Visualization

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I think that I could help most clayshooters.

It is well known that I am mental. But I can't visualise it.

I told you I was ill!

 
I think it's just a way of explaining how to think of nothing, to clear ones mind and shoot with the sub concious. Old blaster pretty much said same thing but in normal language.
cheers Ian.... much easier way of understanding it. I'm not one for clever phrases or concepts, I prefer to keep things nice and simple. For me, mental skill are something I may look into if I ever consistently hit 80% and over.... for now (unless it was nice and simple), it would just be a distraction.

 
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Me too mate the simpler the better that goes for all things in shooting. Over complicate and more to go wrong.

 
Henry Hopking.
His results speak for themselves.
Not only in our field but many other sporting arenas.
He is very highly recommended.

 
what does 'think 1" behind belly button' actually mean?..... but I don't want to pay for the answer
I am guessing that comes from some kind of 'centering' exercise - have heard that expression lots of times when people start to talk about "centering" and balance.  IMO - it's rubbish. 

I seriously think the OP could do with some learning around meditation before any kind of sports psych or visualisation technques. 

 
What is visualisation ? I know that I constantly visualise the sight pictures I had when I broke a target and I think subconsciously I use these visualisations as references for when I shoot my next round. Maybe that is why I cannot find consistency in my shooting I use the wrong picture for a particular target causing the miss? I never consciously remember why I took the shot it is more a trigger reaction to what I see at that point it time. I see the target and move the gun and for a split second there is a correlation between gun and target that my mind remembers as a successful hit and causes me to pull the trigger.

It really is like having a set of photographs of successful outcomes that my brain has stored and when shooting they are matched to a target and the old brain says yep that's the one if you pull the trigger now you should break the target and throughout the week I find my self consciously refreshing this set of pictures.

Really don't know what visualisation is but this is the only way I an relate the word with anything that I do.

 
Not sure about visualization or thinking behind my belly button whilst in the stand, but if I've missed a couple that I know I shouldn't be missing I do something that I now term 'having a word with myself' (I blame woody on here for calling it that).  I just stop for a moment, look down, take a deep breathe and think about the targets again before loading the gun.  Only takes a 10 or 15 seconds or so, but is often enough to get me back on them.

When I'm nodding off to sleep at night I will often mentally run through the various targets I shot the previous weekend, remembering what they were, where I held the gun to start and what sort of lead I gave them.  I'm clearly a bit of a saddo.

 
I am guessing that comes from some kind of 'centering' exercise - have heard that expression lots of times when people start to talk about "centering" and balance. IMO - it's rubbish.

I seriously think the OP could do with some learning around meditation before any kind of sports psych or visualisation technques.
agree Matt, it is rubbish. Would like to see the scientific evidence behind it.
 
I applaud you all for being able to remember the sodding targets.  Yesterday at fitasc I forgot a particular target was a rabbit and thought it was a high floppy thing and I had only just watched someone shoot it!!! I despair of myself - I did get it though.  

 
I just stop for a moment, look down, take a deep breathe and think about the targets again before loading the gun. Only takes a 10 or 15 seconds or so, but is often enough to get me back on them.

When I'm nodding off to sleep at night I will often mentally run through the various targets I shot the previous weekend, remembering what they were, where I held the gun to start and what sort of lead I gave them. I'm clearly a bit of a saddo.
Your not a saddo, that's visulisation.

 
"When I'm nodding off to sleep at night I will often mentally run through the various targets I shot the previous weekend, remembering what they were, where I held the gun to start and what sort of lead I gave them. I'm clearly a bit of a saddo."

Ditto me but I also do it when out walking and working in the garden although being a tarpie I tend to think more about things like did I move my gun too quickly or raise my head slightly. But I do spend an incredible amount of time thinking about when I was shooting ... when I am not. I don't think you are a saddo and I think a lot of other shooters do exactly the same as you.

 
My problem with the 1" behind your belly button is that I start to think, is that where the fluff comes from? Why is it alsways blue? Am I really a Teddy Bear????? Oh know, it's raining, my stuffing will get wet....... Then somewhere in my subconscious I've called pull and aloud and missed the bird!!!!!

I think people are focusing (excuse the pun) on the whole belly button thing too much. It's meant to help clear or "centre" your mind. It doesn't have to be a belly button, it could be 1" behing anything....... No more than one 1" though because 2" leaves room for other stuff to get in and distract ya!!! I kid, I kid.

Henry isn't really an option for me as live in Ireland and he's expensive enough without having to fly him over here for a couple of days. Maybe when I'm hitting 95% and need those extra couple of targets to compete consistently, then I'll invest in a Henry sesh.

I think meditation may help me clear the clutter in my mind so I may try that for a while then eventually try visualization again. Hommmm, hommmmm!!!!

I do see the advantages and merits of visualization though, especially for those of us that can't get out and shoot hundreds or thousands of rounds a week. It keeps your brain at the races when you're not actually there and it gets your mind used to seeing targets breaking......... Always a good thing.

This whole mental training thing has helped me stop dropping that one target in the last pair of a stand, now if I'm on to clear a stand I'm less likely to get the yips on the last pair. I just struggle with the visualization is all!!!!!

 
If going on a course is too expensive an option then try a couple of books. I got great results with Gil and Vicki Ask's books particularly You've gotta be out of your mind and If it aint broke fix it. The first mentioned book focuses a lot on the mental side of the game and is an excellent easy read. I still refer to it and use some of the visualisation techniques in my routine now. 

 
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