Potential, Performance

[Steve Swartz]

Is it useful to consider (in training, preparation) the possibility/semantics of a difference between "raising your performance" vs./& "raising yoiur potential?"

"There are things you can do to improve your Performance . . . and things you can do to improve your Potential performance . . . and sometimes these are not exactly the same things."

What does this mean to you?

It was explained to me this way:

- lifting weights/doing therapy to improve muscle tone and fine motor control of shoulder muscles improves your "Potential" by contributing to a gentler, more predictable wobble area; while

- behaviorally accepting the wobble area you see on any given day actually improves your "Performance" by contributing to better shot releases that day.

Thoughts?

Does it even matter in terms of training/practice activities?

Steve

[Richard H]

Working on one's "potential" to perform better is really what all trianing is about.

There is the physical potential, mental potential, techincal potential and tactical potential.

Your performance is a combination of those potentials. You can only perform to the level of your potential (including your luck potential).

Working on "performing" better is really just ensuring that you do what you practiced during your training. If your problem is putting the potentials together and deliverying them in a performance then you need to work on the "performance" barring that I think one is better served developing the potentials.

A similar idea although using different terms is Bassham's Triad state those being Concious, Subconcious and Self Image.

[SteveT]

Is it useful to consider (in training, preparation) the possibility/semantics of a difference between "raising your performance" vs./& "raising yoiur potential?"

...<snip>

Does it even matter in terms of training/practice activities?

Steve

I had not thought of it in these terms, but Yes, I think it is useful and matters. To a certain extent everything we do to raise our potential will help us perform on demand because it (hopefully) makes us believe we are prepared to shoot the match. However a lot of what we do between matches does little or nothing to help us to perform on demand.

Improving potential (training, technique, strength etc) is important for our long term improvement in this sport.

Improving performance (confidence, match plan etc) is important to do well right now.

Practice matches, challenges, bets and other games to build pressure in practice can help us perform on demand, but we still know that it is practice and not a real match. I don't think most people have the mental discipline to believe they are shooting for all the marbles in practice.

Visualization and self talk is the best method I know to improve performance. In a visualization, we can control all aspects of it. We can see ourselves in the match situation, feel the pressure build and then feel it settle down into a feeling of excitement and confidence.

Thanks for bringing up another great topic. I've gotta go think about it some more.

Regards,
Steve Turner

[K5Tangos]

Steve,

I would tend to define things as performance always being some percentage of your potential.

In other words, your performance can never exceed your potential.

At an early or mid point in training, I think it is often more beneficial to focus on improving performance. This is akin to a novice sprinter that can garner huge gains quickly when a coach provides a faster way to get out of the blocks. As the sprinter closes in on technical perfection, the focus probably ought to shift more towards potential, since they are already nearing 100% of the current physical state.

And the frustration sets in when the runner reaches the top tier, as they remember the rapid gains measured in full seconds when they started, and now they have to fight and scrap forever in the gym for gains measured in the hundredths.

Sigh. I'm going to the range now.

Keith

[Steve Swartz]

All:

Great concepts! To piggyback on what's been said so far, and maybe extend it:

- Focus on front sight, concentration on alignment, automatic subconscious trigger release: increasing "Performance" closer to "Potential" (Behavioral Skills?)

- smoothing hold/making hold smaller, perfecting trigger control (release and execution), cardiovascular endurance/ability to concentrate: increasing "Potential" / raising the cap (Organic Capabilities?)

Also stuff like using the right ammo, etc. would be increasing "Potential." Putting the gun down when you should would be increasing "Performance."

Does this still make sense?

Steve Swartz[/i]

[2650 Plus]

Although I am still doubful about subconcious trigger pressure consistantly causing the pistol to fire only when hold is perfect and sights are also perfectly alligned, this phenominon has most often occurred when my mental state was one of absolute confidence in the outcome of the shot sequence. Have no feer the shot will be perfect sort of attitude.The slightest doubts about results causes me to overide the very things that give me the perfect execution of the shot delivery process. I am convinced that one cannot speciffically train for the subconcious firing of the shot but committing to steadily increasing pressure can lead one to that exact result. How do we go from here to there in our training seems to be the most important question. Good Shooting Bill Horton

[Richard H]

Although I am still doubful about subconcious trigger pressure consistantly causing the pistol to fire only when hold is perfect and sights are also perfectly alligned, this phenominon has most often occurred when my mental state was one of absolute confidence in the outcome of the shot sequence. Have no feer the shot will be perfect sort of attitude.The slightest doubts about results causes me to overide the very things that give me the perfect execution of the shot delivery process. I am convinced that one cannot speciffically train for the subconcious firing of the shot but committing to steadily increasing pressure can lead one to that exact result. How do we go from here to there in our training seems to be the most important question. Good Shooting Bill Horton

So Bill what does this have to do with working on "potential" or "Performance". I don't get what this has to do with the conversation. This converstaion really has nothing to do with the belief in subconcious trigger release you could be working on things that improve your "potential" of a concious trigger release or on the "performance" of releasing the trigger conciously.

