Dishearten on the Mtn!

 Many times it is more important to find out what does not work than what does.  I was somewhat dishearten how poorly Arizona Bigs worked but the sun came up this morning anyway.

Color:  Neither the red nor the green allowed the shooters to consistently see their hits which was the point of the target.  I think if we do this again we will have to go with all black targets with some sort of inscribed circle

Overall Results:  We shot four rounds. In rounds one and two, the hit percentage was 45% and 40% which is no better than the CFDA average for titled events.  The targets completely failed to allow the shooters to improve during a match.  I attribute this  in part to the color of the targets.  I was so disappointed that I moved the shooters to 10 feet for rounds 3 and 4 and the hit percentage improved to 57% and 55%, better, but not what you would expect.

Fundamental Error:  When I moved the shooters to 10 feet I did not adjust the target height.  I should have adjusted the target height to 44 inches which would be the standard for a typical CFDA shooter but did not do so.  This probably accounts for the poor shooting.  A clear example was the poster shooter, who hit 75% at 15 feet but hit 0% at 10 feet.  Having the targets at the incorrect target height is going to hurt the shooter with the more finalized draw more.

Individual Results:  The current National Champion crushed these targets hitting 80% with 25% of his hits in the black. You would expect these results because he has been using this training technique for years on blocker targets.  Only one shooter had a higher in the black percentage than his hit percentage.  Half of the shooters had a hit percentage above the CFDA average.  

Grumblings:  There were several instances where a quicker shooter lost to a "in the black" shooter.   The point of the match is to train the shooter to stay focus and put them "in the black."  Looking at the fastest time report, there was no lollygagging.  Nine out of ten shooters had in the black times.

I will post the results on the mountain.

Arizona Bigs

 The knock against blocker targets among CFDA shooters is that they ruin your draw for professional events.  Many of the good shooters in the valley of the sun refuse to shoot blockers for that reason. However, blockers can be beneficial for training if you have the proper focus. The advantages can be that:

 1. Because of the large size you see the actual hit of most of your shots.  If you see the actual hit, your mind and body will adjust your draw to bring the shots onto the center of the target.  A shooter that is hitting 30% on a small target is wasting 70% of his wax, his effort and his time.  Why not hit 100% and get the benefit of the subconscious moving the hits to the light.

2.  Because of the large size of the target, some of the stress of trying to hit the target is removed.  When we shoot up close at 5 feet and then move back to 15 feet, our times are always much slower than what is accounted for by the distance.  The additional time results from the stress of trying to hit the target.  Larger targets remove some of this additional stress.

ARIZONA BIGS:  The target is a standard 24 inch CFDA target with a 10 inch black circle in the middle.  We initially painted the outer circle grey which did not work well.  We are experimenting with red or green.  The grey color did not allow the shooter to see the hits which is the whole point of the target.  If the shooter hits "in the black" the time is divided by 2.  If he hits in the outer circle he gets  that time. 

The target is designed to be shot at 10 feet but we probably will be shooting it at 15 feet.  At 10 feet target height is 44 5/16 based on the CFDA's calculation of standard muzzle height of 39".  At 15 feet target height would be 47".  Shooters would benefit more at 10 feet because higher hit percentage, but there seems to be some resistances to that distance so we will try it at 15.

Poster Shooter:  At our first test Holli Day hit 93% of 14 shots, her first shot being .375 and her final shot being .348.  Her final 5 shots were all "in the black" and were all within a 3 inch circle.  The speed was not remarkable, but the  consistency was.  She got better and better, quicker and more accurate.  That is the point of the target.  The goal is to finalize your draw and to walk your hits to the light.

"We don't practice missing and we don't lollygag." Alleluia Ruah

Seven day Update

 I write this post because I said I would and to record my thoughts for myself.  There is really about four changes going on which I will try to segregate.

The Holster:  I think the Max 3 is about 10 millisecond slower than the Max 2 for me right now. That is really pretty good considering I have only 7 days and 250 rounds into it.   That number comes from my mean time on 15 test rounds starting first thing in the morning.  Couple things that I have noted.  The Max 3 has considerable barrel wobble and a significant butt wobble.  I think this comes from the fact that my competition guns do not have sights.  I tried a New Vaquero with sights on it and the gun was secure both for barrel wobble and butt wobble.  The barrel wobble I don't think will be a problem but the butt wobble was definitely a distraction for me between the set command and the light. WOW suggested a small slot for the trigger guard.  I did this by Dremel and I think that has solved the butt wobble.

If you order a Max 3 and you do not have sights on your guns I would suggest you tell Ernie that and he may adjust for that.  I think the barrel wobble is within limits but if it is not, a leather strip will have to be added in the boot.

The Draw:  I am trying to draw nearer the pocket. From the gunfighter badge, it is clear that I am not there yet.  The higher holster and new stance has resulted in the badge being higher on side.  I will continue to work on this.  I want to get down to where Hi Strung is on this. Less gun travel should mean quicker.

