A little over a week ago, my good friend and fellow shooter Doug Parsons punched up from A to AA class while shooting at Kidd’s Place!
His feat was followed by a flurry of congratulatory emails. One email in particular caught my eye. Randy Donovan had commented that Doug’s having switched to a 32” Caesar Guerini had paid off (full disclosure – Randy also shoots a CG). Doug commented back “While finally getting into a gun that fits me well has been a big plus, my work on the “mental game” is what has really made the biggest difference”. Well… my heart skipped a few beats out of joy when I read those words! I have referred to Doug in several posts. He really helped me a lot getting the blog off the ground with constructive comments. We have swapped several books back and forth mostly dealing with Sport Psychology. But to hear him attribute his success to the role mental skills played was music to my ears! I contacted Doug and asked if he would mind elaborating on what he found most helpful. He kindly agreed. Here are his comments with just minor edits:
Thank you for your interest in my thoughts on what has been helping me to perform at a little higher and more consistent level over the past year. Following are my bullet points with a few added thoughts for embellishment.
MY GAME DAY PLAN/PREPERATION
- Arrive at the shoot a little early and well rested
- Stretch and do a little deep breathing so when it’s my turn in the rotation, I’ll not be stressed
- Set my “gaze” in the distance to rest my eyes and create a sense of soft focus (quiet eye)
- Take a couple of deep breaths and relax
- Determine my Break Point, Foot Position, Hold Point and Visual Pick-Up Point
- Go through my PSR (Pre-Shot Routine) – always being consistent with it
- Plan my shot(s) by (1) picking my “number” (a reference to my Coordinated Shooting Method training – using a clock face position for hard focus on the target) and (2) my shooting method
- Remind myself to SEE IT (Focus), FEEL IT (Movement) and TRUST IT (Faith) as I call for the target
- Stay in the gun until I see the target break
- If I experience a bad station, quickly put it into my rear-view mirror and move on to the next station with a positive frame of mind
I also am constantly reminding myself to breathe, stretch and stay loose. Repeating the mantras: Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast; DON’T OVERTHINK IT… just see it and break it; and most importantly, stay with the process… and the score will take care of itself.
I know that there is very little, if anything, new here but the fact that I am embedding this process into a consistent mindset has been making a difference for me, especially the reminder to stay with the process.
As they say, the proof is in the pudding, and Doug has been cooking up some great stuff!
Many thanks to Doug for sharing his thoughts on what has worked for him, and a hearty congratulations on his accomplishments!