Area 5

[Ben Stoeger]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3842444046419442426

I am getting crushed on time.

Help me out!

[Chris Conley]

Damn man, pretty slick to me! Wish I could shoot like that. Sorry no help from me but nice video.

Chris

[Catfish]

you look good, about all I could see (and it may have been an illusion if the sound and auido weren't in synch) was that on some of the arrays it seems as if you had the gun up and ready to shoot, but didn't pull the trigger...

[Gameplayer]

I wish I was half as good.

Edited August 21, 2007 by GamePlayer

[Sherwyn]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3842444046419442426

I am getting crushed on time.

Help me out!

You just need to add some weight for better traction and stability.

Sherwyn

[Thomas Moore]

is that the sun i see. you lucky dog.

[Micah]

Perhaps your first shot on a new array could be faster.

I must say, you burned the hell out of that 6 popper stage! Shooting 99.6

% if Vogel is quite the HUGE accomplishment!

[EZ Bagger]

First shots seem to require the extra fraction and the reloads seem to be requiring an awful lot of your attention...definitely a good shooter.

[Vulture]

You won Stages 1,2, 7, and 10 and were 2nd on all the rest and your complaining. You didn't lose on time you lost on stage 6 where you were down 12 points to the stage winner. Oh and remember that drop turner you skipped, it won you the stage but may have cost you the match. Just my .02

[Thomas Moore]

i was going to say the same thing about that drop turner after seeing the video and the final results. had ben taken the extra time for the 10 points would he have won? some of you math wizards can probably figure this one out.

[Ben Stoeger]

Guys,

The LAST thing to do at this point is play IF-SIC. I shot a VERY conservative match. There were 4 points in the match where it saved a buttload of time for the 10 round guys to go to slide lock. I only did it 1 of those times. I shot for all A's, all the time, and just shot my own game.

Bob did what he had to do to beat my score. He did just that.

I need to make an improvement on skill (a really big one, if I want to shoot 90% of dave at nationals) NOT worry about what I could have done differently.

But, there are some helpful comments about setting up quicker and reloading faster here. I will take these tips into consideration.

Time to practice.

[Crusher]

FWIW, Transitions seem fine, splits fine, accuracy (from available match points) fine, all easily within 90% of DS, if not closer. Your exits seem to be reload based (on some stages a slower/lower reloads, your head was down because the gun was low) and this may cause you to not be able to accelerate sooner from an exit to where you want to be for the next array.

From the vid on some of the stages it looks like the reloads were completed within 1-2 steps but you never appeared to step up the movement speed toward the next position once the reload was completed, I think this may have to do with performing the reload below your "face box" so it took some time for you to "see" where you were and where you wanted to be for the next array.

If that makes ANY sense.

[Vulture]

There is a fine line between hits vs speed and looking at your scores there were two stages where you shot less than 90% of the stage points available. Stage 6, 83% and stage 8, 85%. At the Gm level you are not going to find big blocks of time you can save in movement. I think you will have a bigger return on investment in concentrating on points. You are well aware of what a C costs you shooting minor. Your times were not that much different than your competition, oh sure you could use some polish but who don't. Having to pee when its your turn to shoot can cost you some tenths. I thought your movement was fine. Don't forget the other half of the equation and you will be Big Ben Destroyer of all who come before him, Nationals Big dog and all around nice guy. (trumpets sounding)

[Jake Di Vita]

Ben actually probably has more of an attitude towards getting points than any shooter I know. Even know two stages were in the mid 80 percents, one of the stages had most targets at 20 yards and change....sometimes you just get shots that straddle the A zone by half an inch on either side.

But excluding that fact he shot 93% of the points overall with zero penalties. Albiet that is the lower end of the spectrum for percentage of points if you want to win the match, it is still in there.

[JThompson]

Take this with grain from a U guy, but trying to find your biggest slowing point would be reloads... not the act of dropping and inserting, but you slow way up in your moment when you are in the process. What I mean is your footwook slows as does your movement... that's what I saw from the vid...

JT

[HSMITH]

Ben, a class with one of the top teachers and 1000 rounds will do you more good than 20K rounds between now and nationals. Manny Bragg and Ted Puente come to mind right off.