The Stance:  I am trying to shoot from a more upright stance.  This moves the barrel forward and is easier on my old body.  When I shoot the new stance I am pretty accurate.  The problem is that I tend to lose focus and revert back to old stance trying to go fast.  This is what happened at the Four Corners.  Yesterday, shooting in two competitive matches I shot 21 rounds at 95% accuracy with no hit less than 6 inches from the light.  All shots were from the new stance, no lapses of focus.  I have thirty days to finalize this new stance.  Should be enough time.  I posted previously I am now doing bucket work from 10 feet on the light.  I think that has helped.  It is important that I stay focus and not try to lean back for speed. 

Post Set Command Routine:  I am using a new post set command routine. On average, I would say that it is about 20 to 30 mls quicker. Yesterday, my last three shots at championship distance were almost identical times which were about 25 mls quicker than what is normal for me.

Fairly happy with the progress.

Just remember "I ain't as slow as I look," and "I don't practice missing!"

Final Update:  I have given the Max III a fair trial and have not gotten any improvement of speed from the holster.  I have returned to the Max II.  I have improved timewise because of the new post set comment routine.  Today baseline was .363 twice to .385 with the Max II.

Update New Bucket

With my new holster I have been hitting about 20% at championship distance. Generally, I have been missing high and my close work has not solved the problem.  I thought I might try bucket work at 10 feet.  My calculated target height is 45 inches so I drew two lines one at 40 inches and one at 50 inches.  This is my target area. It would be the same as a 21 inch target at 21 feet. I also used the light by setting the target in front of a light and making a hole for the light. Here is first 20 round session.

I hit all twenty shots so bucket work at 10 feet seems to help. Generally my groups got better later in the set.  I am about 10-15 mls slower with the new holster.  Hope it picks up.

I have been using a new post set command routine.  Seems improve times but also results in high misses. 

Will keep you posted. So far have not seen that speed.

Starting Over with MAX III

Two weeks prior to the Springs I went back to the bucket but was not a fully engaged. It was enough to take me three days without a loss until my good friend, Buzzard, brought me back to reality in the final round of the main match of the Colorado State.  Ernie was watching and he suggested that he thought the Max III would bring me some additional speed.  Not one to avoid a challenge I am starting over with the new holster.  My goal is to be a 160/160/23 shooter in 30 days.  We shall see.

My plan is to get back to the bucket at least three days a week, with mirror and reaction training intersperse during the week.  Some of you may have noticed that on my practice gun which I shot clean in the jackpot shoot, I had a velco strip.  This is to hold a piezo for reaction practice. It has not seemed to help in the past but I am going give it another try.  I am a 200/200/23 shooter now.  I need to improve my reaction time.  Ernie thinks the Max3 will improve the draw time.

The Draw:  I have not been at the lip since 2016 and since the new holster is a little higher it seems to be a good time to get back there. To comply with Rule 17, I have straighten my stance a bit.  The main problem I have now is that some times I lose my focus and I will revert to my old stance.  One can not change draws or stances in the middle of an event.  30 days of bucket work should finalize this draw from a new holster.

 

I shoot the Alleluia Training and Competition System.  It does work.  I will start anew as soon as I get the Max3. I intend to post how it is going ever 7 days in the comments to this post. The gunfight on the Niobrara will tell the tale.

Just remember "I ain't as slow as I look." 

 

First Update:  I had a pretty good session on the mtn with the Max 2 today.  I started off with a .089 anticipation then followed it up with 13 hits within 6 inch circle with times ranging from .366 to .389.  I was using a new routine after the set command which seems to work.  Mean time was .377. I will use this as a base line to evaluate the Max 3.  

I received the Max 3 in the mail from Ernie this afternoon.  My initial impression is that it is going to be quicker.  We shall see.  Here is the difference:

Max 2:

 

Max 3:

My initial impression is that it will be quicker.  In the mirror it seems to set the cylinder of the gun right over the pocket which means the muzzle clearly extends past the lip.  I am going forego the flash guard for a while to use the gunfighter badge to gauge the location of the cylinder.  It is three months early for grail fever, but what the hey, Fallon has been cancelled.

Stressors

I write this post at the prompting of Fowl Shot because he commented on a photo of Deadeye Daisy and I shooting in the final match of the jackpot shoot at Colorado. We were shooting for a CFDA gun.  The match was a repeat of the final match for the 2020 National Gunfigther Championship.  The result was the same.

I should have no chance against Deadeye Daisy because she is 20 millisecoonds quicker than me but so far I am winning.  The only reason I win is that she has not yet learned that she is the better gunfigther. There are quite a few gunslingers out there that are in the same position.  Once they learn they are quicker, I will have no chance.  That is what has happened with Shady. I used to be able to handle him, but now he knows he is 10 mls quicker and 10 mls is an eternity in fastdraw. Confidence is so important in fastdraw.  You have to believe you are the better gunslinger or you have no chance.

