Questions For Lanny Bassham

[Sharyn]

(this is really a two part question)

In your book/tapes, you emphasize being positive... surrounding yourself with positive/supportive people, remembering the good shots and forgetting the bad ones, etc. Also, confirming to yourself that you're a winner/champion...

How do you do this and at the same time, "keep it real"?

I'm a female, B class Open shooter, in my second year of competitive pistol shooting. Using USPSA Nationals as an example... it was my first Nationals and I wasn't going to win B class nor High Lady. How can I approach a match like that and tell myself I'm a champion? It's very hard to self-affirm that you're a winner without being terribly discouraged when you're simply not going to win.

I seem to tell myself... "You're a Champion... someday." I'm inexperienced and I console myself by chalking the major matches up as 'experience'. I'm tired of using this excuse... but it's reality.

There are times that I really mess a stage up... Alpha, mike, no-shoot... two mikes and a FTE... or most recently, five mikes. How can I keep positive and realistic? I don't mean being able to walk away from that stage without being devastated... I can do that. I mean by ignoring the mistakes and only looking at the positive (which is what I understood from your book/tapes). I just think I'm lying to myself if I do that.

I feel like I'm either really missing your point, or I'm not understanding it completely... or I just don't get it altogether therefore I'm simply not Champion material. I've always been successful in my life endeavors, so I refuse to accept the last part of that statement.

Thank you for your time and contributions to this forum!

[XRe]

I'm not an expert, and I haven't yet read Lanny's book (but will be ordering it for my birthday in a few weeks... looking forward to it!) - so I can't speak in his terms.

I went through some of what you're describing - and am going through it now, but in a different way. I mean, why attend a major match if I can't win it, right???

What helped me - and might help you - is a goal setting program. The idea is to identify where you want to get to, and then break that eventual goal down into a set of appropriate and attainable goals, and start accomplishing them. This allows you to achieve progress gradually and all the time, instead of being all or nothing. Achieving goals has a great effect on confidence - small steps will add up quickly. These goals are all encompassing - overall match performance, practice goals (both quality of practice, and practice achievements on drills and such), journaling, fitness, etc. They allow you to say "I'm on my way to winning the Nationals", and to prove it to yourself by achieving them.

The second thing that helped me a bunch was shifting my perspective on what it takes for me to consider myself a winner. I focus on winning against things I can control. If I shoot clean and to the best of my ability, then I consider that a success. If someone beats me straight up, even if I did the absolute best I can, I haven't lost, in my mind. Sure, I'm not #1 on the scores, but it's not due to things in my control - and that's all I can actually affect. This doesn't work for everyone - some people are driven by seeing their name there. I find that if I focus on the things I can control, and follow my goals, etc, I get there just fine. If I don't, and focus solely on being #1, I get in my own way, and never get there.

I find a positive attitude results from the above, and from maintaining a realistic attitude about my shooting. I shoot, I assess, I move on - I stay in the present. Negative attitude (for me) stays in the past, or the future. I can't affect what I did on the last stage, and I can't affect the next stage, or the next match (which is where hope can take me, too...). I can just affect the stage I'm about to shoot, etc. That means, I shoot the stage, and then I analyze my performance - what did I do good, what did I do bad, etc. I play back my performance in my head (while cleaning mags, etc), and then edit out the bad parts with what it would've looked like had I done it perfectly. Then I let it go. I don't gloss over the good stuff. I don't linger on the bad stuff. I look at it objectively, learn what I can, note anything to focus on in practice later, and move on.... On the next stage, I'll sometimes focus on how it felt to do the good stuff on the previous stage(s) or in previous times in competition, to help reinforce my confidence and belief in my skills. I stay positive, realistic, and objective...

Anyhow, don't know if that helps, or not - I had to totally shift paradigm to get out of the state I was in, and I'm having to do it again

[Putty]

What kind of changed the way I look at things (D class shooter here) was Scott Springers advice "Just shoot and follow a consistent practice schedule and the rest will come. Its not about what class your in or hope to be in, when you do that you progress at a slower pace." It may not be quite verbatum, but thats how I remember it. It took alot of pressure off my mind and freed me up to just shoot!

[Jake Di Vita]

My first thing...

Ignore the negative until after the match. After the match look at everything you did right and wrong and make plans for practice / improvement.

