TargetTalk

I've never shot (5) 10's in a row in my young shooting career. And at this point in my training, I'm still in muscle building mode so I'm prone to the occasional big muscle twitch. One of the ugly twitches reared it's head during a potentially historic moment. Can you tell which one it is ;)



I outlined the shot circles since the targets don't scan very well.

Oz

Was that seven your last shot?

Look at it like this....you shot four 10s! That isn't too bad. Even with the 7, it's a 47. Shoot a dozen of those, and you've shot a 564, which is not too shabby.

And that 7 is a flyer. You won't be shooting too many of those. The next target is likely to be a 48 or 49, not a 47. Which would put you into the 580s...and quite possibly on a World Cup team.

It's better than a sharp stick in the eye.

I can understand the disappointment. I shot 49's for quite some time. Once I accepted the flyers and did not let the emotions of what I judged as a less than exceptable shots become a factor, things changed. In other words, ignore the results and focus on the technique, ignore the shot out there and they will happen less often! Put the good emotions on the 10's and more will come! The negitive emotions of judging yourself on the "bad" shots, will manifest more shots like it. If you can remove yourself from the results and focus on the "good feelings" of a shot well executed, the results will follow! Emotions are what "burn in" behaviors, no matter whether they are positive or negitive. Which would most choose? I want to feel good about every shot, easier said than done. As Steve Swartz says: "All shots are loved and wanted shots". With that attitude, successfully applied, You WILL see a change over time. I don't even save my 50's any more. I wished I could remember this at major competitions.

Brooks

This is going to sound weird.

Why are you looking at holes in paper at all?

You should focus on EXECUTING PROPER BEHAVIORS.

The holes in paper will follow.

I would rather shoot 60 perfectly executed 9s than a single "lucky ten."

[an important part of what Brooks said: a shot is only "loved and wanted" if it is properly executed. As long as it is properly executed, it is loved and wanted. If you are about to improperly execute it . . . PTFGD!]

The perfectly executed shots build toward success . . . a single bogusly executed shot sets you back immeasurably. The *worst* possible outcome is if you bungle the shot, then look through the scope and see a ten.

That sets you back *more* than "immeasurably."

Oz,

My sons and I shoot air pistol. We have several similar targets in our collection. My kids call it "shooting a 47 the hard way."

Keep up the good work. Things will get better from this point now that you have seen that you can punch the 10 ring that many times in 5 shots. Just proves that you and the gun are both capable, now all you need to do is keep your brain engaged and it will happen more often.

Good luck and all the best,
Marc

OZ- a hard question. Was the shot outside the group made after you started thinking about the "historic" moment? If so you need to stop looking and counting scores relative to training. Shoot for group, never score training targets. If it helps blacken all the scoring rings with a "sharpie" I know the muscle which twitched, usually the sphincter. That's not a slam- we have all been there.

While agreeing with much of the comments above about concentrating on the positives and not doing anything to reinforce 'bad shot/s' in the memory...

- targets like these have a facination that can be hard to resist. Back in my early days I managed to follow 4 x 10s that cloverleafed in CF precision with a 7 and that target is probably still somewhere in the back of the garage - together with a 4 x 10 + 5 and the low point a 4 x 10 + 2 that happened in the same year.
At the time I hung these targets on the wall near my reloading station in a attempt to remind myself that I needed to fire each shot properly. Luckily I managed a 5 x 10 that cloverleafed and replaced the bad (evil) targets with the good target to give an ongoing positive reinforcement.

- a ahock thought on Oz' target; was it one good shot (the 7) and 4x poor shots?

Spencer

I have a really nice 5x10 shot card as my PC desktop - permanent positive reinforcement every time I use my PC.

cheers

Ed

Misny wrote:Was that seven your last shot?

I'll be honest, I'm only able to call about 3 of every 5 shots. (I'm working on that!)

I do recall that my muscle spasm was near the end, but not the last one. I think it was shot 4. Then I re-grouped... (wow, is that where the phrase comes from?) and landed the 4th 10.

Mike M. wrote:Look at it like this....you shot four 10s! That isn't too bad. Even with the 7, it's a 47. Shoot a dozen of those, and you've shot a 564, which is not too shabby.

And that 7 is a flyer. You won't be shooting too many of those. The next target is likely to be a 48 or 49, not a 47. Which would put you into the 580s...and quite possibly on a World Cup team.

It's better than a sharp stick in the eye.

Excellent. I appreciate the positive perspective and I think you're right on. I do aspire to a higher level of shooting and plan to work hard to get there! You're also right-on, regarding the sharp stick and eye ;)

BPBrinson wrote:I can understand the disappointment. I shot 49's for quite some time. Once I accepted the flyers and did not let the emotions of what I judged as a less than exceptable shots become a factor, things changed. In other words, ignore the results and focus on the technique, ignore the shot out there and they will happen less often! [...]

Brooks

You summed up the issue well. In the same vein, it's time to pull out "The Inner Game of Tennis" again and read. It has been nearly a decade for me.

