TargetTalk

What is the best way to simulate match pressure during practice? I tried listening to upbeat music. Any suggestions?

i like to do shooting drills, but i often find that the best match pressure is shooting a finals or a guts match with friends where the winner gets a small prize like a candy bar. we shoot those every once in a while with the whole team. it's a lot of fun, plus you get the right kind of pressure.

Yes, shooting a match with a friend is best. Do NOT practice generating pressure by, say, pretending you're about to win a big match. What you want to learn is how to DEAL with pressure. Remember that pressure does not exist outside you. It is merely doubt about your ability to do what you are preparing to do so for goodness sake don't practice doubting. Learn to fall back on your mental routine so that you always know "where you are" in the shot sequence. You might also jog in place or pump the rifle over your head several times to learn to shoot with an increased heart rate. A. Jennings

It is difficult to find a friend with identical level to ours. First it would be necessary to define a handicap to compensate the difference.
My best way for simulate match pressure is to shot groups of shots demanding a minimum score. If the objective is not reached in a group, I repeat this group. The scores are adjusted according to the competitive level of each one. For example:
10 shots 95 points, then 5 shots 47 points, then 4 shots 38 points, then 3 shots 29 points, and finally 2 shots 20 points.
Other methods are to get people that observes with a telescope while you training, or to get people that converses around you, or to get someone film your training session (this method have an additional advantage when you review the film).