Everything else I am kind of interested in that as well...

[Sharyn]

Well, Dave, you say a lot of what Lanny says in his book/tapes. I understand the process, goal setting, journaling, etc...

I think there's just part of what Lanny says that I can't comprehend yet... relative to "the top 5%" and "Champion". Maybe this is all part of the learning/progression process and I can't understand it because I'm just not there yet:

"I'm a Champion... someday"

Jake, "Ignore the negative until after the match. After the match look at everything you did right and wrong and make plans for practice / improvement." Yup, I totally agree. I feel that my ability to do this is one of my strengths. My question regarding this sort of goes beyond that though. It's not really about taking the positive from the situation, it's that I understood Lanny to say to ignore the negative... i.e. ignore the bad hits, look at the good hits... I understood him to say learn from the positive, not from the negative. Example from him: "Do you really want to know how I shot that 8? Or do you want to know how I shot that 10?" Great teachings here, sort of the "perfect practice makes perfect" thinking, but it seems in direct conflict with "learn from your mistakes". It sort of seems unrealistic.

I hope I'm making sense.

[EricW]

Sharyn,

I know this doesn't exactly answer your question, but I find whenever I really trash something, it's because of an ill-fated decision I made before my gun ever cleared leather (actually, usually before the beep). For me, the challenge is to step into box A, with a better mindset. I think that is a far better antidote to post-stage-trashing depression: avoid it altogether.

Just my 2...you can kick me in the shins for that if we ever meet at a match.

[XRe]

Well, start off by leaving off the "someday" - that's negative self-talk

I drove around for a long time with a little sign under the gauges on my dashboard that said "You are the best shooter in the world!" That isn't realistic - but it didn't hurt to see it. It seems stupid on the surface, but positive self-talk has a way of reprogramming everything upstairs.

After that, you just have to start doing all the things, and trust that you'll begin to understand it all with experience.... which I had a tough time starting into. I'm spring loaded to "negative", so it took a lot of repetition before I started to "get it"

[tightloop]

Might be time for you to start keeping a shooting journal...in that journal outline goals for each practice session and each match....make the goals realistic and attainable..this part of shooting is very much like golf...you are as good as you think you are...there is a fine line between self confidence and blowing smoke up your own dress, but try to keep it real...

I always found a person at local matches that used to beat me 70% of the time...my goal was to beat that person in every match...when I got so I could beat them 50% of the time, I looked for a person who was tougher to beat and worked at beating them till I could..when you get ot be an A or higher shooter, the path to achieving those goals seems long and fraught with lots of pit falls, but you have to be resolute and keep trying and let nothing dissuade you from your challenge...

worked for me, give it a shot...

[BritinUSA]

I think this is the difference in believing you can do something, and knowing that you can do it. A good mindset requires at least some knowledge/confidence in your abilities.

A regular practice regime that pushes your shooting to the limit will aid your confidence. There will be a moment during practice when your hit factors will go down, a little too much speed and not enough accuracy. Once you have found your current limit, then you can find your comfort level.

To shoot well at a big match I think you need to shoot at your comfort-level. If you push at a match then mistakes occur. Once the match is over then return to the practice sessions and try to push your comfort-level to the next level.

If you are unsure of your abilities, if you lack that confidence, then no matter how many times you tell yourself that you are a champion, that little doubt inside your head will destroy the illusion.

In the conscious mind, knowing is more imporant that believing

Here endeth my 2 cents (and probably not worth that much )

[iweiny]

Sinper,

I can't speak to the training part of your question but I can say something about "... confirming to yourself that you're a winner/champion...".

You are out there. You are a B class shooter. In my short IPSC experience those who just get out there and compete, at whatever level are champions. They have the guts to put it on the line and show people what they have. I have tried over and over to tell my wife this but I think it only really started to sink in when we were at the range practicing one day and she told me afterwards "Are we snobs?" I looked at her a bit funny. She started to comment on the groups that others at the range were shooting at 7 yards and their gun handling skills -- both marginal at best.

Anyway, it just occured to me you might take this the wrong way, please don't. It is not meant as a male/female thing. I have seen many of my male friends pretty much stop shooting when we started competing. I don't know for sure but I have to wonder if that was because they felt they were not good enough.

