TargetTalk

I have been in a shooting slump for quite sometime. I think that I am finally turning the corner. It took me a long time to focus my attention on my shooting and those factors causing me to shoot below par. Admittedly, there were some things outside of shooting that seemed to be distracting me. I have been able to resolve them and I believe that has helped. After putting the outside distractions behind me, I finally concentrated on two areas that seem to help. They involve mental and physical training.

It took me a long time to be able to focus on my shooting. I always liked the fact that shooting for me is a mental recreation, but it had not been lately. I had been only going through the motions for the past several months. It took me a long time to recognize problems and implement solutions. It may be just me and my hard headedness (is that a word?). Is there a way to speed the process? I have never had a coach and I know that a good coach that one can relate to can do wonders.

Of course you can't get into my head, but have you had an unsettled personal life that caused you to go into an extended slump? Was that as serious a stumbling block as it seemed to be to me? Was it targeted training or just doing the things to settle your personal life that helped you out of the slump the most? I have found in this specific instance that targeted training didn't involve as much shooting as other things. Did you find that to be the case?

I am at the same place. My shooting dissatisfaction was caused by a screwed up life. I took action, some of which was painful, to solve my personal problems and a few months later I suddenly realized that everything seemed brighter and nicer.
I am not shooting matches yet but I am enjoying shooting and dry firing again.

In my current situation I find that a form of meditation helps me immensely. I devote some time to thinking about whatever comes to mind and think about it until I solve the problem or become comfortably with the fact that I cannot solve all of the world’s problems. It may take months or even years to reach the goal, which is to think of nothing. The clear, clean untroubled mind is essential for my mental shooting methods. Even a few seconds of a calm mind to fire the shot is an enormous benefit.

Another thing I have started, I am not sure if it will work yet but seems promising, is to change the way I pull the trigger. I used to concentrate on the sights and let the trigger do whatever it wanted to do as long as it did not disturb the sights. (I allowed the subconscious mind to control the trigger) The new method is to concentrate on the trigger and trust the sights to go where they belong. A very successful shooter, Brian Zins, uses a mental process where the trigger seems to steer the sights. He does not wiggle the trigger finger to bring the sight alignment and sight picture where it belongs; it is purely a mental process. (the subconscious mind controls the sights) This is so different that I am able to learn to shoot all over again. That might not sound good until you consider how hard it is to unlearn bad habits and re-train yourself to a higher level.

Pull the trigger with your mind. Think of the feel, color, taste, sound of pulling the trigger. OK that is off the deep end, I hope you understand visualization. This might work better with a roll trigger.
Bob

I think it is something that most if not all shooters face. We are human and have competing priorities.

I myself changed jobs a year ago, up until that point my physical training was doing excellent, I had lost 35 pounds was feeling good and shooting well. The new job required lots of training which took me to another city and living out of a hotel from Monday to Friday and eating out 3 meals a day. I managed to keep things up for a couple of months but sort of packed it in. Also being away so much during the week, made me feel guilty for spending my weekends on the range so the shooting too went south.

Now things are back, my work training is over, the new job provides more time for me to actually train so things are looking up again. I had only put on about 20 of the 35 pounds, so I started this time 15 pounds lighter and in better cardio shape than I started last time.

I think that set backs actually are good, as they make you step back and take a look at what is important to you. It's like the old if you love something set it free, if it comes back its yours thing. If stop shooting and it comes back I guess it was meant to be.

Read "Body Mind Mastery" by Dan Millman...it will open your eyes to our sport and life

annie

I have been at this for a long time, but some things that I've read about really hit me this time. One is that to really succeed it is necessary to have family support for one's shooting. Another is that one needs to train, and there is a big difference between training and practicing. Training for the shooting sports can involve visualization, weight training, cardio training, dry firing, and shooting. I suppose that there are other aspects as well. I have found that shooting closer to my potential has brought back the "fun". I don't necessarily have to win to have fun, but just shoot close to my potential.

annie,

I've read a lot of books on the mental side of sport, but "Body, Mind Mastery" has escaped my notice. I'll have to give it a look. I've also listened to a couple of audio tape training semiars.

I think the sign of a good shooter is that he/she can accept slumps in performance and overcome them. My scores dropped for about 6 months - shortly after I got a new grip. I did however persevere and I knew the new grip was technically better than the old one. My scores now appear to be on the up again and I have a better understanding of how to train more effectively and I'm confident that I can keep improving. I will not be suprised if or when I get other slumps but experience has shown that they are only temporary.

Rob.

Ron,

I'll say one thing about a long slump. It sure is disheartening. It took a lot for me to want to continue shooting with poor scores.

I do want to clarify that when I say that a shooter needs family support to excel, I really mean that in the broader sense his personal life must be settled and that includes any physical ailments.

Slumps?

The system must be in harmony (light the incense, cue the wind chimes and sound of running water).

I suggest that

For any given set of technical capabilities, there is a sweet spot of shot control where the subconscious is able to release shots the exact lead time away to compensate for the (seemingly random- but not) movement of the muzzle against the aiming area.

When the technical capabilities settle down and become consistent, the subconscious has little difficulty in programming the release process.

When the technical capabilities are in flux, there is no way the subconscious can achieve the programming required to execute teh perfect shot.

Technical capabilites include *all* of the factors (physical, emotional, etc.)that guide the movement of the muzzle against the aiming area.

