This will be my first year as a competitor in Service Rifle. I've been told by a lot of people who participate in this sport that one shouldn't concern themselves with beating any other shooters and that you are only in competition with yourself. This was such a consensus amongst the members of this other group that I felt the need to posit this question elsewhere. So, here is my question; When you compete in rifle competition, are you there to beat people? Personally, for me, I am there to put as many names below mine on the results posting as possible. What say you?
What is it for you?
- Thread starter Michael67
- Start date
I have been competing with a service rifle for about 17 years and I tend to agree with you. I do set personal goals for myself but at the end of the day for me it's all about how you stack up overall. As a newer shooter though I would say to keep your focus on improvement and meeting your goals versus what placing you got.
Having competed in HP matches since 1989 with both Service Rifle and Match rifle, XC and MR and LR Prone, you measure yourself in several ways.
First, you measure yourself (and so does the NRA) by the consistent scores you post. That is how you earn/change classifications. You are always looking at the score you shot and thinking of the mistake(s) you made and what shooda, woulda, coulda been (Stella, I coulda been a contenda!). The fewer mistakes, the better the score, the higher the classification etc. Shooting that first "Clean" at any yardage is a tremendous boost to your confidence. You remember what you did right and now want to repeat it and you begin to expect that higher performance.
You also measure yourself by your competitors. By making fewer mistakes and executing your shots well, you begin to look at the final results list and see how you stack up.
Those who are consistently at the top of that list are the ones who make the fewest mistakes and therefore are noteworthy if your performance is better than theirs. You will find much satisfaction and motivation is shooting a score that is better than a known good shooter.
I think that setting a goal to beat someone who shoots scores above yours is a good goal. Don't make them too lofty so that you can never achieve them. Pick the person that perhaps always finishes one or two above you. That way you work in little steps and positive reinforcement is more frequent.
Over time, as your skill and ability increase, you start setting the bar higher as far as fewer mistakes. I don't really think about score until the match is over. Thinking score while you are shooting is a sure fire way to "Tank" your day. Focus on executing the best shots that you can and let the chips fall where they may.
When you best the field and earn the top awards, say "thank you very much" and bask in the knowledge that today, you made fewer mistakes than anyone else. The next match may be something different.
Bob
First, you measure yourself (and so does the NRA) by the consistent scores you post. That is how you earn/change classifications. You are always looking at the score you shot and thinking of the mistake(s) you made and what shooda, woulda, coulda been (Stella, I coulda been a contenda!). The fewer mistakes, the better the score, the higher the classification etc. Shooting that first "Clean" at any yardage is a tremendous boost to your confidence. You remember what you did right and now want to repeat it and you begin to expect that higher performance.
You also measure yourself by your competitors. By making fewer mistakes and executing your shots well, you begin to look at the final results list and see how you stack up.
Those who are consistently at the top of that list are the ones who make the fewest mistakes and therefore are noteworthy if your performance is better than theirs. You will find much satisfaction and motivation is shooting a score that is better than a known good shooter.
I think that setting a goal to beat someone who shoots scores above yours is a good goal. Don't make them too lofty so that you can never achieve them. Pick the person that perhaps always finishes one or two above you. That way you work in little steps and positive reinforcement is more frequent.
Over time, as your skill and ability increase, you start setting the bar higher as far as fewer mistakes. I don't really think about score until the match is over. Thinking score while you are shooting is a sure fire way to "Tank" your day. Focus on executing the best shots that you can and let the chips fall where they may.
When you best the field and earn the top awards, say "thank you very much" and bask in the knowledge that today, you made fewer mistakes than anyone else. The next match may be something different.
Bob
well as a fairly new competition shooter i have to agree with what frank and bob have said to a certain degree but im setting my own goals of what i want to do.
In other words my goal is BLANK and it is a very reachable goal that i have shot in practice many times,but not in a match, so my plan is to reach my goal and if that is dead last place i will be very happy that what i set out to do, I did and met my goal. and then i will step it up or have to work on reaching it how ever it turns out.
In other words my goal is BLANK and it is a very reachable goal that i have shot in practice many times,but not in a match, so my plan is to reach my goal and if that is dead last place i will be very happy that what i set out to do, I did and met my goal. and then i will step it up or have to work on reaching it how ever it turns out.
Everyone is right....After all, it is called competition....I think you'll find that when you start participating in this sport you have high expectations. You want to go out and score high and win all the matches you can. Hell, I still do that but I think you'll also find once it's your turn to shoot, you will forget all about what the others are doing and your focus will be 100% on you and what your talents can do for you on that given match. The success you have in this sport is determined by you, your rifle, your consistency in loading and shooting, and your ability to manage and read the wind and mirage. I believe you will find no two matches are the same and you are your biggest competitor. Your score or winning a match isn't determined by how well others can shoot, but is determined by how well you can. In the end it all comes down to you.......2 cents
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