TargetTalk

If you remember, what was your score at your first organized match?

Ive been practicing a few months now and I'm starting a league in two weeks.

Just wondered about others first scores, experiences.

Any advice is always appreciated too!

Thanks

You don't want to think about score. Take it one shot at a time. If you have to think, think about your shot process.

In my first match my objective was to not shoot any 7's; a goal I have yet to reach :-(
Fred

In ISSF style 10m air pistol, USA Shooting National Championship was my first match. My goal for the match was to keep them all in the black...I think I failed on that one by a couple. I ended up with a 532 and 544 = 1076. It was pretty close to my practice average (538-540), so I was pretty happy.

It was interesting to find myself shooting right next to Bill Demarest. He did significantly better than me. :)

First match was for our team in the local league, third class (theres national, regional league, then leagues A, B, C and D and i started off in league C ). We do 40 shots and people predicted a score of less than 300 for my first match, i managed 340 and was pretty proud of it. Havent done any shooting in other classes before.

By now, i do...about 340, maybe 350 on a very good day. I am probably not going to become a master, but i have learned the trick of how to live with not so excellent scores. Just dont count, especially not while the match is going on. And - i think i read that here - see every shot as an external observer who watches a scientific experiment. Theres one part of me that does the shot and another part which analyzes without caring much for the score. These days i go home satisfied after the match and that is what counts.

I think my first match score was 533 which I was pretty pleased with, although below my training average.

As for goals you need to keep them positive and non score based so you have a good and a not so good example listed above. If you say 'no 7's ' then you concentrate on 7's. The chances are therefore improved that you'll drive your subconscious into giving you what you're thinking of even if it isn't what you want.

A better goal is all in the black, but don't let that slip into 'none in the white'. I prefer things like n% technically good shots, keeping focused on the (single) shot routine etc.

Most of all don't forget to enjoy the competition :-)

Rob.

Mine was 536. At the time I remember feeling quite deflated as I had been shooting into the early-mid 550s in training. However afterwards everyone at the match gave me lots of encouragement and told me not to be so hard on myself. One of the difficulties I had was (and continues to be) the lack of anyone else to train with. The result was my first match was an "away" match at a regional championship competition, on an unfamiliar range and was the first time I had ever actually been in the same room as another AP shooter (I was a nervous wreck!).

348/400 in 10 metre air-pistol at the Indian pre-nationals. Think it was 2002. I was using a FWB Mod. 2 with a Nygord Turbo-Comp.

Had only started shooting AP a couple of months before, so did not go for the match with any expectations. By my reckoning, I had scored 347/400 (couldn't resist counting as it was the last detail and I was driving back early next morning) which was one point less than what was required for qualifying for the nationals in those days. However, there were three border line shots and as it so happened one of them was accepted as a higher score. I was thrilled to bits when I heard about it.

This was achieved thanks to the articles by Warren Potter and the late Don Nygord. Did not know a damn about target pistol shooting until then.

Rustam

I shot a 540 in my first match with my new IZH46.

LOL it seems like almost everyone here started off close to the level of an olympic shooter. Its rare here to see someone not pretending to shoot an average of 9 or above...either we talk about different disciplines or i have met a different crowd of shooters before, or else people here get a kick of pretending to be better than they really are? What score do you have to have to qualify for the olympic finals, or even national finals? Could it be that you guys shoot around that on your very first match???

untalented beyond hope wrote:LOL it seems like almost everyone here started off close to the level of an olympic shooter. Its rare here to see someone not pretending to shoot an average of 9 or above...either we talk about different disciplines or i have met a different crowd of shooters before, or else people here get a kick of pretending to be better than they really are? What score do you have to have to qualify for the olympic finals, or even national finals? Could it be that you guys shoot around that on your very first match???

From my part - I shot as a kid and had a break for a large number of years. I came back into the sport with something of a level of 'natural ability' or call it what you want. To put the scores into perspective I would say that 570 - 580 (air pistol) is a world class score. If you want to get into the olypics and olympic finals you need to be probably in the high 80's (?). So I don't think any of us were suggesting we were anywhere near that.

It is also probably the case that there is a biased distribution of shooters here. People who want to improve will go to great lengths to improve and that includes finding out sources of information and asking for help and that's where fora such as these come in.

In my national (UK) championships you probably need to shoot approximately 560 to get into their finals. I have so far only shot in one finals and that was in a slightly smaller competition (and that required my PB of 562).

