Competition nerves

[QUICKBRICK]

I'm having problems with nerves while shooting in competitions , ie not being able to pull the trigger is the main problem , sometimes having to raise and lower the gun 5 or 6 times before I can release the shot . Is there any types of training that can help overcome this? . I've been shooting about 6 years or so and shoot as many comps as possible but doesnt seem to be getting any better . thanks for your help

[RobStubbs]

I'm having problems with nerves while shooting in competitions , ie not being able to pull the trigger is the main problem , sometimes having to raise and lower the gun 5 or 6 times before I can release the shot . Is there any types of training that can help overcome this? . I've been shooting about 6 years or so and shoot as many comps as possible but doesnt seem to be getting any better . thanks for your help

There are lots of things you can do, but like everything you need to train it - in this case your brain. Firstly I suggest you buy 'with winning in mind'. But for now you need to learn to focus totally on shot execution (and do so when you train). You need to learn to trust in yourself and your ability and just shoot like you do in your club. It's easy to say but not as easy to follow, so keep at it.

Rob.

[Bunsen]

I come across this quite a lot in Archery. It is a form of target panic, where you can't release the arrow or you let go as soon as the sight gets near the gold.

The "cure" is to practice shooting without a target, you just need some sort of mark to aim at to make sure you are pointing in the right direction.

Now you don't have a target you don;t have anything to concentate on except shot execution. Practice like this for a while and shot execution will become automatic. When you re-introduce a target you will find it much easier to aim and release the shot.

[AK Pistol]

Lanny Bassham books are an excellent place to start. 2nd determine what your goals are and get a coach to help you reach them. Good luck!

[Brian M]

As my dad always put it...

When I was a kid, he assured me that he and my mom would still love me, feed me and house me. I would still be welcome at the club every Monday night (Jr night), etc...

Now, he asks if my wife will love me less if I don't shoot well, if my dog will shun me. WHAT reason do I have to fear a bad shot? None other than whatever pressure I put on myself. No one else in the world cares about your shot. That's not to say you shouldn't care, but give it the proper weight. I enjoy shooting in competitions more than at my home range, I Feel better, shoot better, and dread the empty time between competitions. Might be weird for you to think this way, but it's how I've been since I was a junior shooter. Kinda like how I LIKED playing golf in the wind/rain on my high-school golf team... it's because I knew that most people hated it and I had a HUGE advantage on all of them just through having a positive attitude.

Each shot is its own unique process. The fact that you're standing in your basement/home range, the OTC, or a World Cup match doesn't change what you need to do to get that shot off. It is mental training.

[lastman]

Great advice Brian.

Shooting is a game. Like any other game there are many more important matters in life.

That said however, I tend to find a lot of people have trouble releasing a shot in competition because they are trying to shoot better that they actually can.

By this I mean you're trying to shoot a ten (or shot in the centre) when you
re not actually capable to doing that every time.

This is because you're trying your best to shoot the best you can.

Now in order to get around that you need to accept a few things.
* You are not capable of shooting a 10 with every shot.
* The sights will move around, probably a bit more than you're used to because of the increased grip tension.
* You will not have the same 'feel' on the trigger because your nerves change your Galvanic Skin Response has changed when your nerves kicked in.

There are others but you get the jist of things.

What you then need to do is allow yourself to shoot naturally. Don't over think things. When in competition your shot process needs to be as natural as possible. Let body determine what happens when and not your brain. You have done enough work for your body to be a far better shooter than your head so let it do its job.

But at the end of the day, if you're nervous or not having fun think about things like "how much better is it to be shooting than to be at work."

You will find shooting shot in competition are much easier when you have faith in what you have done and accept the things you can not change.

Good luck

[deadeyedick]

Kinda like how I LIKED playing golf in the wind/rain on my high-school golf team... it's because I knew that most people hated it and I had a HUGE advantage on all of them just through having a positive attitude.

