TargetTalk

I have a question about technique in air rifle. How do you go from shooting harder tens to easier ones? Almost all my shots take a little to long to fire. Why is that it takes time to get everything relaxed and stable, then I need to see how the movement is this time and find a tactic out of that. On top of that I have a commitment problem sometimes. What it´s about I think is feeling secure in the ten and i just don´t do that early in. What i want is being able to fire safe tens around 7 sec (right now a fire around 10-12 sec). Don´t have a problem with tens during small/medium comps but bigger ones i usually loose a couple of points to pulse/tension because i´m not fast enough. Don´t have a problem with either tempo or rhythm, scores around 590 over 75 min. Anyone got a suggestion on how to deal with this?
/EJ

J.P O'Conner has some good tips. Did you read his articles?

http://www.pilkguns.com/jpindx.shtml

Ben

Yes iI have read it but years ago so I guess it is time to go back and see if I can find something I´ve forgot. It´s always good to refresh some old knowledge
/EJ

I'd say there isn't anything very significant you need to change. It sounds like you have a little match anxiety in bigger matches, but that will only subside with you shooting more big matches and realizing there's nothing special about them.

When I'm teaching my juniors, I have a progression that I put them through as they improve. Beginners I don't mention too much about rejecting shots. I just want them to get a feel for what good and bad shots look like, and do their best to repeat the good shots.

Intermediates I have rejecting the largest number of shots. Here I am having them recognize the difference between good and bad shots before they go off. This is also when they are refining their position and making it work for them, and learning what that feels like.

Advanced kids I tell to reject fewer shots. I want them to have no doubt in their minds when they pick up that rifle that they are about to shoot a 10. It sounds like this could be something for you to think about. You don't seem completely confident in your position, despite the fact you're shooting very well. Therefore, you're picking up the rifle with the though of rejecting the shot immediately entering your mind.

My drill for this is to shoot 60 shot strings without rejecting any shots for record. This naturally builds a faster rhythm while forcing you to set yourself up perfectly for each and every shot. You very well might shoot some not so good scores the first few times you do it, but over a few weeks, these scores will approach your regular scores.

Soupy - What do you mean by rejecting the shot? Do you mean aborting the shot during the build up/ aiming stages if its not right and starting again from the beginning?

I call rejecting the shot anytime you pick up the rifle and do not take a shot. This could be because you are way off on your NPA, your position doesn't feel right, or you take a hold and it's just not there.

On what level do you mean feeling secure in the position?
If I boil it down to what I really think is the problem, breathing is left. I don´t have a barrel movement when I breath that´s what I have read is normal. Breathing with my stomach gets a horizontal or more random moments over the target (depending on were the barrel was moving that specific time), how big depends on how big the breath was. This means i don´t have a vertical descending to the target, I more go for the middle or just a few rings on top of the ten. Have tried a vertical descending but it builds up tension because I have to breath heavy with my chest that it spoils any steadiness. So when my last breath have been exhaled it takes some time (2-3 sec) to stabilize. Then during the sighting phase it gets stadier and stadier up till around 10 sec before slowly opening up. Because this happens almost every time I get a rhythm of 10-12 sec. Have tried numerous of times pulling the trigger earlier, but it makes me less confident in what I´m doing. I still need to do that, find a way getting in the ten faster and then stabilize.
And this pattern is the same in training or competition, doesn´t matter what level it is. (Of course I get a little nervous on critical shots in bigger comps but that´s another problem :)

Will definitely try shooting a whole match without rejecting, have not done that before.
/EJ

Your hold going out the window at about 10sec is actually pretty normal. Most people teach an 8sec rule for putting the gun down, but 10sec is not something I worry about if one of my juniors starts doing it.

It sounds like while you settle, you're not looking through the sights, and when you do look through the sights, you're pretty much smack on the bull. This is a very good thing too. There certainly is no reason to change any of that.

What I mean by feeling secure is feeling like the only reason you lose points is your shot selection. AKA, in a match, boiling any problem down to your mental choices. If you aren't 100% confident in your position, routine, and rhythm, then you are worrying about more than you need to be thinking about:

Position and Routine - You obviously have the position you need to shoot 10s if you're in the 590s. Your NPA precision is well above average if you find yourself only a few rings away from the 10 ring when you look through the sights.

