Do You Seek The "zone"

[Religious Shooter]

I really had a crappy match at Raton. I was (as usual) bitching to a fellow squadmate during breakfast. And I told him one of the problems I had was I kept on "zoning out" or tried to go into the "zone" --- because of my pistol experience --- when I shoot shotgun stages .

In my very simplified version of the whole mind thing is there are two levels when shooting a stage: 1) Where you conciously think of what you are doing and 2) where you just observe and go on autopilot and just let it happen.

#2 is my version of the "zone". I'm sure there are many (and better) explanations of it. But using #2 with shotgun I am not counting rounds, I am not following my pre-planned reloading plans (with #2 I just reload 3 rounds at movement areas), I tend to miss more, and all kinds of bad stuff happens. I know I'm actually TRYING to get into the zone and not actually "in the zone" when this happens. I'm not reaching the zone.

Now either I haven't spent enough time at #1 to use #2... or #2 (the "Zone") is just not a good idea for shotgun since you must conciously think about what you are doing while shooting a relatively complex shotgun stage.

My questions are...

Do you seek your version of the "zone" when you are shooting a complex shotgun stage (i.e. it's not a stand and shoot, no movement and no reloads stage)?

Are you successful?

Or do you think the "zone" isn't useful or a good state while shooting "complex" shotgun stages?

[Viggen]

Maybe I don't understand so well, but that Zone comes , it is not found or sought.

Practice and more of same, the that thing we refer to the Zone may come. Try to control it and it's gone.

Practice

[Religious Shooter]

I guess that's one of the difficulties. My definition of the zone isn't your definition (or anybody elses). In my version of it I have to get the right stimulus, conditions, or whatever to even remotely approach my "zone." I have to do something.

Whenever I perform well... I try to simulate/replicate that feeling or condition again that gave me that level of performance. It just doesn't come by itself.

I guess what I am trying to get at... Is the "zone" (whatever your definition is) the same for you whether you shoot a pistol or you shoot a "complex" shotgun stage?

[Bear1142]

Religious Shooter,

I, like you, try to maintain a "zone" type approach to my shooting. A few things I've noticed. I also find it hard to maintain my focus during three gun stages. I attribute it to the longer nature of the stages. Most of the stages at RM3G were over 50 seconds as compared to the 10-20 second stages you see at pistol only matches. It's definitely easier to stay in the zone for 10 seconds rather than 50+. A technique that helps me is to devote more program time to a stage. Sometimes as much as three or four times longer, especially on the shotgun stages. At major matches with complex stages, it's absolutely critical to arrive early and look at the stages. I easily spent 1/2 hour working through the shotgun stage at the mine shaft at the RM3G the day before the match. It definitely paid off. It was my best shotgun stage and one of my better stages in the whole match. The more complex the stage, the more prep time you need to give yourself.

Erik

[Brian Payne]

I am glad to see that other people are having this problem.

As a shooter new to 3-gun (or any firearms competition for that matter), I find it much easier to break difficult stages down into several smaller stages that all run together. Works the best with stages requiring the use of several different weapons.

Easier for my mind to stay focused.

Kind of like learing to draw your handgun. If you try to learn the draw stroke as only one movement it is more difficult than if you break it down into four seperate movements.

All this coming from a shooter that has attended one major 3-gun match - so YMMV.

[kurtm]

I know where to find the zone. At Wal-Mart in the pharmacy section. They come in all sorts of flavors and are very good for you. Ah... we were talking zone bars....right?

I found stage 8 to be a relativaly straight forward stage. Nothing was hidden from view, the only clay that had to be remembered was the one behind the wall, and since you had to shoot a slug up that way anyway it wasn't that hard to remember. Where this stage got interesting was that it requiered a lot of loading and select sluging if you will. If you weren't used to loading your shotgun without looking at it, and while moving, your vision was yanked away from the stage and onto your shotgun, effectivly vacuuming your mind right out of the "zone". Everyone I saw that walked by a target, was viewing thier shotgun and not the flora and clay of Northern New Mexico. This was a great shoot and move stage, but you had to be "outside" in the words of pilots. In general this is the biggest problem people have with shooting shotgun stages; the manipulation of the gun tends to occupy too much of the mind, if it isn't an automatic eyes off mind off procedure. KURT MILLER

[Jake Di Vita]

Trying to get in the zone is against everything that being in the zone means.

