Mindset change

In another thread a couple of members are talking about how there enthusiasm has waned,and given the covid situation its understandable,so here's how ive looked at it and had the most enjoyable although shortest season ever.

The clay season started with a plan to build up to the para trap world championships by september which would involve qualifying in the top 3 in GB on the way.I hate OT practice but need it to get new ideas or setting tried out and added or deleted from my brain.Another thing i hate about OT is people hiding in cars and wondering around in music headphones again being unsociable to the point where it was getting to me massively.I also shoot sporting and get wound up when stands have been put on the piss especially when theres flat standing with in a couple of feet,for example,and there's plenty more little things that add up .

So lockdown happened and we had nothing to shoot and no where to go ,but the internet and we had people like ben h doing a huge amount of videos and interviews with top class shooters.This is where the minset change starts,i made the decision to make the most of that time and took notes from masses of information coming from the situation and decided i would make whatever i shot enjoyable first and let the scores look after themselves.No average checking no worrying about how much was needed to finish high in class or cat and no looking for annoying things that'll get me down.

Shooting restarts with the new guidelines/rules and the first comp was lovats practice 100 at garlands which was greet shooting in 2s ,me and my lad having a laugh a giving each other stick over cock ups.Then the first major comp was the bictsf compak at orston and the cages were horrible for a chair so,mindset change needed here,those cages are dictating i get a lower score than my skill level so take it and dont be disappointed not to win class ,im out in the sunshine having fun and catching up with some great people i haven't seen in ages

Next big one is the OT gp at beverly 200 bird with a full entry so the days will be huge 9 till 5.30 and rain so lots of time bored in the car.First day was a grind and i was thinking im not enjoying this,which i wasn't so i went to the tea hut and had a brew and on the way back up got talking to a olympic medallist who shoots sporting,and i said to him how do you put up with this atmosphere all the time ! Its getting to me,and he said just plan the day like its little sporting shoots you're going to and turn trap head on when your on the peg.So thats what i did and had a great time for the rest of it and won para cat.

Then the british open sporting and again it was fun first, scores second,resulting in a great week with a couple of wins.

To finish was the british shooting festival OT again at Beverly and this is real serious stuff for the folk chassing the olympic carrot and this is the one that gets me down more than any in the past but by now the new mindset is working and turned it into another great weekend out having fun.

have fun ,its the only way,practice needs to be done with a reason and not just pulling the trigger,and dont let the little round b***ards grind you down

Totally agree, we watched loads of shooting videos on you tube etc and Bens evening instagram chats were the best.  I learnt so much just from listening and watching them.  I think he kept most of us watching him sane to be honest.  I must admit though, since returning to shooting I’ve not been going week in week out, I’ve been selective where I shoot and have shot sometimes only once in a few weeks, but because I was then keen to go I enjoyed it, shot to my standard and came away fairly happy.  Have had a couple of practice days which has enabled me to get to grips with a few problem targets which has also helped the confidence side of things too.  Part of me wants to back into lockdown just so we can see Ben H each evening and the wind ups!  

Paul,

 Could you please STOP calling me 'a little round b***rd'?

Same here , struggling to find motivation to go shooting .

But I think we are all forgetting that a shoot day should first and foremost be a social day out and we should enjoy every day we can get out .

 Remember at my age I go to more funeral days than to birthdays .

Let's banish all the negativity and get out when we can and enjoy ourselves.

I used to really worry about scores and then discovered that clay shooting is massively more fun when the score is irrelevant.  One I have hit a pair of targets I'll see if I can break them sooner...or later.  Oddly perhaps the approach increases the breadth of one's skills for a given target presentation as a result - useful for SIM pairs.

Whilst in lockdown the bit I REALLY missed wasn't the shooting but the social interaction/wicked chatter with the lads.  

 I too tried a reset after lockdown. I'm happy to be out and feel alive again. I know some have not been so lucky , so I'm thankful .  The mindset doesn't always work, there are things on sporting shoots which are absolutely infuriating to me . And sometimes they get the better of me. However I now try to reset the mind when this happens and walkaway to the next stand or shoot .  After this year , scores do not seem as important.  Have some fun , be thankful for what you have. Enjoy. 

Jasper. 

Holy thread resurrection!

1. Just to emphasise the only person you are competing against is yourself.

2. Only a small % of targets are impossible and that goes for everyone else too; however much can be learnt, from observation of the shooting gods. How do you think they worked them out? See 1 above.

3. Psychology employed by opponents can often be turned against them, as those who employ such tactics are inevitably operating from an insecure foundation themselves. Example: showing enjoyment of eventually hitting that mile high mini often rattles their self imposed cages no matter how they hide it.

5. You don't need to smoke them to count. However it's a great confidence builder.

Cheers

spartina said:

Holy thread resurrection!

1. Just to emphasise the only person you are competing against is yourself.

2. Only a small % of targets are impossible and that goes for everyone else too; however much can be learnt, from observation of the shooting gods. How do you think they worked them out? See 1 above.

3. Psychology employed by opponents can often be turned against them, as those who employ such tactics are inevitably operating from an insecure foundation themselves. Example: showing enjoyment of eventually hitting that mile high mini often rattles their self imposed cages no matter how they hide it.

5. You don't need to smoke them to count. However it's a great confidence builder.

Click to expand...

