Xre

[XRe]

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That is INSANELY FAST

It may seem like it, but... let me put it in context for you... The first time I took a class from Matt, I stood and watched him casually rip off 5 .55 reloads in a row (with hits). .78 is dinosaur compared to that!!!

But, yeah... I'd done several .85s in a row, and then had vapor lock as I tried to push it. I got it back together for the .78....

I'm going to start calling you "The Breeze" (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Well, I definitely "got the green light"... heh heh....

We need to see video of that Xre!!

I wish - I'd like to see it, too, to see how I can get faster... No vid, unfortunately....

Good job at the DTC Dave, it was a good time shooting on your squad. I look forward to next year.

Alan, it was a great time shooting with you, too. I have to admit, I had no idea you were in the hunt for Production - I was in my own game, and you were shooting smooth and unremarkable (which, as we all know, should have been a clue to me, but... good shooting is boring, after all ). Congrats on that win, man!

[dirtypool40]

I remember an old email about "help with reloads"....

Look for one back from me asking the same thing.

[XRe]

Look for one back from me asking the same thing.

Heh heh...

Here's a pic of that reload....

I did a lot of work on speeding up the left hand - now its out running the right. So, current focus areas are on getting on the button quicker (can't tell you how many times I've bruised up my left hand knuckles... ), and also reestablishing grip and getting back on the target.

[zhunter]

Sweet position on that reload in the pic!!

GUN is high, eyes focused on the magwell!

I now have a roll model

[XRe]

So much has happened in the last two weeks.... There's already a thread open on what's mostly been on my mind, so I won't belabor the point, here...

I went into the Space City Challenge this past weekend having not shot a match in a month (Double Tap was the last match), and only getting one real practice session in during the interim (on Easter). I literally wasn't able to touch the gun between Easter and this past Saturday - I managed a short dry fire session in the hotel room before going to bed. This isn't the way any of us would prefer to approach a match....

So, I put my head in a space similar to this - I know my job. My job is to put the gun on the target and let the gun do what it needs to do - and keep doing that, shot after shot, until the match is over. And... have lots of fun. I had desires going into this match - but I kept my expectations at purely the level of things I could control.

I disappointed myself on the first stage - and, coincidentally, did most of my "match losing" in that short span of time. Squad 14 (me, BJ, Damon, Rick, David Houston, and Rey Panelo) started on stage 4. I hammered the first array, and then got a bit unhinged. I was slow across the first half of the stage. I'd picked a somewhat non-conservative strategy, electing to take the right side zebra target on the move. The target was out around 15 yards from where I was engaging it - it took me 2 extra shots (that I needed), and scads of extra time to finish that target. I got up to the port at the end, and took two extra shots at steel, as well. Indexed to the far zebra target... bang, click.... ran it dry on the last shot. Alpha-mike on the target... and boy did I feel like a jackass. Total rookie move. 41 match points gone... bye bye...

I mentally rewound and replayed the stage and noted a couple of things - just wasn't put together, went too aggressive where I probably shouldn't have that early in the match, and just was not snappy.... I used that well and won stage 5 with a nice solid run.

Stages 6 and 7 went well with competitive runs there, too. Stage 8 was a taste slow, but not hideously so - I had a hesitation in there that cost me a good second, total, in movement time, and wasn't as smooth across the 2nd array I engaged as I could have been.

Stage 1 was a solid run. Stage 2, I was the only shooter to break 10 seconds, and took another solid stage win.

Stage 3 was another disappointment - it took me 5 shots to hit the plate in the array that had the swinger - including a long "stand and aim and just hit the damn thing" delay. I also had a very odd jam in the turner array (odd for me, and this gun, anyway) - failure to eject jam. Possibly, my ejector needs some tuning. That little number cost me 10 points, as the turner got away from me. The time and points on that stage were worth close to another 30 match points.

BJ beat me by 39 match points.

Now, for the interesting part, to me....

In the past - as recently as last month - I'd have been pleased placing 2nd overall, and taking home a 1st Master trophy. Not this time... I just felt beaten, and it stung.

So why mention that?? Don't get me wrong - I mean no disrespect to the other folks in the match, and certainly not to BJ, or the other Masters... I find it interesting because it represents a fundamental change in attitude, and in where I'm setting my sights. Several folks came up to me after stage results were posted and said "Looks like you took it, man...", and (not having done all the math), I was like "Well, we'll see... I had some mistakes in there, etc..." - I'm thinking about the overall match... and they were talking about winning Master class. When I realized that, it dawned on me how profound a change that was in my thinking.... In some ways, its really simple and small, but in others... that's frickin' huge.

