10 m Air Rifle - how to hold steady under competition pressure?

[BigDuncs]

There I was last night, all confident, starting to practise for the new ‘league season’ and hoping to improve after an indifferent summer.

First 5 shots/sighters were 4x10s and 1x9. A great start and although I hadn’t intended to shoot my first set of cards last night, I thought that it would be foolish not to start after a better than expected result on the ‘practice’ card. All that home practice has been worth it.

Disaster. Dropped 18 on my first competition card, with one shot only scoring a 3! My worst card ever, and although I managed to pull the (4 card) total back to last season’s average – the thought remains just what it could have been if I hadn’t messed up that first card.

So, I have identified something that I had suspected for sometime. That trying too hard can mess things up.

I am not a particularly ‘serious’ 10m target shooter, but it’s a jolly difficult challenge and I do like how you can see/quantify your progress. It is also enormously helpful for improving my 'standing shots' in the field.

Any advice on how to replicate my good sighter card performance to my competition cards?!! Or, put another way, how to shoot straight under competition pressure?
Thanks in advance!

[big_phil555]

hi mate

have a look at post 12 here

http://www.airgunbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=479710

that should help

[jpayne]

I know what you mean, I am shooting around 520 in practise (10m pistol)), but on Sunday went along to my first ever competition and shot 492. What was really annoying was that my sighters were all 10s and 9s, with a couple of 8s, as soon as I started the actual competition I started shooting too many 6s and 7s.

I think I was definitely trying too hard/tensing up, so I am going to have to work on that when the stickers come through......

[another_dom]

The curse of the good sighter - I cringe whenever I form a nice group in the 10, as it isn't unknown for my first scoring shot to be an 8.

I now try to get into a rhythm and then make the transition to scoring shots as smoothly as possible - easier on electronic targetry I've found.

Dom.

[jpayne]

I think the electronic targets were part of the problem, my followthrough went out the window because I could not resist looking at the monitor to see what the score was..

[20series]

It's called "Stickeritus", a common malady amongst all who shoot competetively trust me I know.

The only way to get over it is to treat every card the same, not this is practice and this is a match card, the sub concious is a fickled beast.

Alan

[BigDuncs]

Ah, so it's not just me then!!

Thanks for the responses.

[Rutty]

It's called "Stickeritus", a common malady amongst all who shoot competetively trust me I know.

Absolutely correct, it is a well known fact that Stickers bend light in much the same way as black holes, except that the reason that black holes do it is much easier to understand. This is commonly known as the "Sticker Effect". I have it on good authority the Stephen Hawking intends to write a book on the subject just as soon as he has finished explaining everything else about the universe, because all those other things are much easier to explain!

In the meantime the only thing we can do about the "Sticker Effect" effect is to practice Sticker Denial. This is done by refusing to believe in the existence of Stickers and as a consequence the effects that they have. This is achieved by concentrating all ones thoughts and efforts on the perfect execution of the current shot. Not the previous shot, not the next shot but the shot in progress and nothing else. One is in effect concentrating only on "now" and nothing else. By this method true believers in Sticker Denial can nullify the space-time warp created by the Sticker and send their projectile upon the true path to the 10.9

Rutty

[jpayne]

it is a well known fact that Stickers bend light in much the same way as black holes, except that the reason that black holes



Sounds like the stickers are actually Bogon emitters, http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/madsci/qcd.html
having a similar effect to managers in suits.....

[riggers2647]

The only black holes I need to know about are the ones in my targets thankyou! (Or even better the one hole)

[BigDuncs]

One is in effect concentrating only on "now" and nothing else.

That's a lot easier said than done, particularly after a busy working day!!

In future, must try to absorb all the available computrons that I can attract so that I can competitively inhibit and replace the Bogons. But then, if I could attract some Randons, then that would allow less involuntary motor activity by replacing logic and recollections with randomness.
Wish I knew where to find more futons.

Any further help appreciated.

[jpayne]

That's a lot easier said than done, particularly after a busy working day!!

In future, must try to absorb all the available computrons that I can attract so that I can competitively inhibit and replace the Bogons. But then, if I could attract some Randons, then that would allow less involuntary motor activity by replacing logic and recollections with randomness.
Wish I knew where to find more futons.

Any further help appreciated.

I think Habitat can help there...

[lwebster]

Another technique is to shoot more competition cards and very few sighters. The competitions could be internal club or even just a friendly with a mate for a choc bar! Just put a sticker on everything! Your approach will eventually treat all shots the same. I'd also recommend trying to shoot 60 to count in a session, as prep for shoulder to shoulder comps! Have fun.

[BigDuncs]

Another technique is to shoot more competition cards and very few sighters. The competitions could be internal club or even just a friendly with a mate for a choc bar! Just put a sticker on everything! Your approach will eventually treat all shots the same. I'd also recommend trying to shoot 60 to count in a session, as prep for shoulder to shoulder comps! Have fun.

I can see how this makes sense. I have bought the 'proper' cards for home practice, rather than home printed jobbies, to 'formalise' home practice to some extend. But will try more cards to count at the club. Thanks.

[big_phil555]

Another thought.

Try shooting a blank card at teh start, so that you get used to the trigger release, and try to banish black dot syndrome - it will challenge your groupings anyhow