Originally Posted by
GJM
Split times have taken on meaning, in the timmie world, different than many technical shooters intend.
Technical shooters measure everything -- draw, follow-up shots to the same target, transition to another target, follow-up shots there, reload, etc. This constant measuring is perfectly natural and normal to a technical shooter. When I set up a target array, generally before I shoot it, I figure out what my cumulative time should be, based on the breakdown of each element, and what those shots should take. Then I shoot it, and figure out where and why, my time deviated from my estimate. Time deviations usually reflect some defect in my technique -- perhaps needing to grip the pistol harder, or lead a transition more with my eyes. This is not unique to me. To figure out times on the Rogers School test for example, just count the targets and apply Bill's times for each component. Want to figure out Gabe's test standards -- just use 1.0 for a draw, .20 for a split, and .50 for a head transition.
These various times are for shooting targets that require no or little evaluation. They do, for most of us, require a high level of accuracy, because the penalties for shooting less than A zone hits are significant, when competing with minor PF, like in PCC, Production, CO and Limited minor. There are also generally no mulligans in competition, and your first run is what you get.
Now let's consider the food court. There may well be ambiguity, continued evaluation required, and issues like what is behind your target. I reread the Cirillo book yesterday, and what the stakeout unit was doing, could be incredibly complicated, making shoot/no-shoot decisions, amongst store workers and customers. In those situations, most split times were irrelevant, as evaluation does not lend itself to a par time. However, when the evaluation was done, they put a very high premium upon placing accurate shots quickly. That is why their team selection process looked for the best technical shooters.
I think Gunsite had a saying of more or less, "evaluate carefully, shoot quickly."