Flexmoney Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 We get distracted by so much _________. We forget (or ignore) to ask ourselves, "what is important to do well on this stage.". Then, we fail to build a plan around that. And, even if we do, we get distracted and fail to execute that which we know to be vital to success. Explore the fundamentals. Really experience them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasOPM Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Confidence is a funny thing. I had no confidence in my last match- and I did awfully. Several matches ago I had utmost confidence- and I did awfully. Most of the matches in between, I just decided to do what I know how to do- and I did pretty well to very well. While I do believe that a lack of confidence can hurt- so can misplaced confidence. As one of my friends told me (who happens to be a much better shooter than I) " shooting is easy, put the sights where you need them to be, press the trigger so the sights stay where you need them to be, repeat as necessary- everything else is incidental". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 (edited) I have the opposite problem. The IDPA zero ring fits my lateral wobble zone perfectly. When I shoot USPSA I end up with a lot of Charlies that would be zeros in IDPA. +1 No knock on IDPA (I enjoy it), but part of it for me was that I went in being told that my IPSC background would give me a boost up. That expectation/confidence/ego thing... Edited December 13, 2008 by kevin c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tucson-John Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 See the second line of my signature... Some years back I started to "not think" when I was in an event or even practicing. I became much better at a variety of things that I had some difficulty with. It's very difficult to put into words. When I have to do something important (I started doing this when I turned about 50yrs old.....) I knew I didn't have the reflexes or the muscles or whatever that I had when I was younger. But I had the ability to stop "processing" what I needed to do. I used to laugh when some said the term "muscle memory" because muscles don't have brain cells.....The brain remembers. But I hope I'm getting my point across. I just get very blank & do my thing. I was doing somethings very well but I was really trying. I stopped "trying": my head was not into "what should I do now". I have a little routine I do of relaxing my jaw, neck, shoulders, etc. just before I need to execute almost any athletic of co-ordination thing. If I do it well, I'll be sort of smiling & that helps also. It's really comforting because IF I relax I move with almost no hesitation and the weapon seems much lighter, softer, & even quieter. The challenge was not relaxing - but maintaining that relaxation even while moving while contracting muscles to action. I'm not so great at it but when everything is in place; especially if I can be alone before hand: I do fairly well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted January 19, 2009 Author Share Posted January 19, 2009 Well... All the good advise is useless without putting it to practice. Shot a 7 stage rifle match today with mixed results. About 50% I shot pretty well and the others...the old "I want to" got the best of me. Mostly the ones I shot "fast", my friends told me I looked smooth and had a good plan but I had an unacceptable percentage of dropped points. The ones I shot "with visual patience" I placed poorly on. I find it very hard to relax and shoot my game, feel that I have stayed with my plan and shot well, and look up and see the others guys on my squad beat me by 30 or 40 %.... The only thing I feel I did well was when the match was over I was not pissed at myself. Surprises me but I felt OK about....Me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tucson-John Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 The only thing I feel I did well was when the match was over I was not pissed at myself. Surprises me but I felt OK about....Me. Personally, I think that's damn important. I remember when we used to shoot something called PPC back in the early 1970's with REVOLVERS. The big deal back then was reloading w/ those damn speed loaders. Some guys had what used to pass for race-guns. They had generally big slabside barrels on N-frame Smiths or really fine Pythons, tuned to double-actions so slick you wouldn't feel their glass smooth 11 lb triggers; they felt like 5 lbs - but some of the best would fumble with those speedloaders; usually in the final load. That's when most guys got choked. You had to dump your brass & keep looking at the target path or you'd loose time for sure. The trick was to freeze the cylinder w/ your fingers and screw in the loader counter clock-wise. That way you could get that thing back loaded pretty damn fast. I used to choke when I was doing pretty darn good & got over confident. I was shooting against some older guys who really had their stuff wired tight. I came in 13th from about 139 people in one meet that was held at the old Academy. There were folks back then that could reload a revolver so fast it was amazing. I was in my early 20's and felt I screwed up bad. One guy came over to me and congratulated me & I didn't know why. The first thing out of his mouth was "did 'ya have fun?" I said "Yes sir, but I didn't (do this or that).....He said "Hell that's what this is all about: having fun!" - Congratulations; you did better than (what's his name - I forgot, of course)". I think of that when I go and try to shoot some of these new shoots. If I'm having fun: I'm winning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slabbie Shooter Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Mr. Enos, if I misquote your book please say so but this is the message I gleaned from it: Confidence implies expected results. Expected results distracts from the present, which is to prepare to shoot. Then comes the shooting. See everything. See yourself shooting as you shoot. Don't judge or second guess, just see, shoot and see. There is only the present. All else is a distraction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XD