gearing up

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mark II
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gearing up

Post by mark II » Thu Sep 22, 2011 10:05 pm

Wanted to say hi and happy to say one of the leagues I'm in started up.
Shot a 262 last week and a 266 this week.
One guy I shoot with shot a 280, he shot early on his timed so they took 10 points off of his score which would have been a 290. The kicker is he cleaned the timed target. The guy can shoot.
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Post by Bullseye » Thu Sep 22, 2011 11:59 pm

Early shots happen. A tad bit too much initial pressure on the trigger can result in a truly surprise shot to the shooter.

I remember many a time where an inexperienced shooter would have an early shot, on turning targets, and hit the metal bar holding the target in place. Go down to score their target and it looks like a shotgun hit it. Its amazing what they can do when the shot is a surprise but given a normal sustained fire sequence can barely hit the target face. Often times one would muse how hitting the frame rattled their confidence. But I typically ask why can they hit the metal frame that is only 3/4's of an inch wide nearly every time but have much difficulty placing all their normal shots into a black ball six inches in diameter. Then I offer a suggestion that the trigger squeeze is the solution to their aiming problem.

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mark II
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Post by mark II » Sat Sep 24, 2011 9:33 pm

Started shooting the timed the same as rapid, one less thing to think about. Have to get use to shooting on the buzzer. Ready on the firing line, 21, 22, 23 and bang.......... sometimes. I know you mentioned not to count because your thinking about something, but I don't want to jump on the trigger as soon as I here the buzzer.
Trying to get my act together again. This is a great sport!

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Post by Bullseye » Sun Sep 25, 2011 8:09 am

Two shot drills are great for this, if you have access to turning targets. Try firing two shots in two seconds, it'll force you to have the trigger break close to the buzzer and then fire a good follow up shot before the target turns. You also have to be aiming on the spot where the ball appears when the target faces to do this drill successfully. Great practice!

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mark II
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Post by mark II » Sun Sep 25, 2011 10:33 am

I'm shooting indoors at 50 ft. and the targets are stationary. Maybe I could find a kitchen timer that buzzes twice.
Right now my slow fire scores are better than timed and rapid which is backwards for me. Timed and rapid are about the same, I'm shooting them both as rapid. Not sure I like doing it that way but will stick with it for awhile.
To be honest last year I dismissed your thoughts of my nerves causing some of my bad scores because this will be my 3rd season and didn't think it bothered me. Right now my low score on T&R are because of my nerves.
I think you might of been right as match presure being an underlining problem for me during some matches and I just didn't realize it.
Have to pay more attention to my stress levels and try to relax. It's tough being a beginner.
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Post by Bullseye » Sun Sep 25, 2011 10:36 am

You could also use an MP3 player and record the two second sequences along with some range commands. Just do it several times so you don't have to keep fussing with the player to start each drill. A set of earbuds inside your Mickey Mouse ears will work fine so you can hear the commands.

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Post by mark II » Wed Sep 28, 2011 7:07 pm

Shot a 266 this Monday night, the T&R weren't to good. Shot my timed as if it was a rapid. Have to tell you I would be getting more points in my timed if I shot it like the timed. This is my short term thinking and know that it will be easier later if I shoot T&R the same, less stuff to think about. I get a swing that goes from the left side of the black to the right side of the black in both the T&R. Thinking this has to do with me standing with both feet at a 45 deg angle from the line. Who shoots with their back leg in line with the line? I think this is what I'm going to change to. Got to love it.
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Post by Bullseye » Wed Sep 28, 2011 10:07 pm

The 45° angle is just a starting point. It's not a hard set rule. Everybody's physical make-up is different and therefore need slightly different stances to run the sustained strings. The key is to set yourself aiming on the target, then close your eyes and relax your legs and back muscles, when you open your eyes you should still be on target with your pistol. If not shift your back foot to adjust the azimuth of your body and try the closed eye relaxing technique until the pistol is on target when you open your eyes. What happens is when you start your sustained sequence you are concentrating on your sights and trigger control and your back muscles relax causing you to drift off target if you don't have your body naturally centered on target. Then you keep adjusting with your muscle control to stay on target and as the muscles fatigue you start to drift and tremble, makes things a lot harder than they ought to be for these strings. This technique is also known as finding your NPA.

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Post by mark II » Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:31 pm

I went to a match last night and was way off my game. I shot a 236 which is 30 points lower than the last couple of matches. Can't blame it on just one thing, the lighting was different, I want a new gun, it was a long drive, I was watching out of the corner of my eye my teammate. He was having troubles with his gun. I don't know what happened. All three targets were bad...........there's always next week.
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