First overall handgun match win

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1KPerDay

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It was kind of a fluke but I'll take it. I only actually won 2 of 10 stages. The others I placed around 5th and as poorly as 24th (out of 75ish shooters). but the one I won, I won big and it made up for the rest. The stage was 3 shooting boxes: left had a plate rack, center had a steel lollipop you had to hit 4 times, and the right was another plate rack with tiny pepper poppers instead of plates.

there was the option of shooting strong hand only for a one second bonus for each hit SHO, and weak hand only for a 2 second bonus.

Judging by the typically fast guys' scores, they opted to just shoot it all freestyle and go fast, with about 14-17 seconds time for the stage. I shot the first plate rack (6 plates) and the center lollipop (which had to be engaged before and after the rightmost rack) weak hand, for a total of 14 hits WHO and a 28 second bonus, so my total time for the stage was 3 seconds.

I won the match... next shooter was 6 seconds back. I was shooting Open division, with a S&W M&P CORE 9L, RMR dot, and taylor freelance 28 round mag. No other mods. IDPA-legal Safariland belt-slide OWB holster. Local match, not sanctioned USPSA or anything.

I'd won my division in a Man-vs-Man handgun match before and placed first in a couple 3-guns in Heavy division (with zero or maybe 2 other shooters in the division), but hadn't taken first overall before.
 
I have always said that the most important lesson you can learn from winning is that you can.

You might have learned another one that is just as valuable. You don't need to win any stage to with the match.
 
jmorris said:
I have always said that the most important lesson you can learn from winning is that you can.

A big +1 on that.

Winning early on helps establish a positive attitude and a positive self-image as a shooter, that is strongly self-fulfilling. As Lanny Bassham writes, "Self-Image = Performance". Having a negative attitude and self-image will ultimately undermine all your hard work and leave you frustrated, so establishing a good self-image early on is a huge boost for your shooting.
 
The USPSA production national champion this year won zero (0) stages.

Consistency wins matches more so than any other factor.
 
Congratulations on your accomplishment. Better to go slow and get your hits than to spray and pray. Always go for the bonus.

Good luck and good shooting.:)
 
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