What are some mental exercises and mantras you do to establish correct neural pathways. Things like “aim small, miss small”
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Mental Mantras and Exercises for Marksmanship
- Thread starter SubsonicPhaatties
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Joel Turner from the Thurston County Regional SWAT Team developed an approach called Controlled Process Shooting, which, among other things, covers how to address target panic by using a mantra/talking yourself through the shot ... he has an online course (on his website: https://www.shotiq.com/), but there are also a handful of YT videos out there, and podcasts, where he outlines the basics of his approach.
Not saying I think it's good, or will be everyone's cup o chai ... just saying it's there.
Not saying I think it's good, or will be everyone's cup o chai ... just saying it's there.
To form a habit, just do it lots.
One which I know of is the PSR, pre shot routine. Also post shot routine.
Do whatever you need for your chosen discipline. Position (prone or bench or baracade) cheek weld, parallax, bolt forward, trigger /grip, breathe, squeeze, pause, etc..
Jiat make it super simple and logical FOR YOU, and practice it. When you dryfire, practice...
Post shot routine... Mag out, bolt back, chamber flag, turret to zero, remove from line, brass into bag, reload magazine, write score in book, make a note of what you did.. etc...
One which I know of is the PSR, pre shot routine. Also post shot routine.
Do whatever you need for your chosen discipline. Position (prone or bench or baracade) cheek weld, parallax, bolt forward, trigger /grip, breathe, squeeze, pause, etc..
Jiat make it super simple and logical FOR YOU, and practice it. When you dryfire, practice...
Post shot routine... Mag out, bolt back, chamber flag, turret to zero, remove from line, brass into bag, reload magazine, write score in book, make a note of what you did.. etc...
I establish the correct neural pathways through dry fire reps. When I dry fire I'm maximizing my effort to sense everything I feel and see and correct what is wrong.
When I take my hand off my pistol waiting for the command "are you ready" I think of nothing. I want a blank, quiet mind.
Why do people complicate this?
Think of nothing. Say nothing. Observe and be in the moment.
I’m w you in both skeet (more experienced) and scoped rifle (less experienced).
All “ thinking” that is needed is done in Pre-shot routine, whatever works for you, and then it’s quiet mind and let muscle memory and subconscious run the show.
I have a long way to go w rifles on this compared to clay target shooting.
Hope you and yours have a joyous Christmas and a healthy new year, my friend.
Cheers
Train yourself to NOT take the shot if you are not confident it's perfect.
It sounds so easy but it's not.
It sounds so easy but it's not.
I hope you and your family are blessed this Christmas and every day after.
I always liked this scene, it kinda sums it up
A more American version from Frank Proctor is "let it do".
Me whenever I hear "aim small, miss small" and "slow is smooth, smooth is fast"
A more American version from Frank Proctor is "let it do".
Me whenever I hear "aim small, miss small" and "slow is smooth, smooth is fast"
Me whenever I hear "aim small, miss small" and "slow is smooth, smooth is fast"
+1,000,000
"Slow is smooth and smooth is fast" is absolutely one of the most idiotic things I have ever heard, followed closely with "slow down to get your hits"
This guy, who is pretty damned handy with a pistol, has a good take on that bullshit
Nothing wrong with “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” it’s just saying accuracy is more important than speed. What good is a lightning fast mag dump and reload if you didn’t hit anything….
That depends entirely on the context, however slow is still just slow. If you do a mag dump as fast as you can and didn't hit anything, you're an idiot and a bad shot.
I used to try different thought process during timed and rapid fire relays. After a while I realised they took time from the process. In the early years BRASS worked. Now it's automatic with out saying it.
Breath - exhale, reset trigger
Relax - don't fight NPA
Aim - sight alignment and placement
Slack- take first stage or slack up during aim
Squeeze - break the trigger and ride the recoil
Follow through is ride the recoil then inhale.
Breath - exhale, reset trigger
Relax - don't fight NPA
Aim - sight alignment and placement
Slack- take first stage or slack up during aim
Squeeze - break the trigger and ride the recoil
Follow through is ride the recoil then inhale.
There is plenty wrong with that dumb saw because it's 100% wrong.
People who don't know how to shoot a handgun always make the false equivalency between speed and inaccuracy
Did you bother viewing the video I posted as counterpoint? Obviously not.
Haha, just to be clear here, that IS Lanny Bassham..
He said many times that he and others were on record as having shot their very best scores when they were thinking of nothing at all..
He beat you to it...
I'm not a fanboi, but Lanny Basham is a winner. The guy has 8 gold, 5 silver, and 2 bronze medals between the Olympic and World Championships. A World Champion and Olympic gold medal winner who has spent years training other World Champions and Olympic medal winners across multiple sports.
Never argue against results.
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The end game is to practice so much that you don't HAVE to think anything at all while shooting. The more you're thinking, the worse you shoot. Everything that you can control should be so perfectly ingrained in you that it becomes like breathing or walking. Nobody thinks about taking a breath (other than while shooting) or putting 1 foot in front of the other. That's how your shot sequence should be. The only thing you should be thinking about is catching wind changes or seeing your misses/hits to correct. Your fundamentals, your bag and rifle placement, body position, etc should become natural to execute just like breathing. Thats Lanny's whole concept.
