Steve Anderson Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 Ever seen a GM just EXPLODE out of a position or box and wonder how they could do it so quickly? I learned it this morning. the act of calling the last shot with 100% certainty allows the body to focus 100% on the next act. I wasn't even trying to move faster, I was shooting 2 plates, move to new box, 2 plates virginia count with no makeups allowed. I quickly discovered that the only way to shoot clean was to call every shot with 100% certainty. Before long I noticed the gravel under my feet was getting louder. then I noticed my elbows snapping into "run" mode much faster and my body pivoting to the new box more forcefully. Before today, I was watching the plate fall/not fall then moving, without realizing how much time I was wasting. Brian, you were right. again. SA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L9X25 Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 Steve, I only wish that doing it was as easy and knowing how to do it! I watched Jerry Barnhart shoot at one of our local matches, many years ago, where there was a full size popper at about 30 yards to start the stage. He drew the gun and quickly fired one shot and sprinted to the next shooting position without any hesitation. I did not hear the steel "ting" or see the steel even begin to move before he left and asked him how he knew that he had hit the popper. His answer was "the dot was on the steel when the shot broke and that's all I need to see". He did not wait to hear it ring or see it start to fall. He was at the next shooting position shooting when the steel fell. Impressive to watch ... difficult to do! Pure confidence! Leo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Moore Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 Pure confidence! this has helped me jump up a level in the last six months. i've noticed i'm starting to win my class more often and i was even a match winner in a local idpa match recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcoliver Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 Awsome Steve...another break through! ...Me, I'm still busting my ass waiting for it to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Anderson Posted May 2, 2003 Author Share Posted May 2, 2003 This is the third revelation I've had by accident, or rather, unintentionally. These things (for me) have to be experienced to be understood. If you had told me calling the shot was the key to explosive movement I woud have thought that I'm already calling my shots so it must not be right for me, or maybe I would have made some other justification (internally) for not believing. Ive been calling my shots well lately, and this affirms those efforts nicely. SA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 This is the third revelation I've had by accident, or rather, unintentionally. This is called "serendipity" in the real world. If you'd been working in a laboratory, you could have shouted "Eureka!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Anderson Posted May 2, 2003 Author Share Posted May 2, 2003 Actually, I do shout Eureka. Some other faves: Well I'll be Gawdammed. Niiiiiiiiice. Whhhoooooooeeeeeee. I just go right ahead and shout 'em out. In Circleville, no one can hear you scream. SA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 Steve: Yes, I have seen GM shooters absolutely explode from one box to another. I got to watch and analyze the technique of Ron Avery and a lesser known shooter (Tom Stidham) in a learning environment. Both of those guys really move. I am not a real athletic guy and I don't have those fast twitch muscle fibers. I went through a pity party for a little while knowing I am a sloth. Then I saw something even more impressive than the explosive GM; the graceful GM. The same elements you talk about with the exlosive GM can be found in the graceful GM. The graceful shooter is shooting while they are leaving, move to the next box with absolutely no wasted movement, and they are shooting the very instant they arrive at the next position. I don't move fast, but I shoot with confidence, understand my game, and move with a purpose. There are a lot of young guys locally who actually get from spot to spot a whole lot faster than I do, but they just don't have a chance, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L9X25 Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 Ron, Your comment brings one specific person to mind ... Blake Gann. He was a friend and mentor to a local GM junior shooter in my area (years ago) and frequently visited our area. He was a "full figured" guy and was smooth and fast without being physically agressive. The moment he stepped into a box the gun was shooting and then he shot his way out of the box. Takes the "I'm too big" to be a GM out of the equation. Leo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markm Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 Steve---------Congradulations! Ron----------- Congradulations! Ron, being a sloth myself, how did you get to the graceful part? What do you look for? Who do you look at? I'm about as smooth as the proverbial "bull in a china closet" on most stages. I'll never be an exolosive anything (except in my work), but graceful? At least there might be a chance to get past "sloth like". Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 the act of calling the last shot with 100% certainty allows the body to focus 100% on the next act. I've only said that about a thousand times. cool. Your story illustrates a core essential of the learning process - You have to experience and learn for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Anderson Posted May 6, 2003 Author Share Posted May 6, 2003 But Brian, when you say it it sounds too simple to be possible. It does need to be experienced to be internalized. SA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4444 Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 I'll never forget when I had my "steel" breakthrough moment. It was a real "mind and body disconnect" kind of moment. I rehearsed how I was going to shoot the stage and "just went for it" The stage was an assault with steel about 12 yards out behind a fault line at the end of the stage. We started from a start box and had a bunch of paper to engage basically a stright line run engaging targets on both sides with steel laying straight ahead. After wiping out the paper, I realize the steel are just falling like little white dominoes while I'm still moving,,,,man I was pumped....rocking,,,,on a roll when Murphy reared his ugly freakin' head. bang/ting,,bang/ting,,bang/ting,,bang/ting,,bang/ting,,bang/ting,,poof look down,,,freakin' squib. Bullet lodged just outside the chamber the next round wouldn't chamber fortunately,,,,my moment of bliss just turned into an Excedrin moment. Next match,,,,same kind of deal (different gun,,,diferent caliber) another squib only not such lucky results. I was fortunate the only thing that was damaged was the barrel,,,bulged it pretty good. I didn't hear or feel anything with that squib.....thought it was just a dud,,,,ejected the round, loaded the next and went on....another 90+ rounds that day. I didn't bother checking what ejected at the time, if I did it would have saved me a barrel.....I was lucky,,,,,even with a bulged barrel that pistol kept on running and I shot probably one of my best matches ever. I've vowed the press that made that ammo would die a slow,,,agonizing,,,death which would result in it being a heap of rust. H4444 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 What type of press, just out of curiosity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4444 Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 Lee,,,,,, Made me a Dillon man in a hurry........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Somehow, I knew you weren't going to say "Dillon." I use my psychic powers only for the good of mankind.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4444 Posted May 10, 2003 Share Posted May 10, 2003 Hey,,,,I was young, impressionable, and exceptionally cheap. Wait,,,I'm still young......... H4444 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBurkett Posted May 12, 2003 Share Posted May 12, 2003 Steve, I understand the kind of break through you have had. When I was getting shooting, my first class card was a B, then immediately A. The ironic part for me was that the A-M jump happened in about 13 seconds. I was paying too much attention to things that didn't matter. There was a classifier back in the early 90's that I had shot about 4 times in around 17.40 seconds. +/- a .10 at different ranges in WA. One of the shooters had the first hi-cap CZ comp gun around. Got to shoot the classifier again and just went for it. Now this was only an 18 round stage with three positions. Some tough shots and a doorway at the start. I had to really visualize the stage as I had been shooting it doing a reload between each position (singlestack super). Had an 18 round gun and just let it go. I cut 4 seconds off in that one stage and shot it in a 13.2. All of a sudden my brain went "DUH" and I was at the master level. (they didn't have GM then). Part of it was the movement and part of it was doing the reloads. I felt I needed to move slow getting the reload going. Tried it just a few minutes later with my SS and I shot a 13.6. Started winning a whole lot of stuff then. Kind of a facinating experience to look back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted May 12, 2003 Share Posted May 12, 2003 Tim Bacus once told me that singlestacks, assuming you've got a few steps movement between positions, aren't innately slower than high-caps. The reason most people are slower with them is exactly what you described - that, consciously or subconsiously, we're afraid we'll get to the next position before we're finished with the reload, so we slow down our movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcoliver Posted May 12, 2003 Share Posted May 12, 2003 True indeed. And, on another note, I feel shooting an SS really limits my options when solving some stages since I need to factor in the places I need to reload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now