Focus: Tight or Wide

[benos]

To add another level to this:

I wasn't, during the shooting drills detailed before, actually experimenting with target focus, though that was a side-effect - I was experimenting with how to hold my mind. We all know that the subconscious mind can process input and control our actions far faster and more efficiently than the conscious mind. The conscious mind tends to have a very linear, A-to-B-to-C-to-D way of thinking, thus there's a limit to how fast and efficiently we can shoot with the conscious mind. The subconscious mind, by contrast, can process many different inputs, and direct many different facets of our physical performance, simultaneously. Thus shooting from the subconscious mind is innately more efficient and allows a far higher level of performance than shooting from the conscious mind.

The classic method to free the subconscious mind is to occupy the conscious mind with something else. Since the conscious mind can only deal with one thing at a time, if you tie up its attention with something else - and keep it there - this frees the subconscious mind to do everything else. In pistol shooting the thing we use to occupy the conscious mind is to focus on the front sight. The conscious mind is like an overbearing, micro-managing boss who won't give his employees credit for knowing how to do the job themselves. By focusing on the front sight, this gives the conscious mind a job - that, arguably, is generally useful - that allows it to feel good about itself: "See, look at my invaluable input. I'm watching the front sight." But the greatest advantage of watching the front sight may be that it tricks the conscious mind into getting the hell out of the way of the shooting.

So I thought, why not just cut out the middleman? Instead of using the front sight to occupy the conscious mind so the subconscious mind can come to the fore, why not just clear your mind and let the subconscious mind do everything - including pick up the sights? That's what I was doing during this shooting, not thinking about any sort of target focus, not trying to pick up the front sight - just standing there with my eyes and mind relaxed, then drawing and shooting as fast as possible and trusting my subconscious mind would take care of things. And, as already reported, not only my speed but accuracy improved immensely.

Thoughts?

Duane,

That's a nice comparison between the application and result of concentration (I must look at the front sight) and awareness (what did I see when the job was done perfectly?).

be

[el pres]

When actually you shouldn't be thinking anything.

Absolutely !!!

But I was "thinking" with great speed !!!

[Sam]

With some activities there is a distortion that takes place simply because, by observing the activity, a change or distortion is induced into the activity being observed. It is no longer pure because it is influenced by the watching. (I think it's called the "unintentional expectancy effect" or something like that.)

Ergo: If your dog is simply taking a dump and doesn't know that you are watching he does it a certain way. If you watch your dog take a dump, and he knows it, he may do it differently or stall and sniff around instead of taking a dump. Hold that mental picture if you dare.....

Now, about this conscious vs. subconscious mind scenario. I understand that there are a ton of great books and years of research documenting that we have a conscious and a sub-conscious mind. I am certainly not as smart as any of those knowledgable people who have written countless papers on the subject. But, I do look at the question from a different point of view. Just who was it that told me that I have a "sub-conscious mind" anyway? Was it my "conscious mind" perhaps? What if the entity that research has identified as the "conscious mind" is in reality totally unconscious? What if that entity is so filled with judgements and prejudices and "facts" that it thinks it knows, that it is totally uncapable of seeing the truth? What if, as part of it's mis-deeds, it has dismissed the actual true consciousness that is really me as "my sub-conscious". Let that sink in for a few years, maybe a life time.

So, who is the real you? Where is the real conscious entity? I like Duanes description of the "overbearing micro-managing boss". What he is describing so well is the unconscious mind, striving desperately to convince me that my true consciousnes is "subjugated", "sub-standard", and not fully aware. That IT IS THE BOSS!!

Sub-conscious??? Hardly, boss, hardly.

Let's look at ourselves from somewhere beyond where the conscious mind can perceive that it is being watched. (Yes, your "conscious, I'm-the-frigging-boss-mind" is no more than a dog taking a crap in the yard that is your life.)

[el pres]

Absolutely awsome !! I would say that the subconcious is most likely the real you.

The dog is takeing a crap and "knows"(wait, does not know)" that no one is watching !!

Nevermind!!

Edited February 22, 2008 by DIRTY CHAMBER

[shred]

This thread got me thinking about a shot-calling-enhancing drill. Set up one USPSA/IPSC target at 15 yards. (By now we all know that is the UD (ultimate distance).)

