j1b

[j1b]

Thanks guys. It was good to shoot.

Production seems to be "where it's at" here so I'm (FINALLY) sending the XD back this weekend to get it fixed up.

I will admit that not using an inner/outer belt system, drawing and reloading the ol' skinny gun from carry gear, and missing those extra couple of rounds in the mag have made the matches more challenging. Which I do think is good. Equipment never fixes the Indian but I do think some of those remedies will allow me to get back to the shooting a little quicker.

And I'm already working on time to dry fire as well as drills to help me see like I know I can.

Good to bust some caps regardless!

Jack

[j1b]

From words on paper (figuratively) to reality. The XD comes home on Friday all fixed up and ready to roll.

There's a match on Sunday and I may just have to see if I can make it.

It's exciting to think about, exciting to get a blaster I was really beginning to get the feel of up and running again. I know it was a while ago but I also can read back over the posts and see that a little effort, some diligence, and some consistency, and the rust does come off. It does come back.

Oh hell I know it likely won't ever be "what it was" but if I can get close it'll still be pretty ok

J

[j1b]

Interesting day and match.

I started off the day hoping the XD was still sighted in. Going back to the shop, you just never know. And I kind of just knew that there'd be some learning with the holster and mag pouch set along with running a different gun.

I was consistently rough today. Just not crisp. I knew I'd need to shoot points today now that I switched to minor. Unfortunately I just wasn't as disciplined as I needed to be. I dropped far too many points today.

Stage one on the first couple of targets I was working to see the sights and hits, just wanted to know the gun was shooting where I needed it to. That seemed ok - or at least close enough. I did like my focus on positioning today and I think executed that reasonably well through the day. Near the end of the stage I had plans to run the gun dry. The scenario had me right at 11 rounds. For the first time in a long time I had a malfunction and that then forced a reload. And, within all of that, I had a miss. So i was slow and had a miss. Rough way to start ....

Stage 2 I think was just ok. A stable stage. Honestly I don't remember much about it. As I think about it I remember taking several make up shots to get some points. I think that's my primary criticism - making up for a lack of discipline with extra shots isn't a winning strategy.

Stage 3 was again just ok. More make up shots. Stage 2 and 3 were really similar for me. Sloppy with the shooting.

Stage 4 was really a great stage. As mentioned I liked where I started from a position play perspective. Executed this particularly well at the beginning of the stage. I was intending to shoot 10, load, shoot 10, load, and shoot 10. I had one makeup shot on the first setup taking the gun to slidelock and I'll be damned if I could find my damn slide release. It took me 2 seconds to get that ironed out. And I was at slidelock throughout the rest of that stage when completing each section. So overall just slow. This was a REALLY well designed stage though. Tricky and gamey and could be shot several different ways.

5th stage was the classifier. Dropped too many points, particularly on one target but probably a more solid crisp shooting performance. My one issue (with myself) was on the weak hand string I know I shot that first shot without a 100% sure sight picture. Turned out to be a C so I got away with it. But I know that is a 50/50 gamble that truly can not be tolerated.

So all in all a pretty bla performance today. Did I win? Hard to say. Hard to imagine I did and certainly don't feel like it was a winning performance. I may get lucky in production class but it would be hard to get a HOA with my performance today.

BUT .... Yes there is a but here .... I feel like I could have crushed this match. If I'd had time I would have re-shot it. I loved the stages and the set up. I didn't execute super well today but I definitely felt like with just a little more practice, a little more discipline, and a little more match time that I could have crushed it. Could have given HOA a run for the money with a production gun.

I don't say that to be arrogant. I'm encouraged that I left the match feeling that with some tweaks I could ha done much, much better. That's exciting.

My hats off to the Clairton crew in western PA. I thought the match set up, the stage set up, the unique scenarios and challenges were really, really good.

[38supPat]

When restricted to 10 only I generally try to avoid 10 reload 10 reload 10 unless there is a very clear advantage. As you found one make up shot and you are running slide lock the rest of the stage....with no more spares unless you do a static reload. The flip side is to shoot it with no make ups and take your hits, which may mean you have to be wiling to let a miss hang to get a good time.

