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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:51 pm
by Russ
Well, work harder, we will see how it works for you. :)

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:53 pm
by Greg Derr
Gerard: You have a lot going on, most of it good.

First you recognize some of your own errors. That is good. Better is to stop them before they happen.

The majority of your shots are in the center. Good.

You realized that the high shots were a result of forcing a shot which you should have aborted also good.

Now some things to change. First treat your arm like that of a baseball pitcher. Don't pitch a complete game one day and try to pitch the next day. You should rest a day after shooting a match and or playing( more on that later)Overworking your arm is a killer. When I was training at my peak I would shoot every other day and lift light weights and run the other days.

Don't keep score- this is also a killer. Think in terms of group. Try training on a target without scoring rings. Black out the rings with a marker( numbers too) At this stage you should be working on consistent groups not score.

When you train have a plan- for example I write down in advance what I want to train- like hold for endurance. To do this I raise the pistol on target, settle and hold. Without breaking a shot or dry fire, I raise the pistol up again above the target without setting it down, and settle, hold then release a dry fire shot. Then rest on the bench.

If you have a plan in advance for training it gives you focus and then purpose. Just shooting is not really training.

After a training session try this- write down three things you were satisfied with in training, then write one thing you were not satisfied with.

The last thing on the list is what you should train the next session.

Do not train when you are tired, irritated with work, kids or life. This will only frustrate you and cause you to compromise your training or deflate your ego.

Next- if you making a change to equipment. Do not shoot a few shots and give up on it. If you thought you needed to make an adjustment, give it a real vetting. If you don't you will have it in the back of your mind at a later date- not good.

On playing with guns. I never shot my FP or AP as recreation. It's a special tool. You can destroy a lot of sub conscience training that way. Want to play pick up a non target gun. Tools are for work, toys are for play.

Is this OK for now? Greg

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:20 pm
by Russ
"$500 is a rather trivial amount Russ, and I'll be happy to spend that amount to attend the nationals in Alberta this summer, if my work schedule allows for the trip. The money is a non-issue. I earn a decent living, and my sport gets whatever money it needs such that I am able to advance. I do not throw my money away carelessly, but $500 seems a tiny amount considering what a good experience it will be (if I can make it) to shoot against international competitors in a large venue. "

I like this partnership already. For Gerard "$500 seems a tiny amount", what if for Greg $50 is important sum, and Greg will work for Gerard...
Greg, this is nice post. I'm not shure that is coming from any special coaching manual? Please direct me to your source if I’m not correct.

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 2:26 am
by Gerard
Russ wrote:I like this partnership already. For Gerard "$500 seems a tiny amount", what if for Greg $50 is important sum, and Greg will work for Gerard...
Everyone here speaks for themselves, right? I mean, I'm not trying to put words in your mouth Russ, so why put them in mine, the way you did earlier in trying to shame me about the nationals? Relative to my income, thanks to my hard work and conscientious approach, $500 is not a big deal. Relative to the income of someone stuck in a relatively impoverished situation $500 is obviously a lot of money, but then I scarcely think you would be offering your weekend consulting seminar thing to someone without money, right? It's all relative, so taking cheap shots about income levels is just that; cheap. For my income level, travelling on my own money to a World Cup event in Europe would not be practical, it would put a strain on other aspects of my home life as that would cost in the thousands of dollars. For someone else that amount might be trivial. For yet someone else, it might be unthinkable, an absurd wealth which they could never dream of affording. Try to show just a modicum of civility, please.

