AWLAZS Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 SO I am signed up to shoot the Area 7. I make a practice plan and stick with it. Travel plans are set work adjustments are made. Ammo is loaded everything is set. I get to the match I feel good my head is clear. I feel settled for the most part. I shoot the first stage nicely. I get to the second stage. Its straight forward start with the football set it down in the endzone and move on. Well I put the football down a little rough and it rolled away. While I am chasing the darn thing I end up turning up range . I have my gun pointed straight to the ground pointed between my feet. I get the football under control. STOP and I get the E ticket home. I spent the rest of the day RO ing a stage. Shit happens. In hindsight it was not worth the time it took to recover he ball. I should have just left it and moved on. Or maybe not messed with it in the first place. I have a club match the next day. I get asked about the 7 but its not bothering me. We start on a big field course and I shot it well. On my second stage I am going for a reload and bang. STOP and I get another trip to the DQ I have never practiced and prepard for a match like I did the 7 And between the two hatches I shot 60rds. DO you guys think about what you are going to do if you drop a silly prop when you plan your stage? Thanks for listening Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 (edited) SO I am signed up to shoot the Area 7. I make a practice plan and stick with it. Travel plans are set work adjustments are made. Ammo is loaded everything is set.I get to the match I feel good my head is clear. I feel settled for the most part. I shoot the first stage nicely. I get to the second stage. Its straight forward start with the football set it down in the endzone and move on. Well I put the football down a little rough and it rolled away. While I am chasing the darn thing I end up turning up range . I have my gun pointed straight to the ground pointed between my feet. I get the football under control. STOP and I get the E ticket home. I spent the rest of the day RO ing a stage. Shit happens. In hindsight it was not worth the time it took to recover he ball. I should have just left it and moved on. Or maybe not messed with it in the first place. I have a club match the next day. I get asked about the 7 but its not bothering me. We start on a big field course and I shot it well. On my second stage I am going for a reload and bang. STOP and I get another trip to the DQ I have never practiced and prepard for a match like I did the 7 And between the two hatches I shot 60rds. DO you guys think about what you are going to do if you drop a silly prop when you plan your stage? Thanks for listening I don't think about dropped props, but if something like that happens the thought goes through my head where is my muzzle/finger going to be if I do X. The point at which we are the most vulnerable it that which we have/can not train for. It's in these instances we need to fall back to one primary thought focus. (SAFETY) We had a pull cord stage the other night at a local match, when I went to pull the cord the only thing that was going through my mind was... don't sweep your weak hand. Sorry to hear about your DQs. I know people will disagree with this, but I would back it down for a match or two... program your stage and have the one thought be safety. Two in a row is bad... you want to make damn sure of what you are doing for next couple of matches. Once the stage has been programed think muzzle/finger in everything you do. Aside from people getting nervous about shooting with you, you need to get back to where you aren't second guessing yourself. Anyone can DQ at any time, but two in a row is worrisome. JT Edited June 8, 2008 by JThompson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWLAZS Posted June 8, 2008 Author Share Posted June 8, 2008 I was so focused on getting that ball while it was rolling around but I never pointed the gun uprange. It was straight down between my feet and I knew where it was all the time. I put it there because I wanted to keep the gun in my line of sight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 Wow..... Sorry man. Prop stages MUST have the lions share of DQ's. To answer your question. No, after my own melt down last year my emphasis is the gun and what I want to do with it. Props get dealt with. But not to the point of "paralysis by analysis". The gun and where it needs to be is the focus. Hope that made some sense. Get ready for your next match. You'll shoot well. Jim M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wide45 Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 DO you guys think about what you are going to do if you drop a silly prop when you plan your stage? Yep. On that stage, it was a maximum of one 10 point procedural if the football was out of the endzone. Make sure to ask the RO, during the briefing if the penalties are not spelled out clearly. I'm not sure it was worth carrying. It definitely was not worth chasing after. I planned to forget the football the instant it left my hand, wherever that might be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Ho Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 Remember to look on the bright side. A trip to DQ is a good reason for a :Blizzard: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgkeller Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 