Draw and fire 2 shots on the target as fast as possible - with your only goal being that both shots hit the target, anywhere. As soon as the last shot fires "look away" from the target, and call both shots. The "calling goal" is to have each call be within 2 - 3 inches of the actual bullet hole. Keep experimenting with different mindsets and different ways of seeing until you can consistenly make accurate calls.

My drill for this is to shoot a target, and then spot where your fired brass lands. You have to call both the shots and the brass.

[Duane Thomas]

Interesting. I'm going to try that.

This reminds me of the very best El Presidente I ever did. I was out shooting one day with Travis Tomasie. I'd done something for him that he appreciated, and in thanks he volunteered to go shooting with/coach me for one day. I learned a lot that day. In short order the session evolved into me doing El Prez after El Prez with Travis standing there telling me how to do it. My best run that day was 58 points in 5.25 seconds.

What sticks in my mind was that, as I opened up my awareness to be able to shoot at that level, I started seeing things I'd never seen before. For instance, the left-most perf of the A-zone on targets 2 and 3, so I could break shots just as soon as the front sight crossed the line. But the one thing that I felt helped me the most on my transitions - and this may sound weird - was that I started seeing the brass exiting the chamber. On the transition, my mental trick to get to the next target and break the shot in around .20 second was that I started trying to catch the brass with the gun, i.e. as soon as the shot broke and the brass exited I'd chase that shell casing with the gun and see if I could catch it. Of course I never did....but that sure as hell got me off my ass when it came to "target dwell" on that last shot before the transition!

[38supPat]

Wow! So many great posts, I think I'm in over my head trying to add anything now!

But think about this.

How many times have you done something outside of what you knew you could do?

I don't mean shaving a tenth off your best El Prez. I mean something way outside what you would consider possible?

Once I was doing some demos with a Crosman repeater air pistol (looks like a S&W 4506) We just had 6 pop cans set up and I was doing speed runs on them. There was no timer involved, but the last can was typically hit (or shot at ) before the first hit the ground at about 7 yds, I'd say about .18 splits. The sights on the airgun were horrible and way off, as most are. I was just looking at the cans and hitting them. I didn't really care if I hit them at all, it was just fun trying to knock them down while pulling the trigger as fast as I could. But run after run I'd smoke them all. Because I didn't care what the sights were doing, I just wanted to make contact with the can. It was the first time I'd really played with a strictly target focus (though I didn't know it at the time). But afterwards I thought, why can't I do the same thing with one of my IPSC guns? I took my .45 to the range and set up a plate rack at about the same distance and did some runs. I was amazed at how many runs I did manage to hit all six with a target focus. I also learned that I put different values on what kind of shooting I was doing. With the airgun it was just for fun, so if I trashed a run, it didn't matter, yet somehow I didn't trash many. But when I was shooting PRACTICE with my IPSC gun, and it MATTERED, I had much more trouble getting clean runs. But up until that point I never would have thought of getting hits without at least seeing the sights to some degree.

I still watch the sights, but it's more like a reference to the shooting, letting me know whats happening (calling the shots) rather than the sole focus of my shooting.

Sometimes it's worth taking the sights off the gun and see everything else.

[benos]

The more you divide and names what is in actuality one thing, the less likely it will be for you to perceive the totality of all that is actually happening.

By Travis having you shoot the same drill over and over - with continuous critiques - that expanded your perceptual limitations.

That's a great way to train if you want to learn or see something new. Get rid of all your normal fears and goals and just go for it - with the only goal being to see something you've never seen before. You have to be really open and looking. Each time, see what you can see!

be

[Duane Thomas]

(Yes, your "conscious, I'm-the-frigging-boss-mind" is no more than a dog taking a crap in the yard that is your life.)

Somehow, I had never looked at it that way before.

[j1b]

Was watching the WGC golf tournament this weekend and one of the broadcaster's was talking about a golfer - Henrik Stenson I believe. Had a quote I thought might be relevant to where this thread has gone

"He's reached a new place in his game. Where he no longer has to play with thoughts about swing mechanics, he could now just play with confidence"

Interesting . . .

[Sam]

Highly relevant, Jack. The broadcaster nailed it.

If we are thinking thoughts related to mechanics, thoughts related to anything, we aren't shooting. We are only trying to shoot. When we put away all of the thought and effort, confidence is all that remains.