19 replies to this topic

[Walt]

Since March, I have been shooting two USPSA matches per month. The more time I accumulate on the trigger, the better I perform. I'm happy with my skill progression but have run into a problem I can't seem to work out. My first stage of the day is my worst stage of the day, more often than not.

When I go back and review video footage, my first stage looks clunky and slow compared to later stages. It is almost as if I need a warm-up stage to loosen up. Once I'm past that first stage, I feel like I'm shooting better and better with each subsequent stage.

To compound the problem, the last couple of matches I have shot have had me leading off the stage, on deck, or in the hole. This leaves me feeling rushed when coming up with a stage plan. Last month I tanked my first stage of the day by running past a target. My first match this month was better but I took it extra slow to make sure I engaged everything.

What I'd like to know is, does anyone else have this same problem? If so, what do you do to overcome a poor first stage?

[Lee B]

My tendency is to take it somewhat slower to ensure the hits; knowing that it can set the tone for the rest of the day and then start picking up pace after that. I'm still working on being able to shrug off a poor stage and move forward. One thing that I do is think that we're all in the same boat and everyone has to shoot a stage cold (without a warmup). Another thing that can help is a routine that keeps you grounded. That's where I'm at with the whole mental game. Finding that routine that works.

[speedrrracer]

I feel your pain and look forward to any creative solutions. My current thought it to win the lottery, buy a gigantic mobile home and drive it to all matches. I can then set up a nice little dryfire / airsoft course inside the mobile home, and warm up to my heart's content.

I wonder if most ranges would mind if I were running around in an unused bay or corner with, say, a SIRT pistol or something to warm up, or if that would scare too many attendees?

[lugnut]

Most professional athletes warm up before big matches- baseball, football, tennis, basketball, etc. There is a reason for this. However all we can usually do it dry fire and mental rehearsals...

[Bear23]

At the walk through, run through the stage several times at actual shooting speed getting your foot work down. This will give you extra confidence and you will feel more comfortable. Don't shoot at 100% or above! Back it down and get your hits.

[Walt]

Running the stage at full speed is something that I've never done during my walk-through. I usually take it nice and slow, counting off rounds and determining where I want to be engaging targets. I'll do this 3-4 times, depending on how many shooters are on the squad and how much time I have.

At the next match I think I'm going to do a little stretching before we are squadded then try doing my walk-through at at least 3/4 speed to loosen up.

Thanks

[benos]

For every sirst stage, If I told myself to just shoot a nice, smooth run - at about 80 - 90% of what I'd normally shoot - I'd usually end up with a real nice result.

Another thing I did for a solid year's worth of practice sessions... I wouldn't just "start practicing" when I got the the range. I'd warm up my grip, do a bunch of draws until I felt warmed up and ready to shoot. Then I'd shoot one Bill Drill at 15 yards. The goal being all A's in 2 seconds or less. Whatever the result, I didn't shoot any more Bill Drills than one; I'd begin whatever it was I going to practice. For "first stages," doing that helped me solidify that I could do it cold.
be

[BoyGlock]

I do lots (5-10 min?) of dry fire in the safety area, sans dummy rnds of course. and what BE said, be smooth, dont rush things. But Im far from his level of skills

Edited by BoyGlock, 06 June 2012 - 05:24 PM.

[lugnut]

For every sirst stage, If I told myself to just shoot a nice, smooth run - at about 80 - 90% of what I'd normally shoot - I'd usually end up with a real nice result.

Another thing I did for a solid year's worth of practice sessions... I wouldn't just "start practicing" when I got the the range. I'd warm up my grip, do a bunch of draws until I felt warmed up and ready to shoot. Then I'd shoot one Bill Drill at 15 yards. The goal being all A's in 2 seconds or less. Whatever the result, I didn't shoot any more Bill Drills than one; I'd begin whatever it was I going to practice. For "first stages," doing that helped me solidify that I could do it cold.
be

Damn... I like that!!! My goal won't be 2 secs (for now) at 15 yards but I love the idea!!!

[Sin-ster]

I am the prime example of what you're talking about. Although when it doesn't happen, my first stage is actually my best...

Thus far, I found the only solution is less sleep/more drinking the night before. Seriously-- the worse I feel, the better I typically do on the first stage.

That lets me know that it's 100% nerves/mental. And subsequently, to deal with it, I've adopted something similar to what Brian is talking about. But instead of a "run smooth" focus, I simply ensure that I shoot the points-- and frequently end up only one C down as a result. I figure slow and accurate is better than slow and sloppy if you try to rush, and in those circumstances, it has worked out for me.