[HSMITH]

Mouse AD.....

Edited August 22, 2007 by HSMITH

[driver8M3]

after i post my advice to you, i'm headed over to chuck norris' website to give him some advice on tae kwon do.

i saw very few places where you lost any time at all. you probably already know where you lost a little time. i don't think there's anything wrong with going a bit conservative at a big match. it got you most of the points and zero penalties. running on the razors edge...will likely get you more D's and maybe a few penalties...

[Flexmoney]

When I want to shoot faster than Bob, I move like Dave. Which means getting low and staying low.

Keep that Alpha focus.

[dirtypool40]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3842444046419442426

I am getting crushed on time.

Help me out!

If I read the scores correctly you lost by about .40 of one match point. Probably something like eating one less (or more) grape before the match. I counted very few extra shots on steel, any one of those would've been enough. Same with the disappearing target in stage 2, it looks like you chose not to shoot it. Other than that I don't see much, but then I am not a production guy.

Looks like you put up a helluva match, and I love the videos.... so that's what it looked like before the monsoon!!!

Edited August 22, 2007 by dirtypool40

[Cameron]

Ben,

The shooting looks fantastic, and I know you score the points. From your video, looks like your movement between positions is where you can gain the speed.

[Jake Di Vita]

I'm with Kyle here. Get low and stay low.

[XRe]

I agree w/ Kyle and Jake.. Its the little things, now, man... picking apart target orders, staying efficient (meaning staying low, etc), all that... all measured in tenths and hundredths of seconds...

Skipping a drop turner? Hard to say what difference that made - it depends on how it altered your reload strategy, and how much extra time it would have added. Figure the 10 points were worth 1 second (it was close to a 10 factor stage, so...). If you managed to pick up those two alphas, and it only took a second of extra time (counting whatever waiting and extra reload time you'd have incurred), you'd have had exactly the same hit factor, so it was a wash. Any slower than that, and you'd have lost ground - if it was a case of just timing things correctly, and would have only cost you an index and split (say, .6 total), it would have made a 4 point difference in the match, in your favor. Having not seen the stage in person, its impossible for me to say for sure cause the rest of the stage strategy is affected, etc.... I agree that playing the "what if" game isn't useful - I only bring this up because sometimes there's a lesson in stage strategy to learn from these things, so it can be good to at least ask what would've happened had you picked up the extra points...

The reloads look sharp, for sure - I saw maybe one slightly blown one, but... I don't think working reloads is going to give you the biggest benefit. Your movement is snappy in some places, and slightly lethargic (relative to the snappier movement) in others - keep that intensity of movement all the time (I'm working on this myself).

I think you're right, though, Ben - you have a very solid base to work from, and you're in good position to go kick ass at the Nationals

[Flexmoney]

OK...about that disappearing target in the door on Stage 2.

Unless you can hit a 0.90 (or better) reload every time...while also opening a door...and still getting your Alphas...reloading before the door was a loser.

Here is the deal-e-o with a ten round gun. With a ten round gun, you had just shot 8 rounds before getting to the door. There is one static target in the door that has to be engaged, so that leaves the gun at one in the pipe and an empty mag...

Without taking any shots on the DT behind the door, that left 10 shots for the rest of the stage...including two steel.

Options:

- Skip the DT behind the door and do a speed reload. That gives the shooter 11 rounds for the remaining 10 shots. Which includes two steel and a very tough position to hit.

- Put 1 shot on the DT behind the door. That means a slide lock reload and only 10 rounds for the remaining 10 shots. For Ben, that would probably mean setting up solid to take the activating steel, then shooting the rest of the stage with tight angles. (Ben rolled through and took the activator steel coming in. Rather nicely. A nice time saver.)

Putting an Alpha hit on the DT was worth up to a few tenths on the hf. But, not if you had to give up that time anywhere else. And, it was mucho risky (running the gun dry). And, doing a slide-lock reload. Likely giving up time to take the harder setup (which negates the gain in hf).

[XRe]

Flex, I think you nailed it down. Ben, you had the right plan.... And it paid off for you...