Sounds like a crappy stage. Place a football down so it stays in the endzone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWLAZS Posted June 8, 2008 Author Share Posted June 8, 2008 DO you guys think about what you are going to do if you drop a silly prop when you plan your stage? Yep. On that stage, it was a maximum of one 10 point procedural if the football was out of the endzone. Make sure to ask the RO, during the briefing if the penalties are not spelled out clearly. I'm not sure it was worth carrying. It definitely was not worth chasing after. I planned to forget the football the instant it left my hand, wherever that might be. After the fact we were talking about the football and I know you are right about the chase. I should not have worried about it and pushed on. If you dropped the football at the draw you could have been faster getting to the basketball for sure. "Sorry man. Prop stages MUST have the lions share of DQ's. To answer your question. No, after my own melt down last year my emphasis is the gun and what I want to do with it. Props get dealt with. But not to the point of "paralysis by analysis". The gun and where it needs to be is the focus. Hope that made some sense. Get ready for your next match. You'll shoot well." I messed up the match today with a ad during a load. Not a typical problem for me. I dry fire them all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougCarden Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 Having been there and done that.......you are trying to make it happen right now.....and I bet you are tense as hell. Relax, and just LET it happen...... It will get better...... DougC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 A lot of Sunday's shooters just tossed the football at the beep. I'm all for playing in the spirit of the game, but, that was a better way to go. Sorry about you're short matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
03k64 Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I thought about trying to pick up the ball if it rolled out, but I figured it wouldn't be worth it time wise. I didn't even think about the 180. According to the RO, it seemd like the Saturday shooters held on to the ball rather than taking a procedural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdgun Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 ALWAZS, I was on your squad and saw the whole thing go down. I know when you get a stage plan in your head and some things goes wrong the mind just can't keep up, we as shooters or at least i never have a plan B. I felt bad that you got the DQ, I have been there once or twice. But, I will say this much, You Sir are a Class Act. Here is a man that gets the boot and stays to help with target pasting and helping with what ever he could. My hat is off to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPSCDRL Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I felt bad that you got the DQ, I have been there once or twice. But, I will say this much, You Sir are a Class Act. Here is a man that gets the boot and stays to help with target pasting and helping with what ever he could. My hat is off to you Agreed on both points. Been there, done that. (One pit left and a WHOLE bunch of years ago at the A7) AWLAZS told the MD, "I can either help my squad, or I can work a stage.' And work he did. Thanks Randy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWLAZS Posted June 9, 2008 Author Share Posted June 9, 2008 Thanks for the kind words guys. HD I did not get to learn many names. I hope the match went well for you. Mike it was good to see you again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I was thinking of dropping the ball, my strong hand only shooting was definately lacking, I think if I had dropped the ball or it bounced outside the endzone, I would have like to think I would have left it, too much can go wrong as you are scrambling with your head down. I ended on placing the football on the ground as I came up to the corner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Hurley Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I was extremely disappointed that Randy received a DQ. But he is an unbelievable sportsman. After we discussed the situation a bit, he said, "Well, I can do one of two things ... I can help my squad or I can work a stage. What do you need?" .... He ended up doing both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWLAZS Posted June 9, 2008 Author Share Posted June 9, 2008 Dan, thanks for talking with me about it. Supermoto I never even thought about dropping the ball at the start. I wish I would have done a little risk management thinking. I wonder if anyone else chased the ball or if word of my DQ made people think about it and plan for it better. We had a guy chase the basketball down too but it was easier to keep the 180 in view. We were talking about it later and he said he should have just let it go and taken the ten. He did not plan for it to fall out. I wish I could figure out how I managed to let my finger get on the trigger during a reload at my club match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTOSHootr Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 That sucks Randy. You handled Area 7 like a class act. Mike Walsh, aka Supermoto, got some footage of that stage. I don't know what was thinking, I almost ran off with the basketball. I'm not a fan of props. We haven't yet confirmed allegations that Walsh also taped walkthroughs of the football stage. