Rocket Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 Seems like the last couple of months I've feed on a steady diet of improvement in shooting drills , but the last week or so I feel like I've hit a wall and maybe even lost some of my gains. I need to get back on the train. What are some things you guys do to get going again when your practice just doesn't seem sharp. It's like I'm not seeing as well , the hits and speed are just not there. Frustrating. I guess I'll try to backtrack and work up to speed again slowly , work on some fundamentals like hitting what I'm aiming at sheeesh. If any one has some tricks for "finding it again" please let me know. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 Read The Book, it is all in there. If you feel like you have hit a plateau, it is because you are not seeing what you need to see in order to advance. Get a copy of Brian's book and read it once to get the feel for it. Then read it again slowly to really grasp what he is trying to tell us/you. I feel like I did not explain that very well, but you should get the message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 Ditto what tightloop said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew_Mink Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 Everytime I hit a plateau, I pick up the Open gun. I'll shoot it for a while, pretend like it is my primary gun, shoot a few club matches with it, practice with it, etc... Then I grab the Production gun and see where I am at. Every time I go back to the Glock, I start climbing again. Now if you primarily shoot Open, I don't know what you should do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 Seems like the last couple of months I've feed on a steady diet of improvement in shooting drills , but the last week or so I feel like I've hit a wall and maybe even lost some of my gains. I need to get back on the train. What are some things you guys do to get going again when your practice just doesn't seem sharp. It's like I'm not seeing as well , the hits and speed are just not there. Frustrating. I guess I'll try to backtrack and work up to speed again slowly , work on some fundamentals like hitting what I'm aiming at sheeesh. If any one has some tricks for "finding it again" please let me know.Bill Be careful. You can worry so much about improving, and lose sight on what allowed you to improve in the first place. There is no such thing as a learning curve, it's actually a series of steps. Each plateau is merely a point in the timeline where you are adapting to and settling into what you have learned. It's easy to get frustrated when you think you are stuck on a flat point in your development, but stressing about it only makes it worse. Just keep practicing as you normally would. Do the drills you are currently comfortable with, when you least expect it (and aren't "looking" for it) you will find yourself seeing new things, feeling new sensations, and improving your shooting. But you have to let it come to you, it can't be forced. Allow yourself to be open for any new information that comes to you when shooting, but don't "look" for itYou will learn when you are ready, not when you try to make it to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 Everytime I hit a plateau, I pick up the Open gun. I'll shoot it for a while, pretend like it is my primary gun, shoot a few club matches with it, practice with it, etc... Then I grab the Production gun and see where I am at. Every time I go back to the Glock, I start climbing again.Now if you primarily shoot Open, I don't know what you should do. If you shoot Open, do the opposite, pick up a stock gun or production. The reason you improve is because you changed the routine, shooting a different gun make you more open because of the differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket Posted October 13, 2003 Author Share Posted October 13, 2003 Is it safe to say that improvement comes not in a strait line but with peaks and valleys? Right now I feel like I'm in a valley , but the next peak, whenever it comes, will be higher than the last one. Sounds like the key may be to change my routine and open up to some new stuff. The thing that gets me is doing it so well one day and not as well the very next. Then trying to figure out what the hell you were doing before that you aren't doing now. Sorting thru all the details of your shooting checklist, going back to the basics. It would be a whole lot easier if improvement was linear and once the fundamentals were learned you didn't have to pay them any more attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 It would be a whole lot easier if improvement was linear and once the fundamentals were learned you didn't have to pay them any more attention. Yeah...and bodybuilding would be easier if the weights weren't so heavy. (Sorry, for the lame joke.) Seriously, open up your senses to allow more input. And, open up Brian's book. There is always something in the book that flicks a switch, and gives me something to address in practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcoliver Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 Okay, totally out of the window advise, but I've been doing another sport to improve my shooting. Twice a week I'm playing badminton. Knowing where the opponent will position the ball based on how his racket looks like upon contact is eerily similar to shot calling. And, like shot-calling, once in a while I get to know where the ball goes even before it crosses the net. And the serve...wow, majority of it I'm beginning to see if it'll be a hard or a drop shot. Besides, the explosive running and jumping is helping me move faster making me light on my feet. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ong45 Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 What i usually do when i am feeling like you are is to work on the stuff i hate to do or things you don't see often in a match. Try going out to practice only one thing. Examples would be shooting weak hand, prone, 50 yard standards etc, Maybe all you need is to change your focus once in a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooterj Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 When I feel I have lost control, I'll pick up the 610 and shoot it for a couple weeks. When I go back to the STI, the new found trigger control is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 For me lately it was the issue of "rushing"... and I scarcely knew I was doing it. What I needed was someone ELSE to observe my shooting and spot my error. And this in fact did happen just this week. The improvement was nothing short of miraculous in my case. I had not only reached a plateau, I had begun to SLIP BACKWARDS and the resulting frustration only increased the rushing and errors and frustration. So we did a dead-stop and had someone spot us for a few minutes and do some drills. Changed my life. Now it's up to me to stay with that observation that was made. But it was so clear what the problem was I don't see how I can forget it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDean Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 ...but the last week or so I feel like I've hit a wall and maybe even lost some of my gains.... A week? A WEEK?!! Lots of things can make a bad week or two of shooting. Events in your life, a cold, too much hanky-panky. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Looking at your progress is ike watching the stock market. Some people will make huge changes based on one day's trading. You need to look at the 6 month performance and hopefully see a gaining trend. Don't burn out! I remember after taking a couple months off (not shooting one match), I came back better than ever. It's wierd, but sometimes it works. The time seems to allow your body to absorb and organize all the info you've recieved lately. It makes you hungry to shoot too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 The only true limit is in the body's nervous system. Anything less implies interference from lack of attention. p.86 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 I do what TDean suggested. I quit for 6 months and literally went to the range the day before a match to check the gun for zero. Fired 20 shots and left. Showed up the next day and kicked butt!!! Sometimes just shutting the brain off for a bit and doing a re-boot makes everything you know run all nice and happy. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket Posted October 14, 2003 Author Share Posted October 14, 2003 Ok , I read section 3 of BE's book again , went to the range and viola. I'm shooting better. I'll just say tension is a killer and it can really screw things up. I just really focused on relaxation with my grip and wrists. Bingo , rockin fast splits at 15 yds with nice tight pairs. I think I had slowly worked myself into tense grip and this in turn had tensed up everything else as well. I lost my neutrality and this resulted in poor control, having to fight the gun onto the target. Fluid movement is key and relaxation lets your eyes control the action. I feel better now. I think I'm going to incorporate relaxation drills into every practice session from here out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m.e.t. Posted October 14, 2003 Share Posted October 14, 2003 In the last month or so I have really started to move forward. I credit two things for this. I did not shoot a match for a month. And I read a post from Flexmoney. His signature started me just shooting at my speed. And suddenly my speed was better. I was fast enough. And the month off let the match jitters fade away. Went back relaxed and with fewer expectations. Thanks Flexmoney. Simple words. Great answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket Posted October 14, 2003 Author Share Posted October 14, 2003 m.e.t. , as you seem to be finding out, this board is the collective experiance of a great many smart and knowledgable shooters. I can't think of a better resource and members like BE, Flex, TDean, Erik, Pat, and many others that make it that way. I'm amazed that many of people I shoot with don't have a clue it even exists. Basically, if you can think of a question, someone here will have the answer, the right answer. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted October 14, 2003 Share Posted October 14, 2003 m.e.t., Glad it was helpful. Don't give me credit though...my signiture line is usually a quote from someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Anderson Posted October 14, 2003 Share Posted October 14, 2003 When I hit a rut, it ALWAYS helps me to quit looking at the times, and quit using par times for dry fire drills. The timer should never tell us how to shoot, only when. sA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted October 14, 2003 Share Posted October 14, 2003 Make every round count. In practice and in matches. At the SV Open I shot 3 extra rounds the whole match (2 on steel, 1 on paper making up a d with a d, and I saw them both) and finshed 14th in limited. I had some massive mag jams due to the fine dust mixing with the case lube reside on my bullets (that cost me 6 places at least.) If you know where every round goes you hesitate less and get to the next spot faster and stay relaxed. Rushing won't make you faster, just more reckless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear1142 Posted October 15, 2003 Share Posted October 15, 2003 Rocket, Two thoughts came to mind while reading about your plateau problems (Even though you seemed to have worked through them). I'm a very strong proponent of treating what we do as a sport and not a hobby, although it can be both. Maintaining the sport mindset for me helps me focus on where I want to go and how to get there (mentally, physically, and spiritually). First, top professionals (pick any sport) don't get to where they are in spite of the fundamentals, its their dedication to the fundamentals that makes them professionals. Once again, pick any sport, preferably one you were involved in at some point in your life. The first couple of things you'd do after stretching and warming up were your skills drills. Be it throwing, catching, hand-offs, dribbling, etc.. I don't think you'll ever go wrong by continuing to work on your fundamentals, regardless of how your performance as a whole is progressing. The second point, which has already been brought up is to take a break. All sports have an off-season. For me, its from about now to around February. While I still go to the range and shoot, I don't actively practice. I shoot my other guns for fun or just an excuse to break out an old friend and clean it. The great thing is I still get work at the fundamentals of sight, grip, stance, tracking, etc.., even though I'm not practicing. By the time February rolls around, I'm refreshed from my break and eager to get practicing for the new season. Take a break, I'm sure you deserve it. Erik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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