Slow Down? Are you kidding?

[Doc Shapiro]

You know when you get to missing targets and folks tell you to just "slow down a little?"

Well, that's just going to cause you to shoot slow and continue to miss.  Don't listen to folks that tell you that!

You're missing because you aren't visually aware of the relationship between target and sight alignment.  Instead of thinking "slow down", you are much better off thinking "see more."  You need to see just enough to make your shot.  If you don't, you won't be hitting targets.  If you see too much, they you will be shooting slower than you ought to be.

To paraphrase Brian Enos: See what you need to see to make the shot.  No more, no less.

Doc

[Camille Eonich]

If you see too much, they you will be shooting slower than you ought to be.

Doc

Then doesn't it stand to reason that if you aren't seeing enough you may be going too fast?

I understand 100% what you are trying to say and just recently went through the exact thing that you are saying.  I was missing a lot so I slowed down.  You know what, then I was just missing slower.  Same number of misses, maybe more but shooting slower too!  Not a good combo.

I sped back up but started seeing the front site better and started making sure that there was target behind the front site before pulling the trigger.  So one part did slow down a bit and that was at the point where every thing got lined up and I broke the shot.

[Doc Shapiro]

Cammy, it's the very thought of "slow down" that's the problem.  It's a negative thought.  If you think it, your subconcious will make it happen.

If you just happen to not shoot as quickly because you are seeing more, then that's a byproduct of seeing more, but it doesn't necessarily have to happen.  Sometimes you will actually speed up even though you are seeing more.

It's an issue of where to apply your visual and subconsious focus.  The speed is a byproduct. 

See what you need to see to make the shots.  The rest will happen on it's own.

[Camille Eonich]

We could get into a whole book of these things.

"Gee that target has an odd shape and a lot of places that a bullet could slide through"
Gee that target is a little farther out there.  I better be careful.
Don't miss  <---------------worse one for me
I don't really like this sequence.

[Doc Shapiro]

Yup, those are all negative thoughts.

If you see what you need to see, have solid fundamentals, and prepare for the stage before you shoot, then you won't ever have any trouble.

"Don't Miss" is another really bad one as your subconsious keys in on the action word (miss) and not the directive (don't).  Most likely result?  A miss.  Instead, think "hit the targets."

Keep the thoughts positive!

[Driftwood Johnson]

I gotta tell you, you guys dream up stuff that just would never occur to me. You guys are a whole quantum leap level ahead of me when it comes to shooting fast. With me, it's still Front Sight, Stupid. I consider myself to be shooting fast if the hour glass doesn't need to be turned over again before I finish the stage.