[EricW]

All I know is that I shoot a shotgun faster and more accurately when I aggressively go after targets. The Floating Yogi pre-stage meditation doesn't do squat for me.

[mike.45]

Kurt is correct in what he says and its very valid, for me (a lesser skilled shooter ) I brake a stage down into chapters - stage 8 was a good stage for this and I dont think you can "zone" a stage like this per se where the assumption is you go into autopilot and just shoot and load unless you are very talented.

That stage for me was all about loading areas and ensuring one shot one hit, especially the slug plates.

Chapter 1: On the start signal I planned and shot the first clay whilst standing - good hit

Chapter 2, move to the fault line and shoot metal plates 1 through 4 on the move and no. 5 at the line leaning over to the right and ensure a hit -

Chapter 3, load 4 shells and move 6 feet forward and shoot the remaining 2 clays -

Chapter 4, load 4 and walk 7 feet and shoot the clay behind the tree at point blank, 3 steps forward and take the one up the hill -

Chapter 5, load 2 slugs and take 3 steps over to the right that located you at the hole in the tree branches where you could see the next clay down the hill and slug plate in the valley - shoot the clay (I went for the shoot through with the clay behind it and luckily got it - 2 clays one shell) AIM the gun and shoot the slug plate - Hit called and then immediately loose the remaining slug off downrange - I shot into the back wall at the end of the range and it looked impressive, but JJ was slightly shocked !! Dont waste time trying to shoot a clay with a slug, just let it go !!!

Chapter 7, load 4 and move the 10 feet to the 3 clays on the left on the hill , the one to the right I had already seen I had shot, hit those-

Chapter 8, load 4 and move the 10 feet to the start of the end space and take all 6 clays -

Chapter 9, load 3 slugs and run to the far right wall and take the bird behind the wall, aim the slug behind it, twist to the right and aim for the last slug plate.

Chapter 10........exhale !!!

That is the ONLY way I can work out and plan a stage like that and I have to be telling myself in my head what chapter I am at and what to do by visual conditioning - if it is going really smoothly then it is almost zone like e.g ok load 4 and walk 10 paces, ok done ....that was fast what next ?? almost hits you and its really flowing.

Unless you are a Shotgun god, IMHO my advice would be to plan the stages and forget the zone and work a stratergy !!

[P.E. Kelley]

I have only experienced the "zone" a few times. I strive to be "consciously competent" and if the auto pilot affects of the zone happen all the better.

PK

[RiggerJJ]

Mike,

I was just shocked that you would intentionally scar a piece of Yankee nostalgia! I guess you were in your zone...

Better plan maybe next time; loose the "extra" slug at/near the slug tgt you just shot. Should only be about .20 split, much less time than it took you to turn, find a place, and then "discard" the extra slug.

was good to see you and Barry!

Cheers!

jj

[gl]

All I know is that I shoot a shotgun faster and more accurately when I aggressively go after targets.  The Floating Yogi pre-stage meditation doesn't do squat for me.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Eric,

I am the same way. I walk the stage and try to be smooth and do what I planned. But I am being aggressive as well. That way if my plan goes to hell I immediately shift into a higher level of aggression. I call it my 'Death and destruction mindset'.....I am not joking, ask Joe Sledge he has witnessed it last year on his shotgun/pistol stage at RM3Gun, he even asked me if I was 'ok' when I finished...LOL! Sorry Joe, I did not mean to yell and cuss so much, it just happened. I was in the top places on that stage if I remember correctly, after having my plan go to hell. I find it alot easier to muscle through a stage and still do well when the plan fails. If you can make a plan work great. But if it does not work out don't think about how you can 'get your plan back' (unless it is a no brainer to correct it)........... just shoot, scan, load on the move and destroy everything in site.

It's all about love!

Guy Hawkins

[PacMan]

Huh??? I have no idea what you all are talking about. "Zone bars at Wally World" was the only thing I recognized ...I thought it's about loading & shooting

[ArnisAndyz]

I brake a stage down into chapters

Good analogy! For me, I like to think of reloading the shotgun as wetting my fingers to turn the page before starting a new chapter.