.  Everyone is scored major PF at the fun matches regardless of class or caliber.  So my charlie and occasional deltas didn't hurt me as much, and moving/shooting fast felt like I was doing the right thing.  On the last stage of the day (of the club match) I took my time with my shots and my alphas went up but by then it was too late.

 

I think my problem is that I'm trying to go fast like the big boys in the jerseys.  My goal now is to get a shot timer and work on getting a good draw and working on slowing down my shots.  My reloads and movement are decent.  Anymore advice for someone just starting out and trying to shoot beyond their abilities?

 

Lastly shot timers.  I've been looking at the CED7000 for dry fire and par times.  Is this a good choice or is there a better option?  

 

Looking forward to some hard work to work my way up to become a better shooter.

[GeneBray]

So I've been shooting in USPSA style fun shoots and have seen good progress in how I finish.  I shot a all stage qualifier a month and made class C.  I thought this was accurate.
 
Yesterday I went to my first club match and it was a rude wake up call.  I was 76/110 overall (my last fun match was 23/105.  Everyone is scored major PF at the fun matches regardless of class or caliber.  So my charlie and occasional deltas didn't hurt me as much, and moving/shooting fast felt like I was doing the right thing.  On the last stage of the day (of the club match) I took my time with my shots and my alphas went up but by then it was too late.
 
I think my problem is that I'm trying to go fast like the big boys in the jerseys.  My goal now is to get a shot timer and work on getting a good draw and working on slowing down my shots.  My reloads and movement are decent.  Anymore advice for someone just starting out and trying to shoot beyond their abilities?
 
Lastly shot timers.  I've been looking at the CED7000 for dry fire and par times.  Is this a good choice or is there a better option?  
 
Looking forward to some hard work to work my way up to become a better shooter.

7000 is a great timer. There are several apps for smart phones which should do the job without the $100+ for a 7000. You might start with an app to see how well that suits you needs. Then get a 7000 if the app doesn’t work out.

Work on get As with .20-.25 splits out to 15-18 to 20 yds on open targets. Past that the splits need to slow as distance increases. Danger targets (no-shoots and hard cover) look for splits .30-.35.

You don’t win matches shooting splits in the teens. Accuracy, transitions, and proper footwork moving into and out of shooting positions coupled with being ready to shoot when you get to a new location.

While the draw is important you will do 5 or 6 at most local matches. Compare that to transitions and number of shooting positions. Focus on the biggest payoff.


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[Sarge]

I might get a 7000 because I hear they are more sensitive and some PCC's are hard to pick up. Other than that they have some notable drawbacks, at least for me anyways. Must be recharged, you can't just swap in a new 9volt like every other timer. They are small and have small print on the screen and can be harder to keep track of. And, they have a pretty high pitched beep than can be harder to hear for some older shooters.

 

I agree on splits. That all comes with practice. I'm no expert but I tell new shooters to get A's first and then speed up. If you shoot 2" pairs in the center of the A then speed up. If speeding up results in more charlies and deltas than it does A's then slow down a touch. Unless you are lightning fast you have to score well to finish well.

[ClangClang]

I don't see the rechargeable battery as a downside. It charges quickly, you can recharge it off a USB powerbank if you make a quick trip to radio shack and rig up a cable with the appropriate tip, and the battery lasts all dang day anyway.  The PocketPro has mediocre battery life, occasionally drains brand new batteries in a matter of hours, and 9V batteries are expensive to be continually replacing them.  But the large screen is a bit nicer, I will certainly concede that.

 

[jkrispies]

You sound like me a decade ago.  I was the guy to beat at my little club for a couple years, then went to the South West Pistol League and people literally thought I was a brand new shooter. Just practice. Every GM started at the same level as you once.  

 

The CED 7000 is excellent if you’re shooting .22 because it can be set very sensitive. The downside is that the screen is tiny and the numbers wash out if you’re wearing polarized glasses. Other than that it’s perfect in my mind. 

[Clamper13]

3 minutes ago, jkrispies said:

You sound like me a decade ago.  I was the guy to beat at my little club for a couple years, then went to the South West Pistol League and people literally thought I was a brand new shooter. Just practice. Every GM started at the same level as you once.  

