Pressure!

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Fuzrat

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 9, 2011
Messages
3,459
Dont know about you guys but I used to feel the pressure on the last pair when going for a straight. You know the shooting a straw baler or practice round with your mates and you have cleared 8 pairs then the murmurs of "no pressure" come from behind you /wp-content/forum-smileys/sf-laugh.gif for the last pair and you invariably miss one. Since I have been shooting a lot more registered and getting a few more straights the pressure seems to be getting further toward the beginning of the stand, especially on a stand I look at as being reasonably easy. Take the overhead then Rabbit at Westfield a few weeks back, felt a bit of pressure to nail the first couple of pairs then had to be dragged out of there as I felt I could have kept on smashing them all day long /wp-content/forum-smileys/sf-smile.gif I suppose this would be called being "in the zone" Anybody else have this?

 
I'm sure that Phil will have some insight for us here - but my own opinion.If I'm shooting at my best - I often cannot tell you if I'm on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th pair - I only know its the last pair when I'm told - and I take an extra beat to try and forget that being said. I prefer the refs that don't say it - and then say 'that's your lot' because then I can stay isolated.I only feel pressure if I haven't prepared for the stand properly and don;t have a really clear plan - if I have a plan, then although I might miss the first pair, I know what I am adjusting. If I haven't prepared properly - then the pressure is on from the point I call for the bird. I used to think I didn't care about the sports psychology (especially at 'my level') - but now I realise how it affects everyone at every standard.

 
My strapline is "breaking clays is in the mind" and in most cases this is so true, it is very true at the top level, but it is equally true evry weekend at competitions all over the country and all over the World.I have, over many years, developed a system for clay shooters, where you can switch on and off prior to waling on the stand and also on the stand. The key is to always have a routine that you follow all of the time, this makes the response to shooting a target a subconscious response - this means that you do think about what you are about to do, but you let it happen as you call for the trigger.Many shooters get to competition, even if it is with friends and they try too hard, try to shoot the target quicker or hang on it longer, this is where you become conscious about what you are shooting, so you break the routine. You can take a look at the Clay Success RAG System on the You Tube Channel - click here to view it.You can also come and learn more about it on our next Sporting Masterclass on Feb 16th at Wallers Ash, Nr Winchester. Go to the website for more details of this.

 
Thanks Phil, thinking about doing the Cheltenham one later in the year after matts review, assume its at ians ground?

 
There are different levels and types of pressure, what you feel trying to straight a mid difficulty stand at the beginning of the round is very different to how you might feel on the same stand if you need a straight right at the end to keep in the money.   Ultimately the best medicine is practice and finding a routine that's right for you. One of the ways of avoiding undue pressure is hitting the easy birds, in other words don't leave yourself a mountain to climb towards the end of  a round. Bagging the ones you know you ought to hit will nearly always leave a couple in hand so when you eventually come to a card wrecker or bird you are not comfortable with, you can shoot with a bit of a cushion and often that itself helps you relax (or rather not be too tense).

 
If you hit 50% of all the targets and then 50% of the other half then that makes 75%, so anything over or around that for many is a bonus. You also need to avoid putting pressure on shooting the easy ones too!!

 
hoping to get the 16th off as wallers ash is only a quick run down the a34 from wantage /wp-content/forum-smileys/sf-laugh.gif should know tomorrow or tuesday.

 
Are you all sure this is the real thing? I can't help but think it is a solution that has been conjured up to try and solve a problem that is not actually a genuine problem. I can't believe that you can actually pay money to cure the twitch you get on the last pair of a straight. Come on! It's clay shooting, it's our sport. We do it for fun. Don't be taken in by the easy fix, sort it out yourselves. If you can't, does it really matter?  "Breaking clays is in the mind" WTF is that all about? Obi Wan Konobi? Do me a favour.

 
It is like Marmite, you either want it or you don`t. Of course some people shoot for fun, but everyone will have had some form of coaching at the end of the day to improve the technical element. So if someone wants to get to the top, whatever the top is that they have set themselves, then why can`t they get both technical help and also mental training help too!!But as with all things in my line of work, I have been seen as a Witch Doctor and many other terms, but hey I have many happy clients and am proud to work with many top shots and many aspiring clay shots, who do shoot for fun, but also just want to get that extra clay or two.Always happy to have constructive debate over the pro`s and con`s, plus it is not for everyone.

 
Ah Wylye.......don't start on Phil. There are several on here who want to explore how the mind and various forms of mental preparation can affect the scores. I am certainly interested and wish Phil would go into more detail about it.If you are not bothered about it then that is also fine but let us all who are interested keep reading and asking the questions.Phil I have a question and I know that there is no simple fix.How do you block out (when in international competition) the information that you do not want to know about scores. I tend not to look at scores until I have completed the competition. However sometimes shooting friends will come and say things like 'well done, there is only 5 of you left in the running' or the likes.I am not talking about gamesmanship here as that is easier to deal with. I am talking about comments from genuine people wishing you well. Any solutions?

 
I'll try anything once, and getting technical advice from Carl bloxham is a bonus. Price also compares very favourably wit a certain Oxfordshire gun company's "famous" day course, which is instructed by a b class shooter who I beat last time out and turned Mrs fuzzys shoulder black with poor gun and cartridge choice! (but that's a whole different story) I know which of the 2 I will listen to more readily and make better improvements to my shooting!

 
Ha ha ha you mug!!! /wp-content/forum-smileys/sf-wink.gif/wp-content/forum-smileys/sf-wink.gif/wp-content/forum-smileys/sf-wink.gif/wp-content/forum-smileys/sf-wink.gif/wp-content/forum-smileys/sf-wink.gif/wp-content/forum-smileys/sf-wink.gif

 
I'm not having a go at anyone but its my opinion and I think its time someone voiced an alternative view.

 
In a way I agree with Wylye, yes it's true we can do all sorts of things to improve different aspects of our game but handling pressure is a tough thing to teach. It's what often separates the truly great in the top few percent.

 
And as much as I love Wylye - I disagree with part of his statement - shooting should be fun, but for me winning is a bit 'funner' than not winning - if mistakes come from lack of concentration or focus - then some help there would be great, if they come from technique or fundamentals - then I'll get coaching there.Whatever helps you right?Certainly the top shooters I have watched have something more than just sound technique, they have incredible focus and drive as well as an amazing self-awareness.

 
shootclay admin said:

And as much as I love Wylye - I disagree with part of his statement - shooting should be fun, but for me winning is a bit 'funner' than not winning - if mistakes come from lack of concentration or focus - then some help there would be great, if they come from technique or fundamentals - then I'll get coaching there.Whatever helps you right?Certainly the top shooters I have watched have something more than just sound technique, they have incredible focus and drive as well as an amazing self-awareness.
Ah Matt, you should avoid keeping these things bottled up! I thought it was an extra cartridge in your pocket but I was wrong, you really were pleased to see me! I have had the opportunity to watch some of the best shots in the World and the vast majority are motivated by winning and the accolades and rewards that go with it. Determination and the will to win, almost at all costs, is the driving force behind them. Few have ever had lessons, even fewer can teach others how to do it. Almost without exception they are all 'natural' shots. Can you teach this? I don't think so. Just my opinion of course.
 

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