TargetTalk

Most people have problems keeping their mind quiet for long times. Many times I find that during training, I will be in the middle of my shot process and the thought comes in my head "I wonder what is for supper tonight". I think that it is important that you not shoot when you are overly hungary, thirsty, or tired. I also find that if I allow a simple song to repeat over and over in my head, the chatter if greatly reduced. A real score killer is if you allow the chatter to create doubt in the sight picture or the overall process.

I have often wondered if anyone has used hypnosis to find "the zone".
Jim

EJ,

Yes, those authors names seem to ring a bell, and the titltes are appropriate.

Quieting the mind is the reason to use a pre-shot routine culminating in a positive "picture". Either we intentionally put something in our mind, or the mind will wander with many sequential thoughts, often bringing one of them to prominence (what's for supper).

When we control what is in the mind we have a better chance of success, and studies show putting a "picture", rather than words in the mind we switch from left brain to right brain, with decrease in response time on the trigger.

We've been using "perfect sight picture" as the key in the mind, however I know of at least one shooter who uses the pellet or arrow going through the ten ring.

Pat
I understand the visualization but at what point do you turn the picture off during the shot process? My song turns off moments before the shot breaks. I can not tell the exact point the song turns off as it has become an automatic part of my shot process. Your comments earlier about rifle vs. pistol are correct. I was a rifle shooter and still coach rifle, but have switched to shooting pistol as coaching and competing in rifle was too much. Anyway, the automatic part of rifle does seem to be on the trigger but I find that the sight picture is more automatic in pistol with a sub-6 hold and the focus more on trigger. Perhaps the difference is due to a rifle with a 100 gram trigger supported solidly can tolerate a less smooth trigger release than a pistol with 500 grams held at arms length.

Sorry to have wandered off topic
Jim

Jim,

We really don't "turn off" the picture. The ideal s for the conscious to have something positive to focus on, and let the un(sub)conscious handle the trigger release when it matches the conscious focus.

I've had kids use music to calm the "voices" running through their minds, and it worked well, but each improved when replacing the music with the picture.

I don't know if they still used music earlier in the pre-shot routine, but normally that is taken up with thoughts of the actual things to be done.

We are postulating that the difference between rifle using automatic trigger control, and pistol using automatic sight alignment is because of the relative ease in holding the rifle steady. Haven't come up with a good way to test this yet. In reality both are automatic in both disciplines when you get the "automagical" shot you spoke of. Imagine a 60 shot match taking about 45 seconds!

Do you ever try just doing holding drills without the trigger or dry firing using the surprise trigger break technique? Both help a lot as well.

For visualization myself it is what I tell myself before each shot. I try to go to sub-concious mode once I am sure I have all the concious things right with the shot or basically right as I settle into the sight picture and then let my mind wait till it sees the spot on the animal I want to break on. Of course this is much easier to do on the days you are holding like granite lol.

I suffer from mental distraction easily and am working on getting it all out of my sight and ears. This caused me a lot of issues in school as I was easily distracted on a tangent. I went to a Hypnotherapist and never got clucking like a chicken treatment, but rather learned self hypnosis. Helped me get through a college engineering degree so it works I know. Look it up it has some visualization techniques but is more about clearing your mind and relaxing your body simultaniously. All done through simple flex relaxation of muscles and mind in mere minutes. I will even use some on the firing line. When I am moving alot I will slowly squeeze all my leg muscles while breathing and then slowly relax them.


Bo