End of Season Evaluation & Practice Plans (Part 1)

End of Season Evaluation & Practice Plans


It's been 12 months since Les took me under his wing and told me that I could learn enough to earn my USPSA "B" card, and I actually managed to accomplish it in 5 months, from "D" to "B". There was an awful lot that happened this summer with the job change, and the move to Texas that interrupted my further plans, but the past few months I had the chance to get back on the range and shoot a few matches, and really assess where I am at, where I want to be, and what I'm going to need to start working on to get there.

What Went Well:

A year ago I had a hard time with draw and reload, and since January I have worked pretty hard on both those skills. Being honest, you'll draw in a match 5-6 times, so it's not the biggest or most important investment of my time, but I wanted to be consistent, and I'm definitely getting it there. I had in issue where on my draw I would lock my elbows, and my arms were straight out, this meant not much flexibility, and it was enough to earn me my "B" card, but it had to get addressed. I made a conscious effort to change that, and I'm starting to see progress, but it's not consistent, or natural. I still have to think about it, and if I don't think about it, I don't do it.

My reloads are fairly consistent, in the spring I had a very robotic motion that was not comfortable, I pulled in my strong hand elbow to my chest, and used that to cant the gun the way I wanted, and force myself to put the gun into my "work area" so I could watch the reload go in cleanly. I was able to get rid of that, and start to be natural in late spring, but the enforced absence really hurt, and I noticed this fall that my reloads were sloppy and inconsistent. Apparently this skill was a casualty of the idea that shooting skills are perishable. I had to return to my robotic motion in order to get my reloads under control, and I'm only now starting to return to a comfortable and consistent reload.

Perhaps the best part of the year is that I'm really focusing on my sights, not as consistently as I'd like, but better than I have in the past. With everything else going on, and everything I was trying to think about, I often forgot to see my sights. Finishes at the Buckeye Classic and Battle of the Bluegrass showed me that on some stages when I focused I was fine, but when I let something else bother me, I could be epic level bad. Highlights included a Top 10 Production finish on one stage, and a low light of 7 misses on one stage.

With less on my mind when I shoot, my mind is fairly clear, and now I just focus on the sights, and trust that the rest of what I want to do is taking care of itself, Practice and training are paying off. This is leading to better transitions, and more focus on stage plan. These days a miss does not "surprise" me, I know what I'm seeing, so I feel like I should know if I missed a target. This is progress. In the video, you'll see that my splits and transitions are solid, this is where I need to be, and I'm seeing more and more of this as the year has progressed.

My strength all year was stages that I could use what I practiced most. My draw, reload, and fundamental, speed shoot skills all worked fairly well for me, and if you look at my classifiers, you'll see strong finishes where I could use those skills.

What Just Did Not Work:

This could be a long list, but I'm a "B" class shooter, and I'm trying to take steps, not race to Grandmaster. I see a lot of things that I can work to improve, but there are definitely a few things that really stood out for me in 2014.

As strong as I was on classifier, and speed shoot stages, I struggled on field courses. I attribute my struggle to a variety of things. I need work entering and leaving ports and shooting positions. I need to improve my reloads on the move, and I have absolutely terrible footwork, which goes into entering and leaving positions. As Terry has so aptly pointed out, I lack the sense of urgency on field courses, and I slow the heck down. I'll take a slow reload, or slowly get into a position, I'll fail to consistently hit a position with the gun up, and ready to break a shot as soon as I hit the position. These are all skills that are critical to my being consistent, and delivering a match long performance. The last addition to this amalgam of misfortune, is shooting on the move. I'm awful. I'm a position to position shooter, and I'm uncomfortable shooting on the move, and I realize how beneficial it would be if I could improve at this.

I ran Quad Standards (CM09-06) at a recent match, and I had never shot my gun at 40 yards. I looked pretty good, but I did not hit much. That leads me into a few other things that I struggled with, it was not just extreme distance, but little things like strong hand only or week hand only shooting that presented challenges for me. These were all things that Les touched on, and we worked briefly on, but they did not become staples of my practice routine. In the case of distance, Alpha range was really only about 23 yards from target to the back of the bay, but I never went to OnTarget, and took some time shooting my pistol at range, seeing what my hold should have been at a distance.

My mental focus has always been something Les and Kozy had me focus on. Never get too hard on yourself, don't let a miss or a bad stage cost you. This fall I noticed that with nobody to help prop me up, I had to do it for myself, and with Linda shooting every match, it was my job to keep her on the even keel. Maybe it was the responsibility of doing that, but it helped me with my own game. I can have a problem, have something not go my way, and I need to keep my focus. It's not where it should be, but I feel like in the fall there was measurable progress. In the spring I had bad stretches at major matches where I let one bad thing cascade into several bad stage. I think I'm further along, but I want to see it on a bigger stage before I can say that I'm where I want to be. This will be an ongoing challenge.

