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Thread: Knowing you'll never win.

  1. #11
    Site Supporter farscott's Avatar
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    I shoot Bullseye and I am not competing against others. I am competing against myself and trying to better my past scores. I have fun showing tangible improvement to my scores. That, to me, makes it fun and keeps me progressing.

  2. #12
    Member JHC's Avatar
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    If you are a dominant theme Competitor then it just becomes the passion you have to rule that sport. IMO if you are not wired that way, you may give it a shot cause it's fun and all but you may hit that beating your head on the wall thing.

    This is off the wall but for $25 at Barnes and Noble you can find this: http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/A...Finder-20.aspx

    If you give that short on line test a shot and review the results and have a high "signature theme" of competitor, you'll probably find that passion will overcome the little stuff like dry fire shotgun loading practice for 4 hours every night.

    Competition ranks very low on my scale per that process so spending 6-7 hours on a Sat to shoot 130 rounds on an admittedly cool set of stages is kinda . . . "meh".

    Everyone I know that's evaluated themselves with that has been thunderstruck by the report they got back. Just sayin'
    “Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais

  3. #13
    I want to compete, even though I know I wont win. I find shooting fun and being around other competent shooters make me feel more at home then happy hour at Apple Bees..

  4. #14
    S.L.O.W. ASH556's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JHC View Post
    If you are a dominant theme Competitor then it just becomes the passion you have to rule that sport. IMO if you are not wired that way, you may give it a shot cause it's fun and all but you may hit that beating your head on the wall thing.

    This is off the wall but for $25 at Barnes and Noble you can find this: http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/A...Finder-20.aspx

    If you give that short on line test a shot and review the results and have a high "signature theme" of competitor, you'll probably find that passion will overcome the little stuff like dry fire shotgun loading practice for 4 hours every night.

    Competition ranks very low on my scale per that process so spending 6-7 hours on a Sat to shoot 130 rounds on an admittedly cool set of stages is kinda . . . "meh".

    Everyone I know that's evaluated themselves with that has been thunderstruck by the report they got back. Just sayin'
    I've actually taken that! Interesting my #1 is "Achiever." Not sure if that's the same as "competitor" or not. Here's the description they give:
    "'By nature, you ordinarily take time and exert extra effort to comprehend what you are reading. You
    probably refuse to rush through written material. Why? You likely intend to commit to memory as
    many facts and concepts as possible. Driven by your talents, you often go out of your way to stay
    informed about newsworthy topics. Numerous people probably count on you to tell them about
    information updates, due dates, meeting changes, or special assignments. Instinctively, you normally
    dedicate yourself to acquiring knowledge and gaining skills. You probably devote many hours to
    mental labor. Chances are good that you tend to be a very good adviser to many individuals. When
    offering suggestions or asking questions, you probably are much more engaged, intense, and
    involved than usual. Because of your strengths, you approach your work-related or academic
    assignments with a great deal of intensity. You are known for putting in long hours and working hard"
    Food Court Apprentice
    Semper Paratus certified AR15 armorer

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by ASH556 View Post
    Where is the line between pushing yourself and beating your head against the wall?
    This reminds me of a discussion on TPI about goals being hijacked. The gist of it was about people starting in a sport and realizing they needed extra fitness to improve, so they do some dedicated fitness at a gym and become competitive about improving their gym scores and let the original sport slide. The issue is that they have no real passion for the gym and eventually give it up totally. The advice was to remember WHY you are doing what you are doing, keeping the gym in perspective would have helped these people continue both sport and gym longer.

    In your case I think the question is why are you doing working on "guns"? Is it just a hobby? Are you interested in the self defense aspect? The issue about why you do thinks should be connected to your passion.

  6. #16
    Member cclaxton's Avatar
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    The mental aspects of the sport are what hold people back. Read the book: With Winning in Mind by Lanny Bassham.
    Sometimes the mental issues are overwhelming. Me and girlfriend just did a zipline workout this weekend. At one point there is a auto-belay system that you hook your harness to and jump off a platform about 20-40 feet in the air. The only thing breaking your fall is the auto-belay device http://www.autobelay.com/.

