What I learned from yesterday's local USPSA match

Mac MacDonald · Jan 22, 2012

Shoot fast as you can!

My best local showing yet because I made my self go faster than I wanted to. I ended up shooting the classifier faster than the Master in my division. Shooting just a shade cleaner would have won me the stage.

Slam the pedal to the floor! Can't wait till next weekend!

Not sure why it shows me as unclassified?

I just shot my fourth match and received my first classification of C. My last two matches have been strong and I'm certain I'll be bumped to B... AFTER ONLY 6 MATCHES!

My goal is to be an A shooter by the end of the summer. We'll see how it pans out soon.

...

technetium-99m · Jan 22, 2012

Michael, I don't know you from Adam but those points are terrible. You can absolutely compete in C with terrible points, you can get halfway through B with terrible points. To compete in the beginning levels of A you need to shoot at least 90% of the available target points. Just shooting as fast as you can will not get you where you want to be, trust me, I tried it. That means in production you need to shoot 1/2 the targets with 2 A's and the other 1/2 with A/C at a minimum. D's are marginally better than Mikes with minor PF.

You could have slowed down a whole half second, gotten much better points and about ended up with an A % on that classifier.

technetium-99m · Jan 22, 2012

After reading that it came out a bit harsh. I'm just trying to give you the advice no one gave me when I started.

Airic · Jan 22, 2012

Shoot for points, do everything else at warp speed.

bsdubois00 · Jan 22, 2012

There's a saying that goes something like this

"You can't ever miss fast enough to win"

If you want proof look at some of my majors. My times were way faster than I should have been shooting. Slow down. Get points. You'll actually do better. Now if I could just do that.

argyle64 · Jan 22, 2012

Except in a poker shoot. Poker shoots are all about firing as fast as you can pull the trigger.

Mac MacDonald · Jan 22, 2012

technetium-99m said:
After reading that it came out a bit harsh. I'm just trying to give you the advice no one gave me when I started.

No worries. I'm super new in USPSA and loving every minute of it. Just need to make my hits and push myself harder.

Mac MacDonald · Jan 22, 2012

Airic said:
Shoot for points, do everything else at warp speed.

The "do everything else at warp speed" is great advice. I never thought that the best place to make up time is in-between shots (i.e moving, reloading, transitions between targets, etc). I mean, I know go fast, but looking at it this way takes the pressure off me thinking I have to shoot way faster than I'm able to. I can make-up time in areas other than dropping points that I shouldn't be dropping.

Learning everyday...

Matt1911 · Jan 22, 2012

Mac MacDonald said:
The "do everything else at warp speed" is great advice. I never thought that the best place to make up time is in-between shots (i.e moving, reloading, transitions between targets, etc). I mean, I know go fast, but looking at it this way takes the pressure off me thinking I have to shoot way faster than I'm able to. I can make-up time in areas other than dropping points that I shouldn't be dropping.

Learning everyday...

You aren't the only one. I learn tips and tricks on this site every time I visit. Applying those tips is a whole other story.

drmitchgibson · Jan 22, 2012

Things pick up well after the first time you run a stage while full of confidence. It's definitely an "Aha!" moment.

1OKshooter · Jan 22, 2012

I am learning stuff on here all the time I am about to shoot my first match this Feb. so I am looking forward to it!

Mac MacDonald · Jan 22, 2012

I've been competing in skeet, F-Class, and IDPA so it's quite a transition. Especially the IDPA thing. My first USPSA match I kept wanting to stay behind cover and was hesitant to drop a mag with rounds in it. So, I quit going to IDPA matches so I will not redevelop those "training scars". I hope to transition some of my F-Class and Skeet skills over to 3 Gun. With all the different shooting sports growing so fast it definitely is a great time to be a shooter!

jtischauser · Jan 22, 2012

6 months to B class is very fast!!! Keep up the good work man. It's always a balance of speed vs accuracy and knowing what your seeing in your sights is good enough or not.