Steve Swartz wrote:This is going to sound weird.

Why are you looking at holes in paper at all?

You should focus on EXECUTING PROPER BEHAVIORS.

The holes in paper will follow.

I would rather shoot 60 perfectly executed 9s than a single "lucky ten."

[an important part of what Brooks said: a shot is only "loved and wanted" if it is properly executed. As long as it is properly executed, it is loved and wanted. If you are about to improperly execute it . . . PTFGD!]

The perfectly executed shots build toward success . . . a single bogusly executed shot sets you back immeasurably. The *worst* possible outcome is if you bungle the shot, then look through the scope and see a ten.

That sets you back *more* than "immeasurably."

That's advice I can take to heart. My informal mantra has been about the "loved and wanted". You formalized the theory and just put it into black & white. It has only been recently that the lucky 10 has started to hold a hollow victory. 2 weeks ago, a shot for which I had no idea of it's destination and which happened to be a 10, was still exciting.

I've turned the corner and now I'm most satisfied when I have a great picture, followed by a clean release for which I can call the location without seeing the hole. I still have a way to go. As mentioned earlier, I can still only call about 3/5 with a high-level of accuracy. This is what I'm working on now.

Oz

Marc Orvin wrote:Oz,

My sons and I shoot air pistol. We have several similar targets in our collection. My kids call it "shooting a 47 the hard way."

Keep up the good work. Things will get better from this point now that you have seen that you can punch the 10 ring that many times in 5 shots. Just proves that you and the gun are both capable, now all you need to do is keep your brain engaged and it will happen more often.

Good luck and all the best,
Marc

So funny... 47 the hard way. I now use that as an official training phrase. My wife even got a chuckle out of it ;)

That's what I did take from this series. I know that I can do it and a bar has been set. it's time to work for consistency. At this point, the mind is still stronger than the body (for now). My arm and shoulder are in a constant state of soreness. And new muscle groups are coming online as sore every few days. The top AP guy in Utah has been providing me with some input via email. When I mentioned soreness and less solid holds, he said to take 450-600 Mg of Tylenol before training to reduce the inflamation.

It has worked wonders. My holds are more solid and the muscle twitches have also been reduced --as have the number of shots outside the 8 ring. Phychological as well as physical? Maybe. Potential Kidney damage? Maybe ;)

Oz

FP570 wrote:OZ- a hard question. Was the shot outside the group made after you started thinking about the "historic" moment? If so you need to stop looking and counting scores relative to training. Shoot for group, never score training targets. If it helps blacken all the scoring rings with a "sharpie" I know the muscle which twitched, usually the sphincter. That's not a slam- we have all been there.

Mmm... I appreciate the hard questions! And I'm glad you asked. Luckily, the only time I can see the holes I'm punching from where I'm standing is when they tear enough to give me the paper color outline. I think that's a good thing because I WOULD be more prone to the muscle twitch you mentioned ;)

For this series, I honestly had no idea that I had that many 10's. I know that I had a lot of great holds and releases. And I recall having a release during a spasm (in my shoulder) and called the shot as less than ideal. As I mentioned in response to another post, I believe the spasm was shot 4. I was able to put together another good picture and release for 5.

It was only as I walked down range that I saw what I had done. All the more reason why NOT to have a spotting scope and/or electronic target/monitor during training. Feeble minds such as mine surely couldn't handle it.

Oz

Spencer wrote:While agreeing with much of the comments above about concentrating on the positives and not doing anything to reinforce 'bad shot/s' in the memory...

- targets like these have a facination that can be hard to resist. Back in my early days I managed to follow 4 x 10s that cloverleafed in CF precision with a 7 and that target is probably still somewhere in the back of the garage - together with a 4 x 10 + 5 and the low point a 4 x 10 + 2 that happened in the same year.
At the time I hung these targets on the wall near my reloading station in a attempt to remind myself that I needed to fire each shot properly. Luckily I managed a 5 x 10 that cloverleafed and replaced the bad (evil) targets with the good target to give an ongoing positive reinforcement.

- a ahock thought on Oz' target; was it one good shot (the 7) and 4x poor shots?

Spencer

Good insight and it's reassuring to know that I'm not re-inventing the wheel.

As I have been training over the last few weeks, when I do have good outcome, a part of me has been curious as to if I'm just lucky for a lot of them. The only thought I have is that I'm shooting more 10's than 7's. That still doesn't prove anything, but I like to think that it's statistically signifanct enough to believe that the 10's are the good shots. I dunno. The next corner to turn for me is going to be more 10's than 8's. I don't see that as too far away. At this pace of training, my goal for more 10's than 8's is hopefully just a few weeks away. Will it be possible to have more 10's than 9's in time for 3 X Air? That sounds like a pretty lofty goal. But we all need goals in order to have purpose.

edster99 wrote:I have a really nice 5x10 shot card as my PC desktop - permanent positive reinforcement every time I use my PC.

cheers

Ed

Ahh... I look forward to the day that I have one for myself ;)

I've only done 3, and one of those was iffy!!