Magazine Review TRAP & FIELD – 2021 June Bob Palmer brings up a good point this month. He discusses how Olympic Shooters are sometimes more concerned with quota spots than they are about competitions where quota spots aren’t at stake. What he probably misses is the fact they don’t get to go to those other competitions if they don’t get a quota spot, but the concept is correct, all competitions are important and we shouldn’t put a priority on some over others. They all matter. By giving less at a smaller shoot or one without All-American points you’re cheating yourself by not preparing for the larger shoots. Use the small shoots as your mental training ground for the big competitions. Bob likes to ramp up your adrenaline so you are ready for the big competitions. Pretend you are shooting at the Grand every time you step to the line, so you are prepared for the real thing. Get advice from a coach who has some “Big Show” experience and discuss issues with
them. Ask for qualified help to shorten your learning curve and get solutions and suggestions outside of your experience. As always, Bob recommends the 30-minute pre-competition isolation before every event. Take 30 minutes before the event to prepare yourself mentally. Get away from everyone and prep yourself mentally. Bob thinks you should spend some time after every competitive event thinking about how your friends are impacted by your results and how it would impact the top shooters. I don’t get this, mainly because you need to reflect on how you are impacted by their results. Think backwards from this and ask, how do I feel about my competitors results. If their results have no impact on you, why would your shooting impact them? Read the article for yourself for more insight. Finally, celebrate your successes and don’t be frightened from setting bold and unrealistic goals for the Grand. You just might surprise yourself. 8
