Dang It Dan 13202 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Creeker said something on another thread concerning what "winners" do after they lose vs. what "losers" do. I am paraphrasing here, but he basically stated something that most anyone who has lost, then won can tell you. That is a so-called winner will use a loss as fuel to fire the drive to work harder. But, I would like to expand a bit and add an element that became clear to me a number of years ago. That would be that losing is part of the process of learning. We have all heard the expression "win or lose". I would suggest that for those of us who are trying to improve on our game, it is more appropriately "win or learn". What I learned by losing was to put away my pride, shelve my arrogance (yes, winning can make you arrogant and will block your openness to change) and not allow myself any excuses. It can be a hard thing to be open and honest with yourself and take a good hard look at your weaknesses. Harder still to learn from the mistakes and do something positive to correct them. It may take some experimenting to find the key and frustrating as the dickens. Ask me about my rifle sometime when you have an hour or so to kill . As the expression goes; "Second place is first loser" - I disagree. Some of the best matches I have ever shot only resulted in a second place finish for me, but I was thrilled at my performance and frankly I didn't need a trophy to give me a sense of satisfaction. I knew I had performed at the top of my game and was happy no matter where I finished. Learn from your losses by being open to where the real problem is. You know, most folks who win consistently are good students and typically good teachers as well. You might be surprised what they can share with you if you just ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spades Hanlin SASS#66204 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Well said Dan!!! (More ya practice the luckier ya get) as the Geriatric Kid would say, and that man has won and lost at more types of shooting sports in his 78 yrs than most could ever hope to, and the man still looks into himself and learns every chance he gets, what an insperation to me and many others.. True winners work hard, learn, and practice, and most of them are harder on themselfs than anyone else ever could be, and thats why they just get better.. Spades H. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom, SASS #54973 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Thanks for the post...very refreshing...and it's got me thinkin. Phantom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rance - SASS # 54090 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Good post right there.. Rance Thinkin' it makes ya start thinkin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creeker, SASS #43022 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 What Creeker Said... Wow, the stupidity that post could encompass. I have been fortunate to shoot with and against some great shooters. I have lost far more times than I have won. But I have learned something from EVERY match I have shot - win or lose.. Sometimes the lessons had nothing to do with shooting. Sometimes it is watching someone win with class. Watching the winner shake the hand of everyone in his category; telling everyone of them how good they did and encouraging them to keep it up (I'm looking at you Lassiter) Sometimes it is learning how to lose with grace. After I train wrecked a stage at Winter Range (a year that I thought I had a pretty good shot at placing well) and I wanted nothing more than to pick up my toys and go home; one of my posse members came up to me and said, "A year from now, no one will remember how badly you tanked this stage, but they will remember how you handle it" Thank you, Frederick Jackson Turner And sometimes it is simply learning things like; No matter how hard you push, a 73 will not load thru the loading gate with the lever open. That the front sights on our pistols are there for a reason. If you attempt to balance a 97 on a fence, and then bump the fence on the way to your rifle - it is a SDQ. That using your oldest brass at a lost brass match is not always a great idea. That vertical staging is a practiced skill. The winner of the match was the best shooter there that day - Don't make excuses or take away from their victory. If you beat yourself, that is no ones fault but yours. And a million other things learned by the pain and frustration that we call experience. All of these lessons have given me the "fuel" to strive to do better next time. Win or lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk James Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Great topic and well said Dang it Dan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painted Mohawk SASS 77785 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Yep some good advice & info there..great posts ..thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Shucks, it humbles me just to know I got some darn good WISE friends, especially after reading these post. Well said Pards.....ALL of you! ..........Widder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunger Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 This post was worth reading. Thankyou! My rifle cost me 600 rank points at WR this year, on the first stage I shot. Never got mentally right again after that for the match. It really stung after working hard all winter for that shoot, but I was surrounded with good friends, and still had a great time. The problem is fixed, and i've learned from it. Can't wait for next year's match! