TargetTalk

I am a rifle shooter and have tried to visualize correct sight picture, shot process, etc. I am not very good at it and seem to have a knack for visualizing an incorrect sight picture!

How important is visualization?

Visualization is very important - it builds focus and concentration for and during the shot rythm. I am not sure if I understand when you say that you visualize on the wrong sight picture. To help you focus on the right sight picture for your shot release, make a picture of the perfect sight picture - depending on your front aperture diameter and the ring thickness and the rear aperture diameter (you can find copies of the perfect sight picture in the book - the Ways of the Rifle). Then start looking at the picture in you spare time and before you practice - you are training your mind to recognize the perfect sight picture for shot release (which is sub-conscious).

To improve on your visualization, prepare a set of steps for your shot rythm and identify one item that would require concentration at all times - concentrate on each of these steps and the item during the whole shot process. Talk to yourself on each step of the process and think what needs to be done to get the right "feeling". Visualize the ideal hold (detailed in your step), if correct go to the next step, etc. and finally talk to yourself that you will not release the shot if you are not happy with the sight picture. Practice this dry-firing at first and then live fire.

You will notice that initally there will be lot of steps in your shot process. As your visualizationa, concentration and focus gets better, some of the steps can be eliminated and you can focus on the important steps only - For eg. stepX - place the support arm at the correct point under the rifle forearm. StepY - make sure the wrist is not bent. Step Z - make sure there is no stress or pressure at the wrist. As you get better, steps X&Y gets eliminated and you focus only on Step Z - if steps X&Y are wrong, then Z will be definately be wrong.

Get the book "On Training of the Shooter" by Heinz Reinkemeier - it has lot of good stuff on psychological aspects of shooting.

Hope this helps.

Raj

I also had a terrible time trying to get visualization to work for me in the beginning (for pistol).

I finally made a printout (picture) of the proper sight picture and put it up on the wall of my office. Since it was just a black circle with an "E" laying on its side underneath the circle, nobody at work has ever figured out what it really is.

When I went to "dot" sights for Bullseye, I just put the appropriate sized red dot in the center of the black circle.

Now, I can visualize a shot, well actually I visualize a 10 shot string, every night before I go to sleep. (Although sometime I drift off to sleep before finishing the match.)

Cecil

What we did with my daughter was have her start shooting. We waited until she made a good shot. Then we had her stop, sit down, and review the shot in her mind. We then told her to mentally go through the shot process 5 times in her imagination while sitting there. Then, we had her stand back up and shoot another shot. Whenever she made a good shot the process was repeated.

Based upon your shooting level you need to define what a good shot is. For a beginner it may be hitting anywhere in the scoring ring, For an advanced shooter it may be an inner 10. At the time we started this training with my daughter less than a year ago (Standing Air Rifle) a good shot was an 8 or better. Now only 10's count as a good shot.

Look into Lanny Bassham's material. His Mental Management for Shooting Sports is a great product that has helped many shooters. You'll find his technique easier than just working on visualization.

I know Champion Choice has this product along with others. You can also go to www.mentalmanagement.com. I get there monthly email newsletter as well and find it a great help.

I hope this helps you.

Raj

Where can I get a copy of "On Training of the Shooter" by Reinkemeier? If it's as good as "Ways of the Rifle" I need it.
I did a web search and came up empty. I hope it has been translated into english.

Doug in Virginia

Doug,
I found the book on Amazon (UK version) by doing an author search. It lists the NSRA as the publisher and the year as 1993.

<details>

Paperback: 64 pages (April 1993)
Publisher: National Smallbore Rifle Association
ISBN: 0952107708

Rob.

Rob,

I found it on Amazon UK. Thanks for the information.

Doug in Virginia

On The Training Of Shooters (OTS) was available from Center Shot Sports for a while... might still be. Glad to hear it can be found on Amazon UK. OTS is an excellent book. Far better than most. Think of it as the early version of Ways of the Rifle volumes 1 and 2. Of course, the second volume of Ways, while hinted at on the last page of volume one, sadly does not exist at this time.

--

One of the challenges when one first starts "visualization" is they are trying to get a clear "picture" in their mind... and cannot. They want that picture because, after all, it is called visualization, isn't it!

Actually, visualization is more about recreating the feelings of the shooting than about the actual visual image or picture. The pictures will come in time, but this differs for people. For example, when I visualize, I can evoke the feelings, emotions, mood, determination, sense of calm, detachment, etc., yet the pictures are fairly fuzzy and only in black and white. The visualization is no less vivid for me, but the pictures certainly aren't very vivid. Those who are only concerned with the visual picture in their mind, while it may be quite clear and vivid and maybe even in color, are missing the true value of visualization if they are not also getting the feelings of the thing they are visualizing.

Raj has great advice, as usual. Build up to it. Realize that great shooting includes a set process and that you must rehearse or imagine this process. You will "visualize" the mistakes at first because you make them in actual shooting. As Raj suggests, work out what the correct sequence and performance is in your mind and then begin to imagine or rehearse that instead of rehearsing what you are doing now. Just like TWP's daughter only imagining or rehearsing after a good shot.

