TargetTalk

I was coaching a junior shooter the other day and we were discussing shot rhythm and mental routines. I am a fan of the Bassam Mental Management routines. It is easy to learn and modify for an individual. It minimizes the conscious part of the brain and lets the high performances just happen. I'm all for the individual shooter making their own routines and asked her what her routing is. I cracked up when she told me what is going on. My question is this: can one use a song for their routine! I smiled and asked how they use it. She said that the song is in her head and at a certain part of the song the shot goes off.
I told her that it was good to keep the conscious part busy and that it would be good for developing a shot rhythm but I would have to think about it. She is an accomplished shooter ( ~1120 full course ) so she knows what is going on. Can this song based mental routine work?
Rick

Erich Buljung used to suggest this when he was natl team coach

I notice when I have a song stuck in my head during a match I consistantly shoot higher. It allows me to relax while timing my shot routine precisely.

I think the point is that while distracted by the song, you are actually exactly *NOT* "timing" anything "precisely" . . .

Whether it's having the music running in my head that aids my performance, or that when I'm calm and relaxed, music fills the part of my mind that would sometimes be full of counter productive criticism, I'm not sure.
But when I have a tune playing back in my mind, I'm at my best.