Speed or Accurracy

[Johann the Horrible]

I shot my first Level 3 this weekend and am starting my preparation for the next Level 3 this weekend.

During the match I mostly got well above 80% of the points but my times were abysmal. This knocked me down to 91st place. Do you agree that it is time to move my focus from accuracy to speed?

I got 2 zero point stages because of problems that I could not fix at the match. Obviously this also played a part as well as the fact that I only factored 169.9 because of a error I made while reloading. (Most of my ammo was closer to 180PF).

Any advice will be welcomed.

[Ramas]

My advice would be- don't sacrifice accuracy over speed. You should shoot accurately. You can gain more for looking how to improve your movement from to shooting positions, entereng/leaving positions, shooting on the move, proper gun handling entering positions, target transitions to name few big time savers when you are not shooting. Look at this simple- if you fasten your splits 0.1sec you will gain only 1-2 sec. maximum, but your accuracy will suffer more and you will lose more points than those few seconds are worth. You should move faster, not shoot faster if you are not ready to do it.

[Zerwas]

Those people "in the know" will always tell you to be accurate first and the speed will come later.

Once you have the accuracy part down (which by the way "they" say to shoot 90% A's) the speed will come with practice, repetition, polishing of movements and understanding of the game.

It won't do you any good if you are blazing fast, but miss. I see this time and again with shooters and it makes me giggle a bit inside as I know I did the same thing. The more you shoot this sport, the more you realize it is NOT about the split times. Rather, it is about efficiency on your movement. Getting from point A to point B as fast as you can, shooting efficiently on the move and your little transitions from each position.

THAT is where you save all the time.

Never sacrifice accuracy.

Edited March 19, 2008 by Zerwas

[G-ManBart]

The breakpoint is more like 95% of the points on most stages. Don't worry about shooting faster. Work on moving faster, getting the first shot off faster (accurately) and leaving the instant the last shot breaks from a position and you'll save more time than trying to shoot fast. R,

[Jake Di Vita]

Or?

Get away from a speed focus and shoot to your current capabilities.

[L9X25]

This has been discussed many many times.

If you are not shooting 90-95% of the available points, you are already shooting too fast. Slow down and get your points for a better score.

If you are getting more than 95% of the available points, you might consider speeding up slightly to improve your overall score.

Pull up the match results for a major match and see what percentage of the total points the stage winner shot. You will usually see that they fell within the 90-95% bracket and often shot more points. You will seldom win a stage with less than 85% of the points unless it is a fixed time or extremely difficult stage.

Edited March 19, 2008 by L9X25

[JThompson]

Or?

Get away from a speed focus and shoot to your current capabilities.

Jake is right... if speed is anywhere in your head it with screw you up. As said, 95% of the As is what you should be doing... from what you said you aren't there at your current speed, let alone, going faster.

The thing we newer shooters get caught up in is placing higher than we are. Yes, you can sometimes place higher running over your current skill set, but what did you learn? Nothing. You are blazing around spraying at brown. This will not help you improve like calling your shots will. I think it's good to bump up against your limits, but try and stay within you current skill set. You might even have a great stage blazing away, but then the next two or three will drag you below where you would have been had you taken the time to actually aim. This sport is about being consistent. You see this all the time... you get one of these young guys that just hauls ass on a stage and wins it only to be taken down by more consistent steady shooters. They know where there shots went as opposed to guessing/hoping. I'll take two 3rds rather than one 1st and a 20th because I blew up and through a couple mikes or NSs.

The trap is in the short term you might even place higher by going past your limits, but this will hurt you in the long run. You can develop some really bad habits this way. Ask me how I know... I speak from learning this myself after the guys told me what we are telling you now. I quickly got to the point where I could hang with or beat the local A shooters, but I was not consistent, so one match i would get fast times and pretty good hits and the next I would throw a couple mikes and a NS. I was moving to fast or I would have been able to cal those misses and makeup, or better yet, taken the extra .1 to know I had the A.

I don't expect you to take the advice the guys have given you. If you are anything like me you wil have to find out for yourself. My hope is that after you see this for yourself, you will come back to what we have said sooner and your learning curve will be quicker because of it.

