TargetTalk

Sorry for the length of post but background may help understand exactly where we are, goals and available options.

My daughter is a high school senior shooting air and 3P and has a fair shot at shooting collegiately. However, she suffered a track injury last spring and underwent surgery in June on wrist and forearm. She missed putting up scores at some important events over the spring and summer and now only has the upcoming fall/winter matches and 2017 junior Olympics to really show what she is capable of. She is just back shooting for one month after long rehab post surgery. She is able to shoot only once weekly with club so she alternates guns. Live fire range time is limited to 3-4 times per month but it does have electronic targets. We don't have ready access to coaching although she has worked with a couple people a handful of times but they moved or got a collegiate coaching job. New Monard custom suit but jacket is in need of major alterations (long story), pants good and using off shelf CC jacket until Monard jacket is fixed.
Interested in ideas that will be most effective and efficient in improving her scores with in our constraints. I'm looking to explore electronic training that she can use at home. Would like thoughts on trainer system (SCATT or other) vs.electronic target (for air only at home). Cost of one not an obstacle but probably wouldn't get both. Any coaches for hire with range access within 3-4 hour drive of Lexington, KY? We will travel. At this time an outside coach is not able to work with her at current range (not so long of a story). Other than Lanny's stuff, any good mental training resources?

Guns: Anschutz 8002 CMP club & Walther KK300 anatomic light-weight
She has read Yur'yev's Competitive Shooting and Ways of the Rifle & Air Rifle from MEC.

2015/2016 fall/winter pre injury average match scores:
AR 386/400 whole #, 401/400 decimal, 574/600 whole #
3P 560/600, 565 Personal Best

Practice match scores since back shooting:
AR 386 & 391/400 whole #, 405.6 & 410.5/400 decimal
3P only one practice match - 563/600

Targeted upcoming matches include Buckeye open, Zippy Open, WAG, KY JO qual, OH JO qual (as a practice match), Rocky Mountain, +/- USAS spring selection, NJORC

Thanks in advance.
Hoyt

I wold strongly recommend Lanny Bassham's With Winning in Mind for Mental Management if you can not get her to one of his seminars. Honestly outside of additional trigger time, becoming aware of my subconscious as well as the training and routines instilled from working with Lanny were the biggest benefit for me personally. Once I set my routine I have stuck to that even to this day 15 plus years later. being a "robot" on the range can seem like it would be boring but once i was able to just do it by sheer repetition and not have to think I saw score, my first clean 1600 plus I am happier shooting since I have more time to think or "get lost in the moment" and do not have as many guesses if it was me or something I did or did not do. I wish your daughter much luck.

Other than Lanny's stuff, any good mental training resources?

"Bullseye Mind"
http://www.rfpsport.com/store/p1/Bullseye_Mind.html

Then dry fire, dry fire, dry fire.

What University does she hope to compete at? Make an appointment and meet with that coach. Explain the circumstances and goals. See if she can get some range time with that team, on their range, with the coaches guidance. If unsure, perhaps Ohio State University would be a good place to start. They have a very welcoming, positive attitude toward all shooters.

I think scat or similar is much higher priority than electronic scoring. That said im not sure it gives much more info than just staring at the shooters front sight. It can be a great source of overthinking. Should be great to train SB at home if live shooting is limited.

m1963 wrote:What University does she hope to compete at? Make an appointment and meet with that coach. Explain the circumstances and goals. See if she can get some range time with that team, on their range, with the coaches guidance. If unsure, perhaps Ohio State University would be a good place to start. They have a very welcoming, positive attitude toward all shooters.

We have visited the 5 schools she is interested in based on their shooting and mechanical engineering programs (UK, Neb, Akron, OSU, and WVU) last spring. She has been accepted at 4 and has received academic scholarships at 2 so far. She has communicated with the coaches at each and all aware of her situation. They have been supportive but I'm looking for specific techniques and training aides to maximize her improvement most efficiently over the next few months that will be critical for her putting up scores that will improve her chances of making a team.

Thanks

In my mind, SCATT or similar would be my choice over an elec target.
For me SCATT allowed me to see just how much and where in my hold my wobble stabilized.
But your daughter is way beyond me (I'm still below 90%), so she may not get as much benefit out of an elec trainer.

If so, then maybe the elec target may be a better choice.
Though if you work with her, a pulley target carrier that YOU operate, so that she does not have to crank the pulley, would be a LOT cheaper than an elec target.

shooter'sdad wrote:

m1963 wrote:What University does she hope to compete at? Make an appointment and meet with that coach. Explain the circumstances and goals. See if she can get some range time with that team, on their range, with the coaches guidance. If unsure, perhaps Ohio State University would be a good place to start. They have a very welcoming, positive attitude toward all shooters.

We have visited the 5 schools she is interested in based on their shooting and mechanical engineering programs (UK, Neb, Akron, OSU, and WVU) last spring. She has been accepted at 4 and has received academic scholarships at 2 so far. She has communicated with the coaches at each and all aware of her situation. They have been supportive but I'm looking for specific techniques and training aides to maximize her improvement most efficiently over the next few months that will be critical for her putting up scores that will improve her chances of making a team.

Thanks

Scatt and a good coach to help interpret it. Look at nc state too. They have a very good engineering program.

bdutton wrote:Scatt and a good coach to help interpret it. Look at nc state too. They have a very good engineering program.

Q/ Other than a coach, best training tool for junior shooter?
A/ Best training tool for junior shooter is a coach - there really is no alternative!

As a parent who has graduated one from college and have two in college, I have a three word mantra: "In state tuition".

Don't rule out possibility of walk on to KY versus fractional tuition scholarship to out of state school.

kilowhiskey wrote:As a parent who has graduated one from college and have two in college, I have a three word mantra: "In state tuition".

Don't rule out possibility of walk on to KY versus fractional tuition scholarship to out of state school.

That's always been an option because she really likes UK (shot in her club with a current team member) and coach Mullins but she has also been offered academic scholarships at most of the out of state schools she is interested in that cover the out of state tuition difference (and in some cases more) so we are fortunate in that regard. We are not considering the fractional athletic scholarship value in any of this other than it representing an offer for a team spot. Therefore we are casting a wide net of the schools she likes the team/coach/program and mechanical engineering program.