That said, this weekend... I'm going with the "be smooth and monitor the shooting" focus on the first stage. I'm guessing it'll be even better, as everything I've picked up from "the man" has helped me thus far.

[dover0020]

Since March, I have been shooting two USPSA matches per month. The more time I accumulate on the trigger, the better I perform. I'm happy with my skill progression but have run into a problem I can't seem to work out. My first stage of the day is my worst stage of the day, more often than not.

When I go back and review video footage, my first stage looks clunky and slow compared to later stages. It is almost as if I need a warm-up stage to loosen up. Once I'm past that first stage, I feel like I'm shooting better and better with each subsequent stage.

To compound the problem, the last couple of matches I have shot have had me leading off the stage, on deck, or in the hole. This leaves me feeling rushed when coming up with a stage plan. Last month I tanked my first stage of the day by running past a target. My first match this month was better but I took it extra slow to make sure I engaged everything.

What I'd like to know is, does anyone else have this same problem? If so, what do you do to overcome a poor first stage?

To add to what the other are saying, you said you felt rushed to come up with a stage plan because you were the first shooter or the on deck shooter. At local matches I arrive about an hour early so I have time to walk the stages before the match begins, this way on the five minute walk through all I am doing is reviewing my plan. For major matches I arrive the day before. Hope this helps.

Personally I like going first on the first stage of a match.

[Walt]

I've been trying to do my part and volunteer at local matches. At one club, I arrive a couple of hours early and help setup one of the ranges. Depending on the complexity of the stage we are setting up, I sometimes wind up going right from setup, to the walkthrough with the Match Director, to Registration, and before I know it I'm being squadded and getting ready to shoot. At the other club I shoot, we had a light turnout this month so I went out early and helped setup there as well. I had much more time this time around to walk each stage before getting started.

If my first stage is fairly straightforward, I don't mind being the first shooter. It is actually kind of a relief to get that one stage out of the way early and be deep in the rotation for the remainder of the match. I still feel as though I'm shooting kind of clunky, but once I'm finished with that stage all others only seem to get smoother.

You are right, I need to spend a little time before the shooter briefing to walk each stage and at least create a rough game-plan. I can then refined my plan when we perform the squad walk-through.

[Steve Anderson]

This is absolutely a mental game problem, and it's easily addressed and can be eventually solved:

1. Insist on going first, that way you'll be prepared for it. Now that you know you're going first, prepare to go first. Until you can visualize the entire stage stage, including every target, you are not ready to shoot.

2. The reason we relax as the day goes on is due to self-image. Many of us "hope" to be better than we are at shooting matches. This causes us to do things differently than we normally would. This dichotomy causes anxiety. Once we screw up, we realize that we are indeed ourselves and not some "match day superstar" that is faster and more accurate than the guy who doesn't have a scheduled training plan.

3. You can warm up at home and/or in the safety area, but I've never known it to have a major effect on performance. For some, excessive warmup could lead to "trying" which is always bad.

4. The best way to solve all of these problems is to adopt a regular training schedule and take good care of the self image, and you'll see yourself as a skilled, confident shooter who relishes going first so he can kick the stage's ass while it's still nice and clean.

5. Rather than thinking about Fast and Slow, think about what you will see. This is a far better programmer of precision that telling yourself to slow down. Speed and accuracy can coexist just fine, but they will be mutually exclusive for as long as you believe they are.

And there will come a day when you realize that calling every shot is the fastest way to shoot.

I watched a guy to the "missed popper runback" 3 times last weekend. If he had called that shot and paused ever so briefly to stabilize his sight picture he would have been able to leave that position with confidence and authority. Confidence and authority is faster.

Sorry for the slight ramble,
SA

[Steve Anderson]

By the way, I don't mean to suggest that you shouldn't warm up, just that the OP shouldn't expect it to solve these problems.

That's what I meant by it not having a MAJOR impact on performance.

SA

[BrianATL]

This is absolutely a mental game problem, and it's easily addressed and can be eventually solved:

1. Insist on going first, that way you'll be prepared for it. Now that you know you're going first, prepare to go first. Until you can visualize the entire stage stage, including every target, you are not ready to shoot.

2. The reason we relax as the day goes on is due to self-image. Many of us "hope" to be better than we are at shooting matches. This causes us to do things differently than we normally would. This dichotomy causes anxiety. Once we screw up, we realize that we are indeed ourselves and not some "match day superstar" that is faster and more accurate than the guy who doesn't have a scheduled training plan.