Even if I get no practice between now and then, and don't even shoot a round... I'm not satisfied with placing 20th at the Open Nationals this year....

[Al Capizzo]

Congratulations on a fine finish Dave. I wish I could have seen you shoot a stage or two.

Al

[Brazos SC Shooter]

... I find it interesting because it represents a fundamental change in attitude, and in where I'm setting my sights...I'm thinking about the overall match... and they were talking about winning Master class. When I realized that, it dawned on me how profound a change that was in my thinking.... In some ways, its really simple and small, but in others... that's frickin' huge.

Dave that is huge. Your words are also very timely for me. Just this morning I changed my vision statement to do this very thing. It has seemed ridiculous for me to think that I could win Limited at a major event, much less Nationals, given my current ranking. But I realized if I can't picture that now, how can I ever make it happen. I don't want to settle for only aiming, no pun intended, for winning my classification.

Thank you.

[Calamity Jane]

Now, for the interesting part, to me....

In the past - as recently as last month - I'd have been pleased placing 2nd overall, and taking home a 1st Master trophy. Not this time... I just felt beaten, and it stung.

I'm thinking about the overall match... and they were talking about winning Master class. When I realized that, it dawned on me how profound a change that was in my thinking.... In some ways, its really simple and small, but in others... that's frickin' huge.

What you believe is often what you receive. Best of luck at Open Nationals Big Dawg!

[dirtypool40]

Hang in there Dave, we'll squad up soon enough and then I'll distract you enough with my BS that you'll just..... shoot.

[XRe]

What you believe is often what you receive. Best of luck at Open Nationals Big Dawg!

I've never quite heard it put that way, Jane - that's awesome - succinct, and all Thanks for the wishes - heck, just wish me luck against Mother Nature over the next couple of weeks, so that maybe I can get some practice in!!!!

Hang in there Dave, we'll squad up soon enough and then I'll distract you enough with my BS that you'll just..... shoot.

[uscbigdawg]

Let's see....my Viper brother...

First on the reload. Great job! I find that when I program a perfect reload before the buzzer, that if I relax and just do it, sub 1 second reloads are a breeze. Saul brings it up about the draw in 3GM but it applies here too. If you efficient with your motion, being "fast" is easy. It just happens. I learned this when I cleaned up my draw and now (pre-Army) have match draws consistently under 1 second. Going back to the reload, if we do the pieces that we are supposed to do and have no extras (FINISH THE SHOT, gun's high, see the reload in and MOVE!) being fast is easy. Then...the cool part is WE get to add SPEED! I think once we differentiate the two (being FAST and adding SPEED) it helps makes things process and gains happen.

Equipment Sidebar: Still notice the little comp on there. Thought you were switching. Notice too the ICE magwell instead of the Aftec/EGW. Just some curiosity on the parts on the pistola. I'm diggin' the Brazos on my Limited and will probably switch both Vipers to them. BTW...on that steel gun project...yep...Rusty's building that one too.

On the SSC: Glad to hear about the mindset change too. For a guy that says he doesn't practice enough or dry fire enough, Dave, seeing you on video, you are a scary shooter to have to face. You are aggressive, have the speed and most of all are fearless. I think once you find a way to clean up the rough edges, GM and winning matches will be more common than you may be ready to handle.

Hope things are well and let us know how things went at Nat's.

Rich

[dfwmiket]

We had a match today, and Dave was overall winner. He's looking sharp!

[XRe]

Then...the cool part is WE get to add SPEED! I think once we differentiate the two (being FAST and adding SPEED) it helps makes things process and gains happen.

This is true - but what they don't tell you is that as you add speed, certain things, like timing, come to light... And those become critical - at least, they did for me. Snapping the left hand to the mag was the first piece, but then I found I was lagging on punching the button. So, then had to focus on actuating the button positively earlier in the reload process. Then, I found I was still outracing things with the left hand, so a slight pull back and focus on the mag well was required... and then its all fallen together.

Relaxation is totally the key, and when you "try" to go fast, it just falls apart. You just have to be fast...

Note, too, that I haven't knowingly broken 1.00 on a match reload (though I probably have) - just in practice....

Equipment Sidebar: Still notice the little comp on there. Thought you were switching.

