How often do you perform a comprehensive assessment of your performance.
Why If Failing Important
What’s the importance for reviewing your performance in the first place. Why do you need to go over your lessons learned. It should be pretty obvious, we want to get better. We want to start off today knowing if we do the work, we will be better than we were yesterday. That’s it. Your gains will not be measured in huge accomplishments as much as small victories. One of the easiest things you can do is making shooting a regular practice. How regular is up to you, but just getting out there is the key. Doing something, even if it is “wrong” is better than not doing anything.
Know Thyself
I’m fortunate to be healthy enough to compete in the Crossfit Open each year. I use it as my review of physical performance. It is hard to beat it for my needs. I want three physical characteristics, strength, speed and stamina. Now, everyone will measure these characteristics differently and that is fine. You don’t need to use the same tools I use. As long as they give you the feedback you need to get better that is all that matters. Here is the other thing I have learned over the years. Every workout does not need to be balls to the wall performance. I am happy to going hard, but that extra effort I reserve for competitions. How you can interpret this is not every training or practice session needs to be some sort of make it or break drill. Work on your weak areas for sure, but you don’t have to go at everything like you are shooting for a title.
Manage Your Expectations
Start out by taking stock of your overall skill. Where do you need work? Is it your marksmanship, is it your speed, is it your drawstroke. Whatever it is, take a close look at your performance and figure out where you are and where you want to be. Where you want to be does not have to be a blazing time, in fact that might be worse. What you are doing is trying to identify a goal, something that is reasonable and achievable. When you look to set a goal, keep it within reach. Once you reach it, update your goal. Making them bite size will be a lot better for you in the long run. With your goal in mind, your next step is to hold yourself accountable. I don’t like to put time limits on my goals, but I do like to put expectations. I expect to have improved my 25 yard marksmanship within seven or eight trips to the range concentrating on this task.
Plan The Dive, Dive The Plan
Looking at your goal from this perspective will give you a lot more latitude towards achieving. It also allows me to come up with my plan of attack. How am I going to achieve these goals. What drills will I use to improve. Will I look at updating my gear, will I look at new gear. I try to lay out the steps as descriptive as possible. Down to the rounds fired on each target. I know it may seem tedious, but it works. If I’m not doing well on a specific task, then I break the task down into its parts. Find the part that needs work and create practice around this part. Once you have done the work to prepare, it all comes down to the execution. Don’t make excuses, just do the work. Removing the time lines and focusing on the parts will get you by those frustrating periods.
Keep your eye on the end goal, follow your plan and don’t get lazy…do the work.