I do the same thing...turn a negative into a positive.....when others around me start making negative comments , I know they have just defeated themselves...more room to excel for those that think differently.

[RobStubbs]

I come across this quite a lot in Archery. It is a form of target panic, where you can't release the arrow or you let go as soon as the sight gets near the gold.

The "cure" is to practice shooting without a target, you just need some sort of mark to aim at to make sure you are pointing in the right direction.

OK there's a few things to note here; Yes the above drill is a good one but it isn't a drill to reduce competition nerves. You need to get used to shooting at the target because there's no alternative in competitions.

What you need to do is reverse your thinking or rather forget it's a competition. You don't shoot differently in a competition than in training so remember to train for competitions. Your training is your foundations and you need to trust in yourself and your ability. Trying too hard (or even trying) will result in negative outcomes. Develop confidence in yourself and your ability, trust in yourself to shoot just like you do when training, and occupy your mind with postitive thoughts. In the competition think just about the process, and ignore the score. The final score should be a pleasant suprise at the end of the competition, because you haven't been tracking it.

Rob.

[Misny]

Ah, "chicken finger". We've all had it at some point. It starts because you don't have enough confidence in the fundamentals and therefore your mind is creating doubt in your abilities. Your subconscious is stopping you because your conscious mind is not focused on the fundamentals.

1. Develop a written shot plan. Refer to it during practice and matches.
2. Get a key word which will cause your conscious mind to focus. It can be any word, like "focus, trigger, or ten" for example.
3. You may try to avoid unnecessary chatter before and during breaks in the competition to help you maintain focus, but this may not work for everyone. Some folks do better joking around.
4. Shoot a lot of matches.
5. Don't forget that it is just making a hole in a piece of paper. World peace doesn't depend on the outcome of your efforts.

[RobStubbs]

just a note but any keywords should be process and not outcome orientated. Sow 'slow' is fine, as are things like 'focus' or whatever works in your head. Something like 'ten' or 'bull' isn't ideal.

Rob.

[gn303]

For what it is worth this is how I tackle the problem. When the gun is aligned my trick is to count: twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, twenty four, twenty five. The goal: focusing on the front sight for those 5 seconds. At 25 I know it is time to release the pressure on the trigger and stop aiming a little later, because it takes too long. There won’t be a good shot release. Think about the alignment of the front sight only, not about the trigger. Through dry firing you should adopt the mechanism to activate the trigger automatically.
This works for me, try something this way that works for you. Good luck.
Guy

[Robert K.]

I think most of us have gone through this at one time or another. A lot of good suggestions have been stated above. The one point that helped me when I went through a spell of "chicken finger" was to focus on keeping the trigger finger moving once you initiate the squeeze. Front sight concentration and a solid follow through is focused/maintained on while the trigger finger is moving. It will take a little while to know when to initiate the trigger pull in your routine, but once you do you will have that automatic shot. Just my .02

[paulo]

I tend to find a lot of people have trouble releasing a shot in competition because they are trying to shoot better that they actually can.

Always remember what is the REAL area aiming you are able to hold and write it down, next to your shot plan; your brain goes "blind" once you get in the mindset that you have to shoot a perfect match, or that you are going to shoot your best score that day; take a minute off from the firing line if you feel you are entering the "Perfect Moment" state of mind and you only want to shoot "perfect" tens, start aborting MANY raises, and totally forget about your shot plan.
Use any relaxation technique you have trained, and "snap out of it", and refocus on the technique of shooting every single shot as a separate unit, distinct from the whole.

http://www.targetshooting.ca/

Training Theory and Exercises

Mental Training

Relaxation / Attention Control / Competitive Training Exercises

Having a shot plan can help tame the anxiety level, but the adrenaline will last you for the rest of the match and won't metabolize fast enough, if you enter one these "Perfect Moments".
Training to avoid anxiety in the first place is the only solution to help you from sabotaging your match.
"Being in the zone" is what you are looking for, to enjoy every shot as the best you can do at that time, and to be completely immersed on its execution, with a total loss of time awareness.
You had to train, drive there, pay for it, you better enjoy it, or you will not do it for very long.

