Rick James

How long did it take you to shoot that magical 450, or 60X score on a NFAA or Vegas face?

If you have not shot one of these perfect rounds, do you think you will get there?

Rick James

Are there no spot shooters here?

gibblet

i did, at vegas, last night, but then i woke up.

djkiller

I did this year and it only took me 2 years too get there!! LOL !!!
Gibblet you were at Vegas? Didnt see you there? LOL!!! dont know you either!!! LOL

gibblet

no, basically i said - in my dreams. i'm not too funny, but i keep tryign.

djkiller

LOL !!!!

Black Frog

I've been fortunate enough to shoot numerous 60X rounds, my favorite one was last year in the NFAA Sectionals. Took me four years from starting to shoot until I hit my first 60X.

I don't shoot to much at the Vegas face so never tried the 450 round. I did place in the money last year in at the Vegas tournament though. After two days, I was tied with the leader-at-the-time Dave Cousins for baby-X's (55 out of 60). The BIG difference was that I had put three arrows in the 9 ring. Dave didn't. That's why he's a pro and I'm a wanna be!

How long it takes a person to get to the magic 60X is a HUGELY variable thing. Some people may simply not have the time available it takes to get there.

Rick James

Awesome post black frog, and that is some fine shooting.

This year is my first year shooting spots. I started the season only 15 games ago averaging in the low 430's on a 450 vegas face. I have progressed quickly and added points almost every game. Last night, I shot my personal best of a 443 w/ 24 X's.

I really feel that my first 450 is only a little more self discipline away from me right now. I think it is honestly attainable this season if I put in the consistent 4-5 sessions a week that I have been shooting. 5 arrows of the 7 that missed the 10 ring last night I knew before they got there, they were poorly executed shots that should have been let down on, but I lacked the self discipline to force myself to let down. I hear a lot of people get hung up for a year or two though on those 447-449 scores before they are able to gain the self discipline to put all 45 arrows into that 10 ring. I happen to be in an area populated with some pretty good shooters. I would say there are at least 5 shooters that average 449 or better in the one club I am a member of, and the other club I shoot at is the camp that Cory Monahan was coached and started at, so I have exposure to some real good shooters there as well. The one guy I was shooting w/ last night has several targets w/ a 450 score and 43 and 44 baby vegas X's hanging on his wall, and 26 of his last 30 games have been 450's. I think my exposure to these guys helps a ton w/ the confidence that it can be done, as well as the helpful hints they give.

I want to do this my first year badly. I will be framing that target when it happens, that is for sure.

Black Frog

That's half the battle right there. You KNOW you should let down to restart your shot sequence, but you try and force it anyway.

".....it's still there....I can still get it....just a second more..... dammit go off now already...."

Once you can consistently average in the mid 50's on a 5-spot face, the only thing keeping you from a 60X game is mental discipline and proper shot execution. You've proved you can shoot well by getting to the mid-50's. It's only those couple of bad shots the screw you over. Like you mentioned, you usually know your misses before the arrow ever gets to the target.

Once you get to a certain talent ability, spot shooting is all about the mind. One of the most nervous feelings and pressured situations you'll ever have is that last arrow for your first 60X game. You'll never forget it. Every arrow counts the same in a game of 60 arrows, but we all put more pressure on the last ones. We think that the last few arrows are the ones that really count. Which isn't really true. EVERY arrow counts. There is no more important arrow than the one you are ABOUT to shoot. Could be the 1st arrow, the 23rd, or the 60th. Miss any one of them and you don't get your perfect game. And if you do miss, let it go. Don't get all mad about it and let it influence your upcoming shots. You can't do anything about the miss once it has happened, just move forward and drop it out of your mind. If you keep thinking about your miss- other bad things will likely happen. Visualize what you WANT to happen.

There's a good book for mental management that fits in perfectly with spot shooting. It's called "With Winning In Mind" by Lanny Basham. You can get used copies off Amazon for less than $10. It's a really easy read you can do in one night, but the basic principles are something that will take lots of time to become an automatic part of your shooting. Well worth the few bucks. I think it helped me get above that mid-50's plateau.

Two years ago at the NFAA Sectionals I was clean allllll the way through my game and had only one arrow to go to make a perfect 60X game. I knew I had won the tournament (as long as I kept it in the 5-ring), and I "told" myself there was no pressure. Just put the last arrow in there and FINALLY hit a 60X game in a competition. I had done clean games in league, but never in competition tournaments. I blew it. Choked on the last arrow. [:@]

That what Lanny's book helps with. Last year I DID hit that 60X in that same tournament.

Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Set some realistic and ACHEIVABLE goals to work towards. Log your progress. Keep a shooting notebook with dates, scores, equipment changes, etc. Sounds like you're on your way!! Keep up the good shooting. Spots are addictive....

gibblet

froggy, you sound just like larry. if you had used the phrase 'in your concious' i'd think you were larry.

rick, don't know if this would help you, but larry uses one of those scopes with a ring and NOT a dot. that way, he says, he can keep focused on the spot he's going to hit 'with his conscious'.