About Learning

[38supPat]

This might not be the appropriate forum for this, and Flex or Benos can move it if they wish, but its a bit of a diverse topic so I thought it might belong here. (just let me know where it goes so I can find it again )

I intend to make a series of posts regarding the learning process that I have discovered over the past couple of years.

For those who are new and may not know me, I have taken the past couple of years off shooting to try my hand at a different sport. (auto racing) I did this for many reasons. Partly after 11 year of competitive shooting, I felt I needed a break. I discovered that I was, well, bored is not the right word, but I needed to step back and try to get a fresh look at it. Also, since almost everything I have ever learned about competition, or learning in general has been from shooting, and largely thanks to BE, I decided that in order to continue down the learning path I had to start from scratch. Since I spent so much time learning about shooting, I found it easy to be trapped in a cycle where... how do I explain this...it's like there is so much information that is filed away as "knowledge" but in fact needs to be studied again with an open mind. Trying a new sport, and one that is fairly close to shooting in that the relation of skills and equipment are very similar, made me start over. Think what it would be like if you learned how to ride a bike, and had ridden for year, maybe even at a competitive level, but never had a pair of skates on. Then one day, you put the bike away, pick up a pair of rollerblades and start to learn how to use them. You know all about balance, from years of bike riding, but its just not the same. You have to learn how to balance on something completely foriegn. Thats kind of how it was for me.

The best part was that I discovered that what I had taught about learning, really paid dividends when applied in a new direction. In two years, I went from a raw rookie, to taking 2nd place in class for the championship season, and placing 15th overall for the year (out of almost 200 drivers entered in the regional series) and being one of the more recognized drivers on the cicuit. Alot of the credit for this goes to Mr. Enos. In one of the opening lines in his book (THE book ) he stated that it was his desire that anyone from any sport could pick up the book and learn from it. Mission accomplished as far as I'm concerned.

So in the following weeks, as time permits, I plan to add posts here detailing some of the things I have discovered over the past couple of years, and I hope you can find that they apply to your shooting.

PS. While I still intend to drive next year, I'm looking at getting back to shooting, I think I am ready

[Sam]

Pat, you are a great contributor to the forum! I've hit a flat spot in the ol' learning curve again, so I'll be looking forward to your insights. Thanks in advance.

[Flexmoney]

Pat,

You know I am waiting to hear all about it!!!

[Steve Anderson]

Sounds vaguely similar to the cycles of improvement Flex and I have discussed during long drives to matches, but with a new insight. Very Cool.

SA

[38supPat]

Thanks for the support guys!

Oddly enough, just as I finished making this post, an old shooting buddy called me. He had heard rumor that I was getting back to shooting and wanted to chat. We spent probably an hour and a half talking about this same subject.

I should have my thoughts in order soon, and have a post ready.

[38supPat]

Ok first post: This one is prompted by the trigger prep thread in Handgun Technique Questions.

This goes back to alot of discussion we have had here before and what BE has written in his book and posts. All too often it is easy to confuse the advantages that a certain technique appears to give you as a shooter with what may be the actual reason for improvement.

Refering to trigger prep, Jon stated that by prepping the trigger he saved .15 on his draws. Later he stated that he had a .98 draw to a 15yd popper, but the shot took him by surprise. You can surmise two things from this. One, he might have got lucky with that shot, and what should have been an AD just happened to hit the target. Or two, it is possible for him to go much faster than he previously thought. I prefer to think it was the second option. Is it possible that the trigger prep is speeding him up? I doubt it. I have learned with experience that either prepping the trigger or popping the trigger makes no time difference in the actual act of pulling of the trigger. The amount of movement is so small that the difference in time would not even show up on our timers. Try this experiment. On the range (this is basically the reaction time drill) start with your loaded gun pointed at the backstop, (or target if you feel more comfortable) set your timer for random beep, activate it then get your grip and prep the trigger. On the beep, fire. Now repeat this a few times to get an average time. Next, start again but this time start with your finger off the trigger. It can be outside the trigger guard, or just hovering above the trigger, but do not make contact. Again, on the beep, fire. There should be very little, if any, time difference in the averages. Certainly not .15 difference.

So why is Jon faster? Likely it is because he is actually getting on the trigger sooner. Look at it this way. Jon can draw, at say 10m, in 1.10. He knows this because he has done it hundreds of times. Now he decides he wants to add something to his technique: trigger prep. In order for him to still get a 1.10 draw he has to get his finger on the trigger sooner, say at .95, feel the pad of his finger contact the trigger, then fire. But the shot went off a bit early, he got a 1.05 and hit the target. Hmmm, but Jon can only get 1.10's! How can this be? Try it again, hey a 1.00, what do you know! Jon just learned that it is possible to go faster than he previously believed. Did trigger prep help? Yes, but in a roundabout way. It made him get on the trigger sooner, thus speeding up the shot. But it was the act of getting on the trigger sooner than he was used to that sped up his shot on the draw, not actually the trigger prep.