I am just starting to realize I have some talent at this sport. With that realization came another. There will be times when I push to hard and make mistakes. I need to get over it. My first no-shoot was like the end of the world to me. Last weekend I got 2 at the local match and was kind of laughing because I designed the stage and put them there to "make it hard"! No shoot behind steel, who's bright idea was that! Serves me right.

Anyway, I like Brians theme in his book, shooting must be experienced. We push, make mistakes, learn our weakness, practice that, and move on. Another thing Brian mentions is you have really won when you look at a stage and say "Yea, I can shoot this, no problem". I think if you are a B class shooter you are already there for most of the stages out there. Now we just have to get that way for all of them...

I hope this helps,

Ira

[vincent]

We can talk more in depth offline but I do think you are confusing the issue a bit. Being positive does not mean ignoring your weaknesses.

You may want to re-read the sections about the 3 circles and needing balance in all three areas. Positive self talk helps build the self-image circle. This is needed as part of your overall growth. It is part of your mental training program. However your ability circle must also stay in balance. This is where your shooting performance analysis and practice programs lead the way.

Think of being positive as another drill that you do as part of your routine. Each rep is strengthening your mental game.

[Flexmoney]

Sniper,

Good question. After studying WWIM, it has been a sticking point for me as well.

It is easy to make the leap to "think positive"...and, have that be in conflict with current reality.

I think I might have a handle on this (WWIM). I am excited to hear what Mr. Bassham has to add to the topic.

[carinab]

From the female perspective, I understand your dilemma with Mr. Bassham's suggestions completely. The coach of our ladies team bought the book for each of us and after reading it, we all had the same scratch on the head response. It always felt to me like I was lying to myself - like it was dilussional - to say I am X, Y, or Z when clearly I am not (yet). The only statement I felt comfortable with was something similar to: "it's all sight alignment and trigger pull, and I know how to do that darn well." So any time there is an unfamiliar challenge, I can familiarize it with the above statement...one that I can believe in.

The idea of a journal is a good idea. I'm about to break mine out again to quell those mental demons in my game.

[XRe]

Carina, that's part of why I define to myself what being a "winner" means, to me. I win if I meet my goals. I set my goals appropriately so that they are realistic and so that I can attain them - and they build upon one another to get to the next set of goals. Viewing all of that as "I'm a world champion in training" gives direction and focus to the whole processs, and helps maintain the drive.

Lying to yourself doesn't work. Being your own "best friend" inside your head (ie, pumping yourself up w/ positive self talk) does. Think about what your best friend would say to you to help you out - and tell yourself those things.

[jnshapiro]

You also have to forget about the result that you want (ie. I am going to win B division at the Nationals). The result isn't what's important.

What's important is that you set a goal, work toward it, achieve it, and go on to the next goal. Going along with that mindset is to always do the best that you can on that day. If you always shoot at your best, then there isn't any way for negative thoughts to enter into your concious mind.

There's a shooter here that I only can beat when he really screws up. I know that I'm not at the ability level YET when I can beat him. However, that doesn't stop me from striving to shoot at my best. My personal goals don't involve him at all. They don't involve winning.

What I'm trying to say is that if your goal is to win and you don't, then you'll be dissappointed and negative thoughts start to enter in. If your goal is to shoot at your best, then whatever happens in the match result is what happens. You can't control the other shooters, only yourself.

Winning is a by-product, not the goal.

[benos]

Since the IPSC shooter does not have baseline scores with which to compare, shooting confidently (without doubt), decisively, and error free - at your current ability - is a worthwhile and obtainable goal.

be

[j1b]

A component I've learned of late is to simply allow that bad things can and will happen. It is a worthwhile goal working to insure they don't, but accept that they can.

Used to be I'd go to a match and if I'd have a miss it was because I didn't prepare properly, or I let something distract me, or blah blah blah. Nowadays I recognize that if I have a miss its because I didn't execute right. That's all, so fix it for later.

More along the lines of the thread - being a champion is relative isn't it? So if everyone in this forum goes to nationals, we all shoot the same division, and we all think we are champions and that we're going to win then only one of us would leave the match satisfied. That can't be the point in all of this.

