TargetTalk

Airpistol and freepistol are my main events. I think we are a huge bunch of fairly good shooters that in long periods struggle with the feeling that nothing is happening. Please share all your best tips that helped you to reach the next plateau.

Explain how you practiced and what was the outcome of it for you?

And please don´t answer search for threads on topic. Dig deep and help all of us that needs a boost to climb up the ladder! :-)

Sam.

sportshooter wrote: And please don´t answer search for threads on topic. Dig deep and help all of us that needs a boost to climb up the ladder! :-)

Sam.

Don't take this the wrong way, but did you search and find anything / nothing ? You really can't expect people to keep retyping loads of stuff out just because someone can't be bothered searching.

If you want a boost then use all the tools available to you. Search here and other sites, but most importantly, work with a coach.

Rob.

I despise using a negative but the first thing I would recomend is dont leave the pistol hanging out there so long. Now for positive, Plan a very progressive approach to the shot delivery and stick to your plan when delivering the shot. Try coaching each other and do it in the following manner. Have your coach stand beside you While you verbilize the shot delivery technique you have commited to use in firing the shot. The coach only has to appear interested and avoid interfering with your shot. This helps you avoid feeling stupid while you are talking to yourself.[ You dont have to do this but I have found that it helps ] Keep careful records about how closely you are following the shot plan and modify the plan only when you are convinced you have discovered an improvement.Best of luck, Good Shooting Bill Horton One more thing, What Fred said.

Yes I have found some interesting stuff at this forum and at other sites too.

Thanks for your tips.

Sam,

If you really want to excel, keep a log and graph your progress. A log will record your conclusions (only) and the graph(s) will provide immediate feedback. Analyze only one aspect at a time - do not combine items in a training session.

Work on only one leaf on the branch at a time.

Record the results and observe your graph to ensure that you are indeed heading in the right direction. Your graph can illustrate many aspects of your choosing (it should not reflect score alone). After all, this is an analytical trip to success. Try using Excel - I did when I started shooting air pistol. I was successful in recording and tracking my analytical process/progress (I started at a 520 level and in two years time won the National Senior Air Pistol Championship with a match high of 573).

Train for the match and shoot the match for practice. Train seriously and regularly.

Good luck!

Matt

sportshooter wrote:Airpistol and freepistol are my main events. I think we are a huge bunch of fairly good shooters that in long periods struggle with the feeling that nothing is happening. Please share all your best tips that helped you to reach the next plateau.

Explain how you practiced and what was the outcome of it for you?

And please don´t answer search for threads on topic. Dig deep and help all of us that needs a boost to climb up the ladder! :-)

Sam.

Here's my personal advice, stated as if it were fact, with absolutely nothing to back it up. If you are impressed by "argument from authority," well, I've shot pretty well on some days**** but have certainly run into a rough patch over the last 18 months or so.

Alternately, I would suggest just reading what I wrote- mull it over in your head logically, and if you find anything wrong with it, I'll be glad to offer supporting logic, rationale, and occasional Socratic "gedunken:"

I have always had my best progress when I "religiously" (with fanatical obsessed discipline) focused on the following simple things . . . and have always had the most disappointing plateaus and/or backsliding when I have failed to do so:

1) Understand what the proper personal behaviors are for making a "Perfect Shot" *

2) Train in such a way that you are focusing on improving those specific personal behaviors **

3) Shoot the match the same way you train, but with consistency (no experimentation which is required for proper training) ***

You can choose to make it a lot more complicated than that, but there are no Magic Tricks or Secrets beyond what's already known (but not accepted) by all . . .

Steve Swartz

* This is not as straightforward as you may think . . . some/many people (most new shooters? perhaps) fundamentally misunderstand the difference between stuff that is a "behavior" (something you control) and other stuff . . . also confuse the difference between stuff that matters and stuff that doesn't . . . and then get tangled up in how a behavior is defined (and what makes it "better" vs. "worse"). Your Mileage Will, Of Course, Vary

** Proper training requires disaggregation and focus (capping a lot of rounds ain't training- that's just practice), coupled with analysis and experimentation. Holding a brick in your hand for an hour ain't necessarily training either! If "applying smooth, rapid, positive increasing pressure on the trigger without disturbing sight alignment" is a behavior, well tehn, you should perform drills that focus on that single element all by itself . . .

*** Training and competing are fundamentally different- and they are fundamentally the same. You need to develop a multi-echelon plan for how to manage the release of an individual shot; the execution of a shot plan; how to conduct a string of shots; and finally a match plan. Or to simplify, you need to have a way to optimize your performance for a single shot, and for a series of 60 single shots.

**** If this is information you need to know, it's in the public domain. Some folks seem to really need to know this stuff. I actually had a guy tell me "I don't listen to anyone who can't outshoot me." Go figure. Anyhow, email me and I can supply you with PBs by date and match. leslieswartz@verizon.net

I shoot the same events as you do (10m AP and 50m FP) and ive been doing it for a little more than 4 yrs ... got some good scores a few medals and then 2 yrs ago ran into the usual barrier, no matter what i did i couldnt cross 576 in AP and 545 in FP.

My personal best stayed at 576 in AP for 2 yrs until i put down all those very very technical russian shooting manuals and even more technical mental training books.

The thing that helped me most : Its actually something also mentioned on Pilkguns.com in the coaching section and a few other shooting resources - the giant leap of faith.

Once you accept that you cannot hold the x ring by sheer will, and yet you see Chinese shooters with AP scores of 591 in ISSF world cups you automatically tend to mentally deduct that there is something more going on that can be consistently reproduced for the duration of 60 shots.

For me that one step was letting go of what was happening on the target, just watching my foresight within the rear sight and trying to release a clean shot at the moment i felt settled to the point that at times in practice or a match im not even aware of target too much ... i mean i know its there but the only thing i see is an area 3 rings below the black usually filled up by my sights, i know there is movement but when in this zone i tend not to notice it at all (i should mention i use a +.25 diopter lens to help me focus on my sights and blur the target, and a yellow filter to increase the sight contrast at times), and just release when my sights are perfectly aligned.

The mental attitude i try and attain is what the hell is the worst thing that can happen ill aim and ill shoot it will be a 10 if i release clean or itll be a 9, at worst my sight will fall of and itll be a 8 - no problem i can shoot a 10 and recover it - that almost casual disdain or detachment from the target helped me most ... havn't shot a 7 in 2 yrs .. yes occasionally i do funny things with my wrist and shoot 8's but not more than 2-3 times in 60 shots and thats more to do with not resting enough between shots for me.

As mentioned in the coaching pages as your hold gets better so does your score.


Hope it helps, helped me a lot - cheers ;-)