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Eliminating negative thoughts?


Shooting Bull

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We've all been there, you're cruising along having a great match and then all of a sudden something happens to cause your routine to be thrown off.  Whether it be inadvertently loading your pistols different than the way you usually do, someone is crowding you at the loading table, etc.  Whatever it is it causes a tiny negative thought to creep into your brain.  NOT GOOD!  So what do you do to kill that negative thought and get your brain back to where it's supposed to be? 

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I imagine the warm HUGS I'm gonna get from one of my favorite bullet suppliers; that usually brings a big smile to my face. 

 

I know, I know you're thinking @Scarlett and yes she is one of my favorite bullet suppliers and does give out great hugs.  Just don't forget @Waimea his bullets are as outstanding as the hugs he gives :lol:

 

All kidding aside I do try and focus on family and friends I've made in this game. It's just a fun game after all.

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Prevent it.  Once it's happened, you're stuck.   If you loaded you're pistols incorrectly, go the the back of the line and restart it.  If someone crowds you, let them go by you.  If someone asks a question, politely tell them you'll get with them after the stage is over.

 

I have a routine that I go through to get ready for the stage.  If anything disturbs it,  I go to the end of the line and start over and put my concentration on the routine.   If it's in the middle of a stage, like a brass picker getting in the way, I'll stop and yell interference and I want a reshoot.  Then I can go back, gather myself and get into my routine for the stage.

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I can think that more than once I have had a major blunder or misfortune and come back in a later stage with a clean shoot and really good time, maybe with all the bonus points. What gets me is losing confidence in my guns.

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Honestly, for me, I do stress through the week. At a match, I'm cowboying up and tossin rounds downrange. Life is good and I ain't sweating the small stuff. Sure, I have bad stages, but I can even laugh at myself during the trainwrecks.

 

I know, that didn't help at all.

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One reason I've always liked it when our scenarios included a story and a fun line was because it was a way to lift moods and help to put those things behind.  Those little 3 or 4 sentence stories dissipated those negative thoughts on many occasions.  Now I'm lucky if I go to a hand full of matches each season that have stories with the scenarios.  I always prefer to shoot near the end of the posse.  it's one thing that does work for me.  It gives me the time I need to leave the crap behind.

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Put everything in the past behind you, focus all your concentration the next task.   Last stage, last shot, none of it matters, you can't change any of it.  Worry about the next thing instead.

 

Like Null N. Void, I have a pre-stage routine, I stick to it no matter what.  It helps me refocus on the task at hand.

 

Difference between good shooters and great shooters is not what you do when things go right, everyone can handle that.  It's what you do when things go wrong that separates good from great.

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Ignore the snakes and rejoice at the sweet, gentle horned toads.  Think about the horned toads and smile.  ;)

 

Cat Brules

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Just think of this......"Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves". Gives you a smile. Otherwise, let the person behind you go and if that doesn't do it, unload them at the appropriate place and try again later. If that doesn't work, you were screwed anyway....

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Close your eyes, take three deep breaths, and let 'er buck.

 

I tend to shoot better when I'm laughing, so think of something funny, like a certain cowboy doing a swan dive in a mud puddle.....ok, that wouldn't work for you specifically, but might for other folks.  :D

 

If all else fails, take off all your clothes and make some nekkid snow angels.  By the time yer done you'll have forgotten about whatever it was.

 

 

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7 hours ago, Tyrel Cody said:

I imagine the warm HUGS I'm gonna get from one of my favorite bullet suppliers; that usually brings a big smile to my face. 

 

I know, I know you're thinking @Scarlett and yes she is one of my favorite bullet suppliers and does give out great hugs.  Just don't forget @Waimea his bullets are as outstanding as the hugs he gives :lol:

 

All kidding aside I do try and focus on family and friends I've made in this game. It's just a fun game after all.

 

You're scaring me, Tyrel.:lol:

 

Scarlett IS the Queen of Hugs!

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:ph34r:  Ah, Grasshopper.......you must not let the ripples from the stones disturb the surface of 'your pond'.

 

I think to myself that "After all this work and the money spent, I'm not letting anything trivial (not even ME) ruin my fun.