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 2:58 am
by Gerard
Greg Derr wrote:Gerard: You have a lot going on, most of it good.
Thanks Greg. I really appreciate your offer of analysis and suggestions and will try to respond thoughtfully.
Greg Derr wrote:Now some things to change. First treat your arm like that of a baseball pitcher. Don't pitch a complete game one day and try to pitch the next day. You should rest a day after shooting a match and or playing( more on that later)Overworking your arm is a killer. When I was training at my peak I would shoot every other day and lift light weights and run the other days.
Good point. I am often somewhat guilt-driven, whether in work or in training, resulting in over-training and over-working and sometimes burning out. I will make a solid effort to schedule my training in a safer and more disciplined way.
Greg Derr wrote:Don't keep score- this is also a killer. Think in terms of group. Try training on a target without scoring rings. Black out the rings with a marker( numbers too) At this stage you should be working on consistent groups not score.
Already been doing this for a while. I often shoot on the back of a target, sometimes draw a target-scaled black circle with a compass and scribble it in with a fat Sharpie so as to emulate the ringless SUIS type paper shot on at major competitions and just to avoid the temptation of scoring. I shoot better on blank white paper, but find it less valuable than on the black spot in terms of translatable results when going back to scoring in the next session.
Greg Derr wrote:When you train have a plan- for example I write down in advance what I want to train- like hold for endurance. To do this I raise the pistol on target, settle and hold. Without breaking a shot or dry fire, I raise the pistol up again above the target without setting it down, and settle, hold then release a dry fire shot. Then rest on the bench.
Some good tips. I'll write this and some other drills out and include these as part of my training.
Greg Derr wrote:Just shooting is not really training.
Yeah, I know. I've been improving my groups lately thanks in large part to putting more emphasis on a particular element of my shot plan, with visualization during sighting being the element getting the most attention and follow-through coming a close second.
Greg Derr wrote:After a training session try this- write down three things you were satisfied with in training, then write one thing you were not satisfied with.
The last thing on the list is what you should train the next session.
My notes haven't been this detailed for the most part, so I'll have to be more thorough in the thinking and note-writing after training it seems.
Greg Derr wrote:The last thing on the list is what you should train the next session. Do not train when you are tired, irritated with work, kids or life. This will only frustrate you and cause you to compromise your training or deflate your ego.
I'd like to address this together in a comment below, regarding mixing play and training with the same pistol...
Greg Derr wrote:Next- if you making a change to equipment. Do not shoot a few shots and give up on it. If you thought you needed to make an adjustment, give it a real vetting. If you don't you will have it in the back of your mind at a later date- not good.
Usually this is what I do, giving any modification at least a day or two, often a week before letting myself reverse it or tweak it further. But the trigger angle was just obviously too much, had to pull it back or the pistol was pulling far to the right as shown in those vertically aligned 8's but also in the previous warm-up targets.
Greg Derr wrote:On playing with guns. I never shot my FP or AP as recreation. It's a special tool. You can destroy a lot of sub conscience training that way. Want to play pick up a non target gun. Tools are for work, toys are for play.
I haven't gone plinking since I was 14 years old. 36 years ago. My brother finally bugged me enough that it was time, the kids are old enough for a taste of shooting, so we packed up a Tempest, a Gamo Center, an Diana 6M, and my Baikal 46m and Pardini K10, a bunch of Lifesavers and beer cans for targets (along with some 10metre paper targets but those we didn't use much, the kids liked them more), and we spent a fine afternoon blasting candies at all sorts of ranges. My feeling about this in terms of target shooting? Something John Robinson told me last year resonates nicely: "Don't forget to play!" When I was shooting the Webley Tempest or the Gamo or the Diana, I hit the candies just about as easily as with the Baikal or the Pardini (well okay, not so much with the Tempest - the thing kicks like a .22" sport pistol. But they bugged me, as none of the three sporting pellet pistols really fits me all that well and each has its own quirks which get in the way of comfortable shooting. I found it much more relaxing and enjoyable using a pistol which fit me well. And more importantly for my serious side, I found that exploring the subtleties of sight estimation at 30 yards and beyond made me understand the Pardini better. I was feeling out the trajectory, finding myself getting more involved with how the sights looked with naked eyes instead of a shooting lens and iris and blinder, and trying various stances on rough ground with largely equal success. It really was fun. And I came home and shot one target and got a tighter group than I'd shot in many weeks, scored at 96. I came back refreshed, and more 'involved' with my main pistol owing to having explored how I handled it at various elevations and ranges.

