TargetTalk

You're shooting a good string, then you throw off your shot. What caused it? (muscle spasm, lost focuse on the sights, rushed the trigger.… )

What did you do to recover?

there are heaps of causes. staying with in your comfort zone. Lack of consentration. seeing everything perfect and then switching off at the last second. not following through, over holding, muscle twitches, trying to make it to perfect and trying to fix it if its not right, looking at the target and not your sights, jumping from the target to your front sight and back again, nerves, there just a few off the top of my head.

As for recovering, you cant fix anything once the trigger has been pressed the shot is going or gone, you can only concentrate on the next single shot. If your hold isnt good for what ever reason you cant fix it, it is what it is, all you can try and do is shoot with in your hold.

Easy said not so easy to convince your subconscious of this

You might try dry firing a few times to make sure you don't screw up AGAIN.

Sounds like you started thinking................go back to the basics, including a blank mind.

David M wrote:Sounds like you started thinking................go back to the basics, including a blank mind.

Oh yeah thats a big one. I cant not think so I have to pick 1 thing to concentrate on. If I think back on a bad shot then generally something else had popped into my head If I concentrate on the 1 thing and nothing else it works for me

A much better question would be:

"What causes you to shoot a perfect shot?"

john bickar wrote:A much better question would be:

"What causes you to shoot a perfect shot?"

Thats very easy.good sight alignment and a good trigger squeeze. nothing else.
Now to not do anything else

Lost of rhythm when in the zone, then force the shot after passing the optimal time window.
Fix: drop the pistol. Take a short break. Focus and re-do the first shot that led you into the zone in the first place.

I should add how far are you tossing them? I will toss an 8 now and then as part of my normal wobble area. When I toss one further than that many problems can cause it but it boils down to I have tried to do somethign other than "aim and squeeze."

I work to maintain a consistent squeeze. My groups suffer anytime I wait to long, try to improve my hold on target or anything other than pick it up, steer the sights with trigger.

I'm a bit OCD, and have been known to unload, and remove the round from the chamber, put it back in the box and get a good one to replace it. If I pick it up twice and can't make the shot, then it must be the ammo. Take it out and get another one in the chamber.

What we do is simple, keep it that way in your mind. Aim and squeeze.

I am NOT of the group that says you must do it my way. I hope that most shooters have a more functional brain than mine. Do it your way. What works for me may or may not work for others. Keep a log of what worked and what not so much. What did you eat, how was the lighting, all life factors can influence your shooting. For me, from the time I raise the pistol off the bench it is like singing the lyrics to a familiar song. I already know how to shoot a 10, just sing the song and 10 holes pop up in the center.

john bickar wrote:A much better question would be:

"What causes you to shoot a perfect shot?"

^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Gotta love the positive approach every time!

A much better question would be:

"What causes you to shoot a perfect shot?"

I love it when John does this!

As Winston Churchill said. "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing has happened.”

Try thinking about what John said this way.

If you know what a good shot looks like, why waste the energy completing a bad shot? Get to where you can recognize the good shot throughout the process, that is what development of a good shot looks and feels like. Then do those.

If the shot process ain't done by the time you think it may not be good enough, you're already way post the point of no retun on losing points.

But then again, if everyone did that, that "wheel of misfortune" about the potential errors would never get used......

This is particularly entertaining because, unlike many here, I know John can actually shoot well.

(Hey John, Zurek says "Hi!")

I was shooting a day-ago-borrowed Anschutz-Steyr LP10 in finals of JO's (thanks again, Justin!)

Going fine and in the lead, 6 or so shots in.....shaking a lot....but arm like a rock. I shoot a 6. No idea why, to this day I'm convinced it was the pellet. I know it was, I'm telling you everything about the shot was perfect. After I shot a 9 like I was before the 6. I doubt the R10's I was shooting were bad, but I know (and want to believe) it was the pellet.

Probably a flinch or something.....but I didn't feel/see it.

Rover wrote:This is particularly entertaining because, unlike many here, I know John can actually shoot well.

I had no idea it was such a secret.