    But mentally you must get over the idea that you are jumping off of a platform 20-40 feet in the air. My girlfriend saw four people do this right before her, but when it was time for her to do it, she could not get her body to step off the platform...her mind was the only thing holding her back...literally. When it came to my turn, I just thought of it like diving into a pool of cold water...gather your courage and jump.

    The point I am making here is that your restrictions are in your mind. That is not to say we all don't have physical limitations. I am having difficulty getting my trigger finger to move faster than .24s per round in a pistol. But, I have developed a plan to increase the speed.

    Also, just allocate *some* time every day to do your practices....then stick to it. It could just be 30min...but commit to it and do it...again a mental thing.

    After 10 min on the platform my girlfriend did finally step off the platform. She loves to do zipline workouts, and we are now discussing an agreement on when I can push her...at her request of course. Over time she will get over her fear.

    Cody
    That a well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state;

  7. #17
    Site Supporter EricM's Avatar
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    I can absolutely relate to the dilemma. 3 gun is really a pain in the ass isn't it? Several years ago one of my buddies told me I needed to come to this multiday 3 gun match he was going to. I had basic pistol and carbine training and owned quality if not competition-oriented examples of each, but I'd never held a shotgun in my life and had no competition experience whatsoever. Bought a cheap pump, wore a ridiculous load two vest, and had a blast! Next year at the same event, ran basically the same gear with the exception of the nifty tactical jogging stroller I picked up on Craigslist...and I was pretty frustrated at the end of it. The pump was definitely slowing me down, the capacity of my carry pistol was not competitive, the short rail and VFG on my rifle sucked on certain stages (like shooting off sandbags or supported on a barricade), and the Aimpoint was less than ideal for long rifle shots (I wasted 10 or 15 rounds shooting the shadow of a piece of steel at 300 yards thinking it was the target, once I figured it out I hit it right away but that really pissed me off). Sure most of the time it's the archer not the arrow, but the gear matters too especially for something like 3 gun.

    I took some time thinking about what I really wanted to do, if I even wanted to do it again. Ended up refitting my rifle for competition with a longer rail and 1-6x, buying an M2 and sending it out for some basic work, switching to a G34 (though that was for other reasons), and building a new 2-piece belt rig. Got serious about my pistol shooting, putting the work in on dry fire and shooting a few USPSA matches. The match this year came around and I'd only shot the M2 and reconfigured rifle a couple times, but the upgrades definitely paid off. I was in no danger of winning, but increased my match points by 15 or 20% if I recall correctly, between being mentally more comfortable and competent in a match situation, vastly improving my pistol shooting (80% training, 20% gun), and not being held back by my rifle or shotgun. Oh, and I also retook the lead from my friend.

    If I were you I'd keep my gear and only shoot the events you enjoy. I shot one club-level 3GN event and probably won't shoot many more...compared to a USPSA pistol match, it was a whole lot more work getting everything together and not that much more fun. Another club near me runs some USPSA multigun matches that I think may offer a better variety but I haven't had an opportunity to make it to one yet. Between work and family, my spare time is limited, and I go back and forth on how much dry fire and range time I want to allocate to rifle and shotgun. For now I'm staying focused on pistol. Maybe when I make it to A class? I don't know. If I only make it to one 3 gun match a year I'm cool with that because it's a lot of fun.

  8. #18
    The R in F.A.R.T RevolverRob's Avatar
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    My dad always taught me the following: There will always be someone better than you at something, probably whatever you think you're best at. You can judge yourself against them or you can judge yourself against your own goals and expectations.

    That lesson resonates with me today. Will I ever win a Nobel Prize, an Olympic Gold Medal, a UFC Championship, or a USPSA National Title? Not bloody likely. Will I ever stop working to improve myself, to push myself, to think and problem solve creatively, to try? No. No one will stop me from competing, even if I "lose", I will make the winner work hard for it. I may never win those things, but as long as I fulfill my own goals and meet my own expectations I have won in my world and honestly in most of the "real world" too.

    So - if you want to challenge yourself do it. If you feel like you can't do it and be happy losing - Quit now or forever be tormented.

