What the Hell is Wrong With Me?

[runawaygun762]

I shot the Spring Multi Gun at COPS in Missouri today and ended up an abysmal 21st of 73 overall, 13 of 34 in Tactical. I had 60 seconds in penalties on my first stage because I completely forgot to engage 4 rifle targets. I can tell myself it's no big deal, that this was only my eighth 3 gun match ever, and that it's all a learning experience, but I've always known my biggest problem is executing my stage plan. When the stage starts, it feels like I go on autopilot and I don't actively think about what I'm doing. The exception to that today was a 24 round shotgun-only stage that I still did poorly on with a 45 second run, but it was almost identical to the shotgun stage last year, and this year I did 14 seconds better. The difference was I had five positions that I designated in my walk-through and I hit all five positions. Would of had only four spots to hit, but the only choke I own is IC and there were a couple targets that seemed to be a bit too much of a gamble on whether or not I'd put them down based on their angles. Still bad, but 14 seconds off a 24 round course is a pretty good improvement.

I'm ****-hot with pistol. I know I have some issues with rifle and my shotgun is coming along, but I know how to go about correcting any deficiencies in marksmanship; it's just a matter of putting more rounds down range in training. How the hell do you practice executing your stage plan? I know I shouldn't exactly be at 3GN Pro-level after only eight matches, but it's an issue I've known about since I began and I'm not getting any ****ing better. Jason Carillo worded it well when he tried to give me some pointers last month when he said the walk-through is your "record" time and shooting the stage is your "playback" time, but trying to figure out how to play things back on the clock is killing me. I'm not nervous or flustered at the sound of the timer, I've shot enough Steel Challenge and USPSA pistol to be fine with that, it just feels like I'm in the shooting tense while I should be in the shooting and thinking tense.

 

[Wall]

how many times are you walking through your plan?
Put your ear plugs in & quit playing grab ass.
After the initial walk through continue to visualize your plan while others are shooting.
Walk it again right before your turn to shoot.

 

[charger arms]

Been there. I am sure I am there currently. have gone from placing 24th overall out of 470 some one weekend to barely hitting middle of the pack the next. There is a mental aspect to the game that sometimes I can find and other times I can not. Seems like once I find a rut, I am stuck there.

 

[runawaygun762]

Put your ear plugs in & quit playing grab ass.

That has to be a huge part of it. I try to have fun and bullshit, since I'm not going to win anyway. Maybe I should look at it like I'm trying to win and stay away from people. Maybe next match I'll try to get squadded with people I don't normally shoot with so it won't matter to me if they think I'm a standoffish asshole.

As for walking through my plan, I can tell you my stage plan exactly for every stage I shot today and most of the stages I shot at the big match last month. Before and after the run, they are crystal clear in my head, down to where I'm indexing the gun as I come around a vision barrier. It's during the stage, though, that it all seems to shut off. I'm still that guy that gets done and is surprised to hear that I passed by several targets.

 

[Spiff]

Don't look at it like you're trying to win, look at it like you're going to execute to the best of your ability. If you win, great, if you get 5th, great, if you get last, great. You can only perform to the level at which you've prepared to perform. Your goals should be to score as many match points as you currently reasonably can and to improve over your last match performance. Do what you need to do to ensure you achieve these. I get quiet a few shooters before me because I'm running through my plan. If I've got my plan nailed down, then I can screw around.

Before you're called to the box, stand still, close your eyes, and airgun your way through the entire stage if you can, without doing more than taking a step or two. This really drives the plan into my brain because I'm actively making it visualize.

Also, this may not be your case, but this sounds like a problem a friend of mine has. He's always trying to shoot at 105% of his skill level because he's an idiot. Consequently he earns 75% or fewer of the points that he could reasonably earn. If he dialed it back to 90% of his skill level, he would earn 85-90% of his points, because he wouldn't do stupid crap like run past a bunch of targets and drop mikes on paper.

 

[Jennifer Herd Seymour]

I break the stage down into sections and shooting positions. So I know I start here and shoot 5 targets, run to that pinecone and shoot 6 targets, reload while running to that patch of dirt and shoot 8 targets, etc. I then remember 5, 6, 8. I close my eyes and look like a retard to outsiders as I stand in one place but visualize the stage with my eyes closed and my arms go through the motions of the stage. I do this as much as I can (while still helping paste and reset) before I shoot. I visualize which target I hit first at each shooting position. This is just how I do it and I have gotten much better at stage planning and not having to hunt for targets or forget any. I remember where I am running to and what all I have to do at each position. As crazy as I look standing there with my eyes closed and arms going through the motions, it is an indicator that I am concentrating and no one really interrupts or thinks I am being stand-offish. They know I am mentally walking the stage.

 

[racnsoonr]

Don't be so disappointed with your finish. Many of us that have been doing it longer may never score that high up. Everyone has their good days and bad days/stages. It sounds like you're getting better..learn from your mistakes and build off of your last stage, match etc. Stay loose but focused. Don't over think yourself and try not to make any last minute changes to your plan

 

[runawaygun762]

I really appreciate the feedback on this and other venues. I will never win the right to walk a prize table first, I'll never stand there with cool sunglasses holding up a big ass check, and I'll never shake Taran Butler's hand while congratulating him on almost beating me, but I won't stop trying to improve. I think like most amateurs, I will never be the best competitor out there, but I want to be the best competitor I can be.

Unfortunately, my wife is going through some surgery that will require me to stay home and take care of things while at least one Lead Farm 3 gun match and a couple pistol matches take place, but I should have time to tighten up my marksmanship, shotgun loading, and figuring out how to best use awkward firing positions at the range behind my house. If I can't put into practice the great advice I've gotten, I can at least work on improving the technical portion of my shooting.

Thank you folks so very much.

 

[racnsoonr]

David...NEVER say "NEVER"...you could end up like this guy someday!

 

[bullittmcqueen]

Most of my stage planning takes place before the match. Most of the matches I get to shoot post the stage designs ahead of time. By the time its match day, usually I only have to make minor changes based on what the stage looks like in real life. Then I try to simplify it by breaking it into sections. 3 short sections are easier to remember than 1 long marathon stage.

Don't even worry about other shooters or placings. Competitive shooting is like golf, its you against the course and nobody else matters.

 

[Spiff]

Stage plans based on stage diagrams are fine, but anything you can glean from a stage diagram online can be figured out in the first two minutes of walking a stage. Stages on the ground will also frequently differ from the posted diagrams once reality sets in. Posted diagrams are good for things like round count, but all the important stuff (engagement order, footwork, loading to a lesser degree) has to be done in person. Thinking about it ahead of time can lock a person into his or her preconceived notions of how the stage should be shot, instead of letting your body figure out the most natural way to shoot the stage during the walk through.

 

[runawaygun762]

Yeah, I have learned not to rely on stage diagrams. The diagrams at the MO 3 Gun Championship were fairly close, but not close enough to rely on compared to what's on the ground.