Need some advice... Stuck at Expert, what do I need to move up?

First topic message reminder :

Hello fellow bullseye shooters,

     I am in need of some advice.  I have been expert class for about 2 years and am starting to think that I will never make it to master class.  I am curious to hear some advice or suggestions that might help me move closer to my goal.  Currently, I shoot about a 2450 in a given match give or take a little.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Jeff S.

willnewton wrote:I don't care how old this thread is, it is too good to die.

BUMP

Thanks willnewton for keeping the thread going.  Lots of excellent advice here.  The things I am realizing are ...
 - I don't have a training plan.  I just practice a lot.  And as Ed (I think it was Ed) said, practice and training are two totally different things.
 - I still need to really learn what 'start the trigger pull and keep it going' means.  I am still waiting for the wobble to begin to settle down before I start the pull.
 - As stated earlier, I need to work on my attitude. 
 - I need to stop expecting perfection and start enjoying the progress.

daflorc wrote:Yep, I know this is spot on, and I see it in my own shooting. In practice, I often am able to get into "the zone," and last week I shot 24 out of 30 into the timed 10 ring at the short line with the 45. I didn't switch the target because I was on a roll, just blasting out the middle. I have a KC Crawford roll trigger installed in 3 of my pistols, and that roll helps dramatically for me. Then, whenever I'm in a match, I get nervous, worry about doing well, and wind up with an 85-89 in slow fire and 94-97 in timed and rapid. I shoot about the same scores in rimfire with a MKIII as centerfire with a 1911, about 275 on average, for one round of rim and one round of centerfire. I need to go to a confidence building seminar...

I am spoiled (or blessed, I haven't decided yet) by the fact that bullseye is my second sport. It's my "get away" from muzzleloading pistol. I put so much pressure on myself to do well with muzzleloaders that I always make big mistakes at a match or when it REALLY counts. I started shooting Bullseye as "play". There are no local matches for muzzleloaders but plenty for Bullseye. So I figured it was good to stay practiced on some sort of competitive line, and it was a change of pace so it was fun. The key is - win, lose, draw, do worse or better than last time - it makes no difference. I'm there having fun doing what I enjoy doing. So in Bullseye for me there is no pressure. No one to impress, and no one to beat. Just my self if I'm lucky. 

So in muzzleloading like people have told me - I advise you to not stress, have fun, enjoy the guns and the rights we have that allow us to do so, and focus on the little victories. Don't beat your self up chasing the big end goal. Enjoy the steps it takes to get you there.

Ok been thinking about this post. I shot an 1800 match today. I intentionally worked out late last night knowing my hold would suffer  today. I have had zero practice since my last match last weekend. So my 3 minute prep was my dry firing for the week. My hold was wobbley but I knew that if I concentrated on keeping the trigger moving I should still do ok. I also shot a centerfire pistol with a crisp trigger which I don't particularly care for. But it would force me to focus on continuous trigger squeeze if I wanted to do well. I personally believe a slight roll helps immensely because you can feel the trigger moving. My long line went fairly well and my short line was a lot of work; slightly forcing shots because I wasn't constantly squeezing trigger. The strings that I kept the trigger moving were excellent. The strings that I wasn't as aggressive lead to playing catchup and forced shots. But I still averaged 97.0 today. So my point is keep the trigger moving! My hold wasn't Master quality by any means today. But my focus on keeping the trigger moving paid off and I shot High Master. I could see several areas where I can improve and will work on that, but I wanted to share that it really works!
As an aside, one of my friends (used to be an expert) just started shooting again after about 6 years away from BE. He shot I believe his 4th match today. He's been working on dry firing and matches are his only practice. He shot 95.7 avg today. He's keeping the trigger moving!!!
It works.
Jon