Shooting a terrible IDPA stage in one easy step

I shot an awful stage today. In IDPA terms, I was down 26 with two failures to neutralize. That means, of the six targets, I totally missed one and only got edge hits on another. I got more points down on this one stage than the other five combined. And all the targets I whiffed on were less than two paces away. Here’s why.

I ascribe to the “call the shot” school of practical shooting. Watch the sights and as soon as they are there and over the target, pull the trigger. No sooner, and no later. This might seem simple in concept, but in practice, maintaining the visual patience to not rush the shot before your sights are there, but also not spending too long confirming your sight picture is harder than it seems. To wit, you aim just enough.

Today, I aimed not enough.

This was a stage that included the shooter drawing and engaging two targets, one at 7 yards and another at 10. Then, moving down a wall, there were four targets hidden in each opening in the wall. None was beyond bad breath distance, although one had a “non-threat” target behind it so you could shoot through and hit both if you weren’t careful. In retrospect, at least I avoided that penalty.

The targets were so closely grouped and so close to the shooter that when I saw the stage I imagined moving continuously down the line, shooting each one as I went, never stopping and blowing through the whole stage fast. This, as it happens, did not come to pass.

Primarily, this is because I tried to go faster than I am. I tried to hit the gas in a corner and spun out.

If I had watched my sights and gone as fast as they would let me, the run would have actually been fast. I mean, the targets were feet away. But instead, I tried to go at some speed I’d picked in my head, which felt ultra-fast, and ended up turning a 11 second run in to a 34 second final score. Because I couldn’t be patient and spend the extra tenths aiming, I racked up tens of seconds in penalties.

Steve Anderson talks often about having a consistent mindset. I comprehended the words he was saying, but until today, when I tried to shoot one stage with a totally different mindset from all the rest and subsequently crashed and burned, I didn’t really understand what he meant. Hopefully I remember this time so I don’t have to make this mistake again.