In my opinion, for the way I learn things, this was all good. Similarly, and this is referring to your above quoted comment on states of mind when practicing or training, I will often shoot a target or two specifically because I am in a bad mood, or distracted, or otherwise compromised. My take on this is that I cannot depend on my mood for a match. I have no control over others or the environment generally at a match. For instance being stuck next to a heavy breather whose snorting, half-choking gasps for breath before every shot (there's this one guy... drives me nuts) bring up such anger in me that I find it difficult to shoot a 7, never mind a 10. But I must, right? Somehow I must prepare myself to shoot 10's regardless of match conditions. I must be ready to calmly shoot my best match, whether my socks feel itchy, my customers are bugging me too much, whether I'm annoyed with yet another stupid decision from our corrupt government, or whatever is making part of my mind pull me away from the job at hand. To me, this sort of brief session of shooting is a form of discipline-building exercise. My kid sitting beside me asking two or three times every shot about whether it was a 10, whether the next one will be, why caterpillars are so easy to squash, or whatever it is which drives fathers of little boys nuts, that stuff helps me to learn my form of meditative discipline, helps me to be ready for anything. A sort of mild torture testing to harden my mettle. So on this point I very respectfully but stubbornly disagree. I'll play, and I'll shoot while distracted, and in both instances will observe my inner workings and learn from my experiences.
Greg Derr wrote:Is this OK for now? Greg
You are, as they say, a scholar and a gentleman. Thank you for this honest and generous critique and the good advice which followed.

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 7:19 am
by Russ
It is not about income, Gerard.
It is about respect for hard work.
You respecting your own hard work and trying use Greg’s hard work for your own benefits, pretending that is no value on it.

Gerard wrote:
"I intend to be on the national team and competing at the next Games in 2016, and at a number of World Cup matches before then. If I fail, it will prove that I have not tried hard enough. But I am training well and putting in the hours. Maybe I'll see you on the circuit, Russ? Going to compete, are you?"

Someone have to lead you, Gerard to this road for success and make you happy. Nothing is coming in our life for free. Do not lie for us and for yourself.

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 7:33 am
by Greg Derr
Russ, you are wrong. I am more than happy to share my knowledge to anyone that asks. it's something I feel I owe my fellow shooters. I was lucky enough to have them support me while I traveled the world on the USST.

we call it "paying forward"

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 8:02 am
by Russ
Greg, if you willing to do this it is your choice.
I do not have problem to help also, but I have a big problem when someone do not respect other people hard work.

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 8:22 am
by Russ
By the way, gentlemen, what we see here that Mr. Gerard on his post # 219 switched to the reading mode, I advised him to do so in his earliest posts, and convinced someone highly knowledgeable to help him. ;)
Is it his strategy to get help for free?

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 9:50 am
by Gerard
Russ wrote:It is not about income, Gerard.
It is about respect for hard work.
You respecting your own hard work and trying use Greg’s hard work for your own benefits, pretending that is no value on it.

Someone have to lead you, Gerard to this road for success and make you happy. Nothing is coming in our life for free. Do not lie for us and for yourself.
I am pretending nothing Russ. I value and respect the contributions of others here and in every place I find them, just as I value the time I spend contributing in forums and trust that others will appreciate the efforts I make for them. This thing we are using, this Internet, is built on that basis; everyone is given the opportunity to help and to be helped, to learn and to teach. Of course the internet is also available for those who would abuse it, and that they do on a massive scale. As Greg mentioned with his "pay it forward" comment, it is up to each of us to do what we are willing and able to do for the betterment of others. Some choose only to take, to use this medium as only a commercial opportunity. That is your right, Russ, but please try and understand that not everyone shares your small, rather cynical view of human nature.

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 10:19 am
by Russ
"I spend contributing in forums"

Problem is, most of "your 219 contributions" is problem by default due to high psychological impact to potential competitive performance for anyone who will read your posts. Finally, you show your targets and admitted that you stopped in you development, I told you the same thing one year ago and you start fight with me for that. NOT WISE, AT ALL!

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 10:47 am
by Gerard
Your constant attacks on members here whose scores you state as being beneath your level of interest is damaging Russ, not my attempts to offer assistance.

I injured my shoulder quite seriously last July Russ, I did not stagnate, stall, or whatever you want to call it in your endless mission to belittle anyone who does not take your seminar. I did not "admit" to any such nonsense. I am recovering physically, and making excellent progress while I do so.

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 10:54 am
by Russ
At this moment you got yourself to the stage #2, when you will spend twice more time and efforts to recover from those mistakes what I see at your target. Try to prove me wrong at this time too.

I’m not attacking “on members
I’m trying to show different approach to get what you want in short period of time!
It takes for you one year of fight with me to recognize that is no way out from your position at this moment, even Greg’s post will not solve your current problems.