Jim

Edited March 19, 2008 by JThompson

[Flatland Shooter]

If at all possible, get access to a video camera and have someone follow you through a few stages that require movement. Also tape a couple of the better shooters. Then watch and compare. You may find that the abysmal times are not a result of the time spent shooting, but time spent moving.

At the end of the day I've got the points but for every stage that requires movement, I'm consistently 2 to 7 seconds slower than the better shooters in my area. My accuracy is also in the 80% or better range but my move from position to position is down right disastrous. The video shows my transitions between targets are competitive with the better shooters but when I need to change location, I've got to start moving smoother and faster. Slow after the last shot, slow to move, and slow to set up when I get to the next position. Gotta improve!

Give it a try and see if it helps.

Bill

[JThompson]

If at all possible, get access to a video camera and have someone follow you through a few stages that require movement. Also tape a couple of the better shooters. Then watch and compare. You may find that the abysmal times are not a result of the time spent shooting, but time spent moving.

At the end of the day I've got the points but for every stage that requires movement, I'm consistently 2 to 7 seconds slower than the better shooters in my area. My accuracy is also in the 80% or better range but my move from position to position is down right disastrous. The video shows my transitions between targets are competitive with the better shooters but when I need to change location, I've got to start moving smoother and faster. Slow after the last shot, slow to move, and slow to set up when I get to the next position. Gotta improve!

Give it a try and see if it helps.

Bill

Also very good points Bill.

I still need to get a video camera!

[Flatland Shooter]

If at all possible, get access to a video camera and have someone follow you through a few stages that require movement. Also tape a couple of the better shooters. Then watch and compare. You may find that the abysmal times are not a result of the time spent shooting, but time spent moving.

At the end of the day I've got the points but for every stage that requires movement, I'm consistently 2 to 7 seconds slower than the better shooters in my area. My accuracy is also in the 80% or better range but my move from position to position is down right disastrous. The video shows my transitions between targets are competitive with the better shooters but when I need to change location, I've got to start moving smoother and faster. Slow after the last shot, slow to move, and slow to set up when I get to the next position. Gotta improve!

Give it a try and see if it helps.

Bill

Also very good points Bill.

I still need to get a video camera!

Jim,

I strongly recommend you borrow one rather than buy it. If you are anything like me, after first watching the videos you will want to stomp the dang camera into the ground. A borrowed one may instill a little self control in one's destructive tendencies.

Bill

[JThompson]

If at all possible, get access to a video camera and have someone follow you through a few stages that require movement. Also tape a couple of the better shooters. Then watch and compare. You may find that the abysmal times are not a result of the time spent shooting, but time spent moving.

At the end of the day I've got the points but for every stage that requires movement, I'm consistently 2 to 7 seconds slower than the better shooters in my area. My accuracy is also in the 80% or better range but my move from position to position is down right disastrous. The video shows my transitions between targets are competitive with the better shooters but when I need to change location, I've got to start moving smoother and faster. Slow after the last shot, slow to move, and slow to set up when I get to the next position. Gotta improve!

Give it a try and see if it helps.

Bill

Also very good points Bill.

I still need to get a video camera!

Jim,

I strongly recommend you borrow one rather than buy it. If you are anything like me, after first watching the videos you will want to stomp the dang camera into the ground. A borrowed one may instill a little self control in one's destructive tendencies.

Bill

Hehe... I did borrow one for a few stages and I was amazed at how bad I looked. I even had a little hiccup when I draw I didn't know about. I was bending my knees a little as I made the draw. If I can ever afford to shoot, manage to pay bills, and have anything left over I will get one. I saw a hat cam for sale here on the forum too. I had to pass for lack of $$.

[Ramas]

If you can, take a few shooting lessons from the best shooter in your area. You will save alot of money and time this way. Learn by watching better shooters.

[Johann the Horrible]

I have the honor of shooting with the South African Standard Champ. He is a nice and humble guy that always take the time to help us lower live forms. I have never known him to turn a shooter away- even during the last Nationals we had I heard him giving advice to a shooter that asked for advice. Alex then stepped on the line and ran a blazing run. He is currently so in the "zone" that he makes it look easy. Alex, his brother Mark and some other top shooters are helping us this weekend to lift our skills.