Xre

[j1b]

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....

Agree 100%. Could easily be argued that being able to crunch out solid classifiers means the basics in your shooting portfolio are very sound. A match, and a major match at that, has more complexities and simply requires more of the skill set than your normal classifiers.

Yep, I would think being competitive on the big stage these days is astoundingly tough. IfI were to wager I bet most of the big dogs are still just practicing the basics though. That's at least a little encouraging.

You can do it.

J

[XRe]

Yep, I would think being competitive on the big stage these days is astoundingly tough. IfI were to wager I bet most of the big dogs are still just practicing the basics though. That's at least a little encouraging.

It depends on who you ask as to the details, but in large part that's true of the guys I've asked. Lots of small drills, plus some occasional tie ins between the drills to make short courses. In fact, it quite a bit looks like Saul Kirsch's drills in Perfect Practice. At least one of the guys will start building field courses as a big match approaches, and run them as real stages - ie, walk through, program, and shoot it once (and once only). Then build something different and do it again...

I've known for a long time that I can't get better at shooting big matches unless I go shoot big matches - and that it would be especially helpful to be squadded with the big guys at those matches, for various reasons. This was the impetus behind emphasizing the GM goal - that credential can be helpful in getting squadded sometimes. Think about this - shooting a big match and observing the big names at those matches is really the only practical way to start learning things like complex stage breakdown. Video helps, maybe (like buying Sauls videos, for instance), but you don't have the first hand knowledge of having seen the stage itself. In the end, being there and engaging in careful observation will teach you so much more...

Then there's refinement of the skills I've already got - especially the higher level stuff, like awkward positions, movement skills, shoot on the move, etc, but also the basics.

Lots of cool stuff - the only real question, now, is where to start. You know how to eat an elephant, right?? So, this is part of my latest pondering is what skills do I need to change most to be in position to win - that information will be fed into my skill assessment spreadsheet (see Saul's Thinking Practical Shooting for the prototype I used) in order to build a training plan...

You can do it.

I think so, too, man Thanks

[Airic]

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....

I just wanted to point this part of your post out. In the big grand scheme of things, classification really means nothing. Classifiers are basic skill tests. The person who wins is the one who is prepared to win. Not so much physically, I mean tell me the truth...do you see the "big dogs" pulling the trigger and transitioning or moving their body at a super human speed? When I watch them, I don't see them doing those things any faster than me, and after watching your video, I sure as hell don't see them doing it faster than you. Its consistency, the mental part of the game, its getting yourself to:

1. believe you can

2. command your body and mind to perform

Matt didn't rip off those 5 .55 second reloads because he has some physical ability that all of us don't have. He did it because he wanted to, and he knows he is able to.

[XRe]

Airic, you speak a lot of truth. Let me see what I can do with this...

do you see the "big dogs" pulling the trigger and transitioning or moving their body at a super human speed? When I watch them, I don't see them doing those things any faster than me, and after watching your video, I sure as hell don't see them doing it faster than you.

Watching video can be deceptive. There are things that I can point out to you where I'm obviously lacking in relative speed, and where the actual shooting is not as skilled as theirs. Splits on long range targets is one that jumps right out at me, for instance. Shooting on the move, there's a big difference (though I shoot on the move pretty well). Indexes, I'm losing a couple hundredths here and there, but there's nothing so super-human about it - the key is that I tend to get lazy on those sometimes, and I leak time there like a sieve. Same goes for extra shots on certain types of targets (which is, in the end, a mental error, not a shooting error, but comes back to a shooting skills...).

I heard a comment a squad mate of mine at the Nationals made about my shooting through the grapevine, and I thought it sounded like a fair assessment of where I was at for that performance - to paraphrase, nothing flashy, just good solid fundamentals. Part of the overall speed of movement shows up as that "flashiness", although that's not a worthwhile goal (efficiency is far more effective for scoring purposes than "flashy") - but I could certainly use a kick in the pants about my speed of movement at times.

Its consistency, the mental part of the game, its getting yourself to:

1. believe you can

2. command your body and mind to perform

And how do you do that? You prove to yourself that you can. You do that by pushing the limits and boundaries of your current performance envelope, testing where your limits of function are at the time, and noting what you find, and then working to further expand them. And then you drive that with the will to do what it takes to get the job done.