I just remember that the faster I finish the sooner I'll be home.
The first thing you have to do is both visualize impacting the target, and then visualize missing. You need to capture that feeling of impotency, incompetence, inadequacy, and shame when you miss. You need to internalize that feeling so that it overwhelms your mind, and it's all you can think about. If your palms and feet start to sweat, that really bad smelling stress sweat, you know you're doing it right.
Then, the next time you're on a prone stage and you hear "engage", run up to the line, flop down, get yourself in position, get the target in your sight picture, push your bolt forward, and then loudly chant this mantra as fast as you can while breaking shots:
"don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss"
This is what the pros do. If this doesn't work for you it's probably just because you suck and can't shoot.
Then, the next time you're on a prone stage and you hear "engage", run up to the line, flop down, get yourself in position, get the target in your sight picture, push your bolt forward, and then loudly chant this mantra as fast as you can while breaking shots:
"don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss don'tmiss"
This is what the pros do. If this doesn't work for you it's probably just because you suck and can't shoot.
NAILED IT!
The only thing I think could be expanded on is controlling the conscious mind to keep it from fucking up what the subconscious mind is doing. That is the point of Lanny's "mental process". When you are under pressure you need to occupy your conscious mind with something productive, so your subconscious mind can execute the mechanics. If your conscious mind is not occupied you will let it take control over things you shouldn't. When that happens, you choke.
^ ditto
What I try to consciously think while shooting is "Breathe, squeeze, look."
Breathe- Don't hold your breath
Squeeze- Don't yank the trigger, dont "time" the shot. Squeeze when my sight picture is perfect
Look- when the shot breaks, don't be so quick to run the bolt for the next shot. Follow through with the squeeze and look for the input my last shot gives me whether it is a miss or impact.
Other than that, I have ran the stage in my head enough times that everything else is subconscious. I have practiced my fundamentals enough before the match that they are all subconscious. I don't think about how many I've hit or how many I've missed, it's irrelevant. When I get off a stage, idk how many hits or misses I got on the stage so I have to ask. I'm not keeping track. I also don't keep track of how many I've missed for the day, bc they are in the past and I cant change them. The only thing knowing that info can do is add unnecessary pressure on me for the remainder of the match.
What I try to consciously think while shooting is "Breathe, squeeze, look."
Breathe- Don't hold your breath
Squeeze- Don't yank the trigger, dont "time" the shot. Squeeze when my sight picture is perfect
Look- when the shot breaks, don't be so quick to run the bolt for the next shot. Follow through with the squeeze and look for the input my last shot gives me whether it is a miss or impact.
Other than that, I have ran the stage in my head enough times that everything else is subconscious. I have practiced my fundamentals enough before the match that they are all subconscious. I don't think about how many I've hit or how many I've missed, it's irrelevant. When I get off a stage, idk how many hits or misses I got on the stage so I have to ask. I'm not keeping track. I also don't keep track of how many I've missed for the day, bc they are in the past and I cant change them. The only thing knowing that info can do is add unnecessary pressure on me for the remainder of the match.
Mine too. One example of this is the timer. When the timer goes off, I have the mental space of "that doesn't mean anything and wasn't for me". I shoot slower and usually do much better. I rarely ever time out bc I'm a fast shooter. I purposefully try to shoot slower.
Read Ed McGivern's book, "Fast & Fancy Revolver Shooting." I have a couple of revolvers with the McGivern front sight on them. They really make a difference with being able to aim and hit the target.
DISCLAIMER: I did read his book but haven't been able to master the talent that he possessed.
DISCLAIMER: I did read his book but haven't been able to master the talent that he possessed.
Pre stage #1 - "Let is happen, I got this" - Gets me out of my head, blanks the mind and let me trust me.
This comes from Jerry Miculek when he says if you are trying to make it happen its not happening, if you are watching it happen then its happening. You cannot force the process to work.
Pre stage #2 - "Shoot'em in the face" - This makes me think aggressively and shoot that way. I've also used "Lets kill some shit"
This comes from Jerry Miculek when he says if you are trying to make it happen its not happening, if you are watching it happen then its happening. You cannot force the process to work.
Pre stage #2 - "Shoot'em in the face" - This makes me think aggressively and shoot that way. I've also used "Lets kill some shit"
You're trying to shoot something - philosophy don't enter into it. When I fire, the center of my reticle may not be pointed at the center of the target but it isn't moving - it is rock solid. If your point of aim is wandering around, you need to improve your position or accept the fact that you are in "shoot and pray" mode.
I wonder if anyone else does it like this:
I wonder if anyone else does it like this:
- I prepare the gun - bipod, cant, rear bag, cheek rest, dial the scope - elevation, windage, parallax - load a round, set the safety.
- I prepare myself - assume the position, stock in the pocket, strong hand in position, weak hand on the rear bag, aim at the target and check parallax.
- With my left eye (I am right-handed), check the wind.
- If the wind is where I expect, check NPA (basically a long hard blink then see if the gun is still on target), drop my finger to the trigger, and fire the shot.
- If the wind is not where I expect, adjust my hold, check NPA, drop my finger to the trigger, and fire the shot.
- Recover from the recoil and watch the impact. Measure the difference between the point of aim and point of impact.
- Run the bolt for the next shot. If needed, adjust aim and re-engage.
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