Need a good critique IDPA classifier vid

[jdknotts]

Wise words. I was a bit excited at first and posted the results. But I agree with you totally. Only one master was there. And he beat me by 13 secs. I felt good. The open top holster helped out a lot.
I feel like I don't really get "in the groove" until the second or so stage. How do I start out feeling smooth without shooting just prior to the match?

[MrBorland]

How do I start out feeling smooth without shooting just prior to the match?

If your venue has one, do some dry fire drills before the match starts. At a minimum, I do some draws and reload drills to be sure all my gear is in place.

I get the jitters on that first stage. It's probably normal. But I find it's important to shoot it like any other stage: I start by knowing what I'm capable of and that I'm going to shoot it to my ability. After the stage brief, I come up with a plan, visualize it, and shoot it as planned.

My first draw and my splits may be a little slow. It'd be ideal if they weren't, and I'm working on improving that, but in the meantime, I have faith that it's much better than letting nerves and adrenaline throw all my prep and practice out the window on that stage.

[jdknotts]

As far as points down. If I slow down just a bit and hit the shots, will that decrease my time? Where is the balance? I guess its different for everyone. I think it was mrBorland that said adding more than 10% to the raw time is too much. Is this the balance I need to look for? time-vs-accuracy.... hmmmm

[MrBorland]

No one chimed in yet? ok, I'll go again.

If I slow down just a bit and hit the shots, will that decrease my time? Where is the balance?

PDs, HNTs, FNs and PEs rise very quickly once you cross your control point, so slowing down a bit ought to be a big help, so long as you're now shooting in control. Think of a NASCAR driver: If he goes a "little" beyond his control, his car's out of control, and bad things quickly happen, and often not in a "little" way.

I think it was mrBorland that said adding more than 10% to the raw time is too much.

If you cruise the results of the IDPA Nationals, you'll see some of the top shooters add more than 10%. But these are top shooters, and even they do it occasionally, especially in major matches, where taking some risks in necessary when you're trying to beat other top shooters. In general, though, you'll see master level shooters are more accurate than the rest, and the top masters even more so. To use the NASCAR analogy again: You might see a driver wreck at Daytona, but he didn't get to Daytona by wrecking every car he drives.

Some might have issue with whether precisely 10% is the max. OK, fine. Maybe it's a little more, maybe a little less. And yeah, some is likely individual. Nonetheless, it's a good guideline for someone trying to improve their hits.

[jdknotts]

thanks mrborland. i will work on slowing my shots a bit and see what happens.

[MrBorland]

The real trick at matches is looking at a stage and knowing ahead of time how fast you can shoot while getting your hits.

Practice sessions with a par timer is where you figure this out, and I think El Prez is a good place to start. Shoot it as you normally would, and determine your net time. Then, rather than shooting slower and slower, shoot one very slowly, making sure you shoot it clean. Reshoot progressively faster, but again, it must be shot clean. Once you're at the limit of clean, push it a bit more, but allow yourself no more than 2PDs. That's your limit. Check your par timer to see what your splits and transitions are (they should be pretty even and consistent). Knowing your splits & transitions, you can use a metronome during home dry fire to get it even smoother and more automatic.

Finally, if you haven't visited the brianenos forum yet, check it out. Some of the best competitive shooters hang out there, and there's a ton of useful info. In particular, you can post videos in one of their video sub-forum and ask for feedback, which you'll get in quantity and quality.

Good luck!

[jdknotts]

Thanks a lot. I've been looking to get into this for a long time. Now that I've started, I'm in it to win it. I think having never shot competition before, and doing fairly well off the start, my ego began to get the best of me. I regreted posting the results from my first match as soon as I hit the submit key. As I agreed with your suggestion.
I want to do well without losing my head. A problem I commonly have... So this will be a learning experience. Both the shooting aspect and the mental one. One way or the other, I look forward to everything that comes with it. Thanks again.

[CatsEye]

I don't believe that "slowing down" to get more hits is the right way to think about it. Just focus on visual patience and seeing what you need to see. When you do that, the cadence and pace you shoot at will take care of itself. If you learn to become aware and start focusing on what you are seeing then winning will also take care of itself.

As a very good shooter once said "Forget speed. Forget score. Forget looking cool. Forget shooting well. Make proper vision your one and only desire. When I have done that, I have shot great."

[BHP9]

When you stand ready to shoot, the arms are to be at your side unless the COF says different.

For competition when you turn to present to the target, turn into the gun so that you can initiate the draw sooner.

I agree that the mag pouches need to work in. You looked like you gave yourself a wedgee.

You didn't use cover at the barrel, as indicated by the lack of movement.

All else appeared good.

Good luck.