20 replies to this topic

[Tom Brannon]

You ever look at a stage and put more thought into one area? It was a target rich stage, but spaced out except for one area... I focused so much on it at the "BEEP" I dashed passed the steel poppers because they were out in the open. The one stage I wish my fiancee hadn't caught on video... I get to re-live my mistake time and time again. Now, I take more time to plan my stage and not focus on a target but the stage as a whole.

[ErichF]

I watched a buddy of mine do something similar recently. He had two poppers and two paper right in front of him on a really long course. At the start, he shot the poppers and took off running without engaging the papers at all

I've gone running right by paper targets that I knew were there...even said to myself in the walk-through, "I will run right by that." Your brain executes the last thought about a situation, and so I did after saying I would. This is a funny sport sometimes!

Edited by ErichF, 26 May 2012 - 05:44 PM.

[speedrrracer]

This exact thing happened to me on my first-ever stage with a Texas Star. Struggled so hard with it that all I could think about was how much time I had wasted.

Ran right past the next array of targets directly to the finishing array of targets. Didn't even register in my brain that I had ran past targets until after the stage and someone woke me up from my adrenaline-haze and told me. Definitely a moment

[Bshooter]

Walking through a stage before you shoot it is very important so you can plan your actions. I have experience shooters that will try talking to you while you are prewalking the stage. Concentrate on your plan of action and don't change it. If you are one of the last to shoot and you see someone in your division shoot it a different way and it seemed to be better than your way, walk it again and get it instilled into your mind. I often hear "when the buzzer goes off I lose my train of thought". Concentration is the key factor. Don't let anyone or anything interfere with that thought. Walking by targets can happen if you are one of the first to shoot, but shouldn't happen after you have seen others shoot the stage.

[firemantj]

At my first USPSA MG match I did the same thing. Coming from IDPA, I was so stoked I could "airgun" the stage that I must have walked through it 15 times. Counting steps, planning reloads, finding targets. It was a stage that required lateral movement across the bay. At one point you had to turn back towards the start position to engage an array that was hidden behind a wall and only visible from one spot. I was the second shooter (this was the first stage). Buzzer went off and I blew through the stage. The SO even made the comment, "Wow, that was fast." I went to unload and show clear and noticed that I hadn't reloaded. My hear sank. 10 Mikes. I even missed a target that I never noticed in the walkthrough (the target was so well hidden that it was clean until the 5th shooter of the day). It absolutely ruined the rest of the match for me. The lesson it taught me was to let mistakes go after they happen. I take the Tiger Woods approach now. I can cuss (quietly to myself), kick dirt, and be pissed at myself for 1 minute after a mistake. Then it's gone. It has helped me tremendously.

[BurdDawg69]

I did something similar this weekend. I did my walk through a couple times planning my reload points, and what array of targets i would engage first and so forth. The only thing I didnt instill in my brain in my walk through was an array of 4 paper targets behind a stack of barrels. I was so focused on making sure I didnt break the 180 on a right turn just before the 4 targets that I ran right by them and finished the stage. I unloaded showed clear and just then I heard my time 12.05!!! I was like WOW thats 4-6 seconds faster than the GMers on the squad before us.then I heard it. MIKE,MIKE,MIKE,MIKE ect, then I hear 4 failure to engage procedurals.....Lesson learned, be dilligent in knowing where ALL the targets are. Also count your targets and confirm that number with the stage discription. as a little side note I was the first shooter on my squad.

A good point out of this was the rest of my squad made sure they didnt miss that array..."One mans mistake, is anothers lesson learned"

[Aggieddad02]

At the MS Classic 2 weeks ago I failed to engage a paper target even though on my walk through I kept telling myself watch that target. As you well know it cost my some serious points, points I really could not afford to give away. Got to work on my stage stragedy.

[Garyg19]

Huh, I thought I was the only one that did this.

[Graham Smith]

FWIW, as a MD and stage designer, we try and make stages flexible where we can - IOW you can shoot them more than one way. But as a part of that, in every match, on at least one stage there will be at least one target someplace that is either tucked off in a corner by itself or positioned in such a way that it can be shot from multiple locations. Every squad will spot the trap and will discuss it but there will always be one shooter who leaves the target standing or shoots the same target twice.

I won't mention the name, but at a match I attended last year, the MD (a friend) was on my squad and he pointed out one target like this. Not only did he run right by the target, but he realized his mistake too late and tried to back up and ended up breaking the 180 trying to get to it. DQ.

This falls into the category of "stuff happens". It also falls into the category of "stage designers are sneaky bastards".

[bikerburgess]

I did something similar at the multigun nationals this year. on a stage with some long range steel plates I got my hits better than I expected, then got so exited that I forgot to engage the other 2 paper targets I planned to take from that location. It was still one of my best stages of the match as far as placement but if I didn't have the extra 30 seconds added on...


Mike

[Twoyellowlabs]

I did that twice in one match. Left one popper standing on one stage and completely forgot a planned reload on a 21 round stage. You could just hear everyone sigh. Oh well.

[Poppa Bear]

Worse is when you realize you forgot the target until you hear a peanut gallery comment as you bring the gun down in that relaxed I am done motion. So you jump over quick and take it down only to then realize that you just ADDED 6 SECONDS to your time on a 140 point COF just to earn the extra 5 points of the plate.

[GrumpyOne]

Been there, done that....except for the running part...... I'm more of the lumbering beast!

[jailer252]

My favorite is at my first match where I was already unloaded and showing clear when the SO said "if the shooter is SURE!!!! he is done unload and show clear." In my haste I had forgotten 2 targets to the right of the doorway. 2 10 and a failures later I learned to PAY ATTENTION TO THE WALK THROUGH!!

[mattwaage]

Worse is when you realize you forgot the target until you hear a peanut gallery comment as you bring the gun down in that relaxed I am done motion. So you jump over quick and take it down only to then realize that you just ADDED 6 SECONDS to your time on a 140 point COF just to earn the extra 5 points of the plate.

or 25 points?! Failure to engage, mike, and missing the alpha lol.

Recently we had a course which required the shooter to draw, engage 3 close targets, then grab a suitcase and engage 3 more targets while moving behind the fault line, ending up at a barrier to engage 3 more. I walked the stage, planned it, got ready... BZZZZZ drew engaged 3 targets, and then the rest. Got so into it I blew threw the stage and forget the suitcase. Darn. Time was great though.

[trp]

Post the video I'd love to laugh, with you of course!

[hunt_fish]

At our weekend match there was a stage shot weak hand only, picking the gun off of a table.
A lefty in our squad programmed the stage in his walk through the same way as the rest of us, except for him that turned out to be STRONG HAND ONLY...

[Steve Anderson]

If you can't visualize the entire stage, every target, you're not ready to shoot.

[mattwaage]

At our weekend match there was a stage shot weak hand only, picking the gun off of a table.
A lefty in our squad programmed the stage in his walk through the same way as the rest of us, except for him that turned out to be STRONG HAND ONLY...

Shouldnt he shot with his right hand if he was a leftie?

[jun_1911]

If you can't visualize the entire stage, every target, you're not ready to shoot.

Just came back from a local match. I failed to engaged 2 paper targets. That did the match for me.

I was wondering how could I resolve the issue on my way home so it wont happen again. Did a search here. Then... Boom... there goes my answer.

Im learning.. and want to learn.

Thank you Steve.

Edited by jun_1911, 16 September 2012 - 02:33 AM.

[rln]

I've left clean targets behind more than once but the targets that can be engaged from more than one position seem to really pull me into the trap