What should you think on the firing line

[Judith Arifandi]

I search at article across the net yet I haven't find a sure answer. This question bothering me because of my last match. Nearly everyone told focus on the shooting process. Its not wrong, I just confused with it.

At the last match, I spent too much time at the beginning of the match. So my last series end up with 10 shots left in about 7 minutes. and I thought,"okay just put the sights on the right place and bang". The cool thing is I shot 6 ten in a row (although with a 7 and a 6 because only few second left...it still sadden me but better than zero). and I thought to myself, "why didn't I do it earlier? maybe 89 in 2nd and 4th series wont happen". I ended up with 92 89 93 89.

The reason why I spent too much time at beginning of the match, its a big match for me and I broke national record on previous match. so I really don't want to look bad. I was too careful with my shot that cause hard to shoot correctly.

Okay forget the score, what concern me is how we think affect how we shoot. Because of the experience, I think it is more effective for me to think simple as possible. After the match I experiment on it, what happen when I think about my sequence and what happen when I care less about it.

then came a question, "is it okay I just think 'put the sights on center line and bang'? won't it affect my technique because I didn't put focus on it?". And I came up with answer, "I've done triggering thousand times, no matter how I pull it as long its going backward, its not going to jerk. Same with sights and follow through, I've done it thousand times. pellet go straight. the only reason it not ten is because the gun not pointing at it."

in training, thinking simple somehow get better result than thinking like this (sequence on my note) :
1. take a deep breath and relax
2. align center of target with center of eye (I have astigmatic, so its better to make sure that my glasses and my eye at the same place)
3. raise gun while inhale
4. lower while exhale
5. wait until the aim settle
6. smooth triggering
7. follow through

sometime it makes me want the sights to be perfect, sometimes it makes me want the trigger to be smooth as possible, sometimes same thing to my follow through etc. my guess is, too careful is caused by fear. (I've done the sequences almost 2 year, maybe I got automated without realizing it).

Does simple thinking reduce chance fear to occur? what do you think? What kind of thinking did you use on firing line and why?

Thanks

[Rover]

Stop thinking about it and just shoot! Second guessing yourself (or having someone else do it) is a recipe for disaster.

[RobStubbs]

Pretty much just focus on the sights and where they are pointing. Everything else will look after itself. Keep positive and reinforce the good shots and move on from the poor ones. Between shots you can think simple 'nice' thoughts but never think of outcome or performance. Like everything else though if you don't train this mental approach in training it won't work as well in matches.

Rob.

[David M]

If you start thinking......stop.....put the gun down.....start again
It should be the same unemotional subconscious shot process time after time.

[Pat McCoy]

Judith, one "trick" to try is to stop thinking in terms of words, and as you mount the gun think in a picture of what you want to happen. The subconscious will make the trigger finger move by itself, and you will have good deep shots without the "struggle".

In training we go through the entire shot routine to make it a part of our subconscious, but in the match we need to "just shoot".

[william]

"I hope that nutcase next to me on the firing line doesn't shoot me."

[tedbell]

"I wonder why that person next to me thinks I'm a nutcase."






Sorry- couldn't resist.

To bring it back on point, Judith, I think you would really appreciate reading "With Winning in Mind" by Lanny Basham. He speaks to some of the questions you are asking.

Thanks,
Ted

[Chris]

I think you are the right track but you might be over thinking it. I tend to do better when I really focus with lots of intensity on the front sight.

A coach once told me "do not accept a bad shot". Put your arm down and restart the process.

How much do you dry fire?

[Judith Arifandi]

The only reason why I ask is because its opposite of what my coach taught me. The problem is not the skill, but mental. Ask a shooter to explain what he/she feels during shooting. Its hard to pass a message in word.

@tedbell : thank you, I read his biography. it sounds interesting. I want to buy abhinav bindra's book too. anyone suggest me a good website for international shipping? I never try amazon, how to use it? ( I live in Indonesia)

I guess you guys right. if this way works for me, just do it. thinking too much will make my head blow :)

@Chris: my problem on the last match is I restart the process too much. restarting the process is not wrong, I just got carried away.
And I train a lot 6 days in a week whether live or dry fire. I think I'm just not prepared mentally. Mental create a big difference.

@william: what do you mean by nutcase?

[Reinhamre]

I was given an advice once that has stayed in my mind;
"It is not about the 3 seconds it is about what you are doing during the 7 seconds that determines the outcome." (We are talking centre fire here)

[jliston48]

Once at a coaching session with Lanny Bassham, he explained the process of positive thinking - of rehearsing the shot/series in your mind to the extent of experiencing the feelings of what it is like to fire a perfect shot/series.

Then do it while the process/feeling is still in your brain (sort of)!

He described it as the nearest thing to cheating. He said that it was so successful when you did it right that the officials would ban it if they could.

That message is now about 30 years old and I remember it well.

Of course, you need the technical skill to make it happen but this is the simple(!) mental process of concentrating on the task at hand - not on past or future scores or on records and presentation ceremonies or on success or failure, etc.

Good luck Judith!

[tedbell]

@tedbell : thank you, I read his biography. it sounds interesting. I want to buy abhinav bindra's book too. anyone suggest me a good website for international shipping? I never try amazon, how to use it? ( I live in Indonesia)

Amazon has websites in China, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Japan, and the UK. If you think one of those locations would work you can probably find the right website through a search engine. You might also want to contact Lanny Bassham's company, Mental Management, at MentalManagement.com. I'm sure they can ship a book to you- the only issue is going to be how much will the shipping cost. They are nice folks, and respond quickly to emails.

