how to deal with a bad shot during a match?
thank you all
got an eight
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Steve Swartz
If you want to shoot many more bad shots, here's what you do: think about why you shot the bad shot. Analyze it; try to figure out what went wrong and why the shot was bad. Come up with an action plan for how to prevent similar shots. Be sure to get at teh "root cause" of the bad shot and focus on that root cause for teh rest of hte match.
If, on the other hand, you want to shoot good shots, forget the bad shot ever hapopened as rapidly as possible. Hey, "Elvis" pulled the trigger. Give yourself 5 seconds to freak out and then get over it.
Get into your shot plan as soon as possible and let 'em fly.
Steve Swartz
If, on the other hand, you want to shoot good shots, forget the bad shot ever hapopened as rapidly as possible. Hey, "Elvis" pulled the trigger. Give yourself 5 seconds to freak out and then get over it.
Get into your shot plan as soon as possible and let 'em fly.
Steve Swartz
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David Levene
- Posts: 5617
- Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2004 12:49 pm
- Location: Ruislip, UK
Excellent advice Steve. :-)Steve Swartz wrote:If you want to shoot many more bad shots, here's what you do: think about why you shot the bad shot. Analyze it; try to figure out what went wrong and why the shot was bad. Come up with an action plan for how to prevent similar shots. Be sure to get at teh "root cause" of the bad shot and focus on that root cause for teh rest of hte match.
If, on the other hand, you want to shoot good shots, forget the bad shot ever hapopened as rapidly as possible. Hey, "Elvis" pulled the trigger. Give yourself 5 seconds to freak out and then get over it.
Get into your shot plan as soon as possible and let 'em fly.
Steve Swartz
Pay attention to the good shots instead. That's how to do it.
The more you dwell (in practice & in matches) on the good shots, the easier they will become. The same is true of bad shots. Ignoring bad shots in a match is good advice, but if you can concentrate on positive corrective action for whatever is going wrong, that can be helpful as well. The trick is to quickly divert your thoughts away from "I jerked the trigger on the last shot" to "squeeze the trigger" for the next one. You should have a mental plan for how to deliver a well executed shot that you can rely on to produce the scores you want "one shot at a time". Your mental focus should always be on shooting the next shot well, not on past shots, and not on the string. For example, it's very easy to start little mental chats like "well, that was an 8, so if I want to get a 90 for this target, I need to shoot a couple 10s". That way lies madness (and more bad shots).
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BULLSEYEGUY
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Thu Jul 20, 2006 11:12 am
- Location: Bailey, Colorado
Hi guys....kinda new here, and also somewhat new to Intl shooting. Bear with me while I get my feet wet (or, maybe belly flop).
I happen to agree with Steve Schwartz, but I wanted to add a nuance on the perspective.
I have a problem with being "overly" analytical at times, so I have come up with a solution that works for ME.
If I have shot one that I don't like, the first thing I do is attempt to ascertain WHY. Usually, I can sum this up within a few seconds, (but sometimes it will take a string of 3 or 4 shots to correctly find the cause). My next step is to move forward, but this is a process for me. I must first accept the shot, and I usually will "laugh" at my mistake, telling myself it was silly (and therefore avoiding falling into the "why can't I do anything right" trap), then I can move on.
This process is important for ME, because I want to analyze EVERYTHING, but I really don't want to get too wrapped around the axle during a match. This process allows me CLOSURE on the errant shot, without guilt, or self chastisement.
My next step, and probably the most important part of this "process", is to think about the last TEN that I shot...or sometimes a GROUP of tiny tens etching out a rough hole in the ten ring such as one that I might do at my home range, during practice. My next shot will be just like that... the ten!
I have also found out that it is important to me to not just give "lip service" to the positive self talk....I have to be COMMITED to it. (Just "saying" that I am going to shoot a ten aint' gonna cut it!)
This is all within the paramiters of match shooting. Obviously, training may be slightly different, depending on what or how I am training that day. Sometimes, I will TRAIN to do just what I have described above.
I would also like to make a personal note here...maybe somewhat off topic, but that will parallel the mental focus discussion that we all consider.
I was at the Nationals in Ft Benning, Ga. a month or so ago, and was watching Steve preparing for the Free Pistol Finals. Apparently he was having some difficulty with his gun during the sighters, and, as I learned later it turned out to be a dead battery, compounded by an additional dead battery. He spent nearly all (I think he had about 30 seconds left) of his sighter time calmly but quickly replacing the battery.....twice. My comment is regarding his ability to remain calm, and focused during this period. I'm sure that HE would tell you he was not as calm as he would have liked for his first "Final" shot, but he maintained his composure, and I was impressed with his ability to do this.
Alright...hope I haven't bored anyone to death here,
Brad Lightner... wannabe Intl shooter
I happen to agree with Steve Schwartz, but I wanted to add a nuance on the perspective.
I have a problem with being "overly" analytical at times, so I have come up with a solution that works for ME.
If I have shot one that I don't like, the first thing I do is attempt to ascertain WHY. Usually, I can sum this up within a few seconds, (but sometimes it will take a string of 3 or 4 shots to correctly find the cause). My next step is to move forward, but this is a process for me. I must first accept the shot, and I usually will "laugh" at my mistake, telling myself it was silly (and therefore avoiding falling into the "why can't I do anything right" trap), then I can move on.
This process is important for ME, because I want to analyze EVERYTHING, but I really don't want to get too wrapped around the axle during a match. This process allows me CLOSURE on the errant shot, without guilt, or self chastisement.
My next step, and probably the most important part of this "process", is to think about the last TEN that I shot...or sometimes a GROUP of tiny tens etching out a rough hole in the ten ring such as one that I might do at my home range, during practice. My next shot will be just like that... the ten!
