MBaban Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Shooting in the big match first time out, accuracy more important than speed, right? How did you manage the stages as a beginning competitor? MBaban Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Shoot all the targets, one at a time. If you try to do more than that you will have a hard time. By calling it a big match you are setting yourself up. It is a match, just like any other match. It may have more stages, people, rounds, but it is just like any other match. Shoot within yourself, don't worry about speed, speed takes care of itself, focus on seeing all your shots and you will finish where you should. There will be a lot of people who try to go fast, some will make it and some won't. Shoot your own match and don't worry about anyone else's match and you will see that you came out where you should, and you won't have the regrets of trying to out shoot your ability. The top dogs finish at the top because they have more ability than anyone else, not because they try to shoot faster than they can. A match is only a test of your training. Count the targets, listen to the stage procedures, and have a game plan for every stage. When you are not shooting watch some of the stages you haven't shot yet so that you can see different options, but shoot each stage the way you feel most comfortable. Most of all have fun, you've taken time and $$$ to do this so enjoy the people around you and enjoy breaking each shot. Oh, and make sure you chamber check all your ammo and make sure your equiptment is all ready to rock BEFORE the match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Great advice from L2S. Match performance is mostly determined from prior practice. Come match day...the trick is to shoot as relaxed as possible...less tension. The match is not the place to be pushing the envelope...no new(different) ammo, no new equipment, no trying...thinking you might,or might not, be able to get away with some tricky shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vluc Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Lts and Flex tagged it...treat it like any other match...in fact, that's all it really is, another match. i went into my first one a few years ago and treated it no different than a local match. Do what you do best, have fun and relax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Know yourself and what you're capable of. Shoot every stage within your capabilities and don't worry about the overall results or the next stage. When you screw something up --- and you will ---- ignore it as soon as possible and move on. Return to what you are capable of. When in doubt --- if you screwed up and don't know what to do next --- reload and concentrate on shooting As until you get done with that stage. Drink, eat and rest between stages. Don't shoot the stage the same way as everyone else IF they're doing something you know you're not capable of. Try to think outside the box when planning your approach to a stage. Most important: Have Fun. If you're not enjoying yourself, you should be making money.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Try to shoot at 95% of your ability-- If you try to shoot 100% or better, you'll crash. At the end of the match the winner is the one that didn't crash, not the one that won a few stages and crashed a few. I remember looking at the daily results at the Race Gun Nationals.. Todd was sitting there in 3rd, 4th or 5th place on almost every stage, but he won the match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Olhasso Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 A big match is NOT like any other match. That is why it is called a big match! Don't try anything new or different. Local matches are for experimenting, not big matches. Don't try engaging a target on the move at a distance you have never done. Don't try copying the GM who is engaging half a target from an awkward position. Don't try to burn down every stage. Never shoot at 100% of your ability. Don't shoot at 70% of your ability either. Realize that the match is longer than a typical local match. Realize that with more rounds, the results of a single stage matter much less. Don't worry about the next stage or the previous one. Concentrate on the stage at hand. Treat each stage the same way you treat a stage at your local match, but only shoot at 85-90% of your ability. You will be amazed at where you place if you shoot at 90% of your ability and don't have any misses or no-shoots!! Have fun.... Its only a game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBaban Posted June 20, 2003 Author Share Posted June 20, 2003 Thanks for the pointers guys, I know I have to concentrate on accuracy and not missing the targets. One thing for sure, I had a lot of fun, tried to breakdown the stages since I'm L10 and not follow the others who blasted through. I'm hooked! MBaban Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 When I shot my best, I visualized the match as another practice, with more people there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeybike Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Try to NOT check your overall position after every stage. I found that I always shot the big matches better if I paid attention to my shooting....not the results. Just like the weekend matches. It was kind of tough for me, because I went to Area matches, etc., to measure myself against other shooters. The trick is to not know where you are in the overall until it's too late to do anything about it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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