The technique itself is not as important as the fact that it got you past a barrier. This is why the "trick of the day" works so well, not because a given technique is better, but rather by focusing on the new technique, it clears your mind of previous artifically created limits and beliefs.

Anything that redirects your focus away from "do this, do that, look here, look there," or anything else you consciously try to instruct yourself to do, can be beneficial. A good example happened to me on the track this year. My closest competitor, on this particular weekend, was running lap times roughly .5 of a second faster than me on every lap for a day and a half. On our last set of laps, she started directly in front of me. She got the green flag and went, I waited for my green which came about 5 seconds later (format is similar to qualiying in CART) As I left the line I decided I was going to catch her, and with a 5 second lead, to catch her meant I would have to pull substatially better lap times. The only thought in my mind was catching her, not the correct lines, not where my braking zones were, only to get my car on her bumper. In four laps I was there, on her butt as we headed towards the pit wall. I ended up beating her by over .5 of a sec. what I learned was, that by getting a directed focus on something specific, all the little nagging questions and thoughts were filed away. I knew the lines, I knew where to brake, I just had to get past all that and just drive.

This is the track we were on, running the outside perimeter in a counter-clockwise direction, for scale purposes the track in the bottom righthand corner is a half mile oval.

Try to be aware of where the real improvements come from, it might not be the change in technique itself, but, in fact, a side effect of the change.

[tightloop]

Pat

Just curious, what was your course of study in school?

[38supPat]

I majored in lunch

[benos]

Pat,

Is it possible that the trigger prep is speeding him up? I doubt it.

I agree. Often, when we simply direct or project our attention into an area we were previously unaware of - problems fix themselves.

I just had to get past all that and just drive.

That's good stuff.

be

[PistolPete]

Pat- what type of car are you racing? I am a car guy here and always wanted to get into racing but it is just way too expensive of a sport for me. I got into cart racing a bit but nothing extremely serious. Just curious what you are racing.

Thanks for this thread you make a lot of great points.

Pete

[38supPat]

If you look carefully in the last picture you can make out the brianenos.com...and the fact that the rear tire is off the ground..I'm doing about 60-65 mph at that part of the track...kinda cool

[38supPat]

The Next Lesson:

Start slow, build the speed.

I know when I started I was (and probably still am) a hoser. I went all out, then gradually brought things under control. As I improved I learned how important it is, particularily when working on a major change or some fine point to a technique, to slow down, then build the speed up.

This weekend I re-enforced this when I started Ice Racing. If you want to try something that requires smoothness and patience...whhooo man, this is it. I started out slow in practice, just getting a feel for things, let other cars pass me that I knew I was competitive with. Just came to terms with what I could get away with...but I started from a safe speed.

I watched others...many of whom have been racing for years...throwing themselves into corners, totally out of control...then fighting to get back...sometimes they didn't...snowbanks can be unforgiving.

I built my speed up until I found out how much grip I had and how to balance the car in the corner. A very tricky operation on a glass smooth ice surface...it requires VERY precise feel. Then I built the speed up, but never to the point where I was sso out of control I couldn't gather the car back up. I got pretty sideways, but never spun. Even after getting caught up in a major drama in the last race, stalling the car while trying to avoid driving into the side of a spun car. I got going again...now from the back of the pack, and proceded to pass a number of cars and get back in the fight. But I had the patience not to overdrive. It would have been easy to sucumb to the red mist and hurl myself after the cars, but I held back, drove smooth and passed them cleanly.

When trying something new, say a change to your draw technique. Forget the fact that you can do it in .90. If your goal is to hit .80, you might have to go back to a 1.5 draw and work back from there. Make sure you are executing properly before pushing the speed. Don't flail around and hope you immediatly see improvement. If you truly believe the change is valid, take your time and see if it is...let the speed build on its own as you get comfortable with it. If it works, you will find out soon enough. Don't try to make it happen...it will or it won't.

I gotta go dry fire

[short_round]

"cum patentia volo" this is hacked together latin for "with patience I speed/fly"

I wrote this on my weak hand index finger before my second to last match. During my prep I would put this hand on my first mag/pouch and read it. I had my best overall stage finish so far that day (tied for 4th out of 40.)

let the speed build on its own as you get comfortable with it. If it works, you will find out soon enough.

Amen.

[Ron Ankeny]

Pat:

Keep them coming. My head is full of inert shooting knowledge that I apply in an inconsisitent fashion. You and Brian are really helping me to further my understanding. Good stuff.

[38supPat]

Another one...