The Original CZ Forum
GENERAL => Tactics and Competition => Topic started by: Tanners Owner on February 25, 2018, 07:23:39 PM
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Here?s the background. With another guy, I run the monthly IDPA matches, setting up the stages the day before ( after drafting them and vetting them the week prior), and the morning of doing final checks, SO walk through and shooters meeting. I also SO a squad. You can say I?m pretty involved.
So at the first stage, I?m shooting well, until I need to reload and realize I failed to stow my reloads in my mag carriers lol
After that, the rest of the match was lackluster. But the gun ran fine lol
This happen to anyone else?
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One thing that shooting competitions has really helped me at least try to work out is to keep out negative thoughts. You have a bad run or a bad stage, let it go. Know what you did wrong, but don't dwell on it or beat yourself up. I'm very self-critical at times and perhaps even moreso in recent years since the passing of a loved one. But in a lot of ways, competitions give me a good forum to exercise more positive thinking. More to your point, I have had some nights that get worse...but I make sure that's because of some fundamentals that I'm not doing as well as I should, and not because I'm beating myself mentally. That helps you learn and not stew.
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Keep out the negative thoughts AND the positive thoughts. If you're thinking about much after the shot timer sounds, you're doing it wrong. ;)
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Of course you guys are right- always need to keep a positive attitude. I try as I want to keep all those in the squad to has a positive experience as well. I view my role as SO/ MD is help the squad have a good, albeit safe, time.
In fact I rarely check my score- I shoot to have fun with my friends and like minded folks. My buddies will tell me if I do well or not ;D
To be clear- I?m not whining about any score, just curious if others experience the same.
Regardless, was still a fun day despite the crappy weather (sleet & snow).
And there is always another match in a week or two around where I live.
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Keep out the negative thoughts AND the positive thoughts. If you're thinking about much after the shot timer sounds, you're doing it wrong. ;)
Yes, a couple of times.
It's always been a concern for something OTHER than the here and now. A GM once told me to relax, and he thinks of waves washing up on the beach. ;D He ALSO rightly said, if you aren't ready NOW it's too late to worry about it. Rely on your equipment and walk through and just let it happen at the buzzer 8).
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I find that when I have a horrible first stage, every stage after that is great as it takes all the competitive pressure off. Or something. :P
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I find that when I have a horrible first stage, every stage after that is great as it takes all the competitive pressure off. Or something. :P
+1
Not always terrible, but first stage is usually my worst. Then, with all the jitters worked out, I settle down and relax for the rest of the match.
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I find that when I have a horrible first stage, every stage after that is great as it takes all the competitive pressure off. Or something. :P
+1
Not always terrible, but first stage is usually my worst. Then, with all the jitters worked out, I settle down and relax for the rest of the match.
I will echo both these statements. I usually end up finishing top 4 at our local match, but my first stage is typically all over the place.
On the plus side, my Classifiers have been on the upside lately!
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So at the first stage, I?m shooting well, until I need to reload and realize I failed to stow my reloads in my mag carriers lol
This happen to anyone else?
YES! Helping paint steel between stages at a local weeknight fun shoot. When it was my turn to LAMR I pulled out a moon clip full of empties! When you help at a match it is easy (for ME) to overlook what you need, but it's all fun anyway.
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To TO specifically--When I worked the IDPA matches AND shot, I would overlook something for competing. But when I didn't work the matches, I was bored and critical of the people that did work the matches. :) :) When I prepped the guns and ammo BEFORE setting up for the match, I did a good job setting up the match and didn't have any prep distractions. You can do it, with a little practice. Another option is just shoot every other match, stick with MD and SO one weekend, then SO and shoot the next. Something like that. I for one am very grateful for your efforts, and I don't even attend your matches! Volunteer MD and SO's keep the sport going for all the adrenaline junkies. (Bullseye is therapy and rehab, IDPA is trauma)
Joe
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Plenty of times! I've also had a match go fantastically and then tank it near the end. You can't win a match on a single stage, but you can sure as heck lose one on a single stage.
I've learned to try and do what MoRivera advises: shake it off and move on. Shoot the rest of the match as clean as possible. I used to take it as an excuse to just push it until it came off the rails and that never paid off. But more than once, when I walked it off and focused on the rest of the match, I discovered that the other guys I was up against had meltdowns of their own and I ended up placing. During the match I've learned not to pay attention to what the shooters I'm competing against are doing. What am I going to do if they're ahead of me, shoot faster? Shoot better? I should already be riding the limit of my ability. When it comes down to it, your only real competitor is yourself. If you leave anything on the stage, it's your own fault. If every shot is the best you can possibly make and you don't win, go home and practice some more. And hope the other shooter gets bumped up a class before you come up against him or her again.