I would disagree with all parts of this post. This comes from a mindset of someone not aspiring to get better or compete.

I respect it’s your view but from the competitive side of the game this mindset won’t work

Naturally and whilst respecting your knowledge you offer no counter arguments.

I left competitive clay sports probably before you were born, so I am speaking from an angle where we enjoyed the espirite aspect as much as the scores.

Please feel free to enlighten us on the modern day aspects. It sounds ..enlivening.

Spartina Good post. Like you, I have been shooting shotguns (especially sporting clays) for longer than most and forgotten more than some know on here. I have a genuine desire to help others, which often seems to be misinterpreted by some. That's a shame, because IMO this forum is managed better than most.

Unfortunately, some of these forums are routinely frequented by arrogant, narcissistic, rude individuals that habitually dismiss and ignore pertinent questions and meaningful discussion, I suspect in an effort to stroke their own misguided egos. I find it best to ignore them.

Peter.

This is the same post you have made on numerous previous occasions. It’s well past boring.

If you have “a genuine desire to help people” then post a constructive reply. Nothing in your post prompts meaningful discussion.

If the forum is “routinely full of arrogant, narcissistic, rude individuals” then why are you bothering to post something inflammatory – you make a wide sweeping comment which isn’t going to win you any friends amongst those willing to have a constructive discussion. And please don’t say you didn’t mean me etc. etc.

If you find it best to “ignore them” then do so and post something sensible.

All.

In terms of the original discussion, much research has been done on the mental side of sport – shooting is no different. From my limited understanding, CPSA comps are personal events (1 is Ok but nothing new at all) – I'm not sure what 'opponents' are but they do not matter at all (3 makes no sense) – and 2 & 5, if I understand them correctly are pretty obvious to most of us at a moderate level or above and perhaps can be discounted beyond that. I might be missing something however – Such as No.4 ?

Freddy. Everything I post on here is designed to help shooters but some unfortunately, can't be helped. You know the sort:- The "I know which eye is my dominant one because I can see better with it" and "I know it doesn't work because it doesn't take into account the difference in gun speed" guys. I don't bother to respond to those posts and prefer to ignore them because those guys can't be helped. And just for the record, that's why I always suggest taking discussions off here so that I can respond by private e mail.

And BTW, please notice that I said "some of these forums" not specifically this one. I said this one is manged better than most.

Peter.

Please don't include me in your conclusions about forum members.

You know the sort:- The "I know which eye is my dominant one because I can see better with it" and "I know it doesn't work because it doesn't take into account the difference in gun speed" guys

I don't know the 'sort'. Each comment on it's merits in my opinion. I'm not going to make any assumptions about other members generally. 'You know the sort' is very 1960's.

For information purposes, the first I agree with (you), the second I disagree with (you). Those two points - eyes and gun speed - are separate and shouldn't be lumped together.

And whats the point of taking discussions off the forum ?. I simply don't understand why you post here if you want to then do everything by PM or email. Either express your "genuine desire to help others" openly so we can all read about it or accept that that's not the true purpose in your posts..

I totally get you point of view Paul but I'm tired of Peter's contradictory posts and also his assumption that I agree with his general comments about forum members expressing a different point of view - Do you think you are one of the "arrogant, narcissistic, rude individuals".

Freddy. Paul 120 answered your question. And of course, most know by now that the only reason I come on here is to sell books.

At 11.06pm (edited) Bordergun wrote - "Freddy. Paul 120 answered your question. And of course, most know by now that the only reason I come on here is to sell books."

At last the truth is out - you're a handbag swinging, bookselling, forum troll.

No further replies required to your posts from me.

Freddy. I was being sarcastic. I give FREE advice to others that e mail me, based on over 50 years as a professional in the industry. Selling books for the miniscule amount involved, couldn't be further from my mind. But as you can see from your post above, the personal insults always start. You may have noticed (or you should) that I don't do that.... but others do? That's why I prefer to give that advice via private e mails.

In addition, this is a discussion forum. Anyone who responds on here should have the guts to back it up with hard facts, not hype like some do, in other words, they don't offer counter arguments. That's why I agreed with Spartinas post. Carry on.

bordergun said:

Spartina Good post. Like you, I have been shooting shotguns (especially sporting clays) for longer than most and forgotten more than some know on here. I have a genuine desire to help others, which often seems to be misinterpreted by some. That's a shame, because IMO this forum is managed better than most.

Unfortunately, some of these forums are routinely frequented by arrogant, narcissistic, rude individuals that habitually dismiss and ignore pertinent questions and meaningful discussion, I suspect in an effort to stroke their own misguided egos. I find it best to ignore them.

Click to expand...

Don't knock it! ego can be a massive driver and no mistake, gifting a, short lived, paradigm like gain in performance...

Of course it can, I agree. But sometimes, shooters on these forums abandon objectivity in favour of hype from enlarged egos instead of counter argument, meaningful discussion and scientific facts.

Peter, please stop with your constant snarky remarks and nasty digs at people you don't even know. ShootClay is not, and never has been, that sort of forum.
We're all adults on here and capable of assessing the worth of advice and suggestions from others.

If you really want to help shooters as you keep saying, try posting something practical and positive rather than continually referring to your books and seeking to denigrate others.