Pre-shooting visualization

[SA Friday]

Just finished the Saul Kirsch video and I've been thinking about it a lot, changing my imaging while dry firing, etc. Started thinking about how I occasionally gopher my sights and look for holes, and started wondering. During your pre-shooting imaging, do you visualize where your bullet strikes will be on the target or do you visualize where your sights will be when the shot breaks?

The more I think about this, the more I might think visualizing the bullet holes may not be helping me, and instead I should be visualizing what the sights will look like on each individual shot. It may help me stay on the sights.

Edited October 15, 2009 by SA Friday

[Aristotle]

I visualize the shot break and my index on the target. Last thing I want to do is start looking for bullet holes.

[Duane Thomas]

I use two approaches. One, I visualize what my sights will look like for every shot on target. This is a point of view image, I picture the sights, their movement, the transitions, when to pick them up as I move into position, etc. Two, to plan out movement I use an out of body experience, as if I was a spectator standing there watching myself shoot and move through the stage.

Visualizing bullet holes I can't see helping, as it doesn't accomplish either of the things need to do to execute the stage cleanly: sights and movement.

[Jadeslade]

I visualize the sight picture. And the index. Really getting to the shooting like before make ready I am just trying to get that first target and gun on target in my head and then go. If my plan is good and I am seeing well, lately it goes right.

[Catfish]

sight picture, not bullet holes.... If you have to look at the target to see if you hit it, you're wasting time.

[benos]

Just finished the Saul Kirsch video and I've been thinking about it a lot, changing my imaging while dry firing, etc. Started thinking about how I occasionally gopher my sights and look for holes, and started wondering. During your pre-shooting imaging, do you visualize where your bullet strikes will be on the target or do you visualize where your sights will be when the shot breaks?

Definitely forget all about visualizing bullet holes, unless, you plan to be looking right at the target when the shot breaks (and the target was close enough to see the bullet hole).

Also, don't just visualize what the sights will look like on the target. Visualize each target, and "how you will see" each target, before the sights get there. "How you will see" meaning - will you see the target as the "A-box," or the circular shape of a steel plate, for example.

be

[bulamike]

Yea, I try not shift focus back and forth to much, if I do I start looking over my sites, analyzing my run during the course of fire. My best stages are when

Im in a bubble on my front site and the stage looks out of focus.... front site, front site.

[TWHaz]

As I run through my visualization before I shoot if I cannot see the spot or tape I picked out to shoot on each target as I rehearse it in my brain video, I am not ready to shoot that stage or drill.

[little_kahuna]

see the target as the "A-box"

Visualizing anything else would be to invite expecations into your mentality, effectively eroding all chances you might have had at maintaining a clear and observant mind.

[tgibson]

You guys are getting too deep for me I think. I don't even think about the gun/sights in my prestage process. I focus totally on movement, reloads, where I am going to move fast, set up for swingers, positioning for multiple targets through ports etc. When I have that memorized, I am ready to shoot. When the buzzer goes off, all I think about is a perfect sight picture on every target!!

Adios,

TG

[sfpmb]

I am trying to not go looking for targets in an array during stages. I am trying to sort out my visualization process. I am doing this in the video to get a routine. Once I get a routine I figure I can multiply it by however many arrays are in the stage. For me my current visualization is order of targets, position of my body and index on target with sight picture.

target array visualization

[bobtorre]

I visualize Evil on each target, and the rest is history....

Fear No Evil

Edited May 27, 2010 by bobtorre

[kevinj308]

see the target as the "A-box"

Visualizing anything else would be to invite expecations into your mentality, effectively eroding all chances you might have had at maintaining a clear and observant mind.

That's a keeper, thanks.

Kevin

[bobtorre]

Oh I forgot to mention,,, 24 hrs before every match yourstruly eats a plethora of waffles, then the morning of the match a consultation with the village santero is had. Blessings are given and on his way this servant of justice goes...

Evil never Saw me coming ...

Edited May 28, 2010 by bobtorre

[Flyin40]

I visualize the sight picture on the exact target spot. Do it in dryfire also. I made a bunch of targets and then put them up. I had about 6 or 8 up on the wall. They would be targets 1-8. I would visualize shooting them 1-8. Take a few minutes and then visualize something else. Say 1,3,5,7,8,6,4, and 2. You can switch it up however you want. When I first started I couldn't do it and it was hard. I wasn't really burning it in. It didn't take long for me to get it down. It helped me alot. I had some FTE's at matches so I did this to really work on my visualization.

Flyin