But even that is not enough - though I agree that the mental toughness involved (which is partially what you're describing, to me) is required to win through anything but dumb luck. The guys who've been where I'm at (and I apologize, I'm not familiar with your shooting or your progress) will get what I'm saying about this, I think. There's a large amount of game that I need to learn and refine - from the skills I mentioned above, to better stage breakdown, to better execution skills - to provide a foundation for the mental game to sit on top of - to provide the confidence level required to believe/trust that I own those skills, and to focus on the execution at hand. We're talking a matter of degrees, of course - not huge amazing chunks of stuff, but little refinements here and there, shaving hundredths now, not tenths, from every part of the game...

Matt didn't rip off those 5 .55 second reloads because he has some physical ability that all of us don't have. He did it because he wanted to, and he knows he is able to.

And he knew he could do it through a lot of hard work. Simple desire is not enough when coupled with ill-founded trust. None of the upper level shooters are anything special in terms of physical abilities - some have more natural talent, and some have simply worked so hard as to make the rest of us look like pathetic weenies, and some end up in between. But none of them are gods.

I hear what you're saying about the mind game, no doubt.... All I'm saying in return is.... I have a lot of work to do (and I love doing that kind of work, man ).

[newshooter]

Great posts!!! lots of great info in your diary!!

[XRe]

Started up a Blogger blog.... Feel free to check it out, and jump in http://re-gun.blogspot.com/

Web 2.0 is where its at, man

[Shawn Knight]

Blogging is fun!

Belated congrats on GM man!!

[XRe]

Belated congrats on GM man!!

Thx, dude

[HuskySig]

Started up a Blogger blog.... Feel free to check it out, and jump in http://re-gun.blogspot.com/

Dave,

I just wanted to say that I've been enjoying your blog so far. I check it about once a week and so far I haven't been disappointed. Keep it up!

mattk

[XRe]

I just wanted to say that I've been enjoying your blog so far. I check it about once a week and so far I haven't been disappointed. Keep it up!

Hey, Matt,

Sorry it took me a couple of weeks to see this - my diary hasn't bubbled up on the active posts in a while! I'm glad you're enjoying the reading!

For your Christmas reading pleasure, two new posts today... one on goals, and another on ... practice habits

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!

[XRe]

Another post in my ongoing series of mental game stuff.... this one's on Self Talk http://re-gun.blogspot.com/2008/01/self-talk-m2tt-way.html

Do me a favor, and don't all start eavesdropping on these guys They might come after me...

Edited January 3, 2008 by XRe

[XRe]

And a little note on this fine establishment... http://re-gun.blogspot.com/2007/12/forum-o...ianenoscom.html

[HuskySig]

Dave,

I just read through your latest post about setting up field courses at home to dry fire through. I like the idea, but I have a question. When you do this, are you just acquiring a sight picture and "pretending" to pull the trigger? Or are you resetting the hammer between each shot? This is a question I've also had about the drills in Steve Anderson's dry fire books.

When I dry fire at home, I reset the hammer on my pistol for each shot. Generally, I'm only going for one shot though. For example, entering a new shooting location. I'll have the pistol cocked and ready to fire on a chambered snap cap. I'll move from a start position to the shooting position and pull the trigger, hopefully soon after I've entered the new shooting location.

Thanks!

mattk

[XRe]

Matt - I don't do either... I do pull the trigger on each "shot", letting off the trigger through where the reset would be, then pressing the trigger again with proper trigger control for the shot I'm making. This isn't the same feel, obviously, as dropping the hammer. I only get that on the first trigger pull. However, I can see all the same stuff occur - if I'm yanking on the trigger, I'll still see the dot travel off the left (my symptom for that problem, yours may vary), etc. Ideally, the dot or sights should stay right where they are when the trigger reaches the overtravel stop.

If I were shooting a DA/SA type of gun, I'd consider doing a full DA pull on each shot, to work my trigger control. I'd also have the option of just letting off to the same point that the trigger would normally reset, and pull through again from there.

[AlamoShooter]

Matt - I don't do either... I do pull the trigger on each "shot", letting off the trigger through where the reset would be, then pressing the trigger again with proper trigger control for the shot I'm making. This isn't the same feel, obviously,

If I were shooting a DA/SA type of gun, I'd consider doing a full DA pull on each shot, to work my trigger control. I'd also have the option of just letting off to the same point that the trigger would normally reset, and pull through again from there.

With a Revolver I did a lot of practice like Dave says about pulling just up to the point of having the hammer fall and thin pulling to it again. I think that is what gave me good trigger control for longer shots. I am more competitive with a revolver than any other gun. I like the Open Race though and that practice set may have added to my slow splits though so I am not going to practice like that with my revolver until I get my split times down.

Jamie