TargetTalk

I have been practising good and do a lot of matched where I average 568. But whenever I go to competitive match, there is a sense of urgency to shot each shot and get to next which spoils my scores. I have been trying to stay focused in the moment and not think of future but during the match, I become conscious of initial shots which go bad and after that I loose motivation. But after loosing motivation, good shots come.

Any advice brothers..

I too have issues but the urgency I get is from time running short as I abort more shot attempts towards the end.
Two things that have helped me:

- Developing a shot plan and trying to trance out on that.
- Shooting faster but with consistent pace (work in progress). I recently had some good results getting off 60 shots in
under 35 mins and keeping the spacing of the shots relatively even.

For the 2nd point, hardest of all is taking the shot as soon as I "dot the i" (foresight under the target) as I want to hang on for
an extra second or two with a good sight picture. After about 30 shots my performance suffers but taking
the shot as soon as the sight picture is good keeps me inside the 9 ring for longer and my shots are all taking about the same time but my trigger control needs improvement.
The more I concentrate on these few things the easier it is to stay relaxed (sort of) because the emptier my mind the better I perform.
So developing a consistent "autopilot" shot rhythm from start to finish may help.

One of the best competitions I won many years ago (centerfire rifle) I did because I had no expectation of winning at all.
I had a sleepless night before and was really tired too tired to feel stressed. I thought "what the hell just shoot and and get it over with"
and had no clue until the end I won by 3 points. I had zero sense of urgency/expectation that day and it probably helped.

Shoot sighters until your jitters go away,....

Even if it takes 20 plus shots.

Shoot sighters until you feel comfortable...

Then shoot the match you want to shoot.

After so many sighters your match scores may suffer from the extreme number of shots fired. However, you will then know the number of shots you need to fire during training to obtain an optimum score during RECORD fire.

Get used to it.

Your score will go up.

amarinder wrote:I have been practising good and do a lot of matched where I average 568. But whenever I go to competitive match, there is a sense of urgency to shot each shot and get to next which spoils my scores. I have been trying to stay focused in the moment and not think of future but during the match, I become conscious of initial shots which go bad and after that I loose motivation. But after loosing motivation, good shots come.

Any advice brothers..

Welcome to the world of the mental game...
When you start thinking...stop, put the gun down. Shooting more sighter's
is not the answer and may only make the start of the match harder.
The fix is shoot a lot more match's and have some sport psychology coaching.

m1963 wrote:Shoot sighters until your jitters go away,....

Even if it takes 20 + shots! .

That might be a bit difficult in 15 minutes.

Your pre-match preparation may help.

Most well run competitions have a preparation area where you can dry-fire and settle down into your shot routine. This is before you get to the firing point (Athletes to the line) and then, for 10m and 50m pistol, your 15 minutes sighting and preparation time.

Having a pre-match routine, it may help you both physically and mentally.

You may also like to consider warm-up routine.

Pre-match dry-fire and warm-ups, if you plan to use them in competition, make sure that you train with these as well and not simply go through the motions!

Take a break when you need to and always remember you can drop the gun and try for the shot again. Taking a break can mean sitting on a chair behind the line, or simply dry firing to stay in the rhythm. Dry firing mid-match can keep yourself focused without worrying that a shot is going to be an eight.

Practicing with a match attitude can also help combat match nerves, and the more matches you shoot the lesser nerves affect you.

You have the fundamentals down, if averaging 568 in practice. Now is the time for some mental training. There are some great mental programs. A lot of folks like Lanny Basham's program. I have found some good books, like: "Psycho Cybernetics" by Maltz and "The Inner Game of Tennis" by Gallwey. There are other books and programs that might resonate better with you. Try a few. Basically you need to convince that doubting self that you can shoot center shots and it's not unreasonable, because you can. It boils down to learning to have confidence in yourself and your abilities. Also, once you walk up to the firing line, you should have a written shot plan. Focusing on it can fill the mind with positive things and allow you to shoot your best.

Have you had your prostate checked?

Shoot lots of matches. Think about what is the rush? Think about your objective - to shoot ONE GOOD SHOT. You can never do more than one shot at a time.

Practice visualization. Picture yourself on the line shooting in an important match confidently delivering one shot at a time. No rush. No pressure. Just confidence and delivering good shots.

Have you written down your shot process? if not, do it. If yes then where in your shot plan does it say "hurry up and shoot". Develop a good shot process driven rhythm. After a shot, put the gun down, call the shot. Think about what you need to focus on for the next shot. Visualize the shot. Verify or re-assume your stance, grip. Have a mental mantra of self talk that walks you through the shot process to set the speed of lifting, settling and delivering the shot.

If nothing else, force yourself to not shoot for 30 seconds after taking a shot, then start the shot process from the beginning.

Everybody shoots in their own way. They develop their own match and shot plan and work the plan. Some people shoot fast some slow. I have known small bore prone shooters who regularly take only 4 or 5 minutes to shoot a 20 shot target others take 19:45, both can shoot great, its just their personality.

You didn't say what it is you shoot, I assume AP or FP. If you have a mental issue with time could I suggest you try RF pistol?
4,6,8 seconds, 5 shots -not much time to think.