Short season - couldn't be without the gun for a couple months to get it recomped. Something is planned for the remainder of this year

Notice too the ICE magwell instead of the Aftec/EGW. Just some curiosity on the parts on the pistola.

The EGW magwell fits INSIDE the ICE mag well. Nuff said

I'm diggin' the Brazos on my Limited and will probably switch both Vipers to them. BTW...on that steel gun project...yep...Rusty's building that one too.

I haven't played w/ a Brazos mag well, at this point, so I can't really make any comments about it...

For a guy that says he doesn't practice enough or dry fire enough

Less than 5K rounds this year, so far, including major matches And it sucks Too much rain....

, Dave, seeing you on video, you are a scary shooter to have to face. You are aggressive, have the speed and most of all are fearless.

The Achilles heel, right now, is two things - focus and followthrough on steel targets, and physical speed. Improving the power to weight ratio is a primary goal for the next few months - the shooting is generally fast enough, and accurate enough. Its getting to the different places, and then taking extra shots on steel, that's really hampering me right now...

I've been learning aggro shooting ... as far as "fearless" goes, yeah, I suppose that applies. I tend to associate that term with recklessness in some ways, but its not an accurate association, really. Its coming together, thats for sure.

I can tell you, though, in all seriousness - I still have a long way to go before you see my name at the top of a Nationals...

I think once you find a way to clean up the rough edges, GM and winning matches will be more common than you may be ready to handle.

GM is very close, now... (A25626 ). I can only hope your prediction is correct, man....

Hope things are well and let us know how things went at Nat's.

Finished 5 places worse, but 1% better. Had 7 penalties across 6 stages, some slow hangups, and stuff. I ended up determining that I'd fallen into the "try" trap. On day 1, I was leading my squad (the secondary Open super squad, if you can say we had one). On the 1st stage of the 2nd day, I had a miss - it was a shot I called as being 1 inch inside the A-zone, and ended up about 3mm into the hardcover that bordered the A-zone. Just not a perfectly called shot, in the end. I made up my mind not to miss again, and buckled down - and "tried" to do things. I over visualized, over prepped, etc, and went into the next two days with a lot of tension.

I finally realized what I was doing on the last stage of the 3rd day, and blazed the stage. Don't get me wrong, there were high-ish points in the middle, too, but broken up by streaks of penalties.... The last day I shot solid (stages 16, 17, 18, and 1, for me).

Video is here (thanks, shred ): http://www.shred2.net/%7Eshred/ipsc/DaveRe2007.wmv - judge for yourself. Compare to the link further up the thread from the 2006 Nationals.... I see lots of improvement - and lots of room for improvement

Too bad the "drop the washer in the bucket" stage isn't on here - I smoked the swingers on that sucker

ETA - we started the match on stage 2. Last stage of 3rd day is the one with the ultra-fantastically long stage prep - there's a story behind that, too.... but I think shred was trying to embarrass me by leaving it in....

Edited August 19, 2007 by XRe

[dirtypool40]

GM is very close, now... (A25626 ). I can only hope your prediction is correct, man....

That looked like a very GM montage', standing by to hear about the update.

PS: How freakin' good do you reload?!?!? Holy Crap, that load at the end was HOT!!

[XRe]

That looked like a very GM montage', standing by to hear about the update.

Yeah, me too

PS: How freakin' good do you reload?!?!? Holy Crap, that load at the end was HOT!!

That was about a 1.00, really - not all that fast, in the grand scheme of things. That's pretty much my typical reload, these days. I'm working in practice to shave another tenth off that as my regular standing load, but for now I've got bigger fish to fry in my overall game, so...

That run was 96% - I already had a 97% on file, so it didn't get used, but I was happy to be busting out GM scores in the match. The scary part was, I was 9th on that stage!!! Todd ran it a full second faster....

[Calamity Jane]

Just watched the video. You're an inspiration! I'm gonna get me one of those 1 sec standing reloads

[XRe]

Shot my first match - a special classifier - in Production yesterday (thanks, BryanW, for the loan of the tupperware... ). That was a hoot I hadn't really handled the gun at all before the match, and only got to do a few dry draws and reloads in the safe area before the match with it - it was a Gen 2 G17, with a standard mag button on it, so getting the mags out proved to be an issue for me during the match. Anyhow, either way, I should have a classification coming for Production, now....

Several other things are humming in my performance plans, right now.... my remaining goals for the year appear to be well on the way to being realized. It should become clear in the next couple of weeks where I stand.... more on that in a couple of weeks heh heh....