When John Bikar introduced me to Rapid Fire pistol a few years ago in a single 2 hour training session, we were both pleasently surprised at my ability to fire even the 4 second strings with decent results. Essential elements were: 1) forget about the result, don't try to "make it better" and just trust the process... and do it, 2) keep the trigger finger moving in a smooth, rolling, in-and-out rhythm without any thought, 3) keep the eye on the front sight... not the top edge or the gaps or the target... smack in the middle of the square, and most of all, 4) I mentally rehearsed the entire sequence in my mind before every 5 shot string. John realized I was doing this and patiently allowed me those few moments each time before he started the commands for each string. The mental rehearsal or visualization or imagining made all the difference for me as I was learning to do something that was so very different from all my other shooting and for which I had no internally stored "program" already trained to be able to depend on.

"Feel Center!"

-JP

This is a valuable topic. It has helped clear up some of my problems with "visualization". Thank you all. Jack H

Thank you for the kind words JPOC.

These are all great advise - which I can use to hone my shooting skill set.

Joshua, I am a 10M Air Rifle shooter as well. When you try to visualize, do it in phases - not necessarily on the sight picture or the result. Some people advise that you need to talk to yourself "I am going to shoot a 10, I am going to squeeze the trigger on the perfect sight picture, etc" Personally, this does not help me. So, on each step of the shot process, I visualize for that particular step. For eg., I visualize

1. Outer position - balance (feet & legs)

2. Mounting the rifle - pressure (butt plate, cheek piece, forearm)

3. Inner position - composure/relax

4. Zero point - hold/steadiness

5. Sight picture - breathing

6. Shot release - trigger finger pressure

7. Follow-through - muzzle jump & resting place of the barrel

I will still hold the position after the shot to check all the seven steps and analyze which step needs improvement (if any) - if all steps were perfect, then the shot would be a 10.

Unless you can build the process each step of the way, it is very difficult to visualize what you did right or wrong since in both the cases, you would have adrenaline acting up. If you devlve on negative thought "I wish I did not jerk on the trigger", you are bound to repeat it for the next shot. Instead, your focus for the next shot routine would be "I will make myself aware of the trigger pressure during the shot release" would help. If you devlve on a positive thought "Boy, that was an awesome shot", it will take some time for you to settle down from cloud-9 and may result in overconfidence for your next shot. In my opinion, both negative and positive thoughts are bad during the shot rythm. Positive thoughts are very helpful before the match or during the break to calm down your nerves.

Hope this helps,

Raj

Some very good points. I would however disagree with Raj on the positive thoughts issue. I would argue that you should think positively at all times and that includes after a good shot. You are highly unlikely to get over excited by a single good shot, you should have enough of them that they become familiar and so you don't over react. You will also be doing exactly the same process in training so will be even more used to it. In my opinion you want as much of that warm fuzzy feeling which comes from shooting well as possible.

Rob.

This difference of opinion between Raj and Rob got me thinking (thank you both!), because I agree with both viewpoints. Actually I think that they may be talking about 2 different things, and not really be at odds. I know Raj's point is correct for me, because it's been my experience to shoot much worse after one or a series of good shots, than I do after a bad shot. I need to be careful not to underestimate the concentration required to shoot a good shot. On the other hand, I also know that withholding a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from myself makes me wonder why I bother shooting at all.

Perhaps the answer is to allow yourself to feel good about something specific that you did in the execution of your last shot. Example: "That was an awesome shot" breeds overconfidence, but "That was a good clean trigger release; now I will do the same thing," might work to motivate even better execution.

This is a great topic; I hope a lot more people weigh in on it.

FredB

I totally agree with RobStubb's suggestion that positive thinking it is required to have the warm and fuzzy feeling while shooting - after all, shooting is 90% is mental and 10% is physical. When I suggested that both negative and positive thoughts are bad during the shot rythm - my suggestion was purely personal opinion. You need to do whatever it takes to motivate you and aid you in concentration.

What FredB suggested was excellent - it would reinforce something positive you did for your next shot execution. I do try this during training - but personally, in a match, as soon as I feel good about a shot, my concentration gets out of the door and it take a while to refocus and concentrate. When I do my follow-through, in the 2 secs that I am 'stationary', after identifying the movement of the barrel and final resting phase (calling the shot), I go through each critical point of the various shot rythm and only then I check my shot. Once I verify the shot, I completely forget about that shot and start refocussing on building up the next shot rythm - each step of the process, including the trigger release.

Of course, during the break - for every 15 or 20 shots, I pat myself on the back on all the good shots I scored and would motivate myself to keep up the good work. I build up the concentration and focus and then it back to shooting again.

I hope this helps. Just as FredB suggested, I would like to know what positive thoughts others go through and during what time.

Thanks,

Raj

...smile as you shoot.

FredB wrote: Perhaps the answer is to allow yourself to feel good about something specific that you did in the execution of your last shot. Example: "That was an awesome shot" breeds overconfidence, but "That was a good clean trigger release; now I will do the same thing," might work to motivate even better execution.

This is a great topic; I hope a lot more people weigh in on it.

