I worked hard to reach Grand Master in Carry Optics. Achieving that goal gave me evidence that my training was working. It also brought an expectation I needed to examine.
Shortly after reaching Grand Master (GM), I attended a shooting class as a participant. During the class, I felt pressure to perform at a GM level every time, on demand. The class was valuable, but I did not shoot as well as I expected. Some of the drills were similar to drills I had performed better on my own, so I knew everything was within my abilities.
I believe the pressure I placed on myself contributed to that gap. I focused on the performance I wanted instead of trusting my process. The experience made me consider how I approach improvement. I want to hold myself to a high standard while giving myself room to learn.
Recognize the Expectation
A classification goal gives you a defined standard to pursue. After reaching it, it can be tempting to add a new requirement: every performance should now show that you belong at that level.
That requirement can follow you into a match, a practice session, or a class. A difficult exercise becomes more than a chance to learn. You may start wondering what the instructor or the other shooters think of you.
I recognize that expectation in my own reaction to the class. I wanted to shoot well, and I also felt that I needed to demonstrate what being a Grand Master meant. The added concern about my classification gave me something else to think about while I was supposed to be learning.
Give Yourself Room to Learn
When I receive outside instruction, such as a class or private lesson, I want instruction that helps me improve. I value having another instructor evaluate my shooting. This includes exposing something I have not learned well, asking questions, and trying an approach that is unfamiliar.
Your classification does not mean all your skills are equally developed. You can have evidence of strong performance and still need work on a particular task. A class may make that need especially visible.
The purpose of an exercise matters, too. If you are learning a new movement, you may need to think deliberately about how to perform it. Judge that repetition by whether you understood and applied the instruction. If you are testing a familiar skill against a performance standard, evaluate how well you met that standard.
Approach learning with enough confidence to acknowledge what you can do and enough openness to work on what you cannot yet do consistently.
Choose a Useful Objective
When you notice the urge to prove yourself, give your attention a specific task.
For a learning exercise, that might mean understanding the movement being taught and applying the instructor's feedback. For a match stage, it means committing to a sound plan and following your Stage Performance Routine.
An expectation such as "I need to look like a Grand Master" gives you very little direction. A specific objective tells you what you intend to do. It also gives you something useful to evaluate afterward.
This applies at any classification. Before the next exercise or stage, identify what it asks of you and what you intend to do. Keep the objective close enough to the actual task that you can recognize whether you followed it.
Return to Your Stage Performance Routine
My Stage Performance Routine already provides a structure for competition. It begins with developing and rehearsing the stage plan, carries through execution, and includes the Mental Reload and reset afterward.
That familiar process gives me a way to respond when I notice my attention drifting toward what other people might think or what the result might say about me. I can return to the part of the routine that needs my attention.
As I prepare to shoot, my final conscious cue is "See my spot." It directs my attention toward the beginning of the performance I have prepared to execute.
Knowing the routine and consistently using it are separate things. Following it when I feel pressure is part of what I need to keep practicing.
Review the Performance Fairly
After a class, practice session, or match, review what happened carefully enough to identify what went well and what needs work.
Calling every disappointing performance a mental problem would make that review too easy. You may have a skill that needs more practice. The task may be less familiar than you thought. Your preparation may have been incomplete, or you may have directed attention toward proving yourself while neglecting the process. Sometimes more than one factor is involved.
Ask yourself three questions:
- What did I do well?
- What needs work?
- What is the solution to the issue?
Once the solution is identified, shift your attention from the problem to the solution. In Confidence and Decisiveness, I wrote about building confidence from evidence. That requires an honest view of what you can perform reliably and what still needs development.
A good review should leave you with successful actions to reinforce and a useful direction for practice. Simply deciding that you should have shot better does neither.
Keep Learning After the Goal
I want to perform well, compete successfully, and continue improving as a shooter and instructor. Reaching Grand Master was an important milestone, and the work behind that achievement gives me confidence as I keep learning. When I receive instruction, I focus on understanding and applying the lesson. During a match, I trust my preparation and follow my Stage Performance Routine. In either setting, my attention belongs on the task in front of me.