Score drop on match day

[Giddaymate]

Ok Im in this for fun - BUT I want to best myself. Ive done about 12-15 matches (prone) and find my score drop approx 7% between training and matches.

Im serious about improving stability - any suggestions for match day?

Cheers

[Rover]

Ain't no thang!

Have a snort before the match and stop pestering us....7% indeed! (Just like Sherlock Holmes.)

[siordian1]

Tried it, does not work.

Shoot more matches. I always get better scores in training. I am more relaxed. The more matches you shoot the more relaxed you should get.

[Pat McCoy]

You've proven in practice and training that your stability is OK. what is different in the match? Your thinking.

Welcome to the wonderful world of sports psychology. Find a good coach and/or some good books and articles on the mental side of shooting. There are many out there. You will eventually see the commonalities in the lessons. Often they come down to thinking during training, stop thinking and just "do it" during the match (trust yourself).

[Rover]

"Tried it, does not work." (A snort.)

You have NOT tried a snort, George. Otherwise you might be winning. Maybe you need two.

[dulcmr-man]

How far in advance of the match do you begin snorting, Rover. Any special product work better than another?

Dennis

[beye]

Make your practice as similar to match day as possible. Often times we practice when conditions are better -- early in the AM and late in the day when the wind is down. Use a clock and if possible, practice with a friend, making a little side bet so there is something riding on the outcome. Make sure you have a shooting routine and follow it in practice as well as on match day. As earlier stated, the more matches you shoot, the more they become similar to your practice runs and less foreboding.

[Rover]

For my personal snorting I like a really good bourbon, but will settle for Irish. If there will be any around for a "sniff" test, then it has to be vodka.

Siordian will drink Mad Dog 20-20.

http://www.bumwine.com/md2020.html

Some of you Brit types undoubtedly prefer this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckfast_Tonic_Wine

[shaky hands]

There are many sport psychology books out there that will sell you what you want to hear, that you can improve and the sky is the limit. The truth is that the knowledge of the human brain is merely scratching the surface. It cannot be dismissed that some people might just be better and some worse under pressure and that you can always improve but only by so much. No one knows for sure what role genetics of your body plays.

So, if you can, don't beat yourself much about those 7% -- this is normal -- and enjoy the activity. If you want a better reference for your matches, do this:

Discount every shot fired in practice by 5%: for example, if you shot 10.2 in practice, record it as 10.2-0.05x10.2=9.7. In a match you want to beat your discounted score and be happy about it. Eventually, as you succeed more often than not, use a smaller discount, 4%, 3% and so on.

[jerber]

Ain't no thang!

Have a snort before the match and stop pestering us....7% indeed! (Just like Sherlock Holmes.)

He's snorting AGAIN!!!

[redschietti]

1) match scores shot at home and even at local club dont count for personal bests.
2) make training harder than matches.. Then matches feel easy
3) build pressure drills into your training as much as possible

I cant think of another sport where so many shoot match after match during practice time

[Giddaymate]

How shall I do nr 2?

[SamEEE]

Add physiological stress to mimic a match stress.
Skipping rope, starjumps, or shuttle runs do it for me. Enough to make you 'puffed' then have a go at shooting.

For me it does not really improve my shooting, but rather it helps me with confidence to dig deep in hard moments. Finals, for instance.

Also apparently a high base level of fitness can help with the response of the body to physiological stresses, but I do not know much about this - too many pies.

[Jimro]

The only thing to do is shoot more matches. You can get as much training experience as you really want, right? So that is why you are performing better in training. Shoot more matches, get more match experience, and have fun with it.

Jimro

[FabioRifleRio]

Do train as if you are in a Match,

Compete as if you are trainning.

[TraLfaz]

The only thing to do is shoot more matches. You can get as much training experience as you really want, right? So that is why you are performing better in training. Shoot more matches, get more match experience, and have fun with it.

Jimro

+1, shooting more matches seems to have helped my team. Also, shoot some of the bigger matches and the smaller matches seem like practice.