Losing My First Major Match

[AikiDale]

Other than local club matches the Kentucky State Chamionship was my first. This post could have gone in any number of forums but I put it here because of the lesson I learned. I had to work really hard to come in last place!

First I zeroed a stage by having a gun break. Gun repaired and continued the match.

Go to chrono and come away minor with a 162 PF.

The big lesson came while scoring the second stage I zeroed. The stage 'Now Look What You've Done' consisted of two disapearing gravity turners and two non-disappearing swingers activated by two poppers. one on either side of the shooter, manually dropped at the start signal. The shooter then picks up the loaded gun from a table and fires away.

Having seen several shooters bring the gun up on the turners just as they disappeared with out getting a shot off I expected to do the same and just shoot the swingers. No penalties on the disapearing targets. However, that was not my plan, it was just what I expected.

LAMR.

AikiDale is at peace with the world. Kimber loaded and placed, propped, on the table.

I place my hands on the cold steel poppers with a mental image of my hands disappearing from them and instantly appearing on the gun.

AYR?

I nod and exhale.

Standby!

Inhale.

BEEEEEEEEEEP!

I push back on the poppers to drop them. As they begin to fall my hands fill as if by magic with my pistol. I am waiting for the turners to appear. Two hits on the left turner! Two hits on the right turner!

And while I was wallowing in the egotistical self satisfaction of what a great job I had just done , snagging the pistol from the table, calling two shots on each of two turners I had not expected to even get one hit on, I casually threw two shots at each of the remaining two targets and got three Mikes (instead of just seeing what needed to be done and doing it).

Sensei should know better. In fact, I do know better. I have chided hundreds of students about this over the last quarter century. Could not even wait 2 more seconds to pat myself on the back.

Hopefully I now have this out of my system and will shoot the next match with a little less ego!

[rhino]

Dale . . .

I had a different mental error on the same stage. I blasted the drop turners and got three of the two hits (I thought I'd only hit one of them twice), then got two As on the left swinger and . . . one A and one mike on the right. Except . . . I knew I had a miss.

So I stood there for FIVE WHOLE SECONDS looking at the swinger, trying to see if I really missed or not. THEN I TOOK ANOTHER SHOT!

I have no idea why a didn't just pop a few rounds right away . . . we'll never know the answer to that question, nor why I took that final shot.

So a six-something run turned into an 11-something run. Oy!

This may be no consolation to you, especially from me since I'm always near the bottom of the results, but I came in dead last place (counting both divisions then ... open and limited) in my first big match (Indiana Section years ago). You will survive and do better next time!

[Jake Di Vita]

Nothing wrong with screwing up unless you didn't learn from it.

Good job guys (actually learning from your mistakes).

[Garfield]

AikiDale: I can relate to that, I have done similar things

Rhino: I've seen that done by other shooters as well, even top-class, you're not alone

Nice reading and a good "lesson to remember".

[THS]

I too lost a major recently.

Of course, I can remember exactly where I lost points and time on each stage, and get to think about those things too.

Try this for a list;

Stage 1. Double clutch trigger while passing port. Have to stop and step back to fire the second shot. Costs me 2 seconds plus on a 10 second stage

Stage 2. Grab gun too hard off table, dropping mag, from a G34 no less, and fire one shot before immediate action. Costs me 2 seconds on a 7-8 second stage

Stage 3. Drill a NS......

Stage 4. HUGE field course, and I forget a popper that activates a drop out. Holler BACKING and slide step until I can get both. Costs me about 8-10 seconds....

Stage 5. Pretty good, except I wait for a forward falling popper to move before I leave a firing position..... time moves on

Stage 6. Need a make up shot on an all steel speed shoot. 5 and change wins the stage....

Stage 7. Shoot too many shots one handed through a port......Duh, that's way slow.... end up 9 seconds behind stage winner's time

Stage 8. Get prodecural for not pulling activator all the way with strong hand. Should have listened to stage walk through better......

Stage 9. Accept poor shots 'cause I want to go too fast and drop way too many C's.

Stage 10. Shoot smoothly, for once.....

Chrono..... Forget it is really cool now, and the temp makes a difference. Make 125.2 PF, yep, 125 point 2.

Looking back, I never crashed and burned, shot 1 mike, 1 no shoot, 3 D's and got 1 procedural in a 215 plus shot match. That I'm pleased with too. I'll rant later about how this sport has become way too speed oriented....

Tom

[tightloop]

Maybe this thread would have been better titled, What I Learned After Shooting My First Major.

However if you can take anything away from the experience that will help you down the road, it is indeed a learning exercise. Better luck next time.

We all analyze our performance or lack of it after the match. Human nature.

[m.e.t.]

I know the feeling. I went to Area 5. And I spent the whole day with my head so far up my ---. Well you all know where. I was dead last on stage after stage. I had to have that match. It really helped me relax and just do what I have to do. Nerves kill. Just think about your failures long enough to get a good grasp on what you did wrong. Then let them go. I figure you will come back and beat the guys who beat you.But, not to soon though. I think I'm shooting against you this weekend.

m.e.t.

[rhino]

You'll be whippin' my a** tomorrow morning, Mike.

By the way . . . if anyone is going to be flying over the Ft. Wayne, IN area in one of those dual rotor Chinook helicopters, I might need some help getting up from the bed on stage 1 . . .