[j1b]

No question Pat, I totally agree.

The stage was really well designed and very complex. The decision to go 10-10-10 I knew involved risk and I knew it was the more aggressive path to take.

On a less complex stage I likely would have done an additional load during a safe transition area to get back to plan but the complexity of the stage inhibited my ability to do that. Precise positioning was important to the stage and keeping track of targets was complex. Given how tight I was running it I had to know that any error would start a challenging landslide that would be tough to get in front of.

And honestly the 10-10-10 helped alleviate a little bit of the complexity. Which I saw as a (albeit small) benefit.

It was probably too aggressive for where I'm at right now and most specifically with the XD which I just have no recent time behind. That said I don't really regret the decision. If all the targets were paper I would definitely do it again. 4 targets being steel generated a little more risk, that was where my make up shot was.

I liked the stage and I liked having an aggressive mindset. I liked a strategy that required solid execution but execution that was achievable. I simply didn't execute and therein lies the problem.

[j1b]

Results in .... Disappointing.

Within production division the picture is misleading. Was lucky to get the nod and get a division win.

Within the overall match the results are much more telling. 6th place and an 80% score of the winner. Wasn't really even close. First stage was a disaster - ended up 17th overall. I knew it, knew it was bad, it's just seeing it in reality that stings. It's also the one stage I lost in production. Half the points I lost the match by came here, though I don't believe that if I'd not had the miss or the jam I would have made all those up. The open gun times were much, much, faster.

Second stage I was 5th and still lost 25+ match points to that stage winner. To win a match with a production gun it is evident that execution levels are going to have to be very high ....

Third stage I was third.

Fourth stage I was 9th. Nothing was super clean this match but stage one and this stage were the highlights of what not to do.

Fifth stage I was second.

Just a lot of work to do. Blessed and humble to win the division. Just want to push hard to get an OA W with the production gun - seems like that would be cool to accomplish.

More to come as I dig into the numbers.

J

[j1b]

was dry firing today getting ready for a match tomorrow and discovered a couple of things- 1 new - 1 a broken record ….

The broken record is looking the mag into the mag well. It seems to be a perpetual issue for me that I simply need to resolve. I did discover today that I was looking up just at the last second to try and re-acquire the target. So I know what I'm doing. Now it's just discipline around not doing that, I can look up once the mag is in the well.

But I do think I found the cause of the jam. I believe it was a magazine issue that I discovered today. So that's good - That would save better than two seconds on stage one from the other day.

Excited to get to the match tomorrow and see how things go.

Just gotta build good plans, execute them well, and stay disciplined. Should be fun.

[j1b]

In match report...

Really tough start to the day. Stage one was rough, missed a popper three times just not paying attention.

Second stage was worse. Had a failure to eject and then a miss to compliment. The miss was on a harder head shot - it is what it is. Need to be disciplined.

I immediately go to thre negative. Like "why the hell am I here ..." But now I'm thinking just close it out strong.

Winning the match just isn't an option. But I won production last week by 95 points. If I can execute from here maybe, just maybe, I can get back in the production game.

The other competitors are too good for me to "catch up" to but if one or two slip up like I did then maybe there's a chance.

It's all about execution right now.

[38supPat]

Ever have that conversation go through your head as you are making up shots on a popper where you try to convince yourself to get solid and hit the damn popper and at the same time wonder if you still have enough rounds left and then realize that very conversation is distracting you and causing the misses?

[j1b]

Yep Pat - hell I just did it.

In match update ....

Not improving. At all.

Classifier ended up being ok. Had a miss which I did not see but had really good hits otherwise and the hit factor I think will be ok.

Fourth stage really fell to pieces and I'm so disappointed because I had a really good plan. Like I really liked how I wanted to shoot the stage. Problem is all loads had to come off the table and I intended to feed a mag pouch off the table. When I did that in the stage I instinctively dropped my mag, and the stage plan went out the window. Wish I could shoot it again because I know my intended plan would have been solid.

It occurs to me when I came back last time I went through a phase of trying to figure out execution. I think it's kind of part of the process but one I'm anxious to get through.

One stage left and I'd really like to do well.