    ETA: I really mean that last part. Do something, because you can be satisfied even if you try and fail. Failure doesn't mean you're a loser. My father taught me that as well. Many, many, many, moons ago I was playing soccer. My team was in last place, the last game of the season, and we were getting slaughtered 4-Nil. The game was almost over and I was slow to trudge up the field to get on defense, What was the point after all? The ball went out of play and it was a throw-in. The coach had me take it. My dad stood watching as I walked over, staring at the ground, looking defeated.

    He came up to me just then and said, "Get your head up! You look like a loser. This game isn't over."

    "But we can't win."

    "That doesn't mean you can quit before it's over. Get in there and PLAY!"

    I threw the ball in, one of their better strikers got the ball and took off for our goal. I chased him down (I played defense). I slide tackled him, got the ball, passed it forward in a good cross, and our best striker put it in the back of their net. We didn't win, but we weren't shut out. Afterwards, my dad patted me on the back and said, "Don't give up before it's over. You took a bad situation and made it better by not being shut out." You can't always win, but you can beat expectations.


    -Rob
    Last edited by RevolverRob; 07-28-2015 at 04:25 PM.

  9. #19
    Member JHC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ASH556 View Post
    I've actually taken that! Interesting my #1 is "Achiever." Not sure if that's the same as "competitor" or not. Here's the description they give:
    "'By nature, you ordinarily take time and exert extra effort to comprehend what you are reading. You
    probably refuse to rush through written material. Why? You likely intend to commit to memory as
    many facts and concepts as possible. Driven by your talents, you often go out of your way to stay
    informed about newsworthy topics. Numerous people probably count on you to tell them about
    information updates, due dates, meeting changes, or special assignments. Instinctively, you normally
    dedicate yourself to acquiring knowledge and gaining skills. You probably devote many hours to
    mental labor. Chances are good that you tend to be a very good adviser to many individuals. When
    offering suggestions or asking questions, you probably are much more engaged, intense, and
    involved than usual. Because of your strengths, you approach your work-related or academic
    assignments with a great deal of intensity. You are known for putting in long hours and working hard"
    Nice. And we can see your Achiever theme in the frustration of the OP. You're good. Re-read the section on a pure competitor. Who would you rather be

    And you're a blend of those top themes btw.
    “Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais

  10. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by RevolverRob View Post
    My dad always taught me the following: There will always be someone better than you at something, probably whatever you think you're best at. You can judge yourself against them or you can judge yourself against your own goals and expectations.

    That lesson resonates with me today. Will I ever win a Nobel Prize, an Olympic Gold Medal, a UFC Championship, or a USPSA National Title? Not bloody likely. Will I ever stop working to improve myself, to push myself, to think and problem solve creatively, to try? No. No one will stop me from competing, even if I "lose", I will make the winner work hard for it. I may never win those things, but as long as I fulfill my own goals and meet my own expectations I have won in my world and honestly in most of the "real world" too.

    So - if you want to challenge yourself do it. If you feel like you can't do it and be happy losing - Quit now or forever be tormented.

    ETA: I really mean that last part. Do something, because you can be satisfied even if you try and fail. Failure doesn't mean you're a loser. My father taught me that as well. Many, many, many, moons ago I was playing soccer. My team was in last place, the last game of the season, and we were getting slaughtered 4-Nil. The game was almost over and I was slow to trudge up the field to get on defense, What was the point after all? The ball went out of play and it was a throw-in. The coach had me take it. My dad stood watching as I walked over, staring at the ground, looking defeated.

    He came up to me just then and said, "Get your head up! You look like a loser. This game isn't over."

    "But we can't win."

    "That doesn't mean you can quit before it's over. Get in there and PLAY!"

    I threw the ball in, one of their better strikers got the ball and took off for our goal. I chased him down (I played defense). I slide tackled him, got the ball, passed it forward in a good cross, and our best striker put it in the back of their net. We didn't win, but we weren't shut out. Afterwards, my dad patted me on the back and said, "Don't give up before it's over. You took a bad situation and made it better by not being shut out." You can't always win, but you can beat expectations.


    -Rob
    Thanks for sharing this. I always like to hear about these kinds of positive father-son lessons.

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