Inevitably, any discussion about the mental game gets into the concept of Self Talk. Put simply, Self Talk is all of the things you say to yourself. Sounds a little nuts, I know. Try this, though - for one 24 hour period, consciously monitor every thought that runs through your head. You'll probably find that you really do talk to yourself a lot - and if you've never done this exercise before, you'll probably find that a lot of the things you say to yourself aren't all that flattering. "That was stupid." "You look like a dork." and so on.
Now, pay attention to what you say to yourself with regards to your shooting. Your Self Talk reveals a lot about your self-image - what you truly believe you are capable of doing, and also has the ability to undermine your performance (or, if used to your advantage, support and build it up). This really comes out following a stage with some mistakes in it - what runs through your head, then? "You dumb jerk, you really suck." "You might as well give up now." "Things never go my way." "This match stinks." Maybe you said some really, complimentary stuff to yourself before the stage, too... "I can't hit those hardcover targets." "Swingers always eat my lunch." "Let's see how bad I suck on this stage."
Would your best friend ever say anything like that to you? If so, why are they your best friend??? We would all do well to head on over to the DR Performance Shooting main site take a lesson from two of the best shooters in the game on how we should be treating ourselves on and off the range - Max Michel, Jr. and Travis Tomasie.
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4 comments:
Yes indeed!
Sadly, for too many of our shooting associates, it's all negative. It's too the point now that I dread going to electronic ears and am seriously thinking about going back to the old 'standbys' that aren't electronic. I hate, with a passion, going to the line, getting ready to shoot, and overhearing someone behind me talking about how they just tanked a stage, shot a no shoot, blah blah blah. SHUT UP!
Pick your squad mates carefully! Shoot with people who will be honest with you about your performance, but positive! I have come to the point now where I will just walk away when someone starts bitching about how poorly they (or someone else) just shot. If they want to sabotauge their own match, go for it!! But leave my match alone.
Good points, Derrick. Regarding electronics, and such - I find I get less fatigued through the day if I can hear conversations, and such. But a couple shooters before my turn, I turn them off, and put in regular ear plugs underneath them as well (double plugged). That helps prevent picking up chatter when I'm getting ready to shoot.
Definitely pick your squad mates carefully, and avoid folks who exude negative energy!!!!
I just read Saul’s book. He talks about the importance of this quite a bit. He gives some great examples.
I was on my way to a local match. I knew that I wanted to do well. I normally tell myself not to mess up. Don’t shoot too fast; don’t blow the reloads, all of the little things that hang you up. Well this time I pictured myself shooting. I was moving gracefully gliding along with a smooth steady step. My reloads went into the gun like they were laser guided. The dot was settled in the center of the A zone when I pulled the trigger. I knew what all of the stages were so I could put myself at each stage shooting it flawlessly.
When I got to the match I was relaxed and confident I would shoot well. I squaded up with my normal friends (not that they are normal). I praised them for their efforts. When I was asked about my shooting I told them I was shooting my best match ever. My friends were happy for me.
One of the guys was having a bad day. I tried to bring him over to my way of thinking by pointing out his good efforts but he was not having it.
I did shoot one of my best matches ever. The words I told myself turned in to a reality.
I have continued to do the same preparation for every match since then and have continued to shoot great matches.
I remember my dad telling me “It’s all in your head you can do it” He was right.
awlazs - spot on, man. What's ironic about it, too, is that wishing your competition well has this magical effect on your own shooting. Its as if your subconscious is hearing the praise you're heaping on your buddies, but thinks you're directing it at yourself. Interestingly - the reverse is also true, it seems. Criticizing someone else's shooting, or attempting to sabotage it in some way can also have a deleterious effect on your own game ;)
Thanks for sharing your story!
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