Niner Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 For me live fire practice leads to engraining of good fundamentals. It also helps me hone more advanced skills associarted with the non-shooting actions on a stage. This in turn helps me be cofident in what I can and can't (yet) do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlamoShooter Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I find it very hard to relax and shoot my game, feel that I have stayed with my plan and shot well, and look up and see the others guys on my squad beat me by 30 or 40 %....The only thing I feel I did well was when the match was over I was not pissed at myself. Surprises me but I felt OK about....Me. The other guys on the squad did well because you helps us. That was one of the more difficult matches squad wise to shoot in with the open squadding. kind of not real sure just when out time up was going to be. You made a good recovery from a start that you did not like much after we waited through 14 shooters before us. The next stage had us scrambling to get ready. A good portion of the match was just plain running to get to position. You out shot me by 20% the only diff is my feet moved better than yours did. I remember some equipment and mag problems that slowed you down as well, and if that upset you No one knew it. you let it go. so well that maybe you don't remember why we had a faster time. You lifted me up when you saw my chin drop after a stage. And the event was better because you were in it But yes Benny Hill did beat you by 30% If I was at the next 3 gun event and you were on my squad my {Confidence} would maintain better. I don't know if you like rifle better than hand -gun , but I can tell you are more relaxed before you shot in this match. Jamie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Service Desk Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I turn my mind off - and leave my brain turned on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redmanfixit Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Entrainment! To be completely absorbed in the moment. One pointed focus. Not to grasp for the state, but to allow myself to slip into it. Making the ammo, cleaning the gun, getting my gear ready. Fussing with the mags. Practice my draw, mag changes, tap rack bang! To see people I know and get to know people I don't. How burned propellant smells. When the light is right I can see the bullets going down range! Fine mechanisms. Seeing the sights lift! (Thanks Brian) The experience of being in the presence of kindred spirits all looking at what we think is the same object and trying to communicate about the experience and what we think we see. Sometimes it's SO easy. It is always exactly what it is. The dance of Shiva. Quantum flux. Isn't it cool? "What's the purpose of life, the meaning? To fart around! Of course!!" Kurt Vonnegut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badchad Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I find it very hard to relax and shoot my game, feel that I have stayed with my plan and shot well, and look up and see the others guys on my squad beat me by 30 or 40 %.... How much do you practice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted January 20, 2009 Author Share Posted January 20, 2009 I find it very hard to relax and shoot my game, feel that I have stayed with my plan and shot well, and look up and see the others guys on my squad beat me by 30 or 40 %.... How much do you practice? (insert appropriate excuses) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 The only thing I feel I did well was when the match was over I was not pissed at myself. Surprises me but I felt OK about....Me. That probably came from paying attention to what you were doing and having the act of experiencing what your were doing as your goal. So, you meet that goal...thus felt good about it. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I find it very hard to relax and shoot my game, feel that I have stayed with my plan and shot well, and look up and see the others guys on my squad beat me by 30 or 40 %.... How much do you practice? (insert appropriate excuses) First 2+ stages of every match? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlamoShooter Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I find it very hard to relax and shoot my game, feel that I have stayed with my plan and shot well, and look up and see the others guys on my squad beat me by 30 or 40 %.... How much do you practice? (insert appropriate excuses) Dang Brother! I practices hard for 5 hours the day before the match. Set up drills with walls to move and shoot around corners in a zig zag with close targets and farther targets, shot at my steel at 150 + 180 yards sitting and keeling. My gun worked 100% and I placed less than 20% ahead of you, only because my mags worked and my feet are faster. You kept your head when the mag fouled and you never sprayed bullets to try and make up time. You looked and acted more Confident than I did. I think you are a much better competitor than two years ago. Hanging with two of the top guys in the nation is hard on any one. Not to mention Jimmy Clark, I bet if we removed Benny and Kurt that Jimmy has more match rifle time than all 70 shooters combined and I bet we would have to add Kurt's rifle hours to match Jimmy's rifle hours. Look at stage 3 you were faster than him but you had a miss. If I had gotten to see you shoot that stage before I shot it , I would have done much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I get confident by practice. If I don't practice... I'm not confident. For me live fire practice leads to engraining of good fundamentals. It also helps me hone more advanced skills associarted with the non-shooting actions on a stage. This in turn helps me be cofident in what I can and can't (yet) do. Practice helps me. If I've done it in practice, I'll look at a stage and think "I HAVE done this", instead of trying to convince myself "I CAN do this"... Trick, of course, is to actually practice, and to practice everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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