TargetTalk

how long you take in shooting a complete match?

I take 1 hour, some times 1 hour and 15 minutes, ¿too fast?.
Normaly, I use the preparation time for dry fires, in competition shoot 4 or 5 pellets in each sighting targets and start the official match targets.

Nano

Average time is 1hr 30 min for me---as I really agonize each shot for the first half hour including sighters---then for about 45 minutes I get into the zone and I am in another world. The last half-hour I begin to tire and then I lose that comfortable zone and agonize the last ten to fifteen shots. The last five targets take me no less than 5 lifts for each shot.

I tend to take about 1h 30 as well. I do however take plenty of breaks - typically 3, maybe 4. I will often take a break for the last 8-10 shots especially if I've plenty of time to spare but it depends on the day and how I'm feeling.

Rob.

nano, i also face the same problem, shooting too fast, in my opinion. i always end up as one of the 1st few to finish. And my scores are always below expectations. I always regret not fully utilizing the 1hr 45 mins fully to hit better shots after the competition.

currently trying to shooter slower, from 1 hr to 1hr 30 mins. 1hr 30 mins is fine for me. not too slow to the extent that you are last to finish, and not too fast that you regret wasting your time.

When I was at Intershoot it was my impression that the men were starting to come off the line at about 1:20 most were done about 1:35 with the odd one after that.

Julian

1.20 to 1.30 for me.

I am one of the slow ones and look to the have shot 30-35 shots the at the end of the first hour. This would include my slighters and rest brakes. I would then normally shoot the rest 25-30 shots by 1.40hr point still with brakes I have only had the 5 min. warning once and only had 1 shot left.

Well, I can honestly say that time to shoot a match is highly dependant on how well the match is going. This sounds like a pretty flippant comment until you take some time to consider it.

Sometimes you just "fall into the groove" and can shoot without any troubles. The shots break quickly, there are few aborts, and everything just seems to go very well. When this happens to me in an AP match I'm able to finish in 1:10 to 1:20.

But then there are times when you struggle. It seems like the trigger has gone from 500 grams to 5 kilograms, it just won't break. Or you have troubles obtaining anything like a steady hold. Or you have troubles with your mental focus and your mind can't stop wandering to all the distractions around you. Yes, there are matches like this when everything isn't quite as perfect as it should be. I've had a few like this and have finished several times with less than 2 minutes to spare. The last shot is accompanied by a great sense of relief.

One of the most pertinent observations I can make is that I have set new personal bests under both circumstances listed above. The most rewarding has been the PB set with the last shot going off with only 50 seconds left. I worked HARD for that score and felt justly rewarded for my efforts. But the most enjoyable experience is the one where I set a new PB in about 1:12, and after the last shot was fired I thought to myself, "Darn, that was fun. Wish I had another 20 shots to go."

I should have added that my last match was 1hour 15. I knew I had 1:45 so I just took my time getting started. had an extra couple of dry fires before moving on to my sighters. I was deliberately taking my time and having a sip or two ever 10 shots.

I have also noticed that changing targets actually helps to force a rest between shots. At first i thought this would break my rhythm but actually it does not, it just become part of it.

As a rule of thumb in club situations I would say the slower precision shooters tend to be the better ones.

Though a good example, there is ne of the lads at the club, is a real football fan, I was not there but a few matches ago he had a radio in his pocket and head phones listening to the foot ball match throughout the 40 shot .22 match ! So much for issf rules! He was not able to listen to the foot ball in the last match, so shot as fast as he could to get back to the radio. Comments like "How does the uzi compare to your hammerli" floated around. In both cases is scores were about average . though I suspect that is suffering a little bit for the same syndrome.

Mark Briggs wrote:
But then there are times when you struggle. It seems like the trigger has gone from 500 grams to 5 kilograms, it just won't break. Or you have troubles obtaining anything like a steady hold. Or you have troubles with your mental focus and your mind can't stop wandering to all the distractions around you.

so how do you solve the problem during competition? i alo face the same problems. i try to shoot earlier beforehand, before the match commence. But when the match is in the 1st detail in the morning, i am at a lost what to do.

I am wondering why the concern over time taken to fire the match may be too short?

If you are shooting "good" shots (the actual score may vary according to you ability), and you get in "the zone" you mayfinish in 30 minutes.

Since shooting is an endurance sport, finishing sooner should allow you to be fresher both mentaly and physically.

I don't advocate taking "poor" shots in the interest of speed, but if we take the "first good shot" our scores should improve just bbecasue of being less tired on the later shots.

Comments?

The extrems are similar (too fast or too slow are the same).

Once, I have a previous commitment, arrives at the competition when it had begun, shoots in little less than one hour, with score just as my better registry.

Nano

88 seconds. In 8, 6, and 4 second increments. ;)

donthc. wrote:

Mark Briggs wrote:
But then there are times when you struggle. It seems like the trigger has gone from 500 grams to 5 kilograms, it just won't break. Or you have troubles obtaining anything like a steady hold. Or you have troubles with your mental focus and your mind can't stop wandering to all the distractions around you.

so how do you solve the problem during competition? i alo face the same problems. i try to shoot earlier beforehand, before the match commence. But when the match is in the 1st detail in the morning, i am at a lost what to do.

The answer is in your preparation and training. What mental training do you do to facilitate concentration and preventing your mind wandering for example ? How do you overcome trigger freeze in training ? You need to be training all these in order to solve problems in competitions, or better still prevent them.

I get the impression most people don't do any mental training and then have no idea how to cope with stress related problems in matches.

Rob.

Anybody that fires 60 shots in 88 secs is paying more than $10.00 per minute for a match. I think you can get much more Bang for the Buck in other disciplines.

Dennis

As others have said the time it takes to shoot a match really shouldn't be the focus. Just taking longer is not necessarily going to help your scores. The important thing to focus on is how you shot, if you shot well and are happy with your performance and wouldn't change anything it doesn't matter if it takes 3/4's of an hour or the full 105 minutes. Now if after you finish shooting and you are unhappy with your performance then you should make the adjustments, some of the adjustments might take more time. Simply its not the amount of time but it what you do with the time that matters.

dlinden wrote:Anybody that fires 60 shots in 88 secs is paying more than $10.00 per minute for a match. I think you can get much more Bang for the Buck in other disciplines.

Dennis

Really, your matches cost $600 to enter do they ? - I don't think so. If your aim is to just make bangs then I'd suggest you're on the wrong forum. You are also at liberty to enter matches, or you can choose not to.

Rob.

Hey Rob -

Lighten up a little. I was humorously referring to Ted's comment about 88 sec Rapid Fire matches. Are things that rough across the pond?

Dennis

dlinden wrote:Hey Rob -

Lighten up a little. I was humorously referring to Ted's comment about 88 sec Rapid Fire matches. Are things that rough across the pond?

Dennis

Perhaps you should have quoted the post you were referring to then, to make it a little more obvious, or even added a smiley. Some of you guys humour needs a little explanation for the unitiated ;-)

Rob.

RobStubbs wrote:

dlinden wrote:Hey Rob -

Lighten up a little. I was humorously referring to Ted's comment about 88 sec Rapid Fire matches. Are things that rough across the pond?

Dennis

Perhaps you should have quoted the post you were referring to then, to make it a little more obvious, or even added a smiley. Some of you guys humour needs a little explanation for the unitiated ;-)

Rob.

As David Levene has pointed out, in an earlier post - US and UK are two countries separated by a common language.

Fred :-))