TargetTalk

My indoor season will soon begin and I’d like to hear what others here might have already experienced. I’ve been shooting ISSF prone for 10 years now and I have the feeling that my performance has reached a plateau. I train twice a week. I know that I will be able to shoot around 590-592. Sometimes a 594, Sometimes a 588 but my average score won’t vary much compared to what I was shooting last year. I know that maybe if I trained a lot more my scores could jump to 595 or 596 but I just don’t have the available time.

Don’t get me wrong: I still love and enjoy the sport but basically, I don’t feel like my coming season will be much different than the last one. Of course, it affects my motivation. Anyone here got in the same situation ? Any thoughts or advices ?

Sometimes I feel like I should start from scratch in air rifle or 3P. Trying something completely different in order to get a new challenge. Anyone here did it ? Would you recommend it ? I might give it a try but I fear that my already good prone scores would suffer as I would not have more time to devote to training than what I already have….

Dan_1 wrote:..... I know that maybe if I trained a lot more my scores could jump to 595 or 596 but I just don’t have the available time.

Don’t get me wrong: I still love and enjoy the sport but basically, I don’t feel like my coming season will be much different than the last one. Of course, it affects my motivation.

You have your answer in the above statements they show both commitment & attitude. At this point determination will get you to where you want to go. It's OK to be at your current level and enjoy the sport too but don't have expectations of improving unless you are committed. Also 99% of the time you will shoot to your expectations or what you really believe to be your ability and it appears by your comments that you have accepted your current level, so it has become your limitation.

I have been told training 2 days a week will MAYBE help you maintain your existing skills (including mental) but more often than not you will lose ground AND motivation because of it.

Are you really training or are you practicing. The difference being in training you are working on specific areas of opportunity, things you know you need work on. Practice to me is going out and shooting for score - you need to do both. You can train at home by dry firing. Or if you are like me and need the feedback, use an electronic trainer. There are ways you can fit in 5 or 6 days a week by finding an hour here and there without going to the range and shooting.

At the level you are currently at (great shooting by the way) it's 99% mental and some of the highest level shooters get put in situations where they don't have the opportunity to shoot but they still train 5-6 days a week. They are my motivation.

Check out Attainment by Troy Bassham, if you have it re-read it.

Dave

Motivation comes from doing something that excites you. If your ambition is to shoot the same as before then that's self limiting as Dave says. I suggest you think about something other than score and set some goals that excite you. As Dave also noted you say you train twice a week, but do you ? Are you really just shooting for score or do you set training goals for each session and working on specific elements in each session ?

Personally I shoot less than you now and have slipped down off the plateau, but I still enjoy my shooting and training, I just set realistic targets that I can achieve with some effort.

Rob.

Dan_1 wrote: Sometimes I feel like I should start from scratch in air rifle or 3P. Trying something completely different in order to get a new challenge….

Yes, that's a good idea. Besides, I think you will find that most, if not all of the top prone shooters also shoot 3P and/or Air Rifle too.

It's one of the things I like about shooting all five ISSF pistol disciplines. If I get bored with one I still have another four to keep me interested. A few years ago, I hated Air Pistol, so I stopped shooting it for a while, now it's the one I'm enjoying most!

If you can shoot 590-592 at this point it is all (100%) mental.
You've got the skills to shoot a 600.
Shooting 60 shots prone is no small matter, it is very hard to keep mentally sharp for all 60 shots.
Where do you usually loose your points? that will tell you where you let down.
How badly do you want to win a match?
Or is the competition where you shoot, not up to your level, and it is hard to take it extremely serious.
Gaining that extra few points to shoot world level scores is not an easy matter.
I always thought only a person who has no mental thoughts at all while shooting, has a chance at a perfect score. Almost like being like a machine.
I have shot some 590 scores in the English match, but felt it mentally exhausting.
Shooting other matches like 3P, may help. I couldn't just shoot prone.

Trooperjake wrote:I always thought only a person who has no mental thoughts at all while shooting, has a chance at a perfect score. Almost like being like a machine.
I have shot some 590 scores in the English match, but felt it mentally exhausting.
Shooting other matches like 3P, may help. I couldn't just shoot prone.

I don't think that's correct, it's all about having the right thought processes or rather not having the wrong ones. It is impossible for a human not to think anything.

If you think about it, all you're doing is shooting a technically good shot, then you repeat the process. Nothing is different between shot 1 and shot 60 (excluding external variable such as wind that you have no control over). The shooter who shoots 600 does not think, "I've shot 50 bulls I could make 600, I've shot 59 bulls...." They just think about the same things as they did for all the other shots. The skill is being able to keep that mental focus and to really do that - you need to train it.

So as others mentioned, if you want to keep improving then you need to identify the weaknesses. Once you've identified them, then you need to train to make them into strengths, or at least no longer weaknesses.

Rob.

What I meant is it is easy to let your mind drift in a long prone match, with no break. Some people are able to keep their mind off of "garbage thoughts"
Yes you have to think about something in your conscious mind.
But it is the ability to complete a match in your "sub conscious" mind only.
That is what I meant.