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Of course you guys are right- always need to keep a positive attitude. I try as I want to keep all those in the squad to has a positive experience as well. I view my role as SO/ MD is help the squad have a good, albeit safe, time.
In fact I rarely check my score- I shoot to have fun with my friends and like minded folks. My buddies will tell me if I do well or not ;D
To be clear- I?m not whining about any score, just curious if others experience the same.
Regardless, was still a fun day despite the crappy weather (sleet & snow).
And there is always another match in a week or two around where I live.
And also...no-one judges. If they do it's their problem. You congratulate good runs, on not-so-good runs you empathize and encourage. Everyone will have good and bad days (while maintaining safety, of course).
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I don't compete.
I can say that anytime I start thinking about how good or how bad I'm doing I do worse!
It's more important to either let your training/practice to take over or to spend your "thinking" efforts on sort of checking off what you have to do - not real intense, just sort of like watching yourself to make sure you are doing what you trained to do (almost unconsciously).
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I think there's a lot of benefits and enjoyment to competing too, as long as it's done respectfully....in many walks of life. It's good to strive to do better, compare yourself to peers, and learn from others. And of course, it's great to commune and network with others who share a common interest...in person.
And of course it's not life and death, but whatever added pressure really does expose things that one needs to work on. Competition also greatly aids your practice/range sessions too because of what's been exposed/emphasized.
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Worst day ever:
I decided I was going to slow down a bit and take better shots, so... fewer points down, right? WRONG. Worse than my first day because I wasn't allowing my body do what it knows how to do. Too much thinking.
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I'll add some specifics based on last weekend's bullseye match. It was our first club 2700 match, 900 rimfire, 900 centerfire, 900 .45. We ususally just do an 1800 match and are done by lunch time. Last year, with the back and hip injuries, I barely finished the 1800 matches, but I've had some operations and injections and am feeling much better, so the goal was to finish the 2700 match and see how I felt.
Problem was I was dehydrated when we started the match due to medication inbalances that i'm still working on. I shot the best slow fire match targets ever on the first two targets and finished up a good rimfire match. I wasn't holding the gun as steady as usual, so my scores were down some but good enough for the win.
But, by the time I got to the centerfire match, I was struggling and was very inconsistent. Only one good target, a 95-4x in rapid fire. Still had a good score relative to the other shooters, but was down a bunch from what I can shoot normally.
But the back and hip were doing great so I decided to hang in there in spite of the poor wiggle control. I needed to know if I could survive a 2700 point match. So, I shot through it, and the score was halfway between the rimfire result and the first centerfire target.
I finished a 2700 match!! I know now that I can do it, physically. The scores were bad, but the training and experience were priceless. The last match was in a heavy crosswind, so that didn't help, which means shooting those fairly well considering I was shaking the gun was a confidence booster also.
All I have to do is get a magnesium/potassium balance straightened out and still not hurt my blood pressure while allowing me to take some NSAIDs. Then I can hold the gun steady, like i did on Friday shooting a 99-5x target with the .22 and a 98 with the .45 and no bad scores.
Competitive shooting is for problem solvers and disciplined people. Folks can learn to be volunteers as well as shoot a match. Old folks can learn to regulate their medications to control their pain and still not get dehydrated enough that they can't hold the gun steady. I hope.
Joe
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I went into a stage once and man did I have a plan.....if there is such a thing it was fool proof.
8 shoots from the most perfect spot , most guys had to move twice to get all 8 shots off. Running mag change 4 steel right 4 steel left, move mag change new port 3 paper 6 shots to the last fault line mag change while getting there, new port texas star. done
What I didnt realize was I picked up my mags from the last stage and pouched them, thats right I never took them out to reload them before the next stage.
The next 2 stages where a little lack luster but as your did my gun ran flawlessly.
Just another day in paradise.
RCG
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It usually takes me a stage to start seeing correctly, meaning seeing my sights/shots. I don't know if I'm rushing or my brain isn't responding fast enough but after the first stage I generally settle down and shoot better. It doesn't help that I'm not able to shoot more frequently. I generally shoot once or twice a month. I also should start a dryfire regimen to keep everything current and repeatable.
There's always the mental blips that can ruin an otherwise great stage. I find that even though I prep a stage with a certain plan sometimes the buzzer goes off and autopilot takes over with it's own plan (generally for the worse).
I always reset my gear after I shoot so as to not forget. During the next shooter I will reload magazines and check each mag on my belt. Then I will return to helping out taping, brass, Scoring, etc...
Healthy competition does motivate me to shoot better. I have shooters I am gunning to beat and we rub it in when we do! It's fun and adds a little extra to the match.
Cheers,
Toby