Concentration.

[Novagun]

 
"Sometimes I shoot better groups not concentrating and just for fun and quicker than normally would."


I draw attention to the word sometimes.  It immediately raises the question to me; why?  Why sometimes and not always? I have had the odd occasion when I have shot a good group or sometimes a good shot and I don't know why it happened. Fluke maybe.
 Maybe it is what we call muscle memory taking over but it is not reliable or consistent.  --- Sometimes and even seldom.

One of the chaps using an Anshutz .22 lr shot 100. 8 yesterday and he did it twice. The middle of three cards was not nearly so good. The same chap sometimes shoots one card and gives up. He says it is not his day but he is often up in the 100 mark.

[45Bravo]

I no longer shoot paper for fun, I only do it when I am zeroing a gun, learning the hold overs, or if I think the zero has changed.

I prefer reactive targets, steel, pest or game animals, or lately since the squirrels no longer visit, the acorns in the oak tree just over the fence, or the ones that have fallen to the ground.

It’s good practice on a small target, at an unknown range.

You learn the hold overs at the distance you judge it to be.

And they just disappear when hit. 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Don't over think it...It will haunt you.

[Socaltrail]

Lot of good advice and insight in this thread. I shot a little this evening and paid attention to my "routine." Each shot was exactly the same deal... down to the number of breaths I took while preparing to break the shot, how I loaded the pellet, a moment of visualizing a perfect mark on the target, then that perfect trigger press. Repetitions, repetitions, repetitions. Any little thing you do different for each shot has the potential to negatively effect your POI.

[Novagun]

Now that is interesting. Number of breaths, visualising. I am going to try that. Write down a list to follow for the first few times and an aide memoire thereafter.

One thing I find upsets the flow is when shooting on the mound, prone, one has to roll on the side to cock a springer. I'll just have to put that in the list.

[Mossonarock]

I know what I'm about to write here will make some people here want to vomit but reality is what it is.

Long story short: I find marksmanship sports, particularly airgun shooting, to be very much like practicing meditation.
In meditation, you control your breathing, slow down your heart rate and focus your attention on a single point and put all distractions out of your mind. Also in yoga and meditation, you approach your position through a set routine; any deviation will throw you off. In yoga the positions you sit and stand in and all that are called asanas (plural), asana (singular). What's this famous position/asana spoken of in airgun cicles? Artillery Hold is it? Then there's prone, kneeling etc. Hopefully, you get the idea. Breath control in order to slow down the rest of the body such as heart rate, distracting thoughts and all that are a very important part of meditation. Interesting, that such skills are also important in shooting accurately.

There are very strong similarities between shooting and meditation/yogic practices. I didn't really think about it when I got back into shooting but couldn't help but to notice. I used to work as hired staff washing dishes in a large mediation center. So I learned a few things about meditation. I'm no master at meditation or a yogi or anything like that. I was just a dishwasher. Yet, I wouldn't hesitate to say that shooting is a form of meditation/yoga.

[bandg]

"but reality is what it is"

No, an opinion is what it is.  And everyone has the right to one. 

[rualert]

     This is a spot on thread with a great deal of very good information and procedures/processes. The above noted reference to Mediation/Yoga does seem to fit in well with the rest of the process. I at least approach it as a process. I also learned precision shooting that way, it's a process, first we learn the physical steps that must be followed (Mechanical), then we apply the mental process. This entails visualizing each shot from loading the pellet, closing the bolt, loading gate, what have you, breathing, proper mechanical hold, breathing, learning ones own movement. Seeing n your mind the whole shot, all the way to the actual strike. I have seen some of our 4-H precision Rifle shooters get so deep in the zone that you could say their name rather loudly right behind them and they never even noticed you. Tap a shoulder and they looked startled. Everything mentioned ties together you find the shot plan as we like to refer to it, then follow it exactly every time. You will notice an improvement. I very quickly find when my feet are not parallel to each other when standing, a single shot shows me something is wrong, I look down and my feet are crooked, fit them, and the shots go back to where they belong. Sorry for the long winded response but this is how we teach youth so they get the mechanical basics, then the mental procedure down. Like I tell every kid, this game doesn't care if your 4 feet tall and 75 pounds or 6 feet tall and 180, because this game is 85-90% between your ears.
Casey

I can also agree with the instinctive style for what many refer to as combat/defensive type shooting. You can and do learn exactly where to place a shot with almost no distractions and typically only the front sight. Generally not super tight groups, but it's a different game.