I have also found out that it is important to me to not just give "lip service" to the positive self talk....I have to be COMMITED to it. (Just "saying" that I am going to shoot a ten aint' gonna cut it!)
This is all within the paramiters of match shooting. Obviously, training may be slightly different, depending on what or how I am training that day. Sometimes, I will TRAIN to do just what I have described above.
I would also like to make a personal note here...maybe somewhat off topic, but that will parallel the mental focus discussion that we all consider.
I was at the Nationals in Ft Benning, Ga. a month or so ago, and was watching Steve preparing for the Free Pistol Finals. Apparently he was having some difficulty with his gun during the sighters, and, as I learned later it turned out to be a dead battery, compounded by an additional dead battery. He spent nearly all (I think he had about 30 seconds left) of his sighter time calmly but quickly replacing the battery.....twice. My comment is regarding his ability to remain calm, and focused during this period. I'm sure that HE would tell you he was not as calm as he would have liked for his first "Final" shot, but he maintained his composure, and I was impressed with his ability to do this.
Alright...hope I haven't bored anyone to death here,
Brad Lightner... wannabe Intl shooter
Last edited by BULLSEYEGUY on Thu Jul 20, 2006 5:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Steve Swartz
Thanks Brad!
Hey, sighters are highly over-rated anyway.
Important safety tip: Make Sure Your Spare Battery Has Electricity In It!
or
Replace Batteries Occasionally Whether They Need It Or Not!
Sheesh. Some errors are Quite Preventable.
Steve
[IIRC that first shot was a pretty good one . . . maybe my shot plan needs to start with: Induce Panic and Shoot Fast]
Hey, sighters are highly over-rated anyway.
Important safety tip: Make Sure Your Spare Battery Has Electricity In It!
or
Replace Batteries Occasionally Whether They Need It Or Not!
Sheesh. Some errors are Quite Preventable.
Steve
[IIRC that first shot was a pretty good one . . . maybe my shot plan needs to start with: Induce Panic and Shoot Fast]
Like Steve says studying the poor shots acheives nothing but expertise in reproducing them. It's never easy to ignore poor shots especially on electronics where one in the white (on air) is with you until the end. That however is what you must do to optimise your results. If it takes you three or four addtional shots then that can be a heck of a lot of points thrown down the drain. The 'art' is to go through the well reheared routine to shoot a good shot and execute it correctly. The outcome will be a good shot. If you need to then break stance and walk away and sit down for a few minutes. Clear the wool out from between your ears and rehearse some nice 10's. Then get back onto the line and put it into practice again. Well that's the theory anyway ;-) It's very satisfying however when you do so correctly and prevent what could be a real rubbish shoot from materialising.
Rob.
Rob.
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_trinity_
a story
There were two monks walking back to their temple in ancient Japan. They come upon this river, and this very beautiful woman is having trouble crossing. So the older monk picks her up, and carries her across the river. After they cross, the older monk puts the woman down, and continues walking towards the temple. Half an hour or so later, the younger monk says, "I don't think it is proper for us monks to be in contact with such beautiful women." The older monk says "I put her down half an hour ago, are you still carrying her?"
Sorry if I botch the details of the story, but I think the idea is still intact. Keep it in mind when you had a poor shot, and have a good laugh!
-trin
Sorry if I botch the details of the story, but I think the idea is still intact. Keep it in mind when you had a poor shot, and have a good laugh!
-trin
I love "A Hah!" moments and I just had one.
Reading Brad's post I love the idea of laughing at myself for making such a silly mistake. That is much better than berating myself. I don't know if I just became a better shooter, but at least I will be happier :)
Laughing all the way to the top!
Steve T
Reading Brad's post I love the idea of laughing at myself for making such a silly mistake. That is much better than berating myself. I don't know if I just became a better shooter, but at least I will be happier :)
Laughing all the way to the top!
Steve T
Last edited by SteveT on Fri Jul 21, 2006 5:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ed Hall
Perhaps a little different perspective:
I quite agree with (and preach) the idea of letting totally go of errant shots instead of trying to figure out why they occurred. But I would also add in to be quite true to yourself and your average. Visualize perfection, Yes! But if you're not shooting tens consistently, every time you fire, what's the big deal about a stray? If you spend time with it, it will propagate. If you get on with your plan, it will become a minimal set-back. In the overall sceme of your score, is one eight really an issue? OK, you shot a 598... So? You probably still won. For most of the competitions, it wasn't any single shot that lost the match, even if you lost by one point. More than likely it was the entire total of the points you failed to acquire and any single shot was a minimal influence. Forget about all the values until after the firing is complete. How does the total compare to your average? Remember that an average consists of both higher and lower scores. If you shoot a new high, that's not your new average.
Take Care,
Ed Hall
http://www.airforceshooting.org/
http://www.starreloaders.com/edhall/
I quite agree with (and preach) the idea of letting totally go of errant shots instead of trying to figure out why they occurred. But I would also add in to be quite true to yourself and your average. Visualize perfection, Yes! But if you're not shooting tens consistently, every time you fire, what's the big deal about a stray? If you spend time with it, it will propagate. If you get on with your plan, it will become a minimal set-back. In the overall sceme of your score, is one eight really an issue? OK, you shot a 598... So? You probably still won. For most of the competitions, it wasn't any single shot that lost the match, even if you lost by one point. More than likely it was the entire total of the points you failed to acquire and any single shot was a minimal influence. Forget about all the values until after the firing is complete. How does the total compare to your average? Remember that an average consists of both higher and lower scores. If you shoot a new high, that's not your new average.
Take Care,
Ed Hall
http://www.airforceshooting.org/
http://www.starreloaders.com/edhall/