Wheels Fell Off When I had to re-shoot because targets not pasted

This led to 5 stages of meltdown

Finally, conditioning. Bluegrass and Ohio both tired me out, and I was spent by the end of the day. 10 plus stages, heat, and an all day event, and my ass was seriously dragging. Texas is a whole 'nother ball game, and with potentially 6 major's here next  year, I can't afford to start to fade, and ultimately burn out before a major match, hell a club match for that matter, is over. This is not just a shooting thing, and we're going the right way, but shooting is a mental, and physically exhaustive experience, and I feel I can't focus on one and ignore the other.

Long day of RO'ing, the heat got to me.

Bad turn, bad reload, wrong attitude.

2014 was a successful year. I moved from a 30% shooter, to a 71.28% shooter, that's progress. I developed a lot skills that I need to be successful, but it's obvious that I do still have a ways to go if I want to progress. I believe the key for 2015 is going to be a comprehensive practice plan that has me focusing on skills that need practice, rather than on "fun" drills, and includes a better diet, weight loss, and physical fitness regimen that allows me to achieve my goals. This really was my first full season shooting after some coaching, and trying to measure and improve my progress. Heck, October was the 2 year anniversary of my shooting a gun for the first time. The more I shoot, the less thinking I have to do, it become natural, and I become a product of my practice, that's why it's important for me to practice the right way, and hit the right things.

I'm working on putting my goals down on paper, and that will be the subject of my next blog. Knowing what I want to accomplish should help me come up with a better practice plan. I'm actually glad I decided to review the year, because it helped me see some current things I'd like to address.

Tuesday Practice

Tuesday Practice

I'm pushing myself harder to accomplish my goals, I'm not doing simply the minimum of dry fire, I'm going above and beyond. I'm not saying it to insult myself, but in some cases I'm just a slow learner. I hear a concept, and I have an understanding of it, but I have to crank out the repetitions to really be comfortable with it.

In the morning I did turn and draw, I set the par timer back to 1.8 seconds, and focused on when I was getting to the gun, and snapping around. I did 15 turn and draws, all at or better than the 1.8 second par time, then doing the turn and draws in rapid order actually had me a bit dizzy. I don't think that's an effect of the concussion either, just me essentially trying to spin halfway around repeatedly. I feel good about this now, and I now how to practice it, what I specifically have to focus on to make it happen.

Reloads were improved, I set the par timer at 1.4 seconds, and did 50 reloads, 10 runs of 5 reloads each. I got 5 of my first 20 reloads at the par time, but I got 18 of my next 30 at the par time. I can do this too. Going back to the challenge Les presented to me, there were a few magazines that went flying across the room as I missed the magwell entirely, but I did not let it phase me. Shit happens, right? Just keep doing it, and I can get it, and guess what, I did.

I also worked on my 2/2/2 drill, starting a 2.20 seconds, and working it down. At 2.2 seconds I feel very comfortable moving the gun from target to target, and committing to a shot, it was easy. As I dropped the par, I felt myself getting sloppy, at 2 seconds I had perhaps 70% right, and at 1.80 seconds, about 10% right. The good part is even a 2.2 par time on that is good enough to get my B card, so as long as I stay at that speed, I'm fine. It's a little different when there is live ammo, so I'd like to get the time down a bit in dry fire, but now that I know what I'm looking for, I can insure that I'm not cheating on my drills.

Dave and I set out to do some live fire, and it was one of the better practice nights that I've had. I need to realize that I don't have to go all out to do well. I ran an El Pres with 9 alpha and 3 charlie in 7.19 seconds, well below the 8.45 par time we needed. In some cases the faster I was going, the more issues and poor hits that I had. I don't need to have .17 and .19 splits, hey it's nice, but if it costs me an alpha, and gives me a delta, then take the little extra to .22 and get the alpha hit.

We ran a variety of drills, El Pres, Accelerator, and some plate rack. It was a good variety and kept us working on accuracy, draw, reload, turn and draw. I loved finishing on the plate rack, that little steel is so much fun, I was able to clear the rack once with splits in the .42-.47 range, but when I tried it that fast again I could not do it, I was far better off shooting it in the .62 to .68 range. My accuracy is good, as long as I keep a nice cadence, when I start to push faster I get sloppy, my fundamentals go to hell, and I start dropping mikes. So, I know what I need to do, I know that I don't always have to put the pedal to the floor, and I know I still need to keep hammering my fundamentals down if I want to improve my game. It was a damn good practice, and I may try to sneak back out and get another live fire session at the end of the week. I have my Range Officer class this weekend, so I won't be able to shoot. I will check with Dave and see if we can't make it happen.

