Who shoots a practice card first ?

[Fimbulvetr]

Just curious.

I've been shooting 25yrd prone small bore in the local league.

I can shoot 95-97 on the practice card (98 is unusual, but occasionally, it happens !), but find that if I then shoot a competition (local league) card, it's usually a 90-94! Roughly. It's bloody depressing. My scores on this competition just finished would have been a whole lot higher if I'd used the practice cards instead.

I'm wondering if it's just eye strain from shooting another card so quick, or is it just because as soon as I see the little white sticker on that card down there, I get a pounding heart and shaky arms ?!

So I'm wondering - who shoots a full practice card (not a 2 diagram sighter), before they do a competition card ?

[Powderfinger]

I prefer to shoot a practice card. Like you, I find the practice card is usually better than the match card. It's that white sticker, isn't it? It stares at me like the Evil Eye saying "Miss you silly beggar!"

[richardio123]

I just get on with it, maybe 5 or 6 in the sighter and then shoot, nerves are something to get used to and with confidence and alot of shooting it can even help a bit, after all if you can shoot 7 or 8 ten's why not 10!!!!!!! Think of each shot as a single bite, think your self through position,loading, breathing, aiming, trigger, follow through, check the shot in the scope. I make myself very busy and when your really in the zone there is no real time for nerves! Untill the big comp!!! grrr

r

[malcolmbevan]

Hi Ive just got back from the club tonight [ 25yard smallbore prone ] , and I can tell you it happens to me every time! In practice, if I score my cards and average them then its about 95.5 to 96. , but my competition average is 94.44. I think it`s all in the mind [ stickers etc.] , and this has an effect on physical stuff , pulse rate, blood pressure , breathing , muscle tension and all that. However when I steel myself to shoot a county card first , without a practice card , I always seem to cock it up. So I retreat to having a practice card first to `warm up' then the important stuff. The result 97 in practice , and 94 on the competition card!! It`s all in the mind!!!!

[bullbarrel]

I shoot 20 yard LSR and my non stickered average is 91. Unstickered is 94.

Best ever was a 99, still long for that elusive ton.

I always shoot a practice card before starting on the stickers and its nearly always the best card of the night.

[Hemmers]

Used to, but the scores weren't much different. Sometimes the practice card was better, sometimes worse. Gave it up last season because I had too many cards and not enough time to shoot practice cards as well.

Came out with a 97.57 average across 5 leagues (54 cards). Well up from my previous season's 96.2 avg. Even managed to knock out 4 tons amongst them. Well chuffed.

There's definitely a psych element. I find if I do a practice card, then it focuses (read: distracts) my mind over the fact that my next card has a sticker on it. Having given up practice cards (except in dedicated training sessions obviously), one card becomes much the same as another. They're just cards and I forget about the stickers.

I would advocate just getting on with it. Yeah, you might be a bit nervous first couple of times round, but as long as you concentrate on decent sighters, then after a few times, the stickers vanish from your mind, and your shooting should improve.