 

The CED 7000 is excellent if you’re shooting .22 because it can be set very sensitive. The downside is that the screen is tiny and the numbers wash out if you’re wearing polarized glasses. Other than that it’s perfect in my mind. 

 

I will pretty much be using the shot timer for dry fire only.  I don't have any ranges near me where I could live fire with.  I pretty much wrote off finding a timer that can detect the sound of dry fire.  I would be using it to set par times.

 

I just need to tell myself to slow down.  If I take my time reasonably I get good results.  I just want to impress all of those sponsored guys .

[jkrispies]

Search dry fire apps. I gave a suggestion on an one of those. You’ll need a shot timer if you’re going to be any good. You’ll need a good dry fire app, 15 mins a day will work wonders. 45 min a day will make you a GM if you do it right. 

[Hi-Power Jack]

7 hours ago, Clamper13 said:

 

I think my problem is that I'm trying to go fast like the big boys in the jerseys.  

 

Exactly what I did - my first shoot, about 20 years ago, I hit Everything, but Very Slowly.

 

2nd match - I "emulated" the Big Guys, and didn't hit nuttin'  ...

 

Got to watch the sights and hit the target quickly - shoot slowly,

and do everything else quickly     

[rowdyb]

Not to be contrary but I prefer to think of speed and  accuracy, whereas I seem to be reading speed or accuracy in what you're being told.

 

Secondly, matches are not practice and practice isn't a match. How you approach either is vastly different and don't confuse the two.

 

Right now, the greatest thing is you're self aware and want to make improvement. That's good!!

Edited June 11, 2018 by rowdyb

[GeneBray]

Not to be contrary but I prefer to think of speed and  accuracy, whereas I seem to be reading speed or accuracy in what you're being told.
 
Secondly, matches are not practice and practice isn't a match. How you approach either is vastly different and don't confuse the two.
 
Right now, the greatest thing is you're self aware and want to make improvement. That's good!!

Good points. One cannot become fast and accurate by shooting slowly. Speed and accuracy are both important. Humans typically cannot shoot fast enough to make up for poor accuracy. That said it also depends on the strength of the competition.

Agree with second point. I think the comment over looks the point that a match has to be used to test what you learn in practice in order to decide if you are making progress. At some point you need to practice under match condition skills learned in practice. Is that practice? This may be matter of semantics and not a disagreement.


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[jkrispies]

I agree that the match is not practice. It does however “practice” your ability to handle match pressure; that cannot be done in dryfire. 

[gunshrink]

I had the PAC 3 timer and as long as traditional USPSA with pistols no problem. Then for rimfire rifles it was a problem. Same thing for the folks with PCC - switched to the CED 7000 and problem solved. I think it is the most sensitive one out there which for the long guns is a big help. I did not like the rechargeable battery at first either but found that while it drops to half it will get you through a five stage match with a 12 person squad with no problem. If you need some self assurance there is an attachment you can get with battery backup that uses AAA battery and you are back in business. That said in two years or so I have never had to use it. That even went for 7 stage matches. Good luck and have fun. 

[GeneBray]

I had the PAC 3 timer and as long as traditional USPSA with pistols no problem. Then for rimfire rifles it was a problem. Same thing for the folks with PCC - switched to the CED 7000 and problem solved. I think it is the most sensitive one out there which for the long guns is a big help. I did not like the rechargeable battery at first either but found that while it drops to half it will get you through a five stage match with a 12 person squad with no problem. If you need some self assurance there is an attachment you can get with battery backup that uses AAA battery and you are back in business. That said in two years or so I have never had to use it. That even went for 7 stage matches. Good luck and have fun. 

Ensure whatever time you choose there is a sensitivity adjustment.


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[J_Allen]

rowdyb and jkrispies,

 

You both mentioned that matches aren’t practice, and I was just curious about this. Isn’t any trigger time a good thing? I’m just thinking from the perspective of a guy with small kids that struggles to find any time to myself whatsoever. I understand that working on a skill in practice will result in improvement much faster than not focusing on any particular aspect of the match, but matches have to count for something. I certainly have learned a lot about what NOT to do by screwing them up in local matches. Of course, I’m a relatively new D-class shooter, so maybe some big jumps are occurring just from local match exposure alone, while you are both referencing incremental improvements of an A-class shooter.