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooting Bull Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 I've competed in a LOT of different sports in my life and it strikes me that I've never seen a more gracious group of competitors than we have here in SASS. Win, lose or draw we universally seem to enjoy the spirit of competition more than I've seen anywhere else. Winning isn't simply about being handed a trophy. That gets proven every time someone suggests a new category be added. The screams against watered down competition are deafening. This phenomenon struck me very early on when champions like Creeker, Madd Mike and Just Ace were the first ones to step up and help me become a better shooter. Arguably the greatest learning moments were when I was at my lowest. They never let me get too down on myself. They constantly challenged me to use those times to get better in preparation for the next match. These lessons have served me very well and I'd like to thank EVERYONE in SASS for displaying this same attitude. It does nothing but make our sport better and better. Now Dan, tell me about your rifle. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Now Dan, tell me about your rifle. :-) OH NO! Philly, before you sit down and listen to Dan about his rifle, let me just say that he has named it.....'Hiccup'. I think its because he likes to spit rounds out of it before they are fully digested..... ..........Widder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branchwater Jack SASS #88854 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Creeker and Dan are spot on. I try to learn something each time we go out. Some times I learn something new. Other times I find bad habits that I thought I had put away that come back again when I get lazy. Some days, I don't learn that something until I go home and watch the video. Of the two things that I have struggled with lately, they both get to the mental aspects of the game. It sounds silly when I think about it, but I have historically had a hard time forgetting what just happened and staying focused on what I am doing when something goes wrong. Stuff like focusing on that miss I had two shots ago that now just caused me to miss again because I wasn't focusing. Then, I would take all that mess to the next stage. The other issue I have found is that I wasn't taking any time to prepare myself prior to shooting the stage. I was working so hard helping everyone else...picking brass, TOing, spotting, whatever... then I would rush to the loading table, rush to the firing line, and then rush through the opening line to get the beep and be totally unprepared for the task at hand. You can learn a whole lot just by keeping your eyes and ears open, too...not to mention keeping an open mind... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooting Bull Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 OH NO! Philly, before you sit down and listen to Dan about his rifle, let me just say that he has named it.....'Hiccup'. I think its because he likes to spit rounds out of it before they are fully digested..... ..........Widder Notice above where I said I'd gotten a great deal of instruction from Madd Mike. Trust me, my rifle is VERY adept at hiccuping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Tree Kid Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Great Topic, You guys are right, I have lost a lot in a year of cowboy shooting but have gained twice the knowledge. This is the only compitition that people strive to make you better. It was told to me once "Peach Tree I welcome the day you beat me" unreal on the words of encourgement and coaching I have received from this sport. Dang It Dan, from some of your tube videos the only thing I see from your rifle is that it is fast very fast. Thanks for the encouragement! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elk Creek LeMieux Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 I've done a whole lot of shooting in my life, with modern weapons and the ones we use in this game. But I'm brand new to this game. So I was surprised to find I had so much to learn and work on when I attended my first match, haha! There's definitely always something to learn, even if all you learn is that you have more to learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dang It Dan 13202 Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 OH NO! Philly, before you sit down and listen to Dan about his rifle, let me just say that he has named it.....'Hiccup'. I think its because he likes to spit rounds out of it before they are fully digested..... ..........Widder "Hiccup" is the name I use when there are ladies and children present. You can guess what I call it when nobody is listening. Great Topic, You guys are right, I have lost a lot in a year of cowboy shooting but have gained twice the knowledge. This is the only compitition that people strive to make you better. It was told to me once "Peach Tree I welcome the day you beat me" unreal on the words of encourgement and coaching I have received from this sport. Dang It Dan, from some of your tube videos the only thing I see from your rifle is that it is fast very fast. Thanks for the encouragement! Thank you, but as most of my friends can tell you, I can eject them just as fast. In the last two to three years I have changed the way I shoot my rifle at least three times just trying to find something that will work consistently. My tombstone will read; "And he survived having to shoot a 73' rifle". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korupt Karl Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Well said Dan....as slow as I am, I continue to learn and I'm leaps and bounds ahead of where I used to be. I can still shave many, many seconds off my stage times. I feel sorry for you....as you are dealing with 10th and 100th of a second....lol. Good goin. KK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crosscut hardy Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Both Creeker and you DID sure have made right on comments about our game/sport. Thanks ...crosscut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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