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How many can call their shots?


Gallow

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I bought Brian's book when it first came out, and became aware of the importance of calling my shots. I still can't do it, except off sandbags. I can often recognise when my sights are 'way out of whack in a match, but if it comes to seeing if I have an A or a C in rapid fire, I can't do it. In questioning fellow club-level shooters over the years, I find that not that many of them even claim to do it, and it looks as though some who claim to actually can't, or don't. Several A and Master class shooters I've talked to can't do it, except maybe in slow fire. I've never asked a GM, but I assume they can.

How many of you people actually routinely call your shots--by which I mean, know where they'll hit within an inch or two? I realize that in super-fast shooting this really doesn't apply.

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Calling your shots in no new technique and not derived in the sport of practical shooting. I first learned to call my shots in the Marine Corps on the rifle range. We called every shot in a record book. Take the shot, plot the "call" and repeat. Rifle and bullseye shooter have done this for years. There is no mystical talent required. Just see (call) your sight relationship to the target the instant the shot is fired. Now doing this at the speed we shoot in practical shooting takes some getting used to. And is more difficult than one shot at a time. But with practice, it is acheivable. It is just something that most shooter lack to do on a shot to shot or match to match basis. There are times I know where all my hits are, and there are times when I get lazy and don't call every shot. It is easy to get caught up in the moment of blazing away, and while it is fun, it isn't as productive consistantly.

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Actually in super-fast shooting this really does apply.

+100. This is VERY important in USPSA. I can call my shots to a small extent....a very small extent. I am still learning and I have a long way to go. Max Michel told me that it took him years to learn to call his shots properly. I am nowhere near that level but it is very important to learn.

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Actually in super-fast shooting this really does apply.

+100. This is VERY important in USPSA. I can call my shots to a small extent....a very small extent. I am still learning and I have a long way to go. Max Michel told me that it took him years to learn to call his shots properly. I am nowhere near that level but it is very important to learn.

+200

I am still learning also but getting better at it. I call the shot say a C hit or D. But I have a hard time being able to make that shot up instantly so instead of making the shot up I move on unless it is a miss.

BK

Edited by bkeeler
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I can call misses. I'm very good at it. :D

There are times when I can call shots. Sometimes everything just comes together and I know where each round is going. I'm working to get to where I can do it on demand. I have lots, and I mean lots, of room for improvement though.

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I find it hard to believe that there are many A or M shooters that can't call their shots when shooting a typical stage kind of pace (rather than slow fire). I don't think anyone is perfect at calling shots (to within an inch say), but think about how many times you see a really good shooter have a mike and the RO is looking for it and the shooter says "it's not there". They called it a miss, but had moved on to the next target. I know I've done that and if I have a mike or a D that I didn't call I'm very surprised...and I'm no bigtime GM (or even close).

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I have been thinking about this a lot lately as one of my goals has been to improve on my accuracy. I am only about 1.5% away from my M and I still don't feel like I am calling my shots...maybe I am and just don't know it though. I think the part I am having a hard time with is seeing the sights lift. What I look for is the sight alighnment when the gun goes off. Now this, I can do. In the last couple of matches, I have been able to pick up a C with an A pretty fast. Maybe I am just calling it a different thing...I don't know, but it seems to be working for me.

TG

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Is this a troll???? ;)

Settle down Dave ..... there will be plenty of trolls for you and Matt to "extinguish" on his new TV show. ;)

I can call mine close enough to know if it's acceptable.

I too can call my shots to an extent where I know if I really screwed the pooch (Delta or worse). Most of my shots are going to be A's, as should yours, but my eyes & my brain will tell me when they aren't whether or not I need to make a quick correction or just keep going.

When I'm really really in the zone I can tell you what my hits are ...... when I'm dry-firing! :surprise: I typically just do variations of the El Pres when I dry-fire, but I can easily tell you how many points down I was on any given run with my par timer set for 5 seconds.

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Is this a troll???? ;)

Settle down Dave ..... there will be plenty of trolls for you and Matt to "extinguish" on his new TV show. ;)

:lol: Oh, man, the dweebs were out in full force on Friday, weren't they???

Naw, not getting my panties bunched... ;) Just tweaking the OP a little bit :lol:

Yes, I can call my shots. Yes, I'm a GM. No, I don't always take appropriate corrective action, but I'm addressing that issue. Yes, I pretty much know what my score is at the end of the stage ;) Practice it - its a skill, and you will improve as you practice - and in order to advance to the upper levels of this game, its mandatory.

:D

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I can call misses. I'm very good at it. :D

me to the popper is still standing

There are times when I can call shots. Sometimes everything just comes together and I know where each round is going. I'm working to get to where I can do it on demand. I have lots, and I mean lots, of room for improvement though.

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Gallow,

My personal ability to call shots mirrors yours, and the few people who told me they could, didn't demonstrate that ability when shooting. However, I had the good luck to be squadded with Dave Sevigney at last years Area 8, and I saw him miss 2 targets. One was enclosed in hard cover except the 'A' zone, and one was a Mini Pepper Popper. He made up the shot on the paper target so fast I thought he had planned 3 shots on it (like I sometimes do on that type of target), and his make up on the steel was every bit as fast. So some people can definitely do it, at high speed, thus it is an attainable skill. I guess we need to keep working!

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I used to think I was fairly good at it. Then I started shooting Revolvers and it became critical, and then I seemed to have lost it. I'd have shots I "knew" should be there and they weren't! The problem with Revolvers is you kind of have to live with it, you don't have any to spare. And I just can't seem to slow down enough to not pull one.

The only way to get good at calling your shot is by focusing during live fire practice. And that's not always easy.

At Warp Speed it's the hardest thing to do, and the first skill you'll lose when you lay off.

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