Thanks,
Ted Bell

[RobStubbs]

I'd be interested to hear what your coach told you. There are differences in opinion amongst coaches, as youd expect, but I've not met a coach who didn't think that minimal thinking whilst shooting equates to optimal performance.

Rob.

[conradin]

in training, thinking simple somehow get better result than thinking like this (sequence on my note) :
1. take a deep breath and relax
2. align center of target with center of eye (I have astigmatic, so its better to make sure that my glasses and my eye at the same place)
3. raise gun while inhale
4. lower while exhale
5. wait until the aim settle
6. smooth triggering
7. follow through

Speaking of which, I actually have a question on this, as I think when I first learned shooting I learned it from two people who had different styles.
4. Lower while exhale...5.wait until the aim settle

After raising the pistol:

1. Do you totally exhale while lowering and then fire with an empty lung when the aim is settled (firing with empty lungs)?
2. Do you only exhale half way while lowering and then fire when the aim is settled (firing with half emptied lungs)?
3. Do you totally exhale while lowering, after the aim is settled, inhale half way then fire (firing with half filled lungs)?
4. Do you exhale half way while lowering and when the aim is settled inhale back and then fire (firing with full lungs)?
5. Inhale all the way while raising to the upper most position, then exhale half way to bring it down pointing the target, then exhale the rest when the aim is settle, then fire (firing with empty lungs)?


I am quite sure #1 is not good because when sometimes I find myself firing around more than four seconds after the aim is settled, I started to get uncomfortable because of the lack of air. I am pretty sure it cannot be #4 because that means I am not relaxed.

Any suggestions, and reasons behind each method?

I usually only do this consciously while drying firing; while in live firing I usually "just shoot", but have develop a habit unconsciously from procedure 1-3 and procedure 6-7. When it comes to 4 and 5 I am inconsistent, although I try not to think about it and let my body decides.

[Spencer]

...After raising the pistol:

1. Do you totally exhale while lowering and then fire with an empty lung when the aim is settled (firing with empty lungs)?
2. Do you only exhale half way while lowering and then fire when the aim is settled (firing with half emptied lungs)?
3. Do you totally exhale while lowering, after the aim is settled, inhale half way then fire (firing with half filled lungs)?...

Each person will have two natural respiratory pauses - one where you 'normally' pause at the end of exhaling and one where you 'naturally' stop inhaling: neither of which are anywhere near totally inhale or totally exhale.

Unless you are trying to hyperventilate for some specific purpose it is best to stick with these 'natural pauses' as your body (the shooting platform) will be much steadier

[Judith Arifandi]

This is actually out off topic but I'll answer
@conradin : I've interviewed lot of shooters, they have different ways but they can all perform well. (score is depending on skill)

if you ask my style, I exhale while lowering and stop when it reach aiming zone. I don't think its total exhale(not empty lungs), its natural. I don't exhale/inhale and aim at the same time. so no breathing activities while waiting for the aim.

I read somewhere before, brain receive signal from lung that oxygen decreasing. That's where you feel out of breath. you were not actually out of breath. just say "I'm not gonna die just because holding breath couple of seconds more". Sometimes I used it to prevent panicking

@tedbell : I got a copy from my friend, how lucky I am :D

@rob: jexactly I wrote on the first post. with additional "focus on your coordination" and "your body like freeze during the shot release"(no movement like wrist, head etc). its not wrong, but he against "just shoot" that I described in fiist post.

Anyway problem solved for me, thanks guys and the info about the book too

[toddinjax]

"I've done triggering thousand times, no matter how I pull it as long its going backward, its not going to jerk. Same with sights and follow through, I've done it thousand times. pellet go straight. the only reason it not ten is because the gun not pointing at it."

I respectfully question whether this can really be true. I only have 1 year of experience with AP but I know when I hit the 6 or 7 ring, (as happened to you under pressure) it's because of poor triggering rather than my aim being off THAT much. It often happens that I'll feel my hold drifted just as I released the shot, but with a nice smooth trigger pull, it will still score a 10 or high 9. If I don't release the trigger properly, I know without looking at the target that it'll be a low scoring shot.

[conradin]

This is actually out off topic but I'll answer
@conradin : I've interviewed lot of shooters, they have different ways but they can all perform well. (score is depending on skill)

Thank you, that is actually how I shoot. But I can never figure out exactly what I am supposed to do during the lowering process in a consistent manner. Sometimes I would inhale a little bit back so as my lungs are not empty. Sometimes I exhale totally quickly but that means the target is settled very quickly and I know I would pull the trigger almost immediately.

[conradin]

I know when I hit the 6 or 7 ring, (as happened to you under pressure) it's because of poor triggering rather than my aim being off THAT much. It often happens that I'll feel my hold drifted just as I released the shot, but with a nice smooth trigger pull, it will still score a 10 or high 9. If I don't release the trigger properly, I know without looking at the target that it'll be a low scoring shot.

Amen to that. One of the first thing I learned was that the trigger finger must be independent to the rest of your hand and the other four fingers. Any movement of your hand other than the trigger figure means that the hold is drifted.
Personally smooth triggering pull does not apply to me. I set my trigger pull extremely light and single stage.

[RobStubbs]

Most things in shooting revolve around comfort. Breathing is one such thing where you should just exhale as you lower into the target. I'd guess I exhale just a bit less than when I breathe normally but it's a subconscious action.

With regards the thinking aspects, remember the human brain can only think of one thing at a time. It therefore makes sense to think about exactly what matters at the crucial time - ie the sights.

Rob.