Top 3 mistakes shooters make these days?

[rr4406pak]

Just wondering your opinions here.

What do you think are the 3 top mistakes shooters make? You can even do a top 10 if you can't keep it to 3.

I've been shooting for about 8 months now and would like to know what to watch out for as I enter into competition.

Thanks.

Edited August 31, 2007 by rr4406pak

[tgibson]

Here you go:

1. Shooting too slow

2. Not getting A hits

3. Hitting No Shoots

TG

[XRe]

1 - not seeking solid instruction

2 - spending too much money swapping equipment around, and not on ammo and instruction

3 - making excuses for their poor performances, instead of owning it and improving it

[IPSCDRL]

1 - not seeking solid instruction

2 - spending too much money swapping equipment around, and not on ammo and instruction

3 - making excuses for their poor performances, instead of owning it and improving it

I think XRe nailed it. +1

[BritinUSA]

Too much tension...

[Rocket35]

1. Not keeping the gun "up".

2. Not getting to the shooting fast enough (transitions and movement).

3. Focusing too much on speed, and not enough on accuracy.

[G-ManBart]

Just wondering your opinions here.

What do you think are the 3 top mistakes shooters make? You can even do a top 10 if you can't keep it to 3.

I've been shooting for about 8 months now and would like to know what to watch out for as I enter into competition.

Thanks.

1. Shooting too fast (misses and no-shoots)

2. Slow from one shooting position to the next (both moving slow and not being ready to shoot when they get there).

3. Not having equipment that runs 100%.

If your gun always runs and if you move quickly from one position to the next and are ready to shoot as soon as you get there, you can shoot slower and more accurately, and beat a lot of people. That won't beat the best, but it's a great way to start and you can learn to shoot faster as you go.

[Turbo23]

+2 for XRe!!

- Rocket's #3 is very true for me and others I have seen.

- GET YOUR HITS. Speed will come.

- Don't mess with perfection! (like I did) It will start to let you down! http://www.brianenos.com/forums/style_emot.../closedeyes.gif

- Wait till your gun is actually holding you back. (if ever)

- Dont try to make it better.

- Make you better, then start getting the BLING...

[BSeevers]

Shooting too fast(missing and no-shoot) by trying to "keep up with the jones's"

Buying equipment to "get that winning edge" instead of practicing

Not learning the fundamentals

[bierman]

My 2 cents...

1. Not relaxing.

2. Not truly seeing the front sight.

3. Thinking the latest gadget, gizmo or doodad will improve their shooting.

And another +1 to Xre.

[Sean Gaines]

there is a bunch of mistakes that shooters can make

shoot extra shots on steel

transitions speeds can always be faster

accuracy

footwork

entering and exiting positons efficiently

shooting targets in the wrong sequence

shooting too fast

shot calling

alot of shooters, dont shoot enough, to know what they are capable of doing.

Stage preparation, planing the stage,knowing where you need to be for each position exactly

execution of the stage the way you have planned

Mental game, the highs and lows of shooting. have a bad stage, know how to come back from that, or having the lead and knowing how to deal with that.

These are just a few, but you be here all day naming things.

[Loves2Shoot]

1. Not having a good understanding of what the fundamentals of shooting are or being able to execute them.

- Some people don't know how to aim or vaule it, and some people are afraid of ever losing their sight picture, as if they do, they will never get it back.

2. Not understanding why fast shooters are fast, and trying, to emulate what they "think" they are doing.

- People don't understand how fast some of the better shooters see and think they are jsut flinging ammo at the targets.

3. Not knowing their skill set and what they are and are not capable of doing.

- Trying to do more than you are capable of in a stage, or not doing enough but be overly precise (it just has to be in the scoring zone you want.)

[benos]

Not learning and mastering the fundamentals.

Not learning what it means to call the shot.

(I didn't think of linking those until after I typed them, really.)

Not calling every shot you shoot.

Rushing.

Trying to go slow or trying to go fast or trying not to try.

Not dry-firing enough.

be

[Jake Di Vita]

1: Equipment that doesn't work.

2: No working knowledge of stage breakdown.

3: Cannot call shots.

That is in no particular order.

[rgkeller]

Bad grip

Every new to IPSC shooter I see has a lousy grip

[Jman]

1. they don't aim

2. they rush

3. they quit leaning

4. did I mention not aiming?

Jim

[Paul Burtchell]

1. Not taking the time to learn the rules of the sport you are shooting.

2. Not reading everything you can get your hands on about your shooting discipline.

3. Lack of an organized dry fire and live fire practice schedule.

Edited September 1, 2007 by baerburtchell

[SmittyFL]

1) Not pulling the trigger correctly

2) Not pulling the trigger correctly

3) Not pulling the trigger correctly

[JFD]

After watching over 200 shooters on my stage at the SC State match, the biggest thing I could see holding back "C" class shooters was not calling their shots. Their movement skills didn't look bad compared to "A" & "B" class shooters, but they were leaving mikes on partial hardcover targets at less than 10 feet (also getting killed on the medium range steel & paper). "U" & "D" class couldn't handle the 2 oddly-timed swingers at the beginning and went downhill from there.