[Engineering Note: the principle of tolerance/variance stack-up in complex analysis and control systems is analogous. In my work with digital flight control systems, it is alarmingnly frequent that we will have n components in a servo system where all components are well within tolerance, byutt he system is out of tolerance . . . )

A "Slump" can, quite frequently, simply be a time period where individual elements of the system are in flux.

You may make a very good change to your shot process- perhaps improving yoiur hold stability through exercise, stance change, etc.- and see a degradation in performance.

Tighter hold, lower scores? That Swartz guy must be nuts!

Think about it- your subconscious is programmed to send a release command to your trigger finger 63 ms ahead of a certain type of predictable muzzle pattern; and now you have a hold that requires a 42 ms release command ahead of a different pattern.

The result?

Your "perfect ten" release command is now commanding a "late 9." Your brain watches this in frustration and dismay. Your reaction to this "slump" will direct the course of your training and the results that follow for a long time.

In the long run, if you accept that the reprogramming is necessary and that there are better/worse ways to accomplish the reprogramming . . . and when the system re-stabilizes after making the change, Good Things Begin To Happen . . .

Steve Swartz

As one ages, changes will occur in your eyes and body. I came to AP just a few years ago (at 60) and have a few existing problems in these areas just to start with. My own slumps have sometimes been physiological, other times psychological. Being patient and open to trying new approaches are valuable assets for this (and most any) activity. I have discovered new and better ways in several cases purely by (literally) accident (I had a cut on my trigger finger that forced me to modify my positioning -- ultimately for the better).

Best,

Joe

I see I'm not alone in this. I once went through a 6-month period of time in which I:

Lost out on a promotion.
Was notified of my brother's terminal illness.
Got dumped while I was out of the country.
Lost my brother long before we expected it.
Was informed of possible widespread layoffs.

Thankfully, the latter never happened. The affect all of the others had on me was horrific, and my scores showed it. To find a way of not worrying about it, I made the biggest mistake ever. I began drinking excessively. It got to the point where I began thinking it wasn't worth hanging around anymore. I think you understand what that meant.

One night while "trying to forget", someone entered my life at just the right time. This chance meeting was a blessing. I realized that the perspective I had is what made it so difficult, not the events themselves. Now, after "a bad day at the office", I realize "this too shall pass". The same goes for slumps in shooting. You asked if there is a way to speed up that process. Perhaps the best way is to actually put the gear away for some time. When you get back to it, you may rediscover a joy for shooting you had forgotten. Eventually, I rediscovered a joy for shooting - and life.

aim4au wrote:I see I'm not alone in this. I once went through a 6-month period of time in which I:

Lost out on a promotion.
Was notified of my brother's terminal illness.
Got dumped while I was out of the country.
Lost my brother long before we expected it.
Was informed of possible widespread layoffs.

Thankfully, the latter never happened. The affect all of the others had on me was horrific, and my scores showed it. To find a way of not worrying about it, I made the biggest mistake ever. I began drinking excessively. It got to the point where I began thinking it wasn't worth hanging around anymore. I think you understand what that meant.

One night while "trying to forget", someone entered my life at just the right time. This chance meeting was a blessing. I realized that the perspective I had is what made it so difficult, not the events themselves. Now, after "a bad day at the office", I realize "this too shall pass". The same goes for slumps in shooting. You asked if there is a way to speed up that process. Perhaps the best way is to actually put the gear away for some time. When you get back to it, you may rediscover a joy for shooting you had forgotten. Eventually, I rediscovered a joy for shooting - and life.

If you're seriously competing I suggest not giving it up totally. But stop shooting for score. Dryfire, shoot for group on blacked out or blank targets, this allows you to work on technique and not worry about score. Look at other aspects of your training ie physical and mental.

aim4au wrote:I see I'm not alone in this. I once went through a 6-month period of time in which I:

Lost out on a promotion.
Was notified of my brother's terminal illness.
Got dumped while I was out of the country.
Lost my brother long before we expected it.
Was informed of possible widespread layoffs.

Thankfully, the latter never happened. The affect all of the others had on me was horrific, and my scores showed it. To find a way of not worrying about it, I made the biggest mistake ever. I began drinking excessively. It got to the point where I began thinking it wasn't worth hanging around anymore. I think you understand what that meant.

One night while "trying to forget", someone entered my life at just the right time. This chance meeting was a blessing. I realized that the perspective I had is what made it so difficult, not the events themselves. Now, after "a bad day at the office", I realize "this too shall pass". The same goes for slumps in shooting. You asked if there is a way to speed up that process. Perhaps the best way is to actually put the gear away for some time. When you get back to it, you may rediscover a joy for shooting you had forgotten. Eventually, I rediscovered a joy for shooting - and life.

If you're seriously competing I suggest not giving it up totally. But stop shooting for score. Dryfire, shoot for group on blacked out or blank targets, this allows you to work on technique and not worry about score. Look at other aspects of your training ie physical and mental.

There's nothing wrong with taking a break. A couple of weeks, a month or a couple of months - whatever suits you. You will need to build up again once you start shooting but like every other sport we need a break from it at times. I'd suggest the higher up the ladder you are the longer the break should be (within reason).

Rob.

I have layed off of shooting in the past when I went "stale". It seemed to work then. This time I didn't have the option, as I was committed to a local club team and had to try to shoot through the slump. I'm sure that other slumps will come my way. I hope not too soon and not for very long.

It did seem to psychologically help me in my serious shooting, to shoot some fun revolver matches with a gun that gives me fits. Somehow, it takes the pressure off when try as I might, I shoot dismally with that revolver. I will continue to try to master that revolver in fun matches, no matter what scores I turn in.