[Hi-Power Jack]

I used to be in the same situation - and many of my shooting

buddies were also in the situation where matches ARE our

only practice, because of other responsibilities  

 

And, you're correct - you do learn an awful lot about your

gear and your ability.

 

People like us usually make it to C, and possibly B, and

then stall out.

 

To push beyond that, usually takes more work and effort -

dry firing and disciplined practice - I still haven't gotten

that far, but maybe when I hit 75 years old    

[George16]

4 hours ago, J_Allen said:

rowdyb and jkrispies,

 

You both mentioned that matches aren’t practice, and I was just curious about this. Isn’t any trigger time a good thing? I’m just thinking from the perspective of a guy with small kids that struggles to find any time to myself whatsoever. I understand that working on a skill in practice will result in improvement much faster than not focusing on any particular aspect of the match, but matches have to count for something. I certainly have learned a lot about what NOT to do by screwing them up in local matches. Of course, I’m a relatively new D-class shooter, so maybe some big jumps are occurring just from local match exposure alone, while you are both referencing incremental improvements of an A-class shooter.

 

For me, any  trigger time is a good thing only if I’m applying and learning things the correct way. Even though matches are not considered practice, I still learn a lot by watching and observing other shooters breakdown and shoot their stages. I also ask them questions and they had been very helpful and accommodating. Heck, I still won’t forget my first ever match wherein I was Dq’ed for breaking the 180. In between stages, I pull out my phone and write down the tips and answers I got from the better shooters in my squad so I can implement them in my practice regiment.

 

Once i I get home, I try them out in Dry Fire and see what difference it makes in improving my shooting abilities. It’s very beneficial for me to be in a squad of very good shooters. There’s a wealth of information and talent to pick from to improve my own. Aside from that, the camaraderie and brotherhood that goes along with it is priceless.

Edited June 15, 2018 by George16
Spelling

[jkrispies]

There’s a ton to learn at a match, believe me, but it’s not practice.  As a D level shooter I wallowed in that delusion far too long as well.  Think of it numerically and it makes perfect sense.  I’m a Steel Challenge shooter so I’ll use that as a reference point. 

 

MATCH DAY

1.5 hours to get to the range

2-3 hours for the match, with approximately 225 shots fired

1.5 hours to get home

 

That’s 5-6 hours for 225 trigger pulls and literally something like 100 total seconds on the gun.  Really think about that: 6 hours and only 100 seconds on the gun!

 

TYPICAL DAILY DRY FIRE

Starts at 6am at home

Eye exercises, approx 50 trigger pulls

Practice Stage 1, approx 50 trigger pulls

Practice Stage 2, approx 50 trigger pulls

End on eyes again, approx 50 trigger pulls

Ends at 6:30am

 

That’s 200 trigger pulls in 1/2 an hour.  Because dry fire only takes 30-45 minutes, and I can do it in my garage before the rest of my family even wakes up in the morning, I can regiment it into my schedule nearly daily before work.  More importantly, in dry fire I can concentrate on developing a single skill (ie, draw time, transitions, etc.) vs a match where your “practice plan” is literally throwing everything at the wall and hoping something sticks.  

 

I work a full time job, and I have a 2yo and a 10yo.  I get it.  But know that If you want to exist on the top finish list, it takes daily practice.  I wake up at 5am, take a shower, put on my work clothes (including a tie) and dry fire for 30-45 minutes before putting my daughter in the car to get her to school and then heading to work myself.  It’s difficult squeezing the practice in, but it’s also what encourages me to get out of bed every morning.  It can be done.  

 

Edited June 15, 2018 by jkrispies

[synchronicity]

You did Horrible?  If it was a First Match, it was a Personal Best.

[J_Allen]

18 minutes ago, synchronicity said:

You did Horrible?  If it was a First Match, it was a Personal Best.

OK, this is epic.

 

And jkrispies, thanks for that breakdown. Definitely puts it into perspective.

[jkrispies]

[Blue Jacket]

You didn’t get DQ d and had fun. I consider that a success