The Escalation Theory Of Match Shooting - Brief Article

There are important lessons to be learned by shooting under the pressure of competition, however, I certainly don't suggest that you force yourself into a situation that carries more pressure than you can handle. After all, you're using a firearm. The pressure should not be so great it leads to improper or unsafe gunhandling.

Where to begin depends on you. I've worked with some new shooters who were quite comfortable jumping right in at a rather high level. Often these were individuals had competed and done well in other sports. Others were clearly nervous, even with no one on the range but a sympathetic instructor.

If you have a friend or two you're comfortable shooting with, start getting accustomed to pressure by competing for small wagers. Some of my group used to end each session by setting up a couple of stages and shooting for score, with the losers picking up brass and putting away the target stands.

As your ability to shoot under pressure improves, move up to club matches, matches at other clubs, maybe even to area and national championships.

Perhaps the toughest challenge of all is one-on-one shootoff competition, where you must learn to maintain focus despite whatever your opponent is doing. Some competitors at the American Handgunner World Shootoff Championship at Montrose, Colo., have told me that after several days of this intense competition the pressure of local matches seemed mild indeed.

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