 

Besides all the good advice already given, I consider each stage a separate match in itself, and another opportunity to redeem myself......  or not! :D

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This happens to me often.  I went of the Brian Enos website and Brian responded with two ways that have helped me.  If it is an unwanted thought, say to yourself, "what am I going to think of next".   Took me a little while to get use to this but it helps me.   The second is a visualization technique.  Picture a Roman Numeral I over a Roman Numeral I, then a I over a II, a I over a III and so on... until thoughts go away and you are relaxed.  You can also use numbers.    Quickly Downunder has a great test you can do before you shoot to see if you are calm.  By the way he likes to stripper fish on big bodies of water.    You can talk to him about it.  If your still not ready, ask to go to the unloading table and ask for permission to unload.  Start your process over ( Zen Golf).  Good luck.  Some of us have busier minds than others .

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Two things cross my mind during these type of negative events:

When somebody at the LT starts to interrupt your mind set, just ask them this.....

1.   Why did Dale Earnhardt have to die.

2.  Why did the Moma's & Papa's have to grow old.

 

It'll relax you and it will mess up their stage preparations..... ;)

 

..........WIdder

 

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5 hours ago, Tennessee williams said:

Well. Every time I mess up or train wreck, I picture all of you nekkid. It makes me feel better about myself cause honestly quite a few of you look pretty silly nekkid. Y'all think about that the next time you see me mess up.:ph34r:

 

 I thought you'd think of a huge 'nanner split to put a smile on your face.  Funny when I think of myself nekkid I throw up in my mouth a little.

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Concentrate on fundamentals.

 

If that fails, just enjoy being out playing cowboy.

 

 

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Repeat the stage silently........and repeat......... and repeat. Rifle, pistol, shotgun. 2-1-2, 2-1-2, 2-1-2, 2-1-2, blam, blam, blam, blam. A few of those should quiet the interruptions, bad karma, etc. that have entered your mind. Of course when the beep goes off, it can all evaporate quickly................

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4 minutes ago, Go West said:

Repeat the stage silently........and repeat......... and repeat. Rifle, pistol, shotgun. 2-1-2, 2-1-2, 2-1-2, 2-1-2, blam, blam, blam, blam. A few of those should quiet the interruptions, bad karma, etc. that have entered your mind. Of course when the beep goes off, it can all evaporate quickly................

I have often watched Shamrock Sadie, next in line, air shoot the course, establishing a mind/hand connection. Then there is repeating the line and being willing to say it in our best acting voice. 

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Sounds pretty "Steven Seagal" but I channel anything bad into the shooting of the stage. Concentration

If it's worse than that and I am really out of sorts, back off, go to the end of the line and start over.

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Think ZEN! You can only do what you're doing at the time you're doing it. Forget the past and concentrate on what lies ahead!

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Not quite an answer, but I try not to talk to the next shooter when I'm at the LT.  If they talk to me then I'll answer, but I don't want to interrupt their routine.  I'll only ask the shooter behind me to check my guns, if I'm the last shooter then I have no choice and have to ask the person ahead of me so I'll load my pistols first to give them as much quiet time as possible.  If I'm spotting or brass picking I'll only talk between shooters and try to end any talking when or before the shooter starts to stage their guns.   

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2 hours ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

BULL,

just ask yeself..... "what would Ben Cartwright do'?

 

And always remember, Ben would ask.....'what would Shooting Bull do'?

 

..........WIdder

 

 

I've always been compared to Hoss more than Ben :lol:

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2 hours ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

BULL,

just ask yeself..... "what would Ben Cartwright do'?

 

And always remember, Ben would ask.....'what would Shooting Bull do'?

 

..........WIdder

 

 

I don't know if Ben would be a go to in this instance.......

 

Ben Cartwright first three wives died. Was it a coincidence? Maybe.....or maybe they disturbed him at the loading table with something like "Are you EVER going to take the trash out?" Ben ended up with a P and 3 - misses.

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1 hour ago, Santa Fe River Stan,36999L said:

If want a good read......Zen Golf is tops on my list for dealing with your own mind when it comes to negativity. 

 

Stan

 

That book was recommended to me years ago by Deuce Stevens.  You're right, it's outstanding.  I need to go read it again. 

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You can not eliminate negativity you must manage it.  That's what Zen Golf is trying the tell you.  Breathing is a major factor in relaxing and performance in general.  In your own experience can you lift more by holding your breather or exhaling?  Does oxygenating your blood improve performance(deep breaths)or not?  There is not magic bullet except maybe hard work.      

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