# Pshcho Logic



## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

This may be related to Gary's "Target Panic" thread but it refers to something a little wider. Like victims of target panic, my accuracy problems are all mental. In short, I am the quintessential "choke artist". Not only at shooting slingshots but at many many things. Pool, horseshoes, firearms, baseball. ... I could go on but I don't want to drudge up too many painful (i.e., humliating) memories here.

When I quit school at 16, I started spending all my spare time (and money) in a pool hall, trying to become the next Willy Mascone or Minnesota Fats. I even had an expert to coach me on occasion. He owned the pool tables, which were in the back of his barber shop, and he was an ex-champion from Europe. I did get pretty good. But as soon as the pressure was on I sucked. In fact, after many years of playing I never did sink a complete rack. Even in private. I finally gave that up.

When I was in the Marine Corps, It took a score of 220 to earn an "Expert" medal at the rifle range. My drill instructor thought I was sure to get it. But I choked at a score of 218. "Sharpshooter".

Today I shoot mostly at 10-15 yards at small soda cans. For about 2-1/2 years now, I have been trying to get 10 hits in a row. I don't know why, but I haven't. (too my knowledge)

Let me explain. Sometimes when I'm really tearing it up, I will start to count my hits. EVERY SINGLE TIME I do that (count) I start missing a lot. Every time. Same with shooting in front of anyone, and even worse when I turn a camera on. Instant choke.

But lemme jus' mess around and then I do okay.

I wish somebody could come on here and teach me how to stop being a choke artist.


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## ash (Apr 23, 2013)

Start going for 20 hits in a row.

Or eight.

Don't count them actively. Lay out a bunch of cans or perhaps use a video camera to record your shooting and count them after you're done. That way you don't need to actively think of the counting.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

I think a psychiatris would do me more good than a coach, to be honest. We got Dr. J aboard, but he's medical. Can we get a shrink? :question:


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## Arturito (Jan 10, 2013)

It's the mental pressure raising when you approach the goal, some people can abstract from it better than others ... better is forget the goal, don't count and try to feel that every shoot as it is the first one, that works for me ...

Cheers

Arturo


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

This is an interesting topic. Shooting a slingshot is a mental game. I can relate to the struggle or battle with oneself. The first time any one seen me shoot a sling shot was at the ECST 2013. I was worried about being able to perform at my level. The first time on camera was July Pocket Predator Contest. I realized at the ECST that I'm not alone in this issue. I seen others including myself make incredible shots while playing and then when paper time came the results weren't up to the shooters true potential. No body can teach us how to think and feel right. That's our own journey and challenge. I think that as we perfect the shot the rest of our lives become a little more perfect.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

treefork said:


> This is an interesting topic. Shooting a slingshot is a mental game. I can relate to the struggle or battle with oneself. The first time any one seen me shoot a slingshot was at the ECST 2013. I was worried about being able to perform at my level. The first time on camera was July Pocket Predator Contest. I realized at the ECST that I'm not alone in this issue. I seen others including myself make incredible shots while playing and then when paper time came the results weren't up to the shooters true potential. No body can teach us how to think and feel right. That's our own journey and challenge. I think that as we perfect the shot the rest of our lives become a little more perfect.


Yeah but it's gettin' pretty late in the game for me, tree-man. I'm nearing the end of my journey here. :uhoh: I think I may need help.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Arturito said:


> It's the mental pressure raising when you approach the goal, some people can abstract from it better than others ... better is forget the goal, don't count and try to feel that every shoot as it is the first one, that works for me ...
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Arturo


Arturo, Can I come and lie on your couch? I think a good, long listen to you would do me a world of good. :cookie:


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## King Cat (Dec 19, 2009)

I don't know about slingshot shooting but there may be help for your pool game. Get the book "The Science Of Pocket Billiards". It can be found here: http://www.SuperShooting.com

Jack


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## libel (Jul 1, 2013)

You need to practice not giving a dam* about anything.

Have you tried alcohol?


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Dayhiker said:


> treefork said:
> 
> 
> > This is an interesting topic. Shooting a slingshot is a mental game. I can relate to the struggle or battle with oneself. The first time any one seen me shoot a slingshot was at the ECST 2013. I was worried about being able to perform at my level. The first time on camera was July Pocket Predator Contest. I realized at the ECST that I'm not alone in this issue. I seen others including myself make incredible shots while playing and then when paper time came the results weren't up to the shooters true potential. No body can teach us how to think and feel right. That's our own journey and challenge. I think that as we perfect the shot the rest of our lives become a little more perfect.
> ...


It's never to late to change our mind. Blue Skeen is 81 years young and still places in the top with the youngsters. You have to admire that spirit.


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

Simple.... don't shoot at cans, and force yourself to enter some of these online contests where the guys are shooting at matches and cards!