I do not care about my seminar or money, I care to someone who capable to think outside of the box!

I still on the same position about your performance as one year ago, you are at the stage #2. Have fun!

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 11:21 am
by Russ
Each student after my two days training has access to the group of students who pass the same class and he can learn from their experience also.
In controversy, at the forum you will learn eventually more mistakes than you currently have in order to solve your current issue. As Alexander said once it is “The awkward moment when you get blown up by your own grenade” ...

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 11:23 am
by Gerard
Russ wrote: I’m not attacking “on members
I’m trying to show different approach to get what you want in short period of time!
You don't "show" anything Russ. You hint. You tease. You make fun, saying that if someone's score is not "at least 565 AP" it is not interesting to you and you will not waste your time. Then you contradict this, saying that you will teach shooters to shoot 570 in 3 months from a score of 540... IF they will take your seminar. Not interested in advertising, Russ? A little honesty would serve all better, including yourself and your business.

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 11:26 am
by Russ
"USA Shooting" made 13 posts and it looks to me they have the time and sources to help fellow members. I did only three. Please do not blame me for free advertisement. :(
TargetTalk Forum Index -> Shooters Lounge
http://www.targettalk.org/viewforum.php?f=6

"free advertising "
I see it as an opportunity to help someone who value their own time.

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 11:34 am
by Russ
"You don't "show" anything Russ. You hint. You tease. You make fun,"

I did not "show" it for you, it is OK. You just not preconditioned to work with me. It is also not a reason to fight with me if my English grammar appears for you less advance then most of readers of this forum.

Do you think I am weak prey? It is wrong assumption, my friend.

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 12:06 pm
by Gerard
Russ wrote:"USA Shooting" made 13 posts and it looks to me they have the time and sources to help fellow members. I did only three. Please do not blame me for free advertisement. :(
TargetTalk Forum Index -> Shooters Lounge
http://www.targettalk.org/viewforum.php?f=6

"free advertising "
I see it as an opportunity to help someone who value their own time.
You have made over 700 posts, most of which promote your seminars. THAT is what I refer to when I say you are getting "free advertising" not the 3 posts you have made in the Shooter's Lounge.

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 12:15 pm
by Gerard
Russ wrote:"You don't "show" anything Russ. You hint. You tease. You make fun,"

I did not "show" it for you, it is OK. You just not preconditioned to work with me. It is also not a reason to fight with me if my English grammar appears for you less advance then most of readers of this forum.

Do you think I am weak prey? It is wrong assumption, my friend.
What is this "weak prey" nonsense? You seem a bit confused about what forums are for, Russ. People ask questions, looking for help. People answer questions, offering help. It's really quite a simple process, and by definition what forums were created to do. Have you ever had a problem with software on your computer, and done a search with Google or some other search engine, and found multiple solutions for your software problem in discussion forums? I've been part of that web of forums in years past, for about 6 years between 2000 and 2006, in about 10 forums dedicated to Windows Mobile devices. Contributed over 20,000 posts between them all, offering my relative expertise to anyone in need of help because I understood those devices and their software better than most. I was awarded a Microsoft MVP status in 2009 in recognition of this, though I did not ask for it, and there was no payment involved, not a penny, ever. I moderated a discussion forum for 8 years, called pocketpcfaq.com, weeding out the spammers and those who abused others with cheap attacks, contributing solutions wherever needed.

Windows Mobile is gone, I've moved on to Android devices, and my interest in forum activity has moved to shooting AP, as well as my abiding membership and occasional contributions on talkbass.com when musicians need help with doublebass issues. Again, never any charge, information always offered freely, and NEVER any scolding in a forum that people should come to me and pay me for my work. I leave the promotion to my clients, who do an excellent job of passing along whatever experiences they have in my shop. Word of mouth is the best sales tool Russ. If your work is good, it will sell itself.

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 12:28 pm
by Russ
It is International forum, at first where some nations rewarding and respect highly own Olympic and World Champions like India, China, Russia. For last seven years not too much was leaking on TT as a clue for successful achievement on this field, besides of your Gerard impact of course. :)

Second, human psychology does not work as software, and problem to fix it not yet developed field over the internet. One hour with psychologist will cost about $350 in the USA.
I completely understand subject of public forum, unfortunately for competitive Olympic pistol it is not working model.