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Shooting Better with or without friends on squad


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I 100% shoot better with friends on the squad. For whatever reason, I care less about embarrassing myself in front of people I know versus strangers.

 

They already know I'm a nice guy who is a low-C class shooter with a cranky gun. There's less pressure to perform for me.

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If given the option to shoot with buddies I will take that option every time.

 

I actually withdrew from a local match once bc the only squad that was available was the geriatric squad.  I know that sounds mean and disrespectful but this squad will work you to death and add 1-2 hours to your match.

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Definitely shoot with buddies (my advantage is they are both Masters in Open and Limited respectively), they will provide you honest feedback and give you tips where to improve.

 

I do see the point on squadding with a competitive squad...you will definitely be expose to different techniques and ways to visualize the stages.

 

Bottom line: Do what is comfortable in the beginning, as you get more experience and get to know more folks you will most likely have a friend in your squad no matter what. 

 

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I don't think the difference is huge, but I probably shoot a bit better when I'm squadded with strangers - it allows me to focus 100% of my attention on the game.  That being said, I always squad with my friends if possible.  To me, having a good time and laughing with some buddies is more important that a couple points here and there.

Edited by TalkingMonkey
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I can see it going both ways. Sometimes I'll shoot riskier because I wanna go Ricky Bobby in production, but other times it's good especially when a friend is shooting the same division as me. Then we can bounce ideas off of each other and change our stage plans at the very last minute before we shoot and inevitably forget something. 

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there is advantage and disadvantage to both but I prefer shooting with friends. If during a walkthrough I am planning to run the stage a certain way and miss a faster gameplan one of my friends may come up with a better strategy and share. I also enjoy spending time with my shooting buddies, as I don't hang out with any of them outside of shooting. I often push myself a little harder when shooting with friends rather than strangers. This can be both good and bad though.

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Sort of a mixture although for club matches there is a squad that we try to make of 8 or so of the same people - mixed abilities from D-A and respectful and cooperative. I believe in absolute extra serious with safety and each stage endeavor to do the best I can but unless you are AMU or one of the 20 or so that do this full-time it is still just a game. I feel good when I shoot good and disappointed when I don't but at the end of the day any shooting is better than a day not shooting. Some when they have a bad run throw stuff, get overly serious on the wrong things and take the fun out of the event. Others have to argue every point of the COF, cheat (actually caught a guy taking pasters off a target to avoid a mike) and complaining about things that are trivial (again safety is never trivial).  I did not start out shooting with friends (yet) but they became so when the stages were fun, everyone did work to help out (sometimes fighting to see who gets to paste first) and everyone doing their part and the better shooters helping out the less skilled as needed. Everyone has fun, respects and helps the other shooters and does their share of the work. May be different with others but that is my take. Good topic BTW that's what I really like about this forum. 

Edited by gunshrink
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I have noticed I do focus better when I shoot with people I don't know. But I always choose to shoot with my friends. I have more fun when squaded with my friends and having fun is why I am out there. 

 

Edited by Kokeman
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I always try to squad with friends or familiar faces that I enjoy being around.

 

Whether I shoot better or worse isn't important to me, but the fact I have more fun is. 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Seery
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  • 3 months later...

It really depends.  When given the choice, I'll squad with friends, and most of my friends are pretty good shooters.  If I have to shoot with people I don't know, I'll generally try to choose a squad with shooters who are better than me.  I try to avoid signing up to squads where everyone is "unclassified", or there are people known for being lazy and not resetting.  

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Definitely with friends when possible......   the "you know each other thing" plus the less worry that you get squadded w/ someone who isn't safe.  (Looking down the muzzle of loaded guns as RO is not exactly pleasant)  These days we end up w/ a mix of folks we know and a few we don't, but since shooters are generally good people, by the 2nd or 3rd time shooting w/ folks you will find you gravitate to them becoming part of the "usual" squad as well.  :)  

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I shoot at two nearby ranges and keep encountering the same people, so most everyone I shoot with is a buddy if not a friend.  And if I end up on a squad with people I haven't met, I then have some new buddies.  Don't even think about how it affects my shooting.  I shoot how I shoot.

Edited by GunBugBit
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/23/2019 at 7:02 PM, Hi-Power Jack said:

"Not sure that friends improve my shooting, but its lot more fun to shoot with friendly people."

 

IMHO - best comment on this thread.

 

I like shooting both with friends, and also shooting with different shooters.

 

Occasionally I have been stuck on a squad with unfriendly jerks, but fortunately it doesn't happen very often. Doesn't seem to make a difference on how I shoot, but it is much more enjoyable to spend the time with good people, which is the majority of shooters.

Edited by ClarenceOveur
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 11/9/2020 at 4:44 AM, jim vaughan said:

I enjoy shooting with anyone who pitches in. Lower grade shooters welcome constructive advice. Shooters that are too serious need to be criticised and made aware that they are not prima donnas in the squad. Age sometimes has advantages!

What he said. If I squad with the guys from home, I know they’ll work. Recently I was in a squad with majority of GMs and some of us had to constantly reset the stages. 

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  • 1 month later...
On 10/4/2019 at 10:25 AM, Inkman said:

I shoot better with strangers. Less BSing, more concentrating on the game.

 

Do you ever find that if you are concentrating on the game too hard that you add more pressure to yourself than you would if shooting with friends?

 

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I enjoy shooting with friends. 
If there is too much goofin around it takes away from performing really well, but having familiarity in your environment I think does something to the psyche. It allows you to not get added stress, but rather relax and be able to still focus as needed... IMO

 

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  • 1 year later...

In terms of pure match performance, I found myself doing better when squad with strangers. Improved mental concentration, less likely to do stupid / ultra-risky move (less failures), consistent performance. However, shooting uspsa match is not all about performance, it is also a social event. Hence, I will try to squad with friends whenever possible.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I shoot better with randoms but I have more fun shooting with friends. I do have fun both times, it depends on my objective at the time if I am in training mode for any majors coming up or just there to have a good time, but I always have a good time when my finger is in the trigger guard!

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33 minutes ago, carolina_boy1990 said:

Hopefully going to shoot my first match soon. I only know one person in NC that shoots lol so looking forward to meeting/making some new friends!

 

The best thing you can do for yourself is just jumping right into it, its nice to have a friend to introduce you but make sure you're open to meeting everyone else as they are open to welcoming newcomers. I love the community aspect of networking with different competitors, its one of the few sports where everyone with different backgrounds come in. Some you may even call your new best friends! Best of luck with your first match.

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