[45Bravo]

When I lived in Colorado Springs I was in 2 clubs that shot at the Olympic Training Center.

I got to shoot with many Olympic shooters, and they were all eager to help you with improving your shooting.

Most recreational shooters don’t realize how much dryfire practice the top level shooters actually do.

Some as high as 95% dry fire to 5% live fire.

With that you get to concentrate on your form, stance, sight picture, Trigger squeeze, and follow through.

It is mostly mental, and doing everything the exact same way.

As much as I hate to use this analogy, it’s a lot like golf (a thousand ways to do it wrong, and only 1 or 2 ways to do it right.) for the record I hate golf.
A golf course is a waste of a good shooting range location.

Each person has their own routine, and steps to go through.

Diet and fitness play into it too.

I can tell the days I have had sugar or caffeine.

I can tell the days I have let stress sneak into my day.

But I find with lots of concentration on the front sight , I can forget the stress, and actually feel drained after a series.

The sugar and caffeine, can’t be concentrated out. 

[NHGuide]

When I shot 10 Meter air rifle regularly, I found the hardest thing I EVER had to master was...   I did NOT have to release the shot! so I found a way to help by paying attention to timing.

It took me several years to actually 'get it'.  Thinking about 'making up for a dropped point' (impossible) was always a hard one to beat, but not as hard as keeping in my mind that concept of not having to fire.

 To help me concentrate, I would think about the timing of the release. The routine of running a target out on the holder, loading my pellet and settling in for the shot became automatic quickly, but the timing of the release as the sights slowly drifted around the target was my main focus. and THEN KNOWING I did NOT have to let it go... I could then set my rifle on the rest, and start over, if I ran out of "good air in my lungs"...  so that was my "Concentration method"

Sounds simple, but knowing when not to shoot was my biggest obsticle in keeping concentrated on the task and eventually shooting my best.

Looks like I said the same thing three times there...but that's how important it was for me.

[dcmeyer]

So thinking about this and reading more responses I found myself thinking, since you are talking about accuracy with a springer how much of the problem is the rifle being hold sensitive and also how even the slightest change in how it rests can change POI. Since you have to pick it up to cock it you will have a change, although minor every time.

If I were to analyze my technique vs my technique with a springer, I would take the springer out of the mix temporarily. A PCP, rimfire, or low recoiling centerfire seems would be a better way to separate the issue. Maybe because I'm "gun" shy about them

Point being, if you are off slightly with no recoil it can still have acceptable results, If you are off slightly with a springer it can quickly become a tragedy.

[lizzie]

If I take more than a few moments to settle, I often look up a moment and then start over. It is often an indication that something is or was off with my normal hold.

Agreed
 There is a fine line between not concentrating enough and "too much".
The more I overthink a shot the same can happen as if I took the shot too soon.
 The crosshairs start to swing more, then it is time to dismount and shake it off.
 I am going more for repetition. Sometimes my best groups are taking the shots right as they come into view each and every time.

I suspect that's essentially what I was referring to when Imentioned instinctive shooting.
My tendency is to over-think, and I find that I often shoot better when I'm not over-analyzing every little thing.

[Novagun]

I watched Rob shoot the semi auto pistol. He was not going for accurate shooting, just getting the shots on the target. A lot different from shooting an air rifle.
Second thing he said was hold the gun tightly. I read some where here that a US army small arms instructor said do not hold the gun tightly. Let it recoil as it wants to.
I will never get hold of a glock or similar to try but I will try with my Webley air pistol. One shot at a time only.

I think there is a big difference in the technique of shooting a spring air rifle for accuracy and what Rob was doing.

[45Bravo]

I have shot bullseye competition with a 1911, and i have shot IPSC competition back in the 80's with a 1911.

2 entirely different disciplines, 2 entirely different ways to shoot it and hold it.

on the bullseye you hold the pistol like the webley air gun, let it do what it wants, recoil management and fast shots are not the object.

On the speed shooting, as many shots on target within the fastest times possible is the object, so recoil management is primary,
Accuracy
Speed
Power.
That's the speed shooters agenda, and sometimes not in that order.

and if they are shooting steel targets, its either a hit or miss, so a shoulder shot counts the same as a center mass shot.

