My wife and I were on our way to one of our granddaughter’s soccer games one recent Saturday. I was hungry and decided to stop for something at McDonalds but the drive-through was jammed so I parked and went inside. In the crowd as I waited to order, I inadvertently stepped on someone’s foot. The […]
Attentional Spotlight
I’m reading a non-Bullseye book that has, nonetheless, a lot to say about how we succeed or fail at many aspects that directly contribute to our performance at the firing line. The book is “brain rules” (yes, the title is in lower case) by John Medina, a molecular biologist with a lifelong interest in how […]
Ugh!
I skipped coffee in the interest of stability. Maybe that’s what I did wrong. I ate a high-protein breakfast 90 minutes before first shot so my brain would have the needed molecules for concentration. Maybe that’s what I did wrong. I disassembled, wiped down and otherwise lightly cleaned the wadder the night before. Maybe that’s […]
Mindless Entertainment
Shooters learn Bullseye much the same way they do any other sport. They study, they experiment, they practice, they talk to others, they get coaching directly and indirectly. They commit things first to memory and then to body actions and, if everything goes well, they become as proficient at the sport as their abilities permit. […]
Someone Is Watching You!
Inspiration is a great motivator. I’ve shot Bullseye at a lot of clubs around the US and, in every case, there were better shooters than myself on the line. I’ve been whipped, and I’ve been whipped a lot. For beginners, Bullseye can be a humbling experience. But if you swallow your pride and pay attention, […]
2007 New Year’s Resolution
I’ve made some good progress this year. In last year’s 2006 New Year’s Resolution I said that “it will be nice to climb out of the Marksman ranks this year” and, effective 05/23/2006, I formally started competing in the Sharpshooter classification as per the NRA. My 22 scores are up about 5 points over the […]
The Internal Coach
I tried a slight modification to the approach I recently wrote about. Specifically, although I still try to release all thoughts and self-talk during a shot, after I’ve released the shot and lowered the gun, that’s when I do something different. I let the coach talk to me then. This “coach” is entirely inside my […]
Don’t Think, Just Throw
In the movie, Bull Durham, Tim Robbin’s character discovers that when he doesn’t think, he pitches better — a lot better. But knowing and doing are two different things. Indeed, after a couple of good pitches, Tim Robbin’s character gets cocky, starts thinking about what he’s throwing, and blows it. Same thing happened to me […]
Practicing What I Preach
“Yeah, maybe he can talk the talk, but can he walk the walk?” In a word, no. I know many of the things needed to hit the X but, like so many others, doing them, shot after shot, is quite something else. But I made some progress this week and it’s important to look back […]
Trigger Control and Bicycle Riding Redux
From Email to a shooter asking several questions including why some of his shots hit up and right of center. Concerning jerk, anticipation, thumbing and the search for a smooth trigger squeeze, all I can tell you is that you are right in there with every other Bullseye shooter. Let me say that again: […]