FredB

Is there any such thing as an 'awesome shot' ? I tend to think of technically good shots or technically poor shots (never bad shots). For me, as a pistol shooter, a good shot can still be a 9, but more often than not a ten. I don't also think there's a problem with overconfidence, if you keep things in perspective. A shooting match is typically 60 shots and in the match you're going to have a fair number of good shots. So you should be used to them. What can make you overconfident is if you think 'I've had n tens in row wow this is easy'. But of course we don't think like that (well we shouldn't anyway). If you work at shooting sixty individual matches where the only thing that matters is the shot in the gun you can't go too far wrong. The last shot was good just helps give you that warm feeling which helps keep you feeling good and keeping positive. Go through the shot process to produce a technically good shot and move on to the next.

It is much easier saying it than actually doing it but it's another area that takes (and needs) practice.

Rob.

I would like to suggest that the optimum during a match would be to realize that shots are just shots.

Each shot is neutral until judged. The judgment causes emotion; the emotion, reaction; the reaction, a difference in approach for the next shot. If we approach the current shot based on the previous one, how can we ever be consistent? Judgment should be left to an after-match evaluation and should only be used to direct improvement, not to look for good/bad conditions.

As for visualization, my approach has changed over the years. Visualization does several things. First it lets our subconscious know what we desire. How else can we tell our subconscious which direction to take us, but through visualizations and emotions? Our focus directs our subconscious, whether it is toward errors or perfection. This is why I always suggest studying what works instead of studying errors.

For visualization, I suggest different approaches depending on setting:

Away from the range, visualize the perfect application of fundamentals for single shots. Continue this into construction of perfect matches. Don't play around with trying to be realistic by building a match with a variety of outcomes for the shots. Visualize only perfection. Visualize only perfect matches.

At the range, prior to the shot, visualize the perfect result and then move back to what the perfect application looks like. During the shot, visualize the perfect application. Attempt to blend the visualization into the application until they coincide.

All bashing/comments/critisms accepted...

Take Care,
Ed Hall
http://www.airforceshooting.org/
http://www.geocities.com/ed_ka2fwj/

Hi All.

One of the members of my club made a "sight picture" image to hang on their wall and refer to. It sounded like a good idea to me and another member of the board did a similar thing as posted earlier in this thread. I have mine on the wall in front of my desk and it just helps to reinforce the correct, sights focussed, target blurry sight picture. The sight picture i have made has the sights and a blurred target behind. I havn't got any way to host the image for you to download it but if anyone wants a copy you can e-mail me at

robertsb@winnsw.com.au.nospam

just snip the ".nospam" off the end of the address.

Cheers everyone!

at the site shown in this posting to the board:

http://www.targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?t=10476

Take Care,
Ed Hall
http://www.airforceshooting.org/
http://www.geocities.com/ed_ka2fwj/

nice reading about everyone's views. Well visualization is an important training tool used by most top athletes and shooters .It originated in Eastern block countries behind the iron curtain especially among weightlifters and gradually picked up by rest of the world.
It basically involves training your subconcious mind to take over the entire shooting process and the best method to do so is the process of visualization. It has been proved that visualization is best achieved in a state of deep relaxation by means of either yoga or sofrology or autogenic control or dynamic relaxation techniques.
There are four levels of visualization which are linked to each other.The one that is considered the most simple, and the one that is usually learnt first is that of visual practice. The shooter imagines that he leaves his body, and then he sees it at his side carrying out all the movements using an ideal technique. The person should imagine himself or herself as if they were repeating perfect shots.Limit yourself to simply visualize the stance, and simple things that have to do with the technique, and shooting process for later exercises.
The next phase is somewhat difficult. It is called the phase of real practice, and the shooter doesn’t remain outside their body, instead they reincorporate themselves in their body and carry out the technical movements mentally. The shooter should be able to see the target sharply and completely centred on the rise, he feels the perfect posture, and is capable of feeling the weight of the weapon and the contact of the trigger. In order to master this stage many shooters require the help of a specialized psychologist, and it frequently helps to do a breakdown of technical movements in the crucial parts and analyse each of them step by step.
The third step, which is known as “Practice of Absolute Mental Perfection” is a visualization in which the body carries out a perfect training, which is insuperable. All of the elements of the technique are dominated to perfection. Since we are using our mind, we should not conform with anything inferior to perfection, so that in our subconscious mind we can create the circuits that will permit us, once we have shot to realize perfect shots.

The fourth and final level, is known as the absolute contingency plan. Once we are capable of visualizing the perfect shot (by using the previous stage) the shooter should think of all the possible problems that could arise during the shoot, and should also visualize the easiest and most relaxed solution. This way we will eliminate the tension, and then any problem that arises during a competition will be easy to solve because we will have already developed a plan to solve it, and we will have also repeated it an infinite number of times in our mind, so that when it does arise resolving it will be a mere question of routine, the same as can be the bullet and the loader.
Hope you now understand what visualization actually means.I had downloaded a detailed article from one of the sites but don't remember which one.If anyone needs any further details please feel free to write to me on drnmbhorkar@hotmail.com
cheers, happy shooting.
Doctor, a studious air rifle shooter.