I get stressed out when I shoot and it affects my marksmanship

[Cypher]

I've noticed a pattern in my shooting. Every time I've qualified with a handgun for either my church or my employer I've qualified expert. The only exception was the first time I qualified for my church. I panicked and I failed the qualification. The second time I remember making a specific point of making sure I saw the sights and I passed. The point of this paragraph is that I don't think I'm an intrinsically bad shot.

I've noticed lately that when I go to the range I do fine if I simply draw and fire but if I take my time and make sure of my grip and my stance and focus on my sight alignment and try to make shot on center I (for lack of a better word) panic and start pulling to the left. The more I panic the worse it gets and the worse it gets the more I panic. I think it's what people call "Buck Fever".

How do I overcome it.

[Cory]

Attend training. Spend more time at the range with a different focus. Try a DA if your currently shooting Glock. Try out a target focus sight picture.

To me, it sounds like when you focus you get "NOW" syndrom. Where everything must be perfect then you try to break a shot. Langdon described it in a video somewhere.

A DA may help, so you can practice lining up the sshot while rolling through the trigger. Or, you could try shooting with a target focus while presenting to the target, rolling through the trigger while presenting and breaking the shot at the end. Transitions or other shooting that is less accuracy focused may help you as well. Sort of get your mind off it while still needing some accuracy. Then go back and work on it when you're fresh.

Eitherway, a session with a trainer, coach, or experienced friend can help double check the fundamentals.

My advice is worth what you've paid for it. Please listen to the vetted members here if they disagree with me.

-Cory

[HopetonBrown]

Get comfortable being uncomfortable.

You get nervous because you're used to shooting by yourself with nobody watching, nothing on the line (talking about pride, not life).

Shoot matches where you'll frequently feel nervous, and the nervousness will go away. Shoot with a group of guys you don't want to fail in front of.

[Cypher]

To me, it sounds like when you focus you get "NOW" syndrom. Where everything must be perfect then you try to break a shot. Langdon described it in a video somewhere.

I didn't know there was a name for it but you just described my problem to a "T"

Get comfortable being uncomfortable.

You get nervous because you're used to shooting by yourself with nobody watching, nothing on the line (talking about pride, not life).

Shoot matches where you'll frequently feel nervous, and the nervousness will go away. Shoot with a group of guys you don't want to fail in front of.

My only objection to this statement is if it were completely true I'd fail every single time I qualified. That said I do better alone.

[Cory]

@Cypher Take what you need from these @LangdonTactical videos.


I'd listen to what he says during the demos near the end. Video by @TCinVA


The DA/SA parts may or may not apply. But the "NOW" he describes seems to be what you're talking about.

-Cory

[HCM]

While Corman mean well, what you describe is not a technical issue.

Buck fever, test anxiety, overthinking what ever term you choose, it is a mental /anxiety issue and it’s not uncommon.

All of this fall s under what Steve Fisher terms “Emotional Control.” It’s a thing and you can work on it.

https://sentinelconcepts.com/emotion...inel-concepts/



If feasible, it might be worth a visit or two to a sports psychologist. A majority of professional and Olympic level athletes consult with sports psychologists to both boost performance and to manage performance anxiety. Given many Olympic athletes train in Colorado springs there should be some good ones local to you.

As Hopeton Brown mentioned, some type of local competition can be helpful. Not so much for the shooting but as a form of stress inoculation. The first one will suck but it will get better and once you get comfortable shooting something like IDPA, your church qual will be child’s play by comparison. Training can be good too but running your current gear in a local IDPA match is likely going to be much cheaper.

That said, given a limited budget I would say you will get a lot more out of a couple sessions with a sports psychologist than another pistol class.

You may also want to do some research on focusing on the process of what you are doing instead of focusing on the outcome. You focus on working the process and trust that the desired outcome will result if you follow the process.

For example, I have a coworker who was a medical professional who worked both civilian and military Travel medicine before going into law-enforcement. She is a very Type A driven individual. She tends to become outcome focused and causes issues when shooting and qualifying. The way I explained it to her is you need to work the process of shooting the same way you would work the process of doing a systematic examination of a trauma patient and trust that it will give you an accurate picture of their injuries, not focus on whether the patient will live or die at that point.

[voodoo_man]

relax...just do it...

seriously though, your anxiety comes from a combo of lacking confidence in your ability and performance requirements.

more training more often is always the answer

[FNFAN]

relax...just do it...

This^^^

Be the Honey Badger. Your shooting is a private affair between you and your target/adversary. You focus on what you have to do. Sight alignment at the point the primer ignites and follow-through.

[BehindBlueI's]

If you're not familiar with the concept and practice of "combat breathing" I'd recommend it. It works really well and you eventually get to the point your body remembers the activity is associated with calm and you don't get as big a stress reaction. Over time I noticed a huge reduction in stress reaction during vehicle pursuits due to conscious use of combat breathing.

[pangloss]

Cypher, do you see any relative difference in how well you shoot from the holster versus slow fire? I struggle to shoot well at distance, but I've noticed that if I draw and fire at a target at 15 yards, I can often outshoot my slow fire groups. I think this is because of the NOW issues mentioned above, but I'm not certain. Regardless, I definitely think more IDPA would benefit you.

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