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1w2O-hdnWo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry cazes Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 (edited) I wish I could figure out how I managed to let my finger get on the trigger during a reload at my club match. Do you do anything active to be sure that it is not? When I am finished engaging targets, move, or reload I have gotten into the habit of always putting my trigger finger over the indentation where the opposite side of the slide stop protrudes through the frame. It gives me a little feedback to know that I am good to go. Find what works for you and ingrain that habit until it is almost unconscious. Edited June 9, 2008 by larry cazes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWLAZS Posted June 10, 2008 Author Share Posted June 10, 2008 I wish I could figure out how I managed to let my finger get on the trigger during a reload at my club match. Do you do anything active to be sure that it is not? When I am finished engaging targets, move, or reload I have gotten into the habit of always putting my trigger finger over the indentation where the opposite side of the slide stop protrudes through the frame. It gives me a little feedback to know that I am good to go. Find what works for you and ingrain that habit until it is almost unconscious. I have worn the bluing of the gun where the slide stop comes out. I always put my finger there. I also dry fire the reloads with the safety of and the hammer back. Its not an issue then. The slow motion video my "friends" have show the round went when I pounhed the mag release I have to shift my grip. It was 90 out mayby the gun got a little loose in my hand. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 I wish I could figure out how I managed to let my finger get on the trigger during a reload at my club match. Do you do anything active to be sure that it is not? When I am finished engaging targets, move, or reload I have gotten into the habit of always putting my trigger finger over the indentation where the opposite side of the slide stop protrudes through the frame. It gives me a little feedback to know that I am good to go. Find what works for you and ingrain that habit until it is almost unconscious. I have worn the bluing of the gun where the slide stop comes out. I always put my finger there. I also dry fire the reloads with the safety of and the hammer back. Its not an issue then. The slow motion video my "friends" have show the round went when I pounhed the mag release I have to shift my grip. It was 90 out mayby the gun got a little loose in my hand. Thanks Take a good look at the gun then... make sure you didn't have some sort of malf that caused you to let one go. It's a small chance, but one worth looking into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWLAZS Posted June 10, 2008 Author Share Posted June 10, 2008 I wish I could figure out how I managed to let my finger get on the trigger during a reload at my club match. Do you do anything active to be sure that it is not? When I am finished engaging targets, move, or reload I have gotten into the habit of always putting my trigger finger over the indentation where the opposite side of the slide stop protrudes through the frame. It gives me a little feedback to know that I am good to go. Find what works for you and ingrain that habit until it is almost unconscious. I have worn the bluing of the gun where the slide stop comes out. I always put my finger there. I also dry fire the reloads with the safety of and the hammer back. Its not an issue then. The slow motion video my "friends" have show the round went when I pounhed the mag release I have to shift my grip. It was 90 out mayby the gun got a little loose in my hand. Thanks Take a good look at the gun then... make sure you didn't have some sort of malf that caused you to let one go. It's a small chance, but one worth looking into. I will be on the range tomorrow. I plan on working with the reload for a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWARE2005 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 If it had been a rubber chicken with an air cannon stuck up its butt you wouldnt have dq'ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 I'm impressed with your fortitude and good mindedness for handling it the way you did. I shot my first major USPSA match Sunday and all I can say is my mind just couldn't grasp what I needed to do before each stage. I was was a tad overwelmed (and over heated). I shot SS and stunk up pretty bad. I didn't really have a problem with that prop and decided to go strong hand only on that part. I honestly don't know what I'd do if the football bounced out of the end zone. It shows us one thing though- we are all prone to make mistakes. It's good to eat some humble pie once in a while... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 (edited) This post also shows you really want to figure out what happened and make sure it doesn't happen again. I takes a charactar to admit ones mistakes, but posting them for the world takes humility and dedication to the sport. I solute you sir. Now get your ass to the range and make sure it don't happen no more. Edited June 10, 2008 by JThompson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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