pre comp practice OT

I was wondering why a lot of OT shooters go to the ground the day before a big comp and totaĺy where themselves out doing round after round and then expect to be fit for comp the day after.yes i know its good to find hold points etc but why not get your heads together and share a round on each layout.people thought i was crazy coming off after 5 or ten on a layout at the weekend ,but when i have found how to hit them i cant see any point in doing any more. 

Kevin Borley only watches the targets on practice day, never shoots. David Kostelecky normal practice is 8 or 10 rounds. Peter Wilson said he cut down to 500 approaching a competition. All seem to know what they're doing. Snooker and darts players apparently practise 4 hours/day even when they're already good.

I would have thought when you shoot at the level of a really top notch trap shooter you would shoot to a regimen ? It is a discipline to which repetition pays dividends so ... 

Im only talking about the day before a big comp,not practice in generall.

I totally agree Paul I used to pratice on each layout the day or even two days before a big un .... Until 40up and I shot Thurs and Fri at SC in 2014 only to wake up to pea soup fog sat and sun this got me thinking that sat sun are different days different light different targets etc so this year I didn't bother AND my scores have slightly increased. Go figure.

I guess it's a mental preparation thing. Scope the ranges, check out the targets and generally get a feel for the place, especially if they have not been there before. 

Whether it actually helps their scores in the comp, who knows? However I have heard many people say how well they shot in practice only to shoot less well in the comp. Heard this at least three times last weekend at Nutty.

DT

exactly mate. Ye see its a different day and your different. Rack up Fri afternoon have a mooch about get up refreshed sat and shoot what comes out ...... Job done

For myself I tend not to bother but ocationally i might. It  depends on 2 things. Whether I've been to the ground reasonably recently or if its a different discipline from what I've been shooting the weeks before. Say like Shoot8ng  a lot of ABT.,  may feel the need a round or 2 if its an OT or UT if its been a while since I shot them. Deff need practice if its DTL or the first few pegs will be messy after shooting fast trap. Strangely i find  its easier to go fast from slow than the other way round.

everyone is different, I used to go and do the practice the day before, and as already said, nail them in practice and run out of steam in the comp due to not being rested.Now I rock up the night before relax and am shooting better because of it.

A good practice regime is good, but competition at different grounds is far better than hundreds of practice rounds on one ground/layout, as your mindset is different in comp to practice.

Mutley said:

A good practice regime is good, but competition at different grounds is far better than hundreds of practice rounds on one ground/layout, as your mindset is different in comp to practice.

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good advice. Funny how a lot of smaller grounds have their local hero who wins everything. Take them somewhere else and its a completely different story. 

I think if you have never shot the ground before you have to go and at least see the setup or try to get some gen on the place. I recently reported visiting a ground for the first time. All the way up in the car I am think what a great day I have been so lucky to get a full sun day the targets will be like dustbin lids in the sky. I get out of the car and sign up for the comp only to find out that for so bazar reason the fosse's face due east into full low morning sun I could not see the targets at all. If I had known the situation I would have held back and signed in late and I would have watched the first rounds to get some idea of what I was going to shoot at and some idea of a lens colour. I got it all wrong and shot like a tit because of poor preparation those who knew the ground did OK..

The only aspect of this that I can comment on is the day of the shoot.  And I don't shoot sporting comps so that doesn't count.  IMO practicing "for" a comp is meaningless.  Every practice is for a comp or it's just a social event.  The only suggestion I could add is that a quickie practice in the morning just before the shoot is a good idea.  Pulling the trigger for the first time of the day on a target that is scored is not a good plan.  Other than that .................

Wonko,for some weird reason the OT comps here dont have anything else but waiting around to entertain us on comp day so having a few in the morning isnt a option.

Not even a gun check area where you can step over and make sure the "gun" is functioning?  It can make a world of difference.  Trust me.

Charlie

clearing guns is allowed just prior to your first competitive line of the day.

DT

Without sounding cocky I think the qualification scores in Italy said it all Paul, we both got there the day before and had minimal warm up, got our pick up points sorted, released a bit of nerves/tension then left it alone. We were still fresh, where were the guys who had a week-ten days practice at the ground? Burnt out I would guess. Personally I think last minute cramming loads of lines in the day or two before can't be good can it?

Oddly the layouts I didn't have a practice on I think I shot the best in comp. Go figure.

Dog Tyred said:

Charlie

clearing guns is allowed just prior to your first competitive line of the day.

DT

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better yet than a distant gun check