I trust that makes you feel a lttle more comfortable,

Rob.

530-540 as a first competition AP score I think is at the very upper level (for a new pistol shooter)
Maybe your more average shooters feel embarrased to reveal what they shot.
To any new shooters, dont be put off by these first up scores. Many 1-3 year shooters would be very happy to shoot this as an average.
Your first score is only a number to be bettered, not something to hang your hat on, or to feel ashamed of.

Do seem like a lot of high scores for a first match -- mine was about 475/600 as I remember after shooting for about 6 months. At my last match, I shot 508 and the top score was about 545 (about 25 shooters). My top score has been 545.

My first goal was to break 500. Next was 520. Current is to more consistently shoot 540s.

Best,

Joe

It really doesn't matter what scores you are shooting, enter competitions as soon as you can to start moving up the ladder earlier. It is competiton experience that helps you progress in competitons not training in your home club for years. All competitons I've ever entered have 3 or 4 classes so that all competitors from the novice to the expert have the same bite of the cherry. Also you will see a very large range of scores in most comps - starting in the low 400's up to the high 560's or more (for air pistol).

The important thing to remember is that you are shooting against yourself primarily (since that's the only thing under 'your' control). You goals should be to learn from the competitions and improve. That is most tangible when you see your scores move upwards but also when you perform well under pressure or in bigger competitions.

Finally if you keep waiting for the ideal moment to enter the competitive arena you will probably never bother. Take the plunge and enter competitions. You will soon find it gives that extra adrenaline buzz especially when you get amongst the medal winners !

Rob.

untalented beyond hope wrote:LOL it seems like almost everyone here started off close to the level of an olympic shooter. Its rare here to see someone not pretending to shoot an average of 9 or above...either we talk about different disciplines or i have met a different crowd of shooters before, or else people here get a kick of pretending to be better than they really are? What score do you have to have to qualify for the olympic finals, or even national finals? Could it be that you guys shoot around that on your very first match???

FWIW, I gave the score of my first ISSF style pistol match. I had shot 3-position sporter air rifle for 4 years in high school, a not quite ISSF style form of air pistol competition for 1 year, skeet for about three 3 years, had been competing in IPSC for about 10 years, and had been shooting informally for about 15 years.

I shot my first match about a month after I started shooting. It must have been blind luck that only one other gentleman showed up for the match. I won by five shots with a whopping 495. Scores have improved considerably since then. Hang in there. Practice pays off.

My first match score in the mid 80's was 476. It never dawned on me to be hesitant about entering. My practice had always been on a single bull target and then there was this 4-bull thing down range. That doesn't bother me anymore. Target return thingys were new to me once as well. Lighting, surroundings, noise, people....all those things are new at least once. There is no substitute for simply going and putting the practice to use. I have never ever heard a snide remark made about a shooter who came in last. The only ones that won't go anywhere are the ones who won't try. IMHO CraigE

Thanks for all the replies. I'm actually not at all hesitant to try. I had stopped by this club at the end of last winter's AP league. I remember seeing a bunch of targets layed out to be scored, and there was nothing too intimidating. Guns ranged from Daisys to what I now know are Steyrs, Pardinis, etc...

I'm sure there'll be a % drop in my score due to environment. I'm going to go do a practice session there this coming week as a "dry run". Maybe I can adjust my practice area to mimic it more closely, too.

I see the "bests" people post throughout the threads here. And though a bit intimidating sometimes, I realize that this IS the forum for folks that are really into AP shooting, so...

Though I do practice regularly, I'm not quite fanatical about it yet. A big part of it for me (as in other shooting disciplines I partake in) is the comraderie of being around fellow shooters. Not too many picnics/parties I've been to lately where the topic of guns has come up! :)

Thanks, and maybe I'll post my score as well as the top scores/guns from my first match. Just to give others an idea of what happens at the local club level.

Thanks again!

@

great post and feed back, hav'nt shot alot wiith my new fwb p40 so off i went to the range and shot 466 not bad with next to no practice i think, least i now no what i have to improve on,lots more practice and i'm sure it'll go up.......i hope

great post and feed back, hav'nt shot alot wiith my new fwb p40 so off i went to the range and shot 466 not bad with next to no practice i think, least i now no what i have to improve on,lots more practice and i'm sure it'll go up.......i hope