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Don’t do dumb sh&$


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Last year was my first nationals ever and it was awesome! I learned so much about how not to sh@& the bed at any match, not just big ones. There were 2 guys that finished inside the top 10 and They didn’t do anything special that I couldn’t do. They just didn’t do dumb sh@$ on big stages with a ton of points. They did the safest plan possible to ensure great hits on target. 
 

After seeing this and how it helped them place in the overall total, I took that hole with me. Helped me win 2 more level 2s matches to end the year. It will stick with me for now on. “What do I have to do to get good hits and is the safest and easiest plan to memorize?”  
 

Don’t do dumb sh&$!  Theme for me to end the 2019 season. Hope this helps! 

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That's an entirely radical appproach that I 've NEVER heard anyone say

before, and I've been reading BE for a decade and taken lessons from

four different top GM's (Yeah, for those of you who know how badly

I shoot, I should get my money back - hah hah).

 

But, I see what you're talking about - great point.

 

My one Nat'l about a decade ago - a squad M DQ'd on an early stage.

That scared the bejabbers out of me since I dragged my wife to Las

Vegas from NY and prepaid the week - didn't want to get DQ'd.

 

One of my personal best shoots at the time (I had been shooting

OPEN for only 18 months or so) - probably because I "stayed safe"

when it mattered.

 

Great idea to throw into the old thought process - thanks for articulating

what may be common sense that I never thought of before     :) 

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I went to the Nationals 2 years ago with 2 guys from my home club that usually beat me. I buried them after the first day because I went into match mode and did what i knew how to do instead of pushing like I do at club matches. Same at the Western Single Stack Championships this past February. 98% wins matches. 110% zeroes stages. LOL

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Ben Stoeger is a good example of how effective this can be. Videos of him don’t usually look zippy and fast compared to the athlete guys like JJ Racaza.

He’s not pushing when he wins. Just shooting insane points, and avoiding the mistakes everyone else will make.

 

Edited by MemphisMechanic
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  • 4 weeks later...

My good friend, Steve Foster, gave me some great advice for not falling apart during Steel Challenge stages. He said, "put the driver up and use the three wood so you can knock it down the middle."  It really is a good strategy. I even got my chamber flag made to remind me. 

 

IMG_1713.JPG

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These strategies work for classifiers too but most people just blow through them as fast as they can and tank them.

 If you are a typical C shooter and want to make B, figure out what times you need to shoot solid B runs. You are not going to go straight to GM so there is no need to try to do something in 3 seconds when 6 seconds will get better results.

  I know that’s an over simplification but the idea is the same.

  Top shooters will frown upon trying to stay within your abilities but it obviously works

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I also learned a similar lesson at last years Nationals, shooting and walking stages with the top guys was a eye opener, their mind set seemed to be not how do I win this stage but how do I avid costly mistakes. Shooting low cap I was surprised how many times an extra reload was planned because it lowered the risk, and that's were the match is won.

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On 5/9/2020 at 9:39 AM, Sarge said:

 

  Top shooters will frown upon trying to stay within your abilities but it obviously works

I don think so,

Im pretty sure I have heard most of the top trainers say some form of, push yourself in practice but shoot matches at your current skill level. 

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6 hours ago, MikeBurgess said:

 

 I have heard most of the top trainers say some form of, push yourself in practice but shoot matches at your current skill level. 

 

Sounds logical to me.

 

Maybe a little push in matches, but much more push in practice.   :) 

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  • 7 months later...
On 5/14/2020 at 1:06 PM, MikeBurgess said:

I don think so,

Im pretty sure I have heard most of the top trainers say some form of, push yourself in practice but shoot matches at your current skill 

I play pool at a high level and this statement resonates with me. We practice shots that are outside of our current skill level all the time. However, when you are presented with one of those shots during a tournament match when it’s a race to 3 (one pocket) you would do well to pass on it.

 

 

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I think that the good ones play it straight up on the high point high loss stages, but let it hangout more on the lower point stages. How many great ones zeroed a low point stage and still won, many! It’s knowing what plays to your strengths and making those moments count. 

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  • 5 weeks later...
On 4/16/2020 at 12:46 AM, MemphisMechanic said:

Ben Stoeger is a good example of how effective this can be. Videos of him don’t usually look zippy and fast compared to the athlete guys like JJ Racaza.

He’s not pushing when he wins. Just shooting insane points, and avoiding the mistakes everyone else will make.

 

 

Stoeger even won a national title without winning a single stage.

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  • 5 months later...

Sometimes despite our best efforts...thing will happen. The bigger the match, the more the pressure....a lot runs through people's minds at any given moment. At a Single Stack Classic many moons ago a guy in our squad, day 1 first stage, 1st shooter up. You had to push a door open and engage steel before proceeding through door to engage paper targets. Timer goes off, he pushes door and  BAM! shot the ground right in front of his foot, instant DQ. All the money and time and travel, prep, etc...gone. It happens. It doesn't define you as a shooter, what does is how you handle it and how you learn from it. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I struggle with this a lot. One of my big things to get better at this season is shooting on the move. It involves a lot more Mike's then picking positions and taking the shots. I'm getting better and better at being able to shoot 2A on the move but many times I decide to out it into a big stage at a L2/3 it costs me points.  I have however had some of my best finishes this year. 

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  • 10 months later...

I am new to idpa, my approach has been to go fast push 110%. I evaluate my mistakes and that tells me what to work on between matches. I’ve improved with every match. My theory is I have a time to work on so going fast isn’t going to be one of them. I’ll just do it now and learn to go even faster and be more efficient as I go. Skills can only be learned with practice and time, so I’m not going to hinder myself right now my purposely slowing down to make  myself perform better. 

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11 hours ago, Twilk73 said:

I am new to idpa, my approach has been to go fast push 110%. I evaluate my mistakes and that tells me what to work on between matches. I’ve improved with every match. My theory is I have a time to work on so going fast isn’t going to be one of them. I’ll just do it now and learn to go even faster and be more efficient as I go. Skills can only be learned with practice and time, so I’m not going to hinder myself right now my purposely slowing down to make  myself perform better. 

Unfortunately, IDPA scoring favors accuracy over speed.  If you're pushing 110% and going zero down or maybe 2 down per stage, then good for you.  

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18 hours ago, RangerTrace said:

Unfortunately, IDPA scoring favors accuracy over speed.  If you're pushing 110% and going zero down or maybe 2 down per stage, then good for you.  


I am not, this is my first season I’m competing locally. I’ve approached this season more like all matches are just practice. I should have included that in there.

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  • 2 months later...
On 5/9/2020 at 10:39 AM, Sarge said:

These strategies work for classifiers too but most people just blow through them as fast as they can and tank them.

 If you are a typical C shooter and want to make B, figure out what times you need to shoot solid B runs. You are not going to go straight to GM so there is no need to try to do something in 3 seconds when 6 seconds will get better results.

  I know that’s an over simplification but the idea is the same.

  Top shooters will frown upon trying to stay within your abilities but it obviously works


I’ve been telling this to locals forever but it doesn’t look cool, so they go fast and suck and then complain on how hard it is. Also, they respect classifiers way too much and let it get in their head. I was once guilty of this. Now I shoot it like a regular stage.  

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