[XRe]

Several other things are humming in my performance plans, right now.... my remaining goals for the year appear to be well on the way to being realized. It should become clear in the next couple of weeks where I stand.... more on that in a couple of weeks heh heh....

As promised, the "couple of weeks" update. I have achieved every major goal I set out to tackle this year. Things that were once distant "dream goals" have been attained. And this in a year when I've put maybe 5000 rounds downrange all year long, due to weather issues. The only things left on my plate are picking apart and achieving the next set of dream goals - and roughly distilled down, that is - WIN at big matches. That's quite a leap from the previous goals, in that there's a lot of ground to cover. Diving into the deep end upon achieving the M card was a big change. This is bigger, because the all encompassing nature of the changes required is huge.

I'm spending some time in a structured tear down of my game, and also just taking some time off. Its that part of the season. No big matches until the FL Open next year for me. Perfect time to chill and reflect, and meditate. Some of that has come out in the thread Jake started on perceptions.... I may or may not share other bits... we'll see

I was also presented with an exciting opportunity for next match season. More on this later, as I'm not sure now is the time to get into it. It ended up being a big confidence booster, though, and I'm chomping at the bit to get it going. I have to be patient, though... that's a skill to work on, I guess

Anyhow... the biggest goal - one that I've held as a dream goal for what amounts to 15 years, was achieved last month at the Waco match. A couple of you may have noticed that I've been shooting iron sight divisions for the past couple of matches, protecting this progress in a relatively conservative fashion, and also securing a classification in Production while I was at it.

Go plug A25626 into the USPSA classification page

[Catfish]

Great work, Dave, you've earned it!!

[j1b]

Nice work Dave. I admire how you've attacked getting back on track.

Then, calmly punching in a classifier like that. You dog - you've been sandbagging all this time

Nicely done and congrats on hitting those goals!

J

[Calamity Jane]

VERY IMPRESSIVE INDEED!! Congratulations on attaining your goals!

I did notice the revolver category still had the "U". Perhaps you should bring that up to speed in 2008!

[XRe]

I did notice the revolver category still had the "U". Perhaps you should bring that up to speed in 2008!

I'm concerned the Revo guys make take a hit out on me when I make Master by default

[XRe]

Nice work Dave. I admire how you've attacked getting back on track.

Looking forward to seeing you out there more, too, man

Then, calmly punching in a classifier like that. You dog - you've been sandbagging all this time

Sandbagging... heh... Actually, I've had a couple of experiences this year, where I just took this little bumps up in speed and ability. The most recent one was spending a day w/ Max in a group class. He confirmed quite a bit for me about my technique and equipment, and gave me a few ideas on things to focus on. The added confidence seemed to help - I'd been shooting low 90s on classifiers mostly, and jumped right up to shooting them sharp and confident (except for the abortion on Bang and Clang... That was bad... ). The last one really didn't feel or look all that impressive from behind the gun, but the results show.... There's another plane of performance waiting for me... and that's way cool....

[j1b]

My goal is the TGO/Tiger Woods plane.

You know the "even when I shoot poorly I'm better than everyone else" plane. I know - it's a pipe dream. But when you do squeeze in that 100% classifier and you think "yeah I was on it but it wasn't that big a deal" you know there is capacity there beyond comprehension to go and do more.

You're well on the path.

J

[XRe]

My goal is the TGO/Tiger Woods plane.

You know the "even when I shoot poorly I'm better than everyone else" plane. I know - it's a pipe dream.

Nah... not a pipe dream. Just an eventual goal.... There's a lot of steps in between to get there, but... it can be done, my man...

But when you do squeeze in that 100% classifier and you think "yeah I was on it but it wasn't that big a deal" you know there is capacity there beyond comprehension to go and do more.

The only problem is... the big guys are running those at 110-120%

But, yeah, when you execute something like that, and you know you wasted a tenth and a half on the draw, and a tenth or so on the reload, and you could've picked up the two points you dropped, and.... You can see where the road leads from there... And, it didn't feel rushed or hurried or even fast...

Its coming together. The big realization, though - something that Anderson figured out pretty quick, too - is that the skills that get you the GM card via classifiers don't even begin to prepare to win. They're a subset, sure, but there's a lot more to it than pure classifier skills.... Time to identify and squash weaknesses in that regard, and start figuring out what it really means to win at the big match level....