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I remember when I first started driving.  I learned to drive ‘stick’ in my parents’ 1989 Toyota Corolla.  I would get in the car, make sure my seat was adjusted where I could adequately reach the pedals, adjust the mirrors so I could see what was behind me, put the key into the ignition, push in the clutch, turn the key and start the car.  It took several conscious steps, but I was now ready to make my first drive ‘around the block’.

Today, all I have to remember is where I put my keys, better yet find where my kids hid my keys from me. I no longer think consciously about all of the steps I made sure I did to start the car.  It is all automatic, is it being done in my subconscious.  Some of the best shooting performances I have ever had is where I was shooting in the ‘zone’ or my subconscious.

We all know in order to hit a target you have to have proper sight alignment, your index finger has the ‘sweet spot’ on the trigger and you squeeze the trigger not to alter the sight alignment to get your ‘hit’ on target.  So how do we get to subconscious shooting?  Just like we did with driving, it takes practice and repetition.  Your natural disposition, or your ability to shoot better than someone else without a lot of practice may start you off at a different point, but you will never get better until you put in the time.

Have you ever had a string where you heard the timer go off; you shot all targets in the array and then you realized you were done?  Have you ever had a situation in a string where time felt as though it slowed down?  Congratulations, you have a taste of what it means to shoot in the subconscious!  After you get a taste, you are hungry for more.  Be patient, the frequency of these occurrences will increase with practice and repetition!

Until next time, see you out on the range soon!

Steve

I find it important to write about the experiences which have made me a better shooter and person.   I can only hope some of my fellow shooters can find something to relate to and to take away.

Recently, I was up against a wall with my shooting. After one of my best shooting performances at the February GA State Steel match where I shot one, if not the, fastest times in the world with my PCC, breaking the 70 second barrier, I have not been  shooting to my potential ever since.  I was still shooting well by many standards, but not nearly as well as I could. I found myself being very conservative and over-thinking what I have done tens of thousands of times in the past 12 months: pulling the trigger.

Fortunately, I have a great friend and mentor named John Nagel who shared impactful insight in a single question.  I am not sure if he knew how profound I took his words. I walked him through what was going on, and he laughed.  He said all top shooters go through what I was going through. He then asked me if I was shooting to win, or shooting not to lose?  As soon as he completed his sentenced, I laughed out loud.  He knew exactly from where I was coming.

After reflecting on what John shared with me, I decided to go back to having fun and shoot in the subconscious, leading to faster times.  I just came back from the 2017 GA State Steel Challenge Championships, and this is exactly what I did.  I set two personal best times and shot a 2^nd best time in a third division which enabled me to earn the title of Rifle Master and a nice cash payout for my efforts.  It is not about being reckless; it is not about shooting a perfect match. It is about shooting to the “Edge” of where you can shoot and doing it as consistently as you can.  Make sure you get your first shot on target and let the string be the best as the last! This is how you shoot to your potential.

I hope this helps you as much as it helped me.

Until next time, see you out on the range soon!

Steve