Rhythm - You said you finish in 75 minutes with each hold lasting 10-12sec. That probably boils down to lets say 10min to sight in and 65min for record (1:05 per shot). On top of that, you have roughly 30min to spare in time. At your pace, that's enough time for about 25-27 shots. You shouldn't feel rushed. Yes, you're slower than most of the college shooters I see, but you're beating them too.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that when I shoot, I want my score to depend on my execution that day. Fix anything you find wrong with yourself in practice so you don't have to mess with it in the match. Then have the confidence (bordering on arrogance) to believe your position and routine are perfect when you get to a match, and all you have to do is squeeze the trigger when it's in the middle.

I´m not worried that my hold is too long because when I get that feeling or any kind of feeling it´s going someplace I don´want it to, I put the gun down. If I would continue shooting the way I do it right now, I´ll probably be able to score pretty good in a few years. My concern is that I´m very dependent on hold that particular day. If I am little too tensed (due to bad sleep, exercising or any other normal variations in your muscles) my scores drop a bit. My thought is that with a faster technique, less dependent on hold, scores won´t drop as much. When it gets tough in either competitions or a training match, I throw away some points due to not settling in the center, and I have problem pulling the trigger earlier because it feels like I throw it away before I´m ready. A little like a biathlonist shooting all shots within 30 sec.
Now when I´m typing this I feel the problem is more trying to be too secure and not let it happen. Could be so and I just have to force pulling the trigger before it feels more natural. Specially when there is the same pattern in training as well. If that is going to happen without dropping a lot of points I need more confidence that the hold is good enough for a secure ten early in.
Tried your idea of shooting without rejecting. Did not do a whole match but 50 shots at least. A pattern I could see was dropping bullets everywhere because I wasn´t ready fysically or mentaly. Second one is workable but how do you change the rest? Assuming the answer is as easy as always, lots of training.
BTW your last sentence is exactly what I´m looking for :)
/EJ

What are the odds your next shot will be a ten? Thats anytime yoy press the trigger. With odds like that they would never allow you to play the tables at Las Vegas. Just MHO but you need to develops Lanny Bashams attitude. I may have shot a nine once but I dont remember it. Just shoot [We'll be seeing you at the Olympics] tens!!!!!!! Good Shooting Bill Horton

The drill I gave you will help you be physically ready to take the shot, you just have to keep doing it. The mental trap you are fighting is that you realize you have the time to put the rifle down any time you need to. That has become a lack in discipline when you pick up the rifle, you aren't putting 100% effort into your position for every shot.

The drill is the polar opposite to learning to put the rifle down. It is training you to pick it up with 100% purpose. You're going to shoot some craptastic scores with this drill at first, but you will be gaining much more in how your approach each shot you shoot, practice or match.

I misspoke when I said shoot 60 shots in the drill. That's what I'll surprise my juniors with. For you, do this maybe 10-30 shots per week depending on how much you practice. As those shots get better, work up to a 60 shot drill every week or three.

I hope I´m not being too picky now, but isn´t that drill more used for someone who has trouble pulling the trigger? I usually reject around 30%, it can be better, and probably will be, with a more refined technique. Is your suggestion to pull trigger with force (so to say) if a stable moment doesn´t occur within the time limit i´ve put up, or fall back on safety? At the moment it´s going very good and I can easily do that and expect about 5% nines. Then it feels I´m training on the exact thing I shouldn´t. If force is applied (mental force) then scores will drop as you say but when I start getting used to it will climb again.
Or the other way to do it as I can see is never take anything which is not good enough. That is to say, within time limits, stable, familiar pattern, balanced, trigger control, mentally ready. Maybe that means ten shots fired over 60 min, but of high quality with exactly right technique.

/EJ

The idea of the drill is for you to train yourself to do your shot routine perfect every time. That includes everything from settling into position, having a good hold, using good trigger control, and good follow through. The outcome is a measure of how well you do that. you shouldn't expect your scores in that drill to be exceptional because yes, it is not exactly how you shoot.

By doing as you say and taking 60min for 10 shots, you're inadvertently training yourself to not pick up the rifle with full purpose to take the shot. The idea here is to give you the confidence in your position and routine that you will shoot a 10 every time you pick up the rifle.

Thanks for the replies!