Brian & Duane Talking

[gino_aki]

Little bit of a drift but the zone exists everywhere for everything you do...for everything you see if you will only let yourself see it.

See what IS...and stop hoping to see what is not.

I've not reached this point in my shooting yet as I never spend enough time exploring there. I do reach there most when I'm surfing. The best rides always come when you are not consciously trying to maneuver (like in a contest) but letting the flow of the wave show you where to take yourself. You don't really feel the board, just the ebb and flow of power through your feet. If you're fortunate enough to be blessed with a barrel (tube ride) you find the zone can be a physical as well as subconscious place.

[Xd357]

Wow! Thanks for posting this, I'm just starting to see this. I shot the ICOR cup this pass month and on the 1st stage I thought that I was shooting to fast. So fast (for me) that I thought that I forgot a target or two but I had all a's. Kinda freaked me out.

[Classic_jon]

All I can say is "Thank you Brian and Duane and all the other posters as well!"

The timing of this post was perfect! This has nailed down something I was just thinking about!

I had a DQ about a month ago now, then the next match I was in I took a deep breath and...it just flowed. I was shooting in the same times as some of the faster Expert class shooters and got several comments about how fast and smooth I was shooting that night. The gun seemed to leap out of the holster and center itself on the target. I just remember a feeling that all was "correct" when I pulled the trigger. There was no effort to "make the shot" it just happened.

The next match I felt pressured to do as well as I had the previous one, and had a couple people talk to me about if I kept that up I would be moving up in class pretty quickly. The stages we had that night were *rough*, pretty complex and after the second stage, I was doing terrible. I took a step back and realized I was trying TOO HARD to duplicate that smooth flowing feeling. I went off to the side...relaxed.. and I nailed the third and fourth stages.

Siphon, your example from Hitchikers Guide makes a lot of sense to me

Now all I have to do is not try so hard while not trying to not try so hard!

Thank you again!

[CHA-LEE]

When you say the word "Try" it really = Doubt in being able to do it

Any time the word "Try" seeps into your thought process on achieving something its almost always going to turn out less than optimal. Verses saying the same thing in a "Do" context.

For example.......

"I am going to try and hit all of the steel on this stage one for one" = Conscious Loser, shaky confidence in shooting the steel.

"I am going to hit all of the steel on this stage one for one" = Conscious Winner, solid confidence in shooting the steel

Or even better...

"What steel? Its already down and the stage is over" = Subconscious Winner, not even burdened by the thought of not being able to shoot the steel in a desired way.

Before a stage run when the RO says "ARE YOU READY!!??" the only thought in my head is "Here we go....." and my mind trails off into nothingness through the "STAND BY" and Buzzer tone. Then I have flash thoughts of "SHOOT IT!!!" as I run through the stage.

I try to never have the thought of "DONT MISS THE STEEL", "GET THE SWINGER ON THE FIRST PASS", or "DID I GET MY HITS ON THAT TARGET???". If I do have those thoughts then I know the stage run was run in a conscious and less than optimal state.

[benos]

What is it that doesn't think?

be

[badchad]

When you say the word "Try" it really = Doubt in being able to do it

Any time the word "Try" seeps into your thought process on achieving something its almost always going to turn out less than optimal. Verses saying the same thing in a "Do" context.

Sorry can't resist.

I try to never have the thought of "DONT MISS THE STEEL", "GET THE SWINGER ON THE FIRST PASS", or "DID I GET MY HITS ON THAT TARGET???". If I do have those thoughts then I know the stage run was run in a conscious and less than optimal state.

Does that mean you almost always have those thoughts?

[Classic_jon]

When you say the word "Try" it really = Doubt in being able to do it

Any time the word "Try" seeps into your thought process on achieving something its almost always going to turn out less than optimal. Verses saying the same thing in a "Do" context.

Sorry can't resist.

I try to never have the thought of "DONT MISS THE STEEL", "GET THE SWINGER ON THE FIRST PASS", or "DID I GET MY HITS ON THAT TARGET???". If I do have those thoughts then I know the stage run was run in a conscious and less than optimal state.

Does that mean you almost always have those thoughts?

In reading that post all I can think of is Yoda saying "Do or do not, there is no try."

[CHA-LEE]

badchad> Yep, I am still in the "Try" mode for that particular issue of NOT thinking those things during a stage run. I lack the mental confidence to know that I will not think them during a stage run. Those thoughts still creep into my mind from time to time whether they are wanted, intentional, accidental or whatever. I simply try to replace my inner self talk with "SHOOT IT!!!" during a stage run. That works well a lot of the time but random thoughts or commanded thoughts still creep into the equation. Granted the random/commanded thoughts happen less and less with the more shooting experience I gain. I still have a lot of mental work to do and I don't think that it ever ends really.

The mind is some times like an oiled up hog running out of control in the house wrecking your calmness as it rambles everything in its path. The mind is hard to restrain or control some times. Who REALLY has 100% control of their thoughts 100% of the time???

[CHA-LEE]

What is it that doesn't think?

be

The Subconscious does not think, it’s the “doer”

[benos]

What is it that doesn't think?

be

The Subconscious does not think, it’s the “doer”

I cannot name the "doer."