Simple things to help your head game.

[Bigmikepewpew]

I would like to start by saying that I am not a competition shooter by any stretch of the imagination.  I fit into the weekend warrior class, 1 weekend a month if I am lucky to have the time off work to get to a small steel match.  That being said, I have been a top notch competitor in billiards for almost 20 years.  One would be surprised what carries over between the two.  I would like to share what I use in both that help work out some of the mental bugs that can plague during competition that are not a problem during practice.

 

1.  Compete how you practice.  This should seem like a no brainer, but you would be surprised at those that miss it.  If you wear certain clothes while competing, practice in them.  If you listen to music while competing ( if allowed ), practice with it and vise-versa.  The whole point of practice is to have fun so you can have fun competing and showing off.

 

2.  Have the same warm up routine.  

 

3. Be careful who you practice with.   A sloppy shooter will cause you to become a sloppy shooter.   You will find that you are only trying to beat them,  not beat yourself and become better. 

 

4.  Be happy with your gear.  Mental doubt can creep in and have your head playing the "if I only had that,  I would be better" game and sabotage yourself to fail.  It's the shooter, not the gun.

 

5.  The most important; have fun.  Especially important when you hit a slump.  No one tries to get better at something that is not fun for them.  In pool when fun tries to hide, I'll shoot weak handed or one handed, youd be surprised at the skills you can build keeping it fun.  

[Hi-Power Jack]

2 hours ago, Bigmikepewpew said:

 

4.  Be happy with your gear.  Mental doubt can creep in and have your head playing the "if I only had that,  I would be better" game and sabotage yourself to fail.  It's the shooter, not the gun.

 

BigMike, you really had me going there for a while (especially for a first post),

 

BUT, then I got to #4 (above), and realize that, as a complete Newbie, you totally

miss the entire purpose of shooting....   acquiring  new toys.

 

And, I've been shooting for almost 66 years now, and NEVER has it been MY FAULT -

it's always the damn Gun.   But, it's easy enough to get a NEW GUN      

[Bigmikepewpew]

I like your style.  I have had 3 pistols that i shoot consistently.  I tell you what they are,  see if you can put them in the correct order of which one I do best with.  SVI Infinity, para black ops, STI marauder.

[Hi-Power Jack]

1. Infinity 2.  marauder  3.  para ops

[Bigmikepewpew]

Marauder and Para tie for 1&2,  infinity in last.

[dccarper]

I know it’s your skill, not the gun. But skill takes time to build, guns are fun to buy

[yellowfin]

That being said, my requirement for a gun is one that doesn't have any drawbacks that get in my way. Just something that lets me do what i need to do to where it itself isn't a distraction. There are some that fail this criterion. So while a new gun doesn't make a better shooter always, removing real problems or limitations does.