Get your mind right: pre-buzzer routine

[NEPAKevin]

I wiggle my toes and make fists with them. Combination of recommendations by Matt Burkett and the guy on the plane talking to Bruce Willis on the first Die Hard movie.

[okie john]

Because I have yet to get the entire checklist thoroughly ingrained, I made myself a list and laminated it. It rides in my range bag and easily accessable. When I'm "on deck", reviewing the list is part of my routine to get "my mind right." Motivation and technique both appear on the list.

This is what I try to do:

Eyes wide open!!!! Force both eyes wide open to help reduce closing the eyes at the shot and squinting while shooting.
Look at the sights! Well yeah, but it's amazing how I try to avoid looking at the sights and try to see the pretty holes in the target while firing.
Get front sight down in rear sight. There are times when I don't wait for the front sight to drop back into the rear sight notch.
Pull trigger straight back. A reminder that no matter else, trigger control is paramount.
Slow Down!! I want to go fast like the big boys. Gotta run at my own pace or disaster awaits.
Aim small! Pick a spot on the "A" or "0" zone, not the entire zone. Don't flock shoot.
Grip HARD!!! Recoil mitigation and control at speed. Consistency.
Thumb down hard on safety! The bane of the 1911. Got to keep the thumb down hard. Support hand thumb heel wants to push safety back on.
Elbow up, rotate hands in. Vogelization of grip. Works for me. Torquing in hands aids in consistency in recoil recovery.
They're watching. Show 'em how. In honor of the a-holes in a certain local anti-CCW PD who don't think private citizens are capable. Uh-huh.
The buzzer sets you free. Vogelism. An attempt to alleviate performance anxiety.
Slow down!!! Once again, an admonition to shoot at my speed.

You're overthinking it.

Points 2-9 are marksmanship fundamentals, which should come from the spinal cord, not the brain.

Point 10 probably causes you more trouble than it solves. At a match, everyone but the SO is irrelevant--treat them accordingly. Carlos Hathcock's ideas about "getting into the bubble" will help with this.

When I'm in The Hole, I make sure that I have enough loaded mags to shoot the stage and that my shirt is tucked in so it won't foul up my draw.

When I'm On Deck, I move as close to the start point as is safe and stare into the dirt trying to empty my mind. When the SO clears the range after the shooter before me, I move to the start box and square up on the first target while everyone is taping and scoring, then to back to staring at the dirt. When the SO approaches me to begin the stage, I follow his commands, go through Line Demeanor (Pat McNamara term), and holster with a minimum of fuss. At the buzzer, I just try to flow through the stage being aware of what I'm doing but not judging myself, which I can do later.

Brian Enos has some great thoughts on this in the first chapters of his book http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Shoo.../dp/0962692506 His advice works pretty well for me.


Okie John

[NETim]

You're overthinking it.

Points 2-9 are marksmanship fundamentals, which should come from the spinal cord, not the brain.

Point 10 probably causes you more trouble than it solves. At a match, everyone but the SO is irrelevant--treat them accordingly. Carlos Hathcock's ideas about "getting into the bubble" will help with this.

When I'm in The Hole, I make sure that I have enough loaded mags to shoot the stage and that my shirt is tucked in so it won't foul up my draw.

When I'm On Deck, I move as close to the start point as is safe and stare into the dirt trying to empty my mind. When the SO clears the range after the shooter before me, I move to the start box and square up on the first target while everyone is taping and scoring, then to back to staring at the dirt. When the SO approaches me to begin the stage, I follow his commands, go through Line Demeanor (Pat McNamara term), and holster with a minimum of fuss. At the buzzer, I just try to flow through the stage being aware of what I'm doing but not judging myself, which I can do later.

Brian Enos has some great thoughts on this in the first chapters of his book http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Shoo.../dp/0962692506 His advice works pretty well for me.


Okie John

I haven't managed quite yet to get this stuff on auto pilot for some reason. I'm not thinking about the marksmanship bit while shooting but afterwards, I review my performance and see that I didn't grip properly or wait for the sights to settle often enough. It's getting better, but it's just not totally there yet. I find my little card helps remind me of what I need to do and refocuses my mind. I tend to lose focus while jabbering with other shooters and taping targets and waiting for my turn.

And I have Enos' book. It's a good reference, even though I bought waaaayyyyy too early in my career. I was still taking baby steps then.

Thanks!

[Clusterfrack]

I recently trained with Steve Anderson, and bought his new book, Get to Work. I like his approach a lot.