[j1b]

Best stage of the day. Wasn't epically awesome but solidly executed and by far my best stage of the day.

Good to leave on a high note...

[38supPat]

It sounds to me like you are putting an awful lot of pressure on yourself to perform at your old levels but haven't got the time in again yet. You've taken quite a bit of time off and are just getting warmed up. You have a lot of talent and it'll get there. Try to look at each item as a learning experience and put a positve spin on it.

[j1b]

Thanks Pat. I think if I read my posts I would come to the same conclusion!!

It's hard to explain. I want to shoot well. I want to execute well. I'm not competing at the level I used to and am ok with that. And ultimately I'm glad to just be out there. To put it in perspective had I shot like I did today ten years ago my whole Sunday would have been ruined. I would have just lamented the hell out of the whole thing. Not today! I was disappointed I didn't do the things I know how to do but had a great drive home, grabbed a nice afternoon snack with my wife. Enjoying a nice glass of wine now .... Match? What match?? Lol!!

Here's the deal though. The reason's I didn't shoot well today or last weekend are well within my control. It's not "rust" per se. It's more learning how to compete again. Prioritize the right things. Don't assume that because I know how I want to shoot a stage that I've thought through how I'm going to execute my plan.

Here's a good example of that. Stage one and stage 5 both had pepper poppers behind a hardcover popper. Similar type targets, ranges etc. Stage one I knew the cadence I wanted to shoot and kind of left things at that. Didn't think through HOW I was going to shoot the cadence. How I wanted to see on those poppers. And it cost me - dearly. I bet I lost 3-4 seconds futzing around with it. Stage five I made one simple change. I was looking at the poppers and realized quickly that if I just "head shot" them that there was plenty of target and really the hardcover popper doesn't even come into play. Ding, ding and we're on our way.

In the world of grandmasters and super squads and national champions I have no idea how well I shot stage 5. I could guess but have no real gauge. What I can say is that stage is a great beginning on how I want to execute my plans. Then if I want to move up the standings I know I need to improve my skill level so that what I'm executing is at a higher level.

Anxious for the results though - just to see!

[j1b]

Classifier score worked out to be 90% which I find bizarre given that I had a miss.

Weird....

[38supPat]

Agreed, I've been there, as long as you dont start looking in the wrong places for things to fix which is what I did and it retarded my progress.

[j1b]

Results .....

My bad stages were my bad stages. It is what it is. My second stage, kind of the lowest of the lows, I ended up being down 60 match points to that stage winner. The jam, the miss, poor execution throughout and that's where I ended up.

The first stage of the match, while not ideal, I only ended up dropping 5 match points to the stage winner. Can't have stages like that in bigger matches but I was fortunate that it didn't kill me in the long run.

Which brings us to my stage 3 - the classifier. Apparently none of my competitors had the best days either. The shooter that beat me by 60 on stage one had a tough classifier as did some of my other competitors. My "in match" report basically said I was going to dial it in and try to battle back. I had a miss on the stage but otherwise shot good points (it just makes me wonder about a double bu that's for another day). I won the classifier and was second in the total match with it. Not happy about the miss but was glad that a solid stage was put up.

My fourth stage was a bit of a debacle but like stage one it didn't overly penalize me. Honestly, shooting solid points here helped a lot. I'd say that is true for the entirety of the match, shooting good points helped mitigate some of the execution flaws.

And stage 5 was my best. By far. A solid performance that won the stage in production and the match. A great building platform for future matches and a good lesson on how to think through not just how I want to shoot a stage but how I think through the specifics of executing a stage. Had I approached the poppers in stage one like I did in stage five I think the result would have been meaningfully different.

Overall a choppy match and a challenging one. Challenging for all involved it looks like. I think the classifier really ended up being the difference maker - several competitors seemed to have challenges on it. Tighter targets with strong hand and weak hand shooting ended up causing some challenge.

So I got lucky, pulled off a production win. 5th in the overall match with lots of room to improve. Got beat out by a couple of limited guys and an open gun. Stage 5 and the classifier are good build points to perform better in the future!

[j1b]

Alright, a new match tomorrow.