I also had the occasion to think about my attitude. Kozy's attitude is that he is a GM shooter, with a Master level card, and that's a good thing. I tried to adopt it for myself, and wanted to believe that I was a B shooter, with a C class card. When I think about it, that just does not work for me, not yet anyhow. I've always had to work to achieve my goals, if I say to myself that I'm a B class shooter, then deep down I think there is a sense of entitlement, and I know that's wrong, but it does change my demeanor. I'm hungry, I'm a fighter, a battler, a grinder. I'm a C class shooter today, but there is a B class shooter in me, and probably more. The only way I'm going to unlock that, is by getting on my horse, and working, and earning it. I've gotta put in the time I need.

This does not mean I'm going all self critical, I'm not. In a way I'm reverting to something that is comfortable, the underdog role. If I want this bad enough, I'm going to work as hard as I need, USPSA, Les, nobody is going to give me my B card. I'm going to earn it, and I'm going to take it. Les gave me tools, I'm going to reach up and grab the card because of that, but I'm getting it done.

A Training Addition

A Training Addition

In mid-summer 2012, I got changed my diet, got on a treadmill, and kicked ass for 5 months. In those 5 months, I dropped 51 pounds. It was not a slick and trendy diet, it was me being honest about calories that I was eating, and portion control. I got on a scale today, and realized I have put 23 pounds back on this year, and I'm not happy about it. Frankly, I'm lucky it has not been more than that.

So, January 1st, I'm going to get back on MyFitnessPal, track my calories, probably starting about 1,500 per day, and slowly getting lower, and I'm going to eat right again. No more bad eating habits after a match where I go to Buffalo Wild Wings, The Fox Hole, or Culver's (that one is all on Les), and eat fried foods that just kill a diet. The app itself is just a tool, but it has a ton of meals loaded in already, and as long as I am honest with myself (I was last time I did it.) I'm going to get it going the right way. I was beyond stupid about doing it right, in those 5 months, there was exactly one day where I was over my allotted calories.

The other thing that I hit hard was the treadmill, 30-60 minutes a day, every single day, no exceptions. It did not matter if I was tired, busy, whatever, I never made an excuse, and for 4 months straight I never missed a day. It was only that last month that I slowed down, and realized that rest was an important part of exercise, so I dialed it down to every other day. When I started at Hertz I was in the office, and it was a 12+ hour day with driving, and it got tough, plus it was the holiday's. I let myself get away, and I never got back on track.

There were some excellent parties this year, an August Steak and Lobster fest, pizza on my birthday, and countless beers and shots with friends. The memories are great, but the pounds are not, I'm going to get back on the wagon in a few weeks.

Here's the deal, I'm not going to abuse the holiday, but I'm also not going to flip the switch and go cold turkey either. There are a few Uncommon Stout's in the fridge that I need to drink, and a few other items that don't fit a healthy diet, but dammit, I am not going to waste 'em! I'm going to determine what my calories need to be at, and I'm going to stay within a reasonable amount, shooting to stay at or below at least three days a week. I'm going to pick out a couple of foods that I just can't do without, and I'm going to say "good-bye" to them this month. Pizza? I'll miss you. A real, not diet soda? Maybe another time. I have avoided Egg Nog this year and  think I can resist the pull entirely. A hot dog, pork tenderloin, and god help me, bacon. You are all going to be put aside (at least the high calorie ones). Perhaps once a week, I'll indulge in saying farewell.

Come January 1st though, it's going to be hardcore again, watching every calorie, and on the treadmill for 40 minutes at least 4 times a week. No falling off the bandwagon, and I'd appreciate friends not throwing the temptation at me, water, salad, and I'm good to go! So, now I've got two goals set for next year, B class in March, and lose another 50 pounds by the end of May. Both achievable, personal, and lifestyle changes in this case are good, and I'm going to get both of 'em. In the end, it'll make for a healthier, happier me.

Gun Gear....Again....

Gun Gear….Again….

My blog about possibly shifting platforms got me a few comments on another forum. A recent post on Facebook, reproduced on Doodie Project from J.J. Racaza got me thinking a little more about how I feel. However a Ben Stoeger podcast, about why he doesn't shoot a Glock (Hey, catchy title dragged me in, even though I did not want to listen!) reaffirmed some of my own opinions.

Here is the JJ Racaza Facebook Post:

How many people here compete in the production division with a completely stock gun?