An interesting match at the Colorado State was the match in the finals between Deadeye Daisy and Flying Cowgirl.  Generally, Deadeye Daisy is more accurate and Flying Cowgirl is quicker. I have not talked to them about the match but I know what was going through their minds by just watching the match and the results.  There was little stress on Deadeye because she knew she was the slower shooter and if Cowgirl won she would be proud and happy for her daughter.  Flying Cowgirl on the other hand had to deal with the stress of wanting to hit the target.  She knew her mother was more accurate and if she wanted to win she had to hit the target.  Deadeye was free and loose and was just going shoot her quickest, that was all she could do. Cowgirl was careful because she knew she had to hit the target.  There was the stress of "I got to hit the target."  Deadeye Daisy won the match relatively easily on speed hitting down into the .38s while Cowgirl was shooting in the low 4s. For perspective, at their best, Deadeye will be down into the .38s and Cowgirl down into the .35s.

To be competitive, a gunfighter must deal with stress.  I do this by using the Alleluia Training and Competition System. It does work.  I am always looking for shooters who want to learn the system. Right now I have my eye on two shooters, one male and one female, who by the Arizona State should be Mag 7 shooters. Whether they want to try remains to be seen.  It is not easy. It is easy to learn, but to shoot it consistently is another matter.

My poor shooting at the Four Corners Territorial resulted from my abandonment of the Alleluia Training and Competition System.  It is easy to lose your focus.  It was my event to win, all I had to do was shoot average but I lost my focus and abandoned the system.

Now that I have told all these shooters that they can beat, just remember, "I ain't as slow as I look."

"We don't practice missing!"

I am training a new level three shooter and I think it is a good opportunity to reiterate why we don't practice missing. This shooter has just started one handed shooting and has about 300 rounds into it. He is pretty well finalized when this video was made and the one handed draw is now his preferred draw.

When you practice you should always go as quick as you can, never ever slow down.  Never ever worry about where you are going to hit, the wax will go where ever you are aligned.  You can not practice accuracy, don't try.  Just trust your draw.

I prefer to shoot close so that you see every hit.  If you see every hit your mind and your body will move the hits to the light.  Let your subconscious work for you.  It will.  By shooting close you get those small incremental changes by your subconscious.  Don't worry about where you are going to hit.  If change is needed, it should be only by alignment before the set command.

I actually prefer shooting on card board without the light and close.  This removes the stress of trying to hit the target and the stress of racing the clock, both of which slows down your progress to a finalized draw.

Now for the video:  Notice that his first shot is a .581 at the bottom of the target.  Now he did not have to change his draw or do anything, he just let his subconscious move the next hit up on the target at a respectable .641. His next two shots were essentially at the same area of the target with his fastest time being a .509.  His fifth shot is interesting because his mentor told him he had a new PR so he tried to race the clock and missed.

What did this shooter learn from the five shot set. Well, for the first four shots his subconscious was storing data on how to move the hits to the light.  He learned nothing from the fifth shot. He was just practicing missing.

This new shooter is well on his way to a finalized draw.  My expectation for him is that he will be shooting at 80% without ever trying to be accurate.  He only practices to go as quick as he can. PRs for him will come in spurts as he matures as a gunfighter.  He has already shown signs of mental toughness which is a skill you can practice.

Bring me another shooter!

Here we go again! Or What is a miss worth?

I shot pretty well at Rio. Lost the first match but then stayed focused for the next 9 matches.  I was the 5th quickest shooter out of 33 but got that lucky 3rd seed in the shoot-offs.  Defeated in short order the .36 shooter, the .34 shooter and then another .34 shooter for the win.  It helped that  there was a little money on the line.

I am not going to bore you with why except to say the system prevails.  See my May, 2019, post "Flusters."   "Ahmo" and "Never Slow Down," are also worth the read.

What is a miss worth?  Some shooters get angry when they miss, some start changing their draw, and some get flustered. They are missing the point of a miss.  A miss is just an opportunity to excel.  It is a signal to the shooter that they need to make a minor adjustment in their alignment. That is all.  No need to change, no need to get angry, no need to be flustered.  Just adjust your alignment and walk the hits to the light.

I have heard that 50% is good enough or maybe 60 % but if that is your goal you will not be competitive.  100% is not even good enough. You can always shoot better.  BUT never practice accuracy.  Never ever slow down!  You will hit where you are aligned. Don't worry about it, just learn to adjust you alignment before the set command.  Those misses are valuable. They tell you how to adjust your alignment.

Some have ask how I stay so focused.  It is no secret. I have written about it.  It is just the system. It is progressive. You should get better and better the longer the event goes. By the final match you should be shooting your quickest at 100% accuracy.  Bring me another shooter!