Shooting at very small objects will change your entire focus and perspective. You will be surprised at how quickly it becomes more and more common for you to break a match or cut a card....

You do that for a month, videoing and uploading your shooting in a contest format does two things... it MAKES you focus and it puts pressure on you to perform.... do it for a month and I can almost guarantee you'll be able to get ten in a row on a can after that... easily.


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## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

imagine the targets in their underwear


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## squirrel squasher (May 17, 2013)

Forget about numbers and just shoot to shoot. tell yourself even if it is a lie that wheather hit or miss it will not matter. tell yourself that you can do it and that you will do it before every shot.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

King Cat said:


> I don't know about slingshot shooting but there may be help for your pool game. Get the book "The Science Of Pocket Billiards". It can be found here: http://www.SuperShooting.com
> 
> Jack


On a mental level pool and slingshot shooting are a lot alike. I know that as my slingshot shooting improved, so did my pool game. If there is a lot about the mental game in your book, Jack, maybe it will do me more good than the archery books and articles I have studied. Thanks.



treefork said:


> It's never to late to change our mind. Blue Skeen is 81 years young and still places in the top with the youngsters. You have to admire that spirit.


The difference is that Blue "still doing" what I've yet to "come close to doing". He made that climb a long time ago.



Bill Hays said:


> Simple.... don't shoot at cans, and force yourself to enter some of these online contests where the guys are shooting at matches and cards!
> 
> Shooting at very small objects will change your entire focus and perspective. You will be surprised at how quickly it becomes more and more common for you to break a match or cut a card....
> 
> You do that for a month, videoing and uploading your shooting in a contest format does two things... it MAKES you focus and it puts pressure on you to perform.... do it for a month and I can almost guarantee you'll be able to get ten in a row on a can after that... easily.


I can dig it, Bill, except for the video contest part. I don't particularly enjoy making videos. But I guess it wouldn't kill me to make some videos and post them. The feedback and advice might help just like it does when I post my work. Thanks.



Imperial said:


> imagine the targets in their underwear


... So I should see myself shooting my balls at balls? :screwy: How would that help?


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## LostMarbles (May 31, 2013)

Have no expectations. Then you have no pressure. Like I heard a tennis player say once when asked why she wasn't nervous being in her 1st finals in a major and she said: 'Pressure is only a reflection of ambition.' Expectations, pressure, ambition, are all a hindrance to being in 'the zone' and performing your best.

Or like Bruce Lee said: "The consciousness of self is the greatest hindrance to the proper execution of all physical action." So make sure you are unconscious every time you shoot. :rofl:


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## GrayWolf (May 14, 2012)

I can relate on the choke issue. I was raised in a pool hall (actually the one from the Music Man...but that is for another time) I couldn't get better no matter how hard I tried. I finally figured out that it wasn't my ability or my game, it was in my head. I read many books on the mental game and most apply to all sports, not just any one. I find that if I start getting mad at myself, I just have to get my head out of the game and remember why I play (shoot...whatever)...and that is for the fun, 'cause I'm not going to get sponsored or make money at any of them, no matter how hard I try.

I just remember that once in a while...the clouds part and everything comes together and a personal victory, no matter how small, makes it all worth while.

Todd


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Wow! Marbles and GrayWolf -- Lots to think about there. Thanks guys.

@ Marbles: you reminded me of one of my favorite Stones songs. This song always gets me in the right frame of mind to just let go for a while.

@ Todd: Right on, bro. I'd like to hear more about the pool room, too. This mental game does apply to all sports and, I suspect, life in general. Maybe through slingshots I can finally figure out why I always "Coulda been a contender," but wasn't. (Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront).

Anyways... lots of good advice on this thread. I will meditate on all of it and, as Bill Hays strongly suggested, I will challenge myself more.

You guys shared a lot and I definitely appreciatie it. :wub:

Oh, and here's the song.


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## GrayWolf (May 14, 2012)

DH...that's a pretty cool song. I like the bluesy sound even though I'm not normally a Stones fan. Maybe I should try some music with the slingshots...always works for pool (I'm an AC/DC fan for pool shooting music) should do the same for slingshots.

Todd


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Todd, here ya go (for your next practice session).


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## tradspirit (Jul 23, 2012)

I have found that when I give to much conscious thought to the process then I tend to lose track of the goal. For me, learning the form in incremental steps, tying the steps together and practicing them until they become subcious efforts allows me to focus more on the target than the process. Archery for me has been a very similar experience. Too much concentration on the goal (i.e. shooting well) in front of an audience or camera before mastering the process and allowing it to flow subconciously often led me to the belief that I could not "perform" publically. Yet I could make incredibly long kill shots on moving game when I was alone. Then of course I faced the problem of telling the story with no witnesses 8^(.