No, after market products installed, no work done on triggers, no grip tapes, no modification what so ever...

I hear it plenty of times out there that people shoot a stock gun, but then spent a few hundred dollars on trigger, new barrel and stippling on their grips.

My point is, you do not need a terribly expensive modified gun to shoot competitions and be competitive. It's all about honing in your skills in fundamentals and marksmanship - the basic things. I'm very new to the production division, so I am shooting a purely stock gun that you can find in shelves to learn this game from the ground up. Once my skills are better, maybe I may upgrade and dive into the world of after market things. But for now I have to work on me first.

I am fortunate to be able to shoot and compete at the highest level in the open division. In which a pistol can cost you upwards of $5k. Shooting a gun with everything on it, does not make you a better shooter. It just exposes you to the next level and the possibilities. And if you keep trying to chase and push to that next level by never working on your fundamentals (foundation) then all you'll do is develop a ton of bad habits.

Would you build your house, starting with the roof first?

Once you hone your skills in and develop from the ground up, you can slowly upgrade your parts or gun.

Just my thought.

What do you guys think? Agree or disagree?

-JJ Racaza

It’s tough to disagree with J.J. because he’s right about having fundamental skills and marksmanship. If you don’t have those, then no matter what you shoot, you are up a creek. I know people, myself included, have bought into the idea that “if I just had this a little bit better, I’d improve”, this being a trigger, a barrel, a grip, whatever. The truth is that may have more validity when you are looking for tenths of a second. I’m all for making things as easy as possible for myself, and removing barriers, but if you do that without building fundamental skills, you have a crutch that may hide flaws in what you are doing, meaning you are more likely to plateau, and have an issue you will struggle to solve.

I don’t want to offend my wife, but I’m going to use her experience this summer as an example. When she started shooting USPSA, she was running a Walther P99, and really struggled with it, at a Skills and Drills class she tried a friends Glock 21, and it was like it all clicked, she was accurate, she was having fun, and she decided to make the switch. She tried a Glock 17, and eventually decided on the Glock 34. It took her exactly one match with the Glock 34 stock sights, and not-broken in trigger to want to about give up, it was like nothing had changed for her. It was painful watching her struggle. Being a trooper, she was prepared to stick with it, and learn fundamentals, and make things work. About this time I had spent a little time with my XDM, but decided to stick with the PPQ for the winter season. I told her to take the XDM for a spin, and with the PRP trigger, and some other work, her accuracy improved, she had a couple of solid matches to close the outdoor season, and felt like she progressed. The truth is, and she knows it, that the XDM is helping hide some of her flaws, and that if she really wants to progress, she’s going to have to put in the work. For her, the fun she had because of her improved performance is enough to keep her motivated, excited, and wanting to do it, even eager to practice. That’s important for someone who does not get out very much, and worth the value of the crutch in my mind. If we can find a way for her to get some more time, I've got very little doubt that she’d do better than I would. That said, fundamental’s first, and that’s her focus as well.

A few days ago, I wrote about re-stating my goals, and what I think earning a B card will mean in terms of skills, that it will be more about honing, and re-fining than developing new skills. Ben’s podcast, about why he does not shoot a Glock was interesting, he raised the point that of course he could shoot a Glock, but in the Production division, non-polymer handguns offer some distinct advantages, so why would he want to have to work that much harder, when he can work smarter? It’s a good point.

While I’m not out to have to reset what I’m doing, I think B is a good time to reconsider what I want in a gun, and pick something that not only I enjoy, but does not force me to compromise. While I love my PPQ, I’d like something longer than a 4” barrel, and I would not mind something that is heavier, get’s back on target easier with less recoil, and I enjoy as much. If I was content to stay a B shooter, I’d stay PPQ, but I don’t have the resources of an Eric Grauffel to shoot 150,000 rounds a year, I want to be able to give myself every advantage, and make things as easy as possible for myself. I guess I don't want to compromise on something I plan on sticking with until I reach my goals.

Some folks might argue that I should wait, and I could, B might be a little early to have to make that choice, but if I’m going to shoot for A by the end of the year, and M at the one year mark from getting my B, I want to pick one platform I can shoot, enjoy, and stick with. My PPQ won’t ever go away, I’m too fond of it for that, but I may just retire it from competition, and shoot it strictly for pleasure.

Enough meandering, classifier  CM-03-09 tonight that I need to focus on, and that I hope to do well on. I am aiming for at least a Hit Factor of 5.78, if I get 90% of the possible points, I have 12.45 second to accomplish that, at 80% of the possible points I need to do it in 11.07.

Match video and re-cap tomorrow.