[paulo]

http://www.zoneofexcellence.ca./

Conclusions
Results from quantitative analysis of the broader sample of athletes and sports in
the questionnaire survey confirmed most of the inferences drawn from qualitative
analysis of the interview transcripts. The following conclusions may be drawn from an
integration of the interview and questionnaire survey findings:
1. Mental readiness is an extremely important factor influencing an athlete's
performance. In fact, of the three major readiness factors rated by the
athletes-mental, physical, technical-mental readiness provided the only
statistically significant link with final Olympic ranking.
2. A large percentage of Olympic athletes did not perform to potential at the
Olympic Games because they were not prepared well enough for the distractions
they faced.
3. Mental readying is derived from a number of learned mental skills that must
be continually practiced and refined for an athlete to perform to potential and on
a consistent basis.
4. Attentional focus and the quality and control of performance imagery were
the most important statistically significant athlete skills directly related to high
level performance at the Olympic Games.
5. The following common elements of success were operational for the
best athletes (i.e., Olympic medalists and world champions) in virtually all sports: (a)
total commitment to pursuing excellence, (b) quality training that included
setting daily goals and engaging in regular competition simulation and imagery
training, and (c) quality mental preparation for competition, which included a
refined competition plan, a competition focus plan, an ongoing postcompetition
evaluation procedure, and a plan for dealing with distractions.
6. The three major performance blocks that interfered with high level
performance at the Olympic Games were (a) changing patterns that work, (b) late
selection, and (c) an inability to refocus in the face of distractions.
7. Coaches could play a more meaningful role in helping athletes with their
mental readiness for major events.
This study gives a clear indication of the mental components of excellence that are
necessary for performing to potential at high profile events such as the Olympic
Games. It pinpoints the mental skills that need to be developed and refined for
consistent high level performance. It also clearly illustrates the tremendous body of
knowledge that can be tapped by an in-depth examination of a nation's best athletes. We
encourage those interested in helping athletes nurture these specific skills to read additional
athletes' accounts about their mental readying (Orlick, 1986; Orlick & Partington,
1986), and to be guided by athletes' and coaches' prescriptions for effective
consulting (Orlick & Partington, 1987; Partington & Orlick, 1987a, 1987b).
References
Orlick, T. (1986). Psyching for sport: Mental training for athletes. Champaign, IL:
Human Kinetics.
130 • Orlick and Partington
Orlick, T., & Partington, J. (1986). Psyched: Inner views of winning. Ottawa: Coaching
Association of Canada.
Orlick, T., & Partington, J. (1987). The sport psychology consultant: Analysis of critical
components as viewed by Canadian Olympic athletes. The Sport Psychologist, 1,
4-17.
Partington, J., & Orlick, T. (1986). Documenting athlete readiness for the 1984 Olympics
and evaluating sport consulting-Final report. Ottawa: Coaching Association of
Canada.
Partington, J., & Orlick, T. (1987a). The sport psychology consultant: Olympic coaches'
views. The Sport Psychologist, 1, 95-102.
Partington, J., & Orlick, T. (1987b). The sport psychology consultant evaluation form. The
Sport Psychologist, 1, 309-317.
Rychta, T. (1982). Sport as a human personality development factor. In T. Orlick. J.
Partington, & J. Salmela (Eds.), Mental training for coaches and athletes (pp.
101-102). Coaching Association of Canada.
Werthner-Bales, P. (1985). Retirement experiences of Canada's successful elite
amateur athletes: An exploratory study. Unpublished master's thesis, University
of Ottawa.

http://www.zoneofexcellence.ca./free/wheel.html

[paulo]

http://www.targetshooting.ca/docs/Maste ... _Notes.pdf
This is a condensed version of the book, read slowly.