My stage required a moderate amount of accuracy, but the number of people of all skill levels who couldn't hit 10" plates at 15 yards or full metric targets at 22 yards was absolutely scary. So I'd have to say not mastering the fundamentals of accurate shooting is a big problem. Way too much focus on movement from what I saw, as the guys who could move and actually shoot ate everyone else alive. 4 GMs had the wrong focus for sure. Phil Strader, Mike Seeklander and Cliff Walsh showed they had everything they needed in their toolboxes. Nice to see forum members shooting so well.

Making changes to equipment without checking for proper function is running about even with loading bad ammo as far as I can see.

[MVZ]

SAFETY

Keep muzzle down range

Keep finger out of triggerguard until ready to fire a shot

Learn to walk before you run

MVZ

Edited September 1, 2007 by MVZ

[JoshF]

I haven't been doing this very long but everytime I watch local matches and videos gross issues pop up.

1. Not shooting for that Double Alpha. I see so many shooters satisfied with Charlies. While definately not exclusive to, it's very prevalent in Limited shooters from what I've seen.

2. Rushing through a stage. This usually leads to either missed targets or Mikes. Some of this could fall under stage breakdown and programming though.

3. UNRELIABLE EQUIPMENT. This one just baffles me. I see guys in my squad, people on Match DVDs, etc that have constant malfunctions. They just deal with them and give excuses like "Only does that once or twice a match" or "It's a finnicky gun". I'm sorry but if something in your rig is unreliable (not saying it has to be trick, cool or other) then it's not fit for competition. Either sell it or move it to the safe and pickup something reliable. It's hard to progress when the basic equipment won't function. Some people associate reliable with expensive too and that just isn't the case. I use to see this running harescrambles too and it just amazed me. Guys would put in amazing effort just to have their equipment crap out on them constantly.....

Sorry, #3 is a pet peeve if you haven't noticed

[North]

The biggest mistakes of all are....

NOT READING BRIAN'S BOOK!!!!

not getting a timer

not practicing

NOT READING BRIAN'S BOOK!!!! Twice

NOT READING BRIAN'S BOOK!!!! three times

Did I mention you should read Brian's Book?

Edited September 1, 2007 by North

[shred]

If you want to be competitive (versus having fun), IMO the biggest mistakes are

1- not being honest with yourself

2- unreliable equipment

3- not shooting enough

Point 1 covers a lot of ground.

[dajarrel]

All of the suggestions are great but the one I am really having to work with right now is the first one Shred mentioned. Honesty with yourself. I noticed earlier this summer that I have "delusions of grandeur" sometimes when I get ready for a stage. I see me shooting all alphas at a blazing speed with impeccable reloads and on and on.

I work to improve myself every stage, but one has to be honest enough to realize that they may not clear a TX Star with five shots. With a revolver, I have to slow down considerably but I watch some limited and open shooters (and have been there myself) just blazing away and shooting 8-10-12 or more shots because they won't slow down. Their (my) perception is that they (I) can clear it like the master class open shooter that went before me.

Try to realize your limitations and then work to improve them. When you work with your limitations and ability the speed will come.

FWIW

dj

[Chills1994]

I had an epiphany a few months ago.

What it all boiled down to for me was the confidence that when the shot broke the sights looked like this (or that or X or Y or just plain crap), that the bullet(s) were going to hit here or there or the A zone or the down zero area for the IDPA'ers.

Said another and much simpler way by our gracious host here up above: CALLING YOUR SHOTS.

The only way you can get that confidence is spending time behind the trigger, either the live fire out at the range with your regular ammo, or w/ a .22LR conversion kit, or just dry firing (the cheapest alternative, it's FREE!) .

Back when I first started out and was shooting bowling pin matches on a regular basis, what I thought I learned at the time was "visual patience" (or discipline) that I had to have a perfect sight picture before breaking the shot. Anything less than a perfect sight picture and it seemed like those bowling pins were bullet proof (their round shape didn't help either).

I think that maybe now the tables have turned. It's not so much that I am waiting for the perfect sight picture, it's that now I do get the perfect sight picture and I'm waiting or the gun is waiting on me to squeeze the trigger perfectly.

The biggest and most blatant NOOB mistake I see is mags inserted in the mag pouches BACKWARDS.

(for all the NOOBs who might be out there reading this, that is akin to walking around with your fly open, or having a big ol' boooggie hanging out of your nose. obvious to everyone, but still comical at the same time. we do try to help out our newer shooters by clueing them in.)

Pointed end of bullets point to the front, your index finger should line up w the front of the mag, typicall where the notch is. Bruce Gray from the Sigarms Academy preaches actually placing the tip of your index finger on the pro-jo end of the top round in the mag as you insert the mag in the gun.