Breaking bad habit/learning something new?

[Shooting Bull]

Let's say you want to change the way you perform a task. It could be shucking empties and loading fresh shells into your shotgun, drawing, aiming and firing your pistols or any number of things. Do you practice the entire task or do you break it down into individual components and practice those one at a time until you perfect each one before moving on to the next? 

[Deadeye George]

I'm just a two year sass shooter so I have a lot to learn and several self taught bad habits to unlearn but here is what I am doing.  A friend who is a very good shooter has been working with me and basically we worked on individual drills;  the pistol draws and reholster, proper shooting stance, trigger/hammer coordination, from picking up the rifle aiming at the first target to holding it while letting my wrist action work the lever rather than have my elbow flying all about.

 

Each of these routines I work on individually at first then after getting somewhat consistent we combined pistol and rifle, and now I am setting up realistic stages and shooting entire stages using pistols, rifle and shotgun with live ammo several times a week.

 

I practice shotgun loading and shucking in my house as a separate discipline but can't figure out how to have the timer pick up a "start" and "finish" time span but think I'm loading a bit faster.

 

Probably doesn't help you much but at least starting out on individual drills first seemed to work rather a little of everything which would have been too much to remember all at once.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

BULL,

I don't know if its as simple as one way or the other.

You probably already have some good skills that you will want to maintain.   But the new technique you are wanting to try might just need practicing on just that one item, like changing the way you reload the rifle or feed the SG.

 

BUT, if you are trying to go from Duelist to learning Double Duelist, your transitions to each firearm will be a complete package in learning experience.   And in that case, you may want to practice the whole package.

 

Just a thought.

 

..........Widder

 

[Bad Bascomb, SASS # 47,494]

  SB, you haven't time to learn/unlearn anything before Eldorado......  you'll just confuse all your finely-trained neurons and synapses.

[Ace_of_Hearts]

2 hours ago, Bad Bascomb, SASS # 47,494 said:

  SB, you haven't time to learn/unlearn anything before Eldorado......  you'll just confuse all your finely-trained neurons and synapses.

I thought you had to have hair to have these?

 

[Griff]

3 hours ago, Shooting Bull said:

Let's say you want to change the way you perform a task. It could be shucking empties and loading fresh shells into your shotgun, drawing, aiming and firing your pistols or any number of things. Do you practice the entire task or do you break it down into individual components and practice those one at a time until you perfect each one before moving on to the next? 

SB,

 

For the past several years, I've been shooting each and every stage to finish in a raw time of 60 seconds...  How close to 60 seconds exactly on the clock is how I've been measuring my success.  Now, I've decided I can shoot faster... no more "eyes" on all of T-Bone's chickens, no more shots on hat brims, hands and feet of "Harpers";  that bit of fun has run its course.  At the first match I tried this, in the words of one shooter, "...what'd you do with Griff?"

 

I've found it extremely vexing to get rid of the voice in my head that's now constantly saying, "...one thousand one... one thousand two..." all the way to sixty.  At that first stage, it was disconcerting to then answer that silent voice... to the shock of the assembled TO, Timers, et al; I apparently used my "outside voice" when I responded with "...SHUT THE F UP DUMMY!"  Not appropriate!

 

So... my only suggestion is to be very, very careful in your new sinful practice!  

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

Bull, just like wearing adult diapers...

It Depends.

 

If you are changing one component of an existing method, then you break that part out of the sequence and practice that individual component until you see fit to re-integrate it into the whole.

 

If you are changing a complete action; you need to change and insert the complete procedure into your routine.

 

My thought process is disrupt your established method a minimal amount when only changing a specific component.  Breaking only the muscle memory for that one item.

 

But if you're completely changing something; you need to discard the prior muscle memory as a whole.

Starting clean by eliminating all trace of the old method; not changing piece by piece - resulting in a mixture of the old with the new.

 

But by the same token; what do I know?  I suck at this game.

[Kid Drover]

My wife has been teaching violin for the past 35 years.  She says to break down any total transition (large movement)  into series of the smallest movements and practice those movements individually and very, very slowly. This will build muscle memory, which in reality is building a mental habit, because your muscles only do what your mind tells them to do.   This will make the movement a subconscious movement allowing you to consciously focus on the target and shooting sequence.  She continues by saying: as you do these tiny movements smoothly and subconsciously, you can began to pick up speed, but, pick up speed in increments, practicing the movements "in rhythm".   

 

To finalize all that:  She teaches her students a violinist learns to move their fingers very fast by going very slowly; breaking down and practicing the smallest of movements individually.  

 

Hope this helps.

 

KCD 

 

 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Just remember BULL..... 'you gotta learn to walk before you know how to run'

 

 

..........Widder

 

[Pat Riot]

Why not video yourself and watch what you are doing versus what you think you want to do? Have someone video you at a match. You'll probably pick up on some things that you didn't know about and you might find what you think is holding you back isn't...or is...

 

Of course I have never done this for CAS but I did for, of all things, casting a bait caster rod for bass fishing. I could not figure out what I was doing wrong but video did help me. I went back to my spinning rods after seeing how angry a bait caster made me. 

[Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646]

What is this Perfection thing of which you speak?

 

 

 

An aptly named -Imis

[Ramblin Gambler]

I would do it all at once and do it slowly and smoothly.  The only time I break it down into small pieces is one part of the maneuver is giving me trouble.  Even then, I only practice the small piece long enough to work out the kink then go back to the entire movement. 

 

 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Do the task completely, so everything 'blends' together.

Don't forget, you put them on-one leg at a time. 

Now using the belt-You'll need help with that. 

OLG

[Shooting Bull]

14 hours ago, Creeker, SASS #43022 said:

Bull, just like wearing adult diapers...

It Depends.

 

If you are changing one component of an existing method, then you break that part out of the sequence and practice that individual component until you see fit to re-integrate it into the whole.

 

If you are changing a complete action; you need to change and insert the complete procedure into your routine.

 

My thought process is disrupt your established method a minimal amount when only changing a specific component.  Breaking only the muscle memory for that one item.

 

But if you're completely changing something; you need to discard the prior muscle memory as a whole.

Starting clean by eliminating all trace of the old method; not changing piece by piece - resulting in a mixture of the old with the new.

 

But by the same token; what do I know?  I suck at this game.

 

I really hate it when you make sense.

[Shooting Bull]

17 hours ago, Bad Bascomb, SASS # 47,494 said:

  SB, you haven't time to learn/unlearn anything before Eldorado......  you'll just confuse all your finely-trained neurons and synapses.

 

True, but I've got a few months before Winter Range.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

1 hour ago, Shooting Bull said:

 

I really hate it when you make sense.

 

I said the same thing, except with fewer words........ 

 

..........Widder

 

[Hairtrigger Hayes]

Once a habit is formed it takes a LONG time to break.  I think it will be up to you whether or not you have more success repeating the complete drill or just certain components.  Just remember success comes not from choosing a path, but reaching the end of it.  So hang in there until the new method becomes a new habit.

[J-BAR #18287]

Each shooter must find a learning/practice routine that works for him.  So, some experimentation is part of the process.

 

For me, I do the new maneuver in VERY slow motion until I get the moves perfect.  It may take several practice sessions to achieve this.

 

Then at the next practice session, do the new maneuver a bit faster, until I get it perfect.

 

Then at the next practice session a bit faster...you get the idea.

 

Find a "trigger" that will start your new maneuver.  I needed to learn to get my hand on my shotgun before letting go of my rifle, so I practiced LOOKING at my shotgun after firing the last shot from my rifle.  Looking at the shotgun led to putting my hand on the shotgun's grip as I was setting the rifle down, it was my "trigger" for the transition.

 

Pat Riot's video suggestion is a good one.  We usually are not doing what we think we are doing.

 

Someone (my wife maybe) said it takes three weeks for a new activity to become an ingrained habit.  So be patient and don't rush it.

 

[Shooting Bull]

3 hours ago, Widowmaker Hill SASS #59054 said:

 

I said the same thing, except with fewer words........ 

 

..........Widder

 

 

Dang! You sure did. Sorry, I missed it through your heavy drawl.  

[Widder, SASS #59054]

18 minutes ago, Shooting Bull said:

 

Dang! You sure did. Sorry, I missed it through your heavy drawl.  

 

Yea, I understand.   The drawl comes with being a GF toooooooo long..... 

 

..........Widder

 

[Shooting Bull]

13 minutes ago, Widowmaker Hill SASS #59054 said:

 

Yea, I understand.   The drawl comes with being a GF toooooooo long..... 

 

..........Widder

 

Thankfully I can understand you since my mother was born and raised in Nashville 

[Kirk James]

I would say break it down and practice each component separately, perfectly.  I would practice burning that new path everyday for a while.  Then I would combine components into less moves and repeat.   Repeat until it is one sequence.  Give it plenty of time to develop in matches under pressure.  

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

Bull:

     Regardless of the methods employed, it has been said that it takes 21 days for a new habit to take effect.

    

     Should be enough time between monthly matches to make a difference.

     Best of Luck.

[Shooting Bull]

3 minutes ago, Father Kit Cool Gun Garth said:

Bull:

     Regardless of the methods employed, it has been said that it takes 21 days for a new habit to take effect.

    

     Should be enough time between monthly matches to make a difference.

     Best of Luck.

 

The only thing they don't tell you is that's 21 days of dedicated practice.  Guess I need to work on that dedication part.

[Kirk James]

I have been trying to change my shuck for 6 months.  It is right during dry fire, but still struggle in matches.  Bought a case to practice and hope to practice everyday before Eldorado.  

[Widder, SASS #59054]

On September 14, 2017 at 12:45 PM, Shooting Bull said:

 

The only thing they don't tell you is that's 21 days of dedicated practice.  Guess I need to work on that dedication part.

 

Dedication is a big factor.

I dedicated myself to a specific dry fire session when working up to running 10 shots, GF style, in sub 2 seconds.

 

And I dedicated myself more when working on my 97 technique.   It was not unusual for me to run 20+ thousand dummy rounds thru my 97 during the summer months just for practice..... and it was good exercise.  I actually keep 2 97's that have been decommissioned (firing pins removed, etc...) just for dry fire practice.   And I normally keep about 400 empty dummy shells to use during those practice sessions.

 

BUT, I had to DEDICATE myself to that practice routine.

 

GO FOR IT, BULL.    Find out how tough you are..... 

 

..........Widder