Breaking Down Memory Stages

[Genghis]

I'll be shooting at Double Tap at the end of the month. Several of the stages look like "memory stages," with lots of barriers and ports and stuff that prevents the shooter from seeing everything at once. I would really like some suggestions on handling these stages.

Last year I shot at Area 4 with about four months' experience, and I had no real technique for these stages. I got to shoot one stage three times. The first time, some plates were falling when the post was hit (even if the plate was not). I had to reshoot because of a range equipment failure. The second time I had three FTE's because I got in a hurry and ran past a port which had three targets. Later that day I got to reshoot it for a third time, because the RO forgot to write my score down. I STILL had three Mikeys and a NS.

I've tried breaking stages into arrays, so when I'm shooting I can be thinking, "Four, then three, reload, then two more, then four steel." I've also broken them down by shooting locations, like "Go there, then there, reload, then go there and there." But the stages at Double Tap seem to be designed by a truly evil mind, because the targets are spread all over the place and often not in arrays. The ones that kill me are the ones where some of the targets are hidden.

Here are the stage diagrams: http://www.doubletapranch.com/Results-DTC0...ndex-DTC06.html

Stages 1 - 3 are good examples. Stage 1 has nine different arrays of targets, and it looks like they'll be shot from seven different places. In Stage 2 the targets are all over the place. It looks like it'll have to be shot from at least six positions. Stage 3 has eight arrays, to be shot from around seven places.

I've read a bunch of books, including Brian's, Saul's (PP and TPS), Lanny's, Yurgev's, and Suarez's, among others. And I'm about to read Burkett's book and watch his DVD's, Volumes 1 - 3, and this kind of stage still gives me problems. Any other suggestions?

[davidball]

I program memory stages in layers:

1. Assess the stage and determine how I am going to shoot it.

2. Program which ports / positions I am going to.

3. Program how many targets I am going to shoot in each port / position.

4. Program which specific targets I am going to shoot in each port / position.

5. Program shot placement on each target (usually the "A" in the lower A-zone, but if a partial target, may be different).

6. Program in any reloads.

7. Re-run final program as many times as necessary to go through it flawlessly each time.

There's other stuff . . . how to move, etc., but that covers making sure I get every target and don't get any twice.

Edited March 10, 2006 by davidball

[Genghis]

That's great advice on how to break down the stages. I'm going to look at those three stages and use your advice to break them down. I still need to reduce my plan to what I'm going to be thinking when I step up to shoot.

When I was in school I used to cram a lot rather than study. Right before a test I'd read through a list of things that would be on the test, and create a word or sentence that I could memorize then use to recall the items on the list. Like using MAT to help kids remember MUZZLE (in a safe direction) - ACTION (open and empty) - TRIGGER (finger off it until you're ready to shoot).

I guess I'm looking for a system, like mnemonics, to help me consciously keep track of what to do next while I'm running the stage.

[al503]

Good thread. I have the same problem. When the buzzer goes off, I lose a bulk of my IQ. I'm hoping it get's better as I get more experience/shoot more matches but anything to help would be great.

[iweiny]

First a word of caution. Don't get your plan to engrained in your head right now for these particular stages. I have found that the stage diagrams can be quite different from what you will actually see when you get to the stage. Also I think most major matches reserve the right to alter the stage slightly, especially for safety. I have draw up some ideas for stages and I get my "plan" in my head after having designed it and then when I go to the match and set it up there is a better/faster way to shoot it and I miss it because I have programmed too much beforehand.

As far as planing, you just have to really memorize what you are going to do. Once I decide what I am going to shoot from where I imagine that I can't see the other targets from that position. With L10, production, or revolver this can be even harder because you might see hi-cap people doing things differently. You just have to keep imagining the arrays as you are going to shoot them. For example on stage 1, one could imagine the first array being 3 targets off the left side of the stage. (I am not saying this is the best way to shoot it BTW) Imagine that there is a baracade which blocks the 2 targets from the close position. If you program in that mentaly I think it helps...

Good luck,

Ira

[shred]

At DTC, targets will probably be closer than you expect, which makes it a little easier. The trick if you aren't very good at mental programming is to pick something simple. It may not be the best plan, but it's a lot better than missing targets.

Avoid "I can see it from here, but I'll shoot it from over there" as much as you can, so it becomes a matter of shooting everything you can see when you get to them. If you shoot something twice, that's not as bad as not shooting it at all.

On the walkthrough, be sure to program the hard-to-find targets (down low, way over on one side, etc), then start in with "when I get to here, I'll start with that target and shoot everything on to the right of it, leaving on that target".

[Genghis]

Thanks a bunch. BTW, Shred, I meant "truly evil mind" in the most complimentary way possible.

Edited March 10, 2006 by Genghis

[joseywales]

Genghis,

I live in the area and get out to a half dozen or so DoubleTap ranch matches every year. I think you'll find that the stages at DTC will not be as memory intensive as you suspect.

The MD at DTC usually sets stages such that you can only see each target from one position (with the exception being that some distant targets may be available from a couple of positions).

So like Shred said, if you can see it - you should probably shoot it, and like Ira said, don't program these stage designs into your head just yet...they will look a bit different (simpler) when you get to the range.

Edited March 10, 2006 by joseywales

[Steve Anderson]

Stage Analysis Tool at Andersonshooting.com

Try this...

SA

[Jake Di Vita]

One of the most effective ways for breaking down a memory stage is by looking at the stage from behind all the props...

[TBeazlie]

I may not be one to talk since I seem to be mired in C class, but I try to divide the targets into groups. I recently shot a stage where the targets were hidden by barrels and some could be seen at one position and not at others. So I broke them into groups and patterns. 3-3-4-3 and then shot the first target of the groups of three and the first and last of the group of four from one position and then only had to remember to shot the second and third of all the groups from the second position. I may not have been fast but there were no mikes and no fte penalties.