EIC Buck fever woes

Last year, I shot EIC matches like they were just another NMC we shoot in the leagues.

This year.... It's like I develop instant Parkinson's holding my gun up, and the sweats!  Blow the match... And then physically fine, but psychologically beaten.

This year at Perry is the perfect example, Presidents and NTI, it was shake city, I was consciencly calm sub consciencly an absolute wreck!   Blew both of the matches.  Went to shoot the NTT... stone calm, like it was casual match, shooting with the boys.  It's happening at local and smaller matches as well.

Anyone else get this?  Distinguished folks?

Yes I did.  I would shoot an entire 2700 with an iron sight marvel and then my Ballgun for CF/45. I would have decent scores for the 2700 but then tank the EIC match or presidents 100.  It was a struggle at times to swing up and down like that but I had enough good matches to know that I could perform so I would work harder on the next one. I did earn my distinguished badge in both and P100 so stick with it and you should be able to do it too.

John

It's a thing for sure. Beating it is part and parcel of getting your badge.

-There are some breathing and sports psychology things like visualization that help.
-Match experience works in your favor, but it is constrained within eic, so sometimes it come so slow that it isn't helpful.
-Practice still works. Systematic, conscientious, deliberate, sustained practice.

I went through this with Rifle and experience it in pistol too. You need to convince yourself that you’re capable of shooting good scores. Check out Lanny Basham’s mental management program.
I made P100 my first (and only) trip to Perry, and I strongly feel a big reason was my mental program leading up to it.
I had a mantra on index cards… I put them on the mirror so I’d read it when I brushed my teeth in the morning, put one in my car so every time I drove I read it, had it on my desk at work, etc.

It was along the lines of “I am a P100 shooter, i shoot tens all the time, it is like me to shoot tens, I am a P100 shooter.”

It sounds hokey, but you need to convince your subconscious that you are as good a shooter as your “non important” matches prove.

I think about this a lot. I've been accused of overthinking it, but I'm not dumb enough to shoot well and I'm also not smart enough to shoot well. A friend recently emailed me after reading something from the CMP that I said that "I know how to put a match together," and asked me what that meant.

Start simple.

1. Write my firing point number on my hand. An excerpt from my journal this year: "SHOOT. ON. MY F*CKING. TARGET."
2. Shoot on my f*cking target. Get my shots off on time.
3. Disciplined, Organized, and Determined. D.O.D. Have my sh*t together. There's lots of noise at Perry, and other EICs. That's not my circus, not my monkeys. Have my gear in place. Have my magazines loaded. Know where my f*cking screwdriver and earmuffs are.
4. Shoot. My. Match. Execute to the best of my ability.
5. Walk off the line knowing that I did the best that I could given the conditions at the time.

I will preface my thoughts with the following, just cause something works for someone else, doesn't mean it will work for you. 

My biggest issue with EIC matches is that by the time they roll around, it is usually at the end of a long day/week of shooting. Fatigue sets in and performing at a higher level is a bit tricky. Hold is a bit compromised, chance of being dehydrated or hungry is higher. 

So to combat this, I intentionally will do some training under a fatigued condition when possible in attempt to mimic match conditions.

What you describe is the “Leg Match Monkey on your back” syndrome.  It can happen to anyone at any level.  I’ve seen guys with 28 points get it bad.  I’ve seen newbies who are “Almost Masters” get it.  What worked for me was to treat them as “just another match”.  Nothing special, just go and shoot. When I did that I legged out in rifle fairly quickly.  

In shooting there’s only one shot that you have control of and that is the one in the gun right now.  The last one is gone and the next one is still in the magazine.  Shooting is as much as a mental game as anything else.

Yep, I did it last weekend.  I thought I was confident and competent.  I had practiced all year for the leg match.  I fell flat on my face.  I shot  about 10-15% lower than my average practice session scores.  It all went out the window.  IT was embarrassing, disappointing and infuriating.