[IronEqualizer]

Recently I shot a match where the RO was not rotating the shooting order and I was the second shooter for the first 2 stages until I asked that the order be rotated. This was after I trashed a stage. My question is how long does it take you to prepare and program a stage that has several options? Generally what I see locally is we walk through, look at all the targets, see any mover activated, reset whatever needs to be reset and the first shooter is called about 2 minutes later. I know I will get faster at stage tactics the more matches I shoot but how long should I take or be given to prepare to shoot? On difficult stages it generally takes me 4 or 5 minutes to figure out what I want to do then 4 or 5 minutes to program it. Is this too long? Is there any certain method you use to speed up this process? Thanks in advance.

Alan

[Joe4d]

Yeh, show up early and help setup.. sombody has to do it and usually all the help is apreciated, and you get familiar with the stages.

[IronEqualizer]

Yeah... I do show up early to help set up but I am usually setting up a couple of stages all the way up till time to get geared up. Maybe I should show up too late to help but early enough to walk the stages. Naahh...that's not really in my nature.

[Steve Anderson]

Short answer: Always squad with the BEST shooter at the match, preferably the best in your division. (open plans often don't help prod or lim 10 shooters) Ask him or her to think out loud for you. Carry his or her gear (or bring water and snacks) and you'll have a shooting buddy for life.

Long Answer:

1. Find all the targets and verify the round count.

2. Determine how many reloads are required.

3. Find a place (or places) to load on the move.

4. Begin to formulate a plan that gets you to the end of the stage the most efficiently.

5. Walk the stage until you can see every target with your eyes closed. Until you can do this, you are not ready to shoot.

6. Once burned in, do not change your plan UNLESS you have time to really burn the new plan into your memory.

Even that answer is too short. It takes at least 5-10 minutes to do this properly for me. It gets easier and faster with practice.

You can download a free stage planner here:

http://andersonshoot...nalysistool.htm

SA

[Brazos SC Shooter]

Steve Anderson, on May 12 2007, 07:59 AM, said:

Long Answer:

1. Find all the targets and verify the round count.

2. Determine how many reloads are required.

3. Find a place (or places) to load on the move.

4. Begin to formulate a plan that gets you to the end of the stage the most efficiently.

5. Walk the stage until you can see every target with your eyes closed. Until you can do this, you are not ready to shoot.

6. Once burned in, do not change your plan UNLESS you have time to really burn the new plan into your memory.

Even that answer is too short. It takes at least 5-10 minutes to do this properly for me. It gets easier and faster with practice.

You can download a free stage planner here:

http://andersonshoot...nalysistool.htm

SA

+1000

This last month I followed this program to the T. The difference in my match results was amazing. At least at our matches the walk through time is about 5 min.

I did commit a major feaux pa (sic) by being on the course of fire between shooters in addition to pasting targets, which might have given me some additional time to burn it in. Thanks to another shooter for pointing this out to me. Reminded me that I need to spend more time reading the rules.

Even with out that, you are not required to start per 8.3.2 until you are ready. While you can't take 10 more minutes, you can take some time to visualize your plan at the line. I liken this to the pre-shot routine golfers go through. Some take 4 practice swings, some don't take any at all, some stand behind there ball then take swings etc. Everyone accepts that each player does this AS LONG as it doesn't not impeed the speed of play.

I think it also is a good idea to get the groups buy in before the first stage to agree to shuffle to order. $.02

[IronEqualizer]

Thanks guys for the responses. I will better manage my time on each stage and take the extra 2 - 3 mins if I need it. I should not allow myself to feel rushed. The 2 or 3 minutes is all that I would have needed for the stage I trashed.

[Steve Anderson]

It also helps to be on the local "super squad" All super squads take longer to walk the stage. It's not a coincidence.

SA

[Flexmoney]

IronEqualizer, on May 12 2007, 02:46 PM, said:

I should not allow myself to feel rushed.

There you go.

I don't get up with only 4hrs of sleep...drive an hour or two to the match...help setup...run shooters...tear down...load ammo...fill up the gas tank...etc..to get rushed out of a few minutes of squad stage prep time.

I'm not going to take forever, but I am damn sure going to get my 5 minutes of squad walk-thru in if I need it.

Over 5 stages...what does that add up to? 10 minutes more ???!! That ain't much on a 6-12 hour day.

[mjbine]

+1 with Steve and Flex

[KGentry]

I have shot some matches were some of the RO's did not shoot and they really wanted to rush the shooters - it takes a little nudging but you can me your point clear that you will not be rushed into shooting a stage until you are ready - pay to play!!

[Mr Glack]

Joe4d, on May 12 2007, 12:12 AM, said:

Yeh, show up early and help setup.. sombody has to do it and usually all the help is apreciated, and you get familiar with the stages.

+1

There's also a lot of course design that takes place during set up as the reality of the stage is revealed.

[Mr Glack]

KGentry, on May 21 2007, 02:19 PM, said:

I have shot some matches were some of the RO's did not shoot and they really wanted to rush the shooters - it takes a little nudging but you can me your point clear that you will not be rushed into shooting a stage until you are ready - pay to play!!

I hope you are misunderstanding the motivations. RO's don't get paid for their time and enjoy this aspect of the sport for its own merit (in my experience anyway). Everyone at a match should be having a good time.

Why the rush then? For large matches in particular, if a squad starts getting behind and backing up the other squads it can create a lot of down time for everyone else. In my experience "programming" has little to do with this problem [unless you are taking 15 minutes in the box! ], but others may think differently and simply want to keep things moving for everyone's benefit.

[betterment]

One of the matches I go to on a regular basis the squads move quick and loosely organized, it is not normally a big match. So with little time to prepare I walk it once to establish target placement. Stand back for about 30 seconds and look at routes and options. I try not to be the first guy in the conga line, so I can see what other shooters are looking at (I don't always go the same route). As long as I get to walk my route 2 preferably 3 times then I am set.

My big peice of advice would be to count rounds and start over after reloading (ie. one-two, three-four, five, six-seven...not bang bang, bang bang, ding, bang bang) and look at the geography of where you are conducting your reload and memorize it and then stick to it.

This post has been edited by betterment: 17 August 2007 - 11:38 PM

[j1b]

Couple of minutes - max. Unless the stage is (as my 14 year old daughter would say) 'uber' complicated.

Look - the more your mind plays with the stage the more complicated it gets. Think of it as if you had 100 try's - would you approach it like "I'll work to nail this one but . . . given the chance I can do it again" - Now, play like that knowing you have to perform this time.

Shooting to your skill level is 90% mental. The rest is in your head

Overthinking stages is what I see most. Shooters know the shots aren't that hard. The positions aren't that hard. The stage isn't that hard. Throw a clock on it and all the sudden things change.

The bigger question is why does the clock change how we approach a stage. Because if we did have those 100 chances . . . I bet the results would be different.

J

[betterment]

"Shooting to your skill level is 90% mental. The rest is in your head

Overthinking stages is what I see most. Shooters know the shots aren't that hard. The positions aren't that hard. The stage isn't that hard. Throw a clock on it and all the sudden things change. "

That is almost encouraging me to be daring next Sunday. Shoot straight and make it happen right...

[North]

I like to be early in the shooting order. I hate seeing people mess up; it makes re-think how I want to shoot. At the NM sectional this year the only stage I went first on I finished 5 out of 71 as a "c" shooter.

[newshooter]

I myself like to watch better shooters shoot the stage but before i shoot it then think about how i would shoot it myself then see why they shot it that way and come up with the best way to shoot a stage in my thoughts would be best and see what happens haha if that made any sense!