Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 10 hours ago, Kirk James said: I have read Brian Enos's book several times and Zen Golf and still struggle. It is especially tough if shooting on a posse where members are joking or loud. I try to pick my posse for that reason, but occasionally get on a posse where the posse members are trying to entertain with jokes, stories, or just loud. Will go back to the books and look for solutions. If anyone has had this problem and wants to share, this would be the place. I agree with Creeker that the consistency of shooting 12 great stages is what separates many great shooters. It is a mental game. One of the techniques I use is to simply focus on MY plan for shooting MY stage at MY pace. Quite often I do not even recall who is near me at the LT, who my TO is or who shot before/after me. I prefer to shoot late as then if I am a PM I can keep things moving so there are usually fewer distractions to deal with as well. Once several years ago I was picking brass and stood up into an overhanging shelf. Nearly knocked myself out and certainly saw stars. Got myself back together a couple minutes later and shot my stage. Only thing I could focus on was the stage itself (hurt to much to do anything else) and it was a complete surprise when the TO announced 16 seconds flat (a personal best at the time) That was the day I became a believer in the "single point of focus" on each stage. All the best to you and the family Gateway Kid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keystone, SASS # 47578 Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Well, I've actually shot some very good matches when not physically at my best. I had to maintain very strict focus in order to perform well and thus ignored any distractions. When I first started CAS/SASS I purchased a book that was very beneficial. Perhaps it's time for a refresher, now where did I put my copy of "Breaking the Shot" ? Hasta Luego, Keystone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken George* Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 I must be in the minority on this but I don't mind people joking around, talking and other distractions as long as people are enjoying themselves. I shoot better when I and those around me are having fun because I'm relaxed. If there are shooters on the posse that are stressed out, too serious, complaining about things, trying to find as many penalties as possible, or just plain grumpy, I am not relaxed because I'm walking on egg shells. I'm thinking about those things and thinking is what I believe is the cause of most people's mental game issues. One of the biggest takeaways that I get from Brian Enos' book (and other mental game books) is that concentration and thinking are bad things when your performing and to avoid certain thinking beforehand. Looking back at stages I bombed, I was thinking about something while shooting. For example, I was thinking so much about staging a gun an unusual way to save a half second that I ended up shooting it a lot slower and in the wrong order. My opinion is that all the thinking and concentrating should be done beforehand. Then don't think at all when shooting. Just relax, be aware, let whatever happens happen and have fun. Preparation is the key to a good mental game (and so many other things). I take as much time as I need in the morning of or night before, thinking, concentrating and visualizing how I'm going to shoot each stage that day and drilling the order into my mind. I may practice a stage in my head a couple different ways if any instructions are unclear. Then when I get to the stage all I have to do is think of the order in my head a couple times until it comes naturally without hardly thinking (I already programmed it in my mind, I only need to make sure it is pulled up). If it comes easily with all the distractions and everything else going on, then I prepared enough and don't need to think about it anymore. Sometimes they may make a change to the instructions or I see a better way to shoot a stage that I hadn't thought of. If it is something that will make a big difference I may change but try not to and it is usually a small change. I practice that new thing in my head until it comes easily. Once I got it down, I try to relax and not think about my shooting. I don't think about my scores, my competition, my previous mistakes, or anything else that may influence my shooting. But I can think about anything else, other people's shooting, helping out and get distracted all I want. In fact, I try to get distracted and think about other things so I don't worry and can relax. When I am at the loading table I am thinking about loading, making sure I have what I need and look over my guns. Right before I go up I quickly think about the stage a couple more times but if I have done the earlier preparations it will come to me easily, without hardly trying and I can relax, knowing that I am ready and can shoot the stage well. I smile because I am ready to have fun (it is a game). I don't have to close my eyes, visualize, concentrate or anything that a lot of others do (I did it earlier). I can understand why it would be stressful to try to do those things last minute in that environment and why someone would yell at me because I asked one of my kids a quick question at the loading table. (I am sorry and I do understand that there is an unwritten rule that you don't talk at the loading table.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Fe River Stan,36999L Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 11 hours ago, Kirk James said: I have read Brian Enos's book several times and Zen Golf and still struggle. It is especially tough if shooting on a posse where members are joking or loud. I try to pick my posse for that reason, but occasionally get on a posse where the posse members are trying to entertain with jokes, stories, or just loud. Will go back to the books and look for solutions. If anyone has had this problem and wants to share, this would be the place. I agree with Creeker that the consistency of shooting 12 great stages is what separates many great shooters. It is a mental game. Kirk, Zen Golf is one of my favorite books and I like Brian's book as well. Another one I really like is Mental Training for Peak Performance, by Steven Ungerleider. I've found that when I've decided "I don't like something" and then have to deal with it, that I make more of a mental issue for myself than the perceived problem ever did. I now try very hard to eliminate the "I don't likes" from my mental vocabulary. I try to go with the flow whether it be posse members, target shapes, stage designs, lighting etc.......I also quit trying to "stay in the zone". Staying focused and intense for the entire day was too taxing. When you watch the Cracker Crew videos you will see a lot of laughing and carrying on.....I find myself being more relaxed and less tense. Tension decreases small motor skills and is our enemy.....My goal is to say loose until it's time to be intense. You can have the best mental game in the world but if you can't run the guns you won't win.....You can run the guns faster than anyone but if your mental game is bad you wont' win. It takes both.....plus a little luck! Stan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Null N. Void Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Golf was mentioned, so Lee Trevino comes to mind. He'd joke around walking down the fairway and then for the 30 seconds before the shot, he'd shift gears, hit a shot, usually very good, and then go back to to being Lee Trevino. Wish I could turn it on and off like that! My zone is loading table to unloading table. That's where I don't want to be disturbed. When I'm the TO, unless the shooter is one of a group that likes to kid around, I want the shooter to have that same zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Shapiro Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 I keep going round and round on how to respond. There's both a quick answer and a complete answer. The complete answer requires conversation. The quick answer is: routine. Have a routine that you do before EVERY stage. Approach each stage the same way every time. Visualization and focus. If you have the discipline to do this, it'll go a long way. The complete answer is one that I don't have the talent to explain via type, and it's different for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk James Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Thank you for all the responses. The Mental Training for Peak Performance will be ordered tomorrow. I drove to Payson today, 2 hours, to practice with Rowdy Lane and Dusty Eagle. The forest around us is closed due to fire dangers. We practiced for 3 hours. We practiced several transitions and shot several stages. We worked on several techniques from Gateway Kids dry fire routine and used them in stages. Thank you for sharing GK. We talked about the many tools, different ways you can approach a stage. Lanny Basham stresses the mental game and has made a career publishing his findings on how champions achieve greatness. It is probably the least talking about part of our game, but separates the 5 percent winning 95 percent of the awards. I appreciate what you said about the, " I don't likes", SFRS. This is an area I need to work on and will. I look forward to reading the book. My health is returning thanks to a hard talk with Oklahoma Dee. I appreciate SASS and the members who make this an incredible community and journey!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk James Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Doc-Very informative book. A must read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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