A lot of good learnings from the last match and a lot to build on from the last match. I'm hopeful that the lessons stick and that stage 2 of last weekend turns out to be THE low and stage 5 turns out to be the new norm.

If I think about it I think I'll do an "in match" report or two. I honest to goodness believe they helped set my mind straight.

Cleaned the XD so hopefully a fully functioning gun tomorrow. Dry fired a couple of times so hopefully the core basics improve. And then obviously the learnings on stage execution and really dialing that in are key.

Last match before production nationals .... Which I'm not going to. I'm sad and glad. I'm not ready - not by a long shot. And I'm not talking about winning here - that's foolish talk. I'm not ready for a match of that magnitude. So for sure I'm glad I'm not returning to PASA park. But there is some sadness ... Would love to here that "beep" at a nationals again. I'm too old to be able to redeem my self and get that national title but I am hopefully to one day play at that level again. Just because.

I'll be posting tomorrow, hopefully with my best match of the summer in the books!!

J

[j1b]

Pre-match

It's a points day. Stages don't look too complex so just need to really focus on being smooth, getting points, and not inserting complexity into the game.

Should be fun.

[j1b]

First stage in. Decent run, nothing to complain about. Some positioning could have been a tick better and one reload was a little rough. But all in all off to a reasonable start.

Some good shooters in limited in the squad that will be good to benchmark against.

[j1b]

Second stage is done. Similar result. Good solid stage, good points. Stage execution was pretty clean - one make up shot in the end that probably cost me 4 tenths or so.

The drama was we saw a guy basically shoot himself. Holstering at the make ready and got his shirt caught up. Gun goes off and he grazes his leg. A good caution to just be safe out there!!

Match is going ok right now. Just need to keep taking complexity out and executing a clean plan.

[j1b]

A definite slip on stage three.

Two misses and it really boils down to shooting faster than I was seeing. The shots overall were longish and I had certain banks of targets I was dialed in on. I just lost discipline on the others. Rougher on points as well.

All good, just need to dial it back in and treat all targets like they are critical.

[j1b]

That's a wrap! All done.

Decent match today. One bad stage in 5 versus one good stage in 5 like last weekend.

Gun worked flawlessly today, that was great.

Overall execution was significantly better than last match. I guess the one thing is maintaining my visual discipline. I got a little loose today and certainly on stage 3 that was extremely detrimental.

The last two stages were just ok. I'd say my first two stages were my best. Both stage 4 and 5 were pretty straight forward. Stage 4 I dropped a few too many points, particularly on one bank of targets, and my time was so-so. Classifier stage was steely V - only 30 points. I didn't shoot it well really - slowish draw and missed one of the steel - had to make that back up. Time was 3.95 and the hit factor lands me around 70% so nothing really stellar. It's just kind of a blah stage .... I could have zeroed it and lost fewer points than I did on stage 3 ....

I would note that overall my perception was that these stages were less complex. So execution should have been better and likely was for the competition as well. Sometimes I write this stuff down and think hey - last week I won with a disaster match and this week was better so ..... That may not be the case. Someone could have come in and executed that much better themselves. It would be neat to win the match with a production gun, this match would seem to have the best chance of doing that though I don't see it in the cards. I shot well, but not great. I think that if I'm within' 30-40 points of the match winner I can feel like progress is being made.

Was a fun day though and I am pleased execution got better. Hope the guy with the AD is ok and has learned from that mistake. That was some scary, scary chit when that happened!!!

[biglou13]

Was AD on draw? or other? did he shoot leg /foot?

Edited August 2, 2015 by biglou13

[j1b]

It was a pretty new shooter. He apparently had shot a couple of IDPA matches and today was wearing cover - like a big flannel type garment.

He's making ready, loading the gun, goes to put it in his holster and his big shirt gets hung up. Gun isn't going into the holster. His solution was to push harder and that's when the gun discharged.

About a 5" long and maybe 1/8 to 1/4 inch gash in his leg.

He's fortunate to not get seriously injured as was the RO standing behind him or any of us from rocks or richochet.

[biglou13]

LUCKY!!!!

thanks for posting...... lesson learned!