Jump to content
Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

Best Single tip for running a good stage


HowardM

Recommended Posts

I know running a good stage requires a lot of different things but being a fairly new shooter trying to break things down and focus on what is most important to having a successful stage my initial thought is STAGE PLANNNG is the most critical but would like insight

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 87
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Visualizing every position and target and committing it all to memory by rehearing it over and over in your head from initial walkthrough of a stage until starting beep. That or knowing where each shot goes when the sights lift. Best way to learn shot calling, that I've found, is to watch where your front sight lifts from on the target. As you develop, your shot calling will evolve and what you need to see will depend on target difficulty

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Visualization is the key.  You're not ready to shoot a stage until you can stand facing uprange and visually shoot the stage without looking at it.

Everything after that you will learn with time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Committing to a plan, as stated above being able to visualize the stage is important but unless you are committed it won't work. We all make plans during the walk through and then see someone do it different and want to change. I have found for me even if I see someone run a stage with what I think may be a better plan I try to stick to my original plan, when I have changed the results have been mixed. Keep it simple to start with, sometimes we make a plan that is complicated or requires more difficult shots to gain an advantage. Make a plan you can execute with confidently. Watch what other do and learn, you will see some plans that are good and some not so good but you can learn from both.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Commit to YOUR stage strategy. Don't change last minute, even if you think someone else's plan is better. Once it's programmed/visualized, stick to it.

 

A mediocre stage plan that's executed well ALWAYS trumps the best stage plan that's poorly executed

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everyone has some good advice here.   I'll add that taking your stage planning very seriously will help to sink it in.   Dry fire the targets in the speed you think you can achieve.  Hold your hands in your exact grip. Rehearse each position in the exact stance you intend to shoot in.   

Video yourself in the walkthrough, and the stage run.  compare the two to see how close you are practicing vs shooting.  

 

You will rarely get a full dry run, (i.e., people are usually in the way) but at least rehearsing each position and target engagement speed with realistic actions will help to reinforce what happens after the timer goes off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎7‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 2:31 PM, stick said:

Visualization is the key.

I agree.  With my last USPSA match, the published stage descriptions ended up being the actual ones we saw in the match (wasn't always the case).

 

So I was able to dry-fire mock-ups of every stage for a few days before the match, which among other things allowed me to burn in mental movies of me shooting the stages.  These were simple stages so doing this wasn't hard.

 

With bigger stages, it's more challenging to formulate the mental movies, but it's possible.  Those with more match experience can more easily form an accurate mind picture of what the printed stage descriptions will be like in real life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎7‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 4:06 PM, HowardM said:

what is most important to having a successful stage ?

 

The most important thing to have happen for a successful stage is

 

          NOTHING goes wrong !    :surprise:

 

Good grip, good draw, good target acquisition, remembering ALL the

targets, good reloads in the right spot, and hitting the targets (all of

the targets).

 

Nothing can go wrong during a successful stage - therefore, EVERYTHING

is equally important to have a successful stage.    :cheers:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I am new to this as well. I have had more than of the experienced shooters than have been shooting for years emphasize getting everything to memory. Each time I do a match it sinks home more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/25/2018 at 10:19 AM, Nalle2491 said:

go through the stage step by step and know where you're to do all your reloads and shooting. 

 

And, for production and singlestack guys? Stop planning your reloads first! Plan them last.

 

Look at it this way; you’re trying to do two things at once. Figure out where to go and what to shoot... AND when to change mags.

 

Focus entirely on a plan to engage the stage with unlimited capacity. Then once that’s settled? Break that plan down into chunks whick suit your magazine capacity.

 

Much more straightforward. Plan. Reloads. Last.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/22/2018 at 3:06 PM, HowardM said:

I know running a good stage requires a lot of different things but being a fairly new shooter trying to break things down and focus on what is most important to having a successful stage my initial thought is STAGE PLANNNG is the most critical but would like insight



Stage planning.  And shooting all of your targets. I found when I first started it was easy to get in my own head and not engage targets (I just didnt see them, even though they were right in front of me. Still happens occasionally).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Study the stage

 

Longer version: 

The first this I do is count all the targets .. then count them again. While counting them I walk through the stage (no air gunning yet) and look and see what the best viability is for each target. After that start planing engagements and reloads and lastly I will air gun through it a few times, but only after I have committed to my stage plan. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Only break the shot when you have an acceptable sight picture for the target difficulty. Mikes, no shoots and make up shots tank your score. Spend some time figuring out what level of alignment and sight clarity you need for various ranges 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...