3. You can warm up at home and/or in the safety area, but I've never known it to have a major effect on performance. For some, excessive warmup could lead to "trying" which is always bad.

4. The best way to solve all of these problems is to adopt a regular training schedule and take good care of the self image, and you'll see yourself as a skilled, confident shooter who relishes going first so he can kick the stage's ass while it's still nice and clean.

5. Rather than thinking about Fast and Slow, think about what you will see. This is a far better programmer of precision that telling yourself to slow down. Speed and accuracy can coexist just fine, but they will be mutually exclusive for as long as you believe they are.

And there will come a day when you realize that calling every shot is the fastest way to shoot.

I watched a guy to the "missed popper runback" 3 times last weekend. If he had called that shot and paused ever so briefly to stabilize his sight picture he would have been able to leave that position with confidence and authority. Confidence and authority is faster.

Sorry for the slight ramble,
SA

Really good stuff right there

[frag316]

*shrugs*

I started shooting the Single Stack Nationals in 2008, missed 2009, and then hit 2010, 2011, 2012. For whatever reason, my first three Nationals, I was the first shooter in the squad on the first stage. In 2008, it didn't affect my performance. In 2010, I had a major transition back to shooting (I'd been in Afghanistan for the previous year with a Beretta and hadn't managed a lot of practice before I got to the match). 2011 I was fine.

It's all about how you look at it. Some people are deathly afraid of going first. I don't know why, but they are--even later in the match.

I wind up in various places in the shooting rotation at club matches, sometimes leading off the day. But it doesn't bother me mentally. My shooting is my shooting, as I'm always working on stuff and I should be a lot better than I am.

I think part of it is what Mike Seeklander talks about in his book. I do a moderate amount of dry fire at home, and I try to always do some the night before a match. If I'm having a good night (and I don't quit until I am), it gives me some confidence to know the mechanics are there. I'm hitting my draws right, have a good flash sight picture, the gun indexes where I want, I can stick my reloads, I can do the draws at speed from relaxed to surrender to pivoting to moving. That translates to the next morning. I do some dry fire at the safe area to make sure the front sights are where I left them, and then start the day.

There is something to be said for warming up, because everyone gets a little looser as the day goes on--well, they seem to, at least. Unless you're having a really bad match, you're generally going to improve on the day.

I'm kind of a neanderthal teacher, so I'd encourage you to volunteer to lead off every match, just to get it out of your system. You'll hit a few good first stages and miss a few. Then, you'll start feeling more confident and will hit good first stages more consistently. Just takes a little time.

[lugnut]

This is too funny. I was thinking about this thread and Steve's post about going first every time. Honestly I was thinking it would be a good thing to try but I hadn't planned on anything. Then this weekend I went to a local IDPA match. 1st stage, I was up first. No biggy. But I think some of the SOs were kinda new and kept asking me to go first. So instead of asking to drop my name in the rotation I just went with it. 6 stages I went first. My friends just laughed at me for getting called up to shoot first every stage. I didn't mind- it was a simple match. If there were some challenging USPSA stages I probably would have just went with it although it would have been more challenging. Too funny though. The whole day I kept thinking about this thread. I think I shot just fine too. Last 2 stages were just awesome honestly.

[mgood]

A couple of posts have touched on checking out the stages early.
At the local matches where I've shot, they're usually looking for extra people to come early and help set up. During that time, there's a lot of "you can see this target from over here but not from over here," and "lets move this one over so we don't get a shoot-through to that one," or "is this target too high where short people are going to be shooting over the berm?" Those discussions and looking at stuff from all these different angles seem to help with understanding the stage. I know it helps me to have at least the beginnings of a plan for the complex stages before we even get to sign in. I might also get to add some input, "YO, I'm shootin' singlestack here. How many targets you gonna make me shoot from one position??"

[Sin-ster]

For every sirst stage, If I told myself to just shoot a nice, smooth run - at about 80 - 90% of what I'd normally shoot - I'd usually end up with a real nice result

This REALLY works.

I said in my head as I took the first box for the first stage at DT, "Be smooth, monitor the shooting."

The first thing said to me after the stage (by a World Champ no less)-- "That was a smooth run."

Sadly... I forgot to do it on the second day...

[Xander]

I always hit the fouler first when I join a match, I do some draws, check my grip, dryfire a bit in the safety area and then shoot 10 rds at the berm (calling shot)and do a couple of bill drills @ 15m. After that I know I'm all good and would typically shoot my 1st stage that composes mostly if not all target boards