So for the type of shooting Rob Latham does, as long as it is a hit, its gravy.
Precision is not his primary focus anymore.

Currently i am shooting IDPA, there again, speed is the primary factor for some people, its like a game, they will take penalty points to have the fastest time, and if you are fast enough, you can nullify the penalties.

My goal in IDPA is don't drop any points for accuracy, and not incurring any penalty points.

I will never win the match because i don't play it as a speed game, but i also am never the lowest person on the score sheet either.

[Mole2017]

Use the force, Luke!

But seriously, I am surprised at how much goes into getting that last little bit out of a tight group. But let me share an observation a few have mentioned already:

Some of my best shots have been nearly automatic. See squirrel, raise rifle and shoot inside of 5 seconds. 1/4" error, max, at 30 yards, standing with a simple shooting stick and my unmodified CFX (a springer). But trying that on paper...it just wasn't quite repeatable, even rested. But some shooting with the R10 the other day shed some light on what I was seeing with the CFX.

In this case, I shot a two hole group at 30 yards with the R10 on a rest. Literally, 2 shots in one hole, 1/16" or less, ctc, and three shots into the other hole, again 1/16" ctc. But the two groups were 3/4" apart. But I had noticed I wasn't concentrating the same on keeping the rifle to my shoulder the same way, though I was trying to mind by grip and balance point of the rifle (single bag rest).

The application to the CFX is this: my best shots were always at high angles into trees, e.g. 45 to 60 degrees. That results in a lighter pressure at the forearm, and a substantial, but easily repeatable pressure at the shoulder.

So, pro tip here: shoot at targets mounted in high trees   

But yes, practice, practice, practice. No way was I this good when I started out...1" at 20 yards was tough then.

[Novagun]

Aide to Concentration.  Springer air rifle shooting routine.   

Load...               Make sure the pellet is squarely and firmly seated.

Shoulder...         Bring the rifle to the shoulder and get the hand grips to your favoured position including rests.  Artillery hold.

Target...             Identify the right place to shoot.

Visualise...         Imagine what you want the target to look like after the shot.

Sights ...            Bring the sights onto the bullseye zone.
 
Breath...            Three breaths then partial exhale; stop breathing.  Do not hold breath as that creates tension.

Aim...                Bring the scope x hairs or open sight to fine detail and hold.   7 seconds maximum or restart the process. ( Less time is better but do not rush to get shot away.)

Squeeze...         Straight back, steady. Do not snatch the trigger trying to get shot away while sight is spot on.

Follow through... Watch the sight, target picture for two seconds, watch the pellet if you can. Do not release the trigger until the pellet has struck.



  Nine steps and doing that twelve times in quick succession at a small bore target or whatever you shoot will take some mental effort.
 Please criticise.

[45Bravo]

Use the force, Luke!

Some of my best shots have been nearly automatic. See squirrel, raise rifle and shoot inside of 5 seconds.
.

That is actually what your brain does when shooting fast.

When shooting hand thrown objects or skeet or trap, or bird hunting, your brain does the mental calculations for the speed of the bullet, the trajectory of the target, the bullet trajectory, and where in space the 2 will meet. 

When you do it enough you get very good at it.

In 1959, Tom Frye hit 100,004 out of 100,010 hand thrown wooden 2.5 inch blocks.
With .22 caliber rimfire nylon 66 rifles.

He missed 6 out of over ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND.!

That’s using the force. 

Not a shotgun.
A rifle. 

[Novagun]

Astonishing just astonishing with a .22lr.
How long does it take to load and fire 100,000 bullets. A long time and the average brain would have difficulty coping during every shooting session.
To get to that state of autonomic reaction must take even more practice bullets. He had a secret.

[bandg]

Exactly. There is nothing at all wrong with having a routine and trying to stick to it.  Shooting for small groups at a bench probably depends on such to a large degree.  Most things are learned by repetition and the more repetition the more reliable the function becomes.   But it can reach a point where to much "concentration" can detract from performance, even though it seems such a level of performance in anything is hard to reach for most of us.  Find your own comfort level and method.  It is something that each person has to work out for him/her self as to what works best for them as it does vary from person to person. 

And there is a bit of a trick to hitting a thrown object but it still requires skill and lots of practice.  But Frye's accomplishment was amazing.

[Wildcatter]

I rarely *SQUIRREL!* lose concentration...