Ever start a match poorly and never recover?

[Tanners Owner]

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?

[MoRivera]

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.

[IDescribe]

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. 

[Tanners Owner]

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 

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.

[1SOW]

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.   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 .

[noway]

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. 

[baldrage]

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. 

+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.

[jameslovesjammie]

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. 

+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!

[SoCal]

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.

[Joe L]

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

[Joe Allen]

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.

[MoRivera]

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 

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).

[M1A4ME]

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).

[MoRivera]

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.

[IDescribe]

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.