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## rubber bandit (Oct 20, 2012)

With all my forms of shooting the best shots are always the easiest, the shots that appeared to be done on auto pilot. The problem is one of getting into the zone where you can just let it happen, without over thinking. It takes time to master all the basics, fine tune them to your requirements and then rely on habit, instinct or whatever it may be, trusting in your body to do the job. Good luck. We've all been there.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Thanks for that, RubberBandit. I agree with you, and I do trust my body -- the brain keeps sabotaging it, though.


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

View attachment 40305


Is it like this? lol


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## rubber bandit (Oct 20, 2012)

Once you have learned the basics, all shooting is easy, but it's often very difficult to allow it to be easy because of the mental pressure and conscious thought that we throw in to the activity. The really good shots always seem so easy after the event! The trick is to find your own way of getting into the zone where you can mentally stand back and just let the shot happen.


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## SmilingFury (Jul 2, 2013)

I had a very similar thing happen to me on the golf course. Whenever I would start a round with a few promising holes and have a chance at a good first half of a round, I would send a drive right into the woods. Or I would cap a shot and send it ten yards , or a number of other screwups that warranted "four letter word therapy".

I am by no means a skilled slingshot shooter but this is what helped me on the course. First, I let whomever was with me keep score as a way to train myself to not put so much emphasis on the immediate result. Now if you shoot alone, this may be the way to implement a camera in a role as a counter rather that trying to make a perfect video. It should also train you to forget about being recorded as the cameras primary role has been changed, both in your mind as well as in reality.
The other thing that I think we may have in common is that the most natural and focused performance ( in whatever endeavor) comes from having all of your concentration "just left of center". Let me clarify. I cannot count the number of times that I have physically done something that I only dedicated the slightest thought to (golf, darts, casting a fishing lure, etc)and then had the most arduous difficulty reproducing said action after I realized what I had done so perfectly. It is only when I have taken myself out of the moment that what I feel is my true unencumbered ability comes through. 
If I can suggest something that might sound stupid, try humming the hook to a song you don't normally listen to. For me it is "swingin' on a star" . It is not a song I listen to virtually anywhere else but in my head when doing these challenging things. I never choose the point in the song where I will begin my movement or trigger pull or pouch release. I let it just happen.
This has gotten my golf score from 95 to 80-85 and has kept me clear of many four letter words. 
I have no idea if this will work for you, but I hope it does. 
Be well,
SF


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

treefork said:


> download (9).jpg
> 
> Is it like this? lol


Treefork, I got coffee comin' out my nose now!


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

@ smiling fury... all good. I'm reading you like a book. I don't hum or sing but I often listen to music when I shoot. Sometimes when a good song really distracts me I will loosen up and start shooting better. But as soon as my brain notices this it pulls me back. :screwy:


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## lightgeoduck (Apr 3, 2011)

Sad thing is, it's easier said than done... If your mind gets you, it is just trial and error to take control again.

Biills ( the other one, not you of course ) is spot on... Of course I know the contest thing might just add fuel to the fire, but

I have always been advocate for people making videos.

I also believe if you force yourself to stress on a harder goal, then when you return to your original it will seem less mind consuming.

Shoot at a bottle cap, and try to hit it 5x.. Once you get frustrated with that, go back to the can.. It will seem like a barrel 

Also, as it was suggested, try shooting the can 12 x in a row then when you just miss it, you achieve what you really wanted to do in the first place 

If all else fails,, forget about it, and just accept it.. Lower your expectations is always easier 

LGD


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## dgui (Jan 12, 2010)

Just get a pfs and turn the pouch. Bam!


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## SHTF Slingshots (Feb 4, 2013)

Dude, just lay out around 12-15 cans, don't count jut focus on hitting them all, you'll do 10 in a row.


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## rubber bandit (Oct 20, 2012)

I can see there's a whole range of mental tricks that work for people. Anything that stops conscious thought on the shot or the outcome and allows you to trust yourself to let it happen will improve your skill. By the way, I am much better at the theory than the practice!


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## Aussie Allan In Thailand (Jan 28, 2013)

As the others have said, it is all about not caring about the result, as one shoots.

Which is not really true of course.

But rather having total confidence in your skills to make the shot, and NOT putting unnecessary pressure upon yourself.

From a martial arts perspective, it is a Zen state of mind; which I will not bog down the topic trying to explain further here.

Although in any sport, you can see the pros making the almost impossible shots for the rest of us, look easy.

It comes from years of practice; and total confidence in their ability to make the shot.

Cheers Allan


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

Dayhiker said:


> I think a psychiatris would do me more good than a coach, to be honest. We got Dr. J aboard, but he's medical. Can we get a shrink? :question:


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