Being a champion is winning your class, or placing where you set your goal. Being a champion is shooting a match with no misses, or maybe 1 miss - maybe 5 depending on where you are at now. Being a champion is being smooth - maybe shooting all of your stages with none of those "I was an idiot for doing X" thoughts. Being a champion is establishing a goal, no matter what that goal is as long as it is an achievable yet challenging goal, and meeting or exceeding that goal.

In this entire forum, of all the shooters here, I'd be surprised if 15 (a rough guess - no science here) of them will ever be in a position to win a national title. An area title for that matter. In this forum 100% of us have a chance to be champions.

At least that's how I look at it.

J

[XRe]

Well put, Jack!! +1!

[Sharyn]

Hmmm... I'm having trouble addressing all of this...

~ I can set appropriate goals.

~ I have a journal (based off Matt Burkett's after sitting at his kitchen table and reading each of his).

~ The 5 mikes (on one stage) were due to a non-zeroed dot... but it's still painful on the match points. It was just an example. I'm over it.

~ I am constantly working on building and balancing my conscious, subconscious and self-image circles. (yes, Vincent, we need to talk. )

~ "It is easy to make the leap to "think positive"...and, have that be in conflict with current reality." <-- yes!

~

More along the lines of the thread - being a champion is relative isn't it? So if everyone in this forum goes to nationals, we all shoot the same division, and we all think we are champions and that we're going to win then only one of us would leave the match satisfied. That can't be the point in all of this.

There is only one winner in that division. I can't go to Nationals thinking I'm the Champion... I have to know it. I'm trying to get there.

In this entire forum, of all the shooters here, I'd be surprised if 15 (a rough guess - no science here) of them will ever be in a position to win a national title. An area title for that matter.

I believe this would be the "5%" that Mr. Bassham refers to.

I've realized that I'm no longer a C class shooter. I'm in the process of shedding my "beginner" attitude. I'm not downtrodden, or whining about progress, or defeated or anything like that. I know and believe that I can do anything I set my mind to. I am physically capable and I believe I have the potential to achieve whatever I desire. I'm not going to wake up a World Champion tomorrow.

Actually, my question isn't even really about me. It's about the difficulties I've encountered while trying to apply Mr. Bassham's teachings to myself. Maybe there's a chapter I didn't pay enough attention to and he can redirect me... ???

This reminds me of an encounter I had with my physiology teacher... after explaining, in great detail, how energy is produced via the Kreb's Cycle... I raised my hand and asked, "But, how does ATP produce energy?" With her hands on her hips and a stance that read "Duh, jacka$$", she asked me if I'd been paying attention to her lecture. I replied, "Yes, I understand all that, but how does a molecule make something move?" She took her hands off her hips and said, "Oh. You'll have to ask a biophysicist or someone like that."

[j1b]

Sharyn

I probably approached your post wrong - sorry if I misread it.

I've not read Lenny's book yet - so in hindsight I'm probably not really qualified to post in this thread. Hope I didn't step on toes.

I'm going through a lot of new thought as it relates to the mental components of the game and truthfully I'm learning to minimize them. Trying to apply that to all threads as it relates to the mental game is not very appropriate.

J

[Sharyn]

Jack,

I absolutely appreciate your posts. There is a tremendous amount of good advice in this thread... however, most of it is a given granted Mr. Bassham's book has been read. My question, utilizing myself as an example, is directly relative to Mr. Bassham's book/tapes. I simply feel there is something missing.

p.s. I can think of more than 15 forum members that are candidates for a National Champion title... that's why this forum is so awesome.

[XRe]

Again, coming from my relatively limited experience....

I found I had to do all those things for a while - and test it out in matches, as well as practice - and go through a lot of ups and downs with how I felt about my progress and my abilities, before things started to click, and I actually understood what I was really doing at a gut level. When I was in one of the questioning, doubtful, lonely spots (which sounds kinda like what you're going through - at least, how I'm interpreting it), I ended up just having to trust that I was doing the right stuff, and the answer (or, maybe it was really the *question*) would become clear when I stopped looking for it consciously. I just kind of try to put it out there to "the universe", if you will, what I think I need answers to, and stay open to what comes back.

The wierd spots got a lot shorter, and bothered me less after I figured that out. Keep doin' what you're doin' - keep following the things that Lanny's laid out in his material, in other words - and it'll become clear.

