Jeeper Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 I have been practicing hard for about 4 months now. I shoot usually 2 matches a week, live fire twice additionally a week and dry fire daily. On paper my times have all really dropped and such(actually hit a 1.01 reload today). The thing is that I dont really feel that I am going that much faster than I did 4 months ago. It makes it kind of hard to guage improvement besides watching the clock. I really cant tell how fast I shot the stage or drill without looking at the clock. I can tell if it is really fast or really slow but beyond that I cant really "call the time". I guess my question is "Is this a bad thing?" Is this a common phenomenon seen when improving? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vluc Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 One of my favorite quotes from our host: LET YOUR POINTS DICTATE YOUR TIME and 'I just worried about the hits and let the time take care of itself' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 This sounds, normal to me. The feeling of speed, comes from the brain not being able to interpret the data that is being input. Once the brain gets used to the data being input at that speed it doesn't feel fast anymore. Anyways that is my theory. Thus the more you practice the, faster you see, the faster you see the slower it feels and the faster you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Run n Gun Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 The more proficient you become the slower thing seem to happen, you find that; yes there’s time to acquire a sight picture, yes there’s time to call your shot. The timer “tells the tale” and ultimately your score at the match. I don’t practice without a timer. Period. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Ed, you might try it sometime, it can be fun, just shooting to shoot. I have been shooting everyday for the last 2 weeks and last night I just went this place where people dump their trash and just walked around shooting bottles and cans and trash and it was great fun. I had some small goals, but it was sure was fun, and I even took my timer off my belt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Jeeper, If you're in "improvement mode," you may be improving at a quick enough rate to make it difficult to accurately gage your times on specific stages. Once you level out though, even though your actions may not be driven or dictated by "trying to get a good time," you should be able to fairly accurately guess what your time was (on a repeatable string of fire) based on what you felt and saw while shooting. I used to be able to occasionally guess Steel Challenge stages to within a few hundredths of a second. And now and then, I could guess a run exactly. Nevertheless, I wouldn't say this is something to be concerned about; it is something that will just begin happening as you become more sensitive in practice. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Run n Gun Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Loves2Shoot, I agree with that 100%! Sometimes it’s just fun to shoot. I have some friends that have a couple of acres and a small berm, I went there over the weekend with my Ruger 22/45 (they want to be good neighbors… .22 only) and they set up balloons from 15 to 40 yards. Put up your quarter and keep shooting until you miss, the last balloon takes the pot. Wives, kids, everyone got to play. We had a ball. Sometimes it seems as if shooting is a second job. Dry fire, reload, practice, matches; it all seems to get to be a bit much. I suppose it would help if I would just do one “discipline”, but NO, IPSC, pins, Hunter Pistol, AND I’ve been toying with getting in to Sporting Clays! Sheesh! Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlocknSchpiel Posted July 8, 2003 Share Posted July 8, 2003 Jeeper, Three months ago, I had trouble with the truck that kept me away from the range and local matches. Two months ago I was involved in a wreck that kept me away from the range until last week. Last thursday evening I went to the practice session and was shooting draw/pairs. My old times (when I thought I was flying were 1.8 sec per attempt. This last session I decided to take my time and just go for the COM. My times, even though they seemed slow were 1.42 secs (I was shooting my HP instead of my regular G-17). Your "FEELING" for the day can effect how you perceve your performance for any given session. First I felt I was flying when I was actually poking along. I take my time and feel slow when I was actually doing good! If you want to use time as a gauge, go for it. If you want to use feeling as the gauge, use it. Don't confuse the two! Shoot safe, keep practicing, and don't worry about the small stuff, Later, Glockn... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper Posted July 8, 2003 Author Share Posted July 8, 2003 I guess my problem I was having with this "phenomenon" is that I wasnt sure of whether or not I should be "aware" of the time. Interesting posts, Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcoliver Posted July 8, 2003 Share Posted July 8, 2003 Several days ago I was doing dry draws with the uncle mikes holster after spending several months on the speed rig. Then I sudddenly had this thought about "wow, I think I'm doing sub second draws!" Pulled out the timer, then timed myself. Sub second my arse! They were close to 1.2-1.3sec! The more I wanted to go fast, the worse things seemed to be happening (the more flubbed draws, incorrect grip). So I did the "shake the muscles" routine to relax a bit. Set the par time for 1.1sec then proceeded with the action of the draw with the timer. Then it occured, the realization that without tension you seem to move slow but beat the par time. DUH! Then I did it with the gun keeping the same feeling and managed to bring the time down to .82sec...then the baby woke up and I had to fix her milk. Yep, in a relaxed state one can tend to do more in less time and you just have to trust that. Now if only I can command myslef to relax at will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfield Posted July 8, 2003 Share Posted July 8, 2003 That's my experience too, be relaxed and shoot smoothly. When shooting smoothly, you rtimes will be much better than when trying really hard to "be fast", but you don't experience it as being fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted July 8, 2003 Share Posted July 8, 2003 I've noticed many times that I can no longer tell time when shooting. What seems like a slow as molasses run can actually be fast and vice-versa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew_Mink Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 shred took away what I was about to say, so I'll just expand a little. A good example would be that run I had on your stage you were RO'ing down at Area 4 this year. I actually thought I had crept through it with bad hits. According to the scores, it was a different tale. About a year ago, when I was really improving at a fast rate, I thought that I was getting slower and slower, when in actuality, I was improving and my body was getting looser and looser. With less tension I felt like I was doing less. Back when I was more tense, it felt like I was really flying, but I wasn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOOLMAY Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 Have any of you been in a stressful situtation, car accident or the like, when your mind records everything in slow motion as it happens. In reality things are going very fast? If you can get to that state and control your actions then you might be doing what Brian does!!!! Maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywalker Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 TOOLMAY, what you are referring to is what Massad Ayoob calls "Tachipsychia", or (easier) the sensation of things going slo-mo under extreme stressful situations such as an armed confrontation or a life threatening situation (in such situations this is usually complemented by tunnel vision, a.k.a. loss of peripheral vision, and auditory exclusion). I don't recall exactly the phisiological explaination Ayoob gave for this sensation (it should be a consequence of the heavy flow of adrenaline), but I'd rather think they are not the same kind of feelings you might have during a match or practice session. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOOLMAY Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Thats good,I would hate the need to have the targets soot back to get my shooting to improve.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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