3 replies to this topic

[de03x7]

A comment in another thread made me think about this. Is there any way the classification system can knock off scores more than five percent below the high percentage for D class shooters? My daughter is stuck in D class, limited division right now at 38.51% and a high of 39.94%. If she didn’t have to “own” the 21%, 26% and 28% which are 11-18% below her high they would be replaced by a 44.4, 39.8 and 39.9 which are now flagged “E”. Had she made C class while the latter three were being factored in the three in the 20s would have been flagged “B” and not used. I made B class in production and if I shoot a score that is under 55% it will not be counted. In L-10 I am at 57% with a high of 58 the worst score I would need to “own” is a 35% which would get flagged as one of the two lowest of the most recent 8 so wouldn’t be a big deal. I know that the answer is more practice but between boys, work and school I am happy to get her to a match once a month. She will do fairly well in the rest of the match but she lets the classifiers kick her tail. Last month in a special classifier match she kicked butt on 99-23 Front Sight with an 8.55 HF which should be around 64% but bombed 09-01 Six in Six with a 15%. Unless some of the scores come back higher than the calculators project she is still going to be stuck in the high 30% range and is getting discouraged. The good thing is she also shot the match in production division and should have made C class there. She shoots a Ruger SR9 and maybe this will get her to just down load the mags and shoot production. She hates to do the reloads but if she sees the better classification maybe it will get her interest up.

[bbbean]

That's just part of the deal. You have to get more consistent to get better. Those of us who started in D are familiar with the aggravation of having to live with tanked stages that wouldn't count against a C or B shooter. If she'll take her time, shoot for points, and stay clear of no-shoots and hard cover, it won't take more than a few months to put up enough 40%+ scores to undo the stinkers.

FWIW, special classifiers aren't necessarily the best way for a D class shooter to get out of D class. Many D class shooters are in D class because they haven't yet become consistent, and it's a lot harder to put up 4-6 stages without a mistake in one day than it is to simply take a deep breath and run one classifier a match without a mistake for a couple of months.

[leemoe83]

I wouldn't worry so much about classification as were she is placing in the matches, is she improving her % of the winner? Finishing at a higher standing? Some people do not classify well, their shooting strengths are in stage breakdown, movement, and not messing up. Classifiers are a decent judge of shooter ability but have a tendency to highlight the static skills; draw, hose, reload, hose some more. Classifier scores are some of the easiest to improve with dry fire; draws, reloads, and transitions. Dry fire practice ten minutes a day can make enormous improvements especially for newer shooters, downside is that dry fire can feel like work. But it is worth it.

[Chip_E]

I wouldn't worry so much about classification as were she is placing in the matches, is she improving her % of the winner? Finishing at a higher standing? Some people do not classify well, their shooting strengths are in stage breakdown, movement, and not messing up. Classifiers are a decent judge of shooter ability but have a tendency to highlight the static skills; draw, hose, reload, hose some more. Classifier scores are some of the easiest to improve with dry fire; draws, reloads, and transitions. Dry fire practice ten minutes a day can make enormous improvements especially for newer shooters, downside is that dry fire can feel like work. But it is worth it.

Love this response.
I think it's more important to concentrate on improving each time you shoot, rather than just trying to get to C,B,A,M,GM.
At the D level, she's really competing with herself more than with others. Her goal should be to shoot as accurately as possible and make her movements as efficient as possible. Once that happens, the classifiers will fall into line.