That probably doesn't help much at all, but... sounds to me like you're on the right path, really Maybe Lanny will realize what the rest of us aren't getting, and clue us all in

[mentalcoach]

(this is really a two part question)

How do you do this and at the same time, "keep it real"?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Great question Sniper. OK, let’s see if I can clear up a few things for you all. First, I may not be able to completely answer all of your questions. I may not be able to check the forum daily and I have a responsibility to those who pay for my information not to give away on the Internet what they pay for in our product line. This is what I do for a living and I ask you to respect that. This being said I feel that I can at least share with you some of the same kind of information that I include in articles that I write for publications and I certainly do not want you to be confused by any concepts in my book.

First, nowhere in my work do I suggest that you should ever lie to yourself. All reinforcement is imprinting and the self-image grows or shrinks by this process. If you have a bad performance it is indelibly imprinted on your self-image. This is called an environmental imprint. Now, you can create another imprint by thinking about or talking about the bad performance again and this causes your self-image to shrink. This is called beating yourself up and is a good way to retard your growth toward winning. The top 5% just do not do this. If they make a mistake they think about the solutions to correcting the error and imprint that they are able to do that. They think a lot about the good performances though. This causes the self-image to grow. Good thing, huh?

Next, who said that the only way to win is to be the top name on the leader board? Everyone seems to be overly concerned with accomplishment. Accomplishment is easy to measure. It is first, second and third, gold silver and bronze, the grades of A, B, C, or F. But winning, by my way of thinking is much more than that. It is Attainment. Attainment = Becoming + Accomplishment. Accomplishment is how you measure the external and becoming is how you measure the internal. Have you ever won a class only to find that you did not learn much that day? Then you go to a competition and do poorly but grow a great deal in understanding. That’s becoming and it is very difficult to measure. A winner is someone who is just as concerned about who they become as to what they accomplish. You should goal set to become something worthwhile when you accomplish any step in your goal. Now that’s Attainment.

I suggest that if you are more concerned about how well you execute your mental and technical systems than your place in the competition that you will virtually eliminate the concerns you are having about self-judgment. Someone once said that winning is the progressive realization of a worthwhile goal. You may be a long way from reaching that goal at present. It is not lying to imprint that you someday will reach it. If you say “I am national champion” and you are, in reality, a long way from that and that bothers you then try this. Transport yourself mentally to some day in the future when you are, in reality, the national champion and say, “I am the national champion”. The imprint will work just the same. It will be just as powerful. The self-image cannot tell the difference between past, present and future events. It thinks that every imprint is happening in the present and it becomes like you to do it. I won the Olympics thousands of times before they hung the real medal on me. It caused my self-image to accept that it was like me to be the champion. That’s not reality but this is not a reality show like TV. This is mental imprinting and it works.

Finally, I have a word about shooting diaries. Don’t keep one. Keep a performance journal instead. A diary contains a record of everything you did, good and bad. That’s a lot of negative imprinting and your scores will be harmed more than keeping one helps them. But, if you keep a performance journal like the Performance Analysis Journal that we have on our web site you will only record what you did well, the solutions that you found and goals statements to help you positively move forward to your goals. It is a Performance Journal not a Lack of Performance Journal.

I hope I haven’t missed your point and that this helps you. You are champion material until you start thinking you are not.

With Winning in Mind,

Lanny

[Sharyn]

Wow... yes, Mr. Bassham, you have really cleared some things up for me. I need more time to digest your information before I am able to reply more succinctly.

I understand your obligation to your customers/students and your need for job security. I didn't intend to encroach upon that and I apologize if I've done so. I just had some burning questions about what you say in your book. You have explained it better here and I will reread/relisten to your book/tapes to ingrain your concepts further.

Excellent. Thank you so much!

[cr10x]

Sniper:

In addition to the above comments and suggestions, I would also recommend "Fearless Golf". It addresses the issue of "how can I have confidence in my performance when I don't have the performance level to give me confidence" or something along those lines. In addition, you might want to start with "what would a champion (fill in the blank with do, think, under this condition, etc.)?" If you develop this habit, then his concept can be a stepping stone(s) to the ultimate self perception of I am a champion.

Just a couple of thoughts.

Cecil