[Fred Mannis]

Although I am still doubful about subconcious trigger pressure consistantly causing the pistol to fire only when hold is perfect and sights are also perfectly alligned, this phenominon has most often occurred when my mental state was one of absolute confidence in the outcome of the shot sequence. Have no feer the shot will be perfect sort of attitude.The slightest doubts about results causes me to overide the very things that give me the perfect execution of the shot delivery process. I am convinced that one cannot speciffically train for the subconcious firing of the shot but committing to steadily increasing pressure can lead one to that exact result. How do we go from here to there in our training seems to be the most important question. Good Shooting Bill Horton

Bill,
Is this what you implied: I can improve my potential by mental exercises which lead to increased confidence in my ability to shoot 10's?

Steve -
I am a bit surprised that you did not include mental conditioning as well as physical as a way to increase potential.

[Richard H]

I don't think Steve was giving an exhaustive list I think he was talking about a concept. There's lot of things that go into both performance and potential that aren't listed.

[2650 Plus]

The goal of the champion shooter should be to have the two subjects come togeather just prior to the important matches. The fact that some of us get carried away with the verbage and try to limit the range to only part of the problem does not satisfy me as the issue of shooting tens requires that one address all the factors that contribute to the goal. The mental techniques seem to me to be at least as important as any of the physical issues.and may be the most important once the physical techniques are sorted out. Otherwise anyone who reads and understands Steve and Ed would be collecting gold medals regularly. Good Shooting Bill Horton

[Steve Swartz]

Fred (& all):

This idea - "Performance" vs. "Potential" and how to efficiently improve both - has been knocking about in my head for a while. I'm not sure what my opinion is yet! It's a complicated and yet subtle set of concepts perhaps.

Right now my objective was to try to solicit generalities/concepts maybe first, and try to come up with a "Framework" (?) maybe for clarifying how we could use the ideas to improve our overall performance.

Richard is right- I would like to eventually come up with "an exhaustive list" (or at least a list of the most important issues), but just not yet. Great example about the mental side . . . the greats have all recognized how important this is; so if this Performance/Potential idea is worth anything then the mental stuff definitely has to logically fit in to whatever "gels" out of the discussion.

I think I would kind of lean in the direction of (most?) "mental techniques" like self-hypnosis, positive affirmations, visualization, etc. would fall into the "Potential" side of things? Or maybe the visualization ofhte perfect shot during your shot process might be a "Performance" technique, while visualizing a perfect string at home (mental rehearsal) might be more of a "Potential" thing?

Initially I think I just wanted to explore the generalities of how we could benefit from recognizing that we have to design our training programs to do both- improve "Performance" and "Potential" in some organized way that "optimizes" ("Bettermizes?") our bang for the buck with repsect to training effort.

I know that a lot of us worry about "are we spending our training effort most wisely." That's what I would like to figure out as well . . . and I was intrigued by the idea (from the initial quote starting the thread) that there are actually "two dimensions" here that we could consider?

Great comments all so far- and I do agree that there is perhaps still a bit of controversy/semantic disagreement surrounding the "sights drive trigger/trigger drives sights" technique issue. I apologize for using that sensitive example in this discussion.

Perhaps a better way to frame it would have been a more generic "training the trigger process for consistency" leaving the exact definition or perception of exactly what that process was out of it.

Steve

[Steve Swartz]

p.s. to Bill Horton:

"Otherwise anyone who reads and understands Steve and Ed [and then acts accordingly] would be collecting gold medals regularly."

Agree wholeheartedly, with minor correction!

=;^)

Steve Swartz

[.donthc]

i think its more of a matter to repeat your potential.

Remember how you have shot that 97/100in your training? well, that's your true potential.

Performance, is when you have shot anything under that 97.

Therefore, to me, training is mostly about trying to improve frequency of reaching that "potential"