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Date: Mon, 17 Nov 1997 12:41:00 -0500
To: topshot@indy.net
From: Michael Ray <topshot@indy.net
Subject: UIT Mailing List Vol. 2 - #8
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In this issue:

BETWEEN TRIALS ACTIVITY=20
Re: How to test ammo
Re: How to test ammo
Re: How to test ammo
Why not to say visualization

********************************************************************

Basically this article is saying that feedback is always required but 
with
feedback the athlete must also have mental analysis and then acceptance 
to
effect any type of change in procedure or technique and of course 
placement
into memory for reuse by the non-dominant for the issuing of 
instructions
for the next shot or athletic activity.  This takes time and we are at 
the
whims of the brain and its abilities in slowness.  (Please refer to the
item below
 titled "memory filing of newly learned skills".)  The brain will 
accept
anything into memory without analysis or acceptance in a flash, but 
when a
function or behavioral modification is effected then we go the full 
route
and it takes time for the brain to do its functional best which is 
never in
the time frame of competitive shooting or sport.  For shooting efforts 
the
time value is the equivalent of two and =BD shooting cycles or shots or
depending on the shooting athlete, a longer period of time. That is why
mental practice is best accomplished off line or off range in a quiet 
space
so that every aspect can be reviewed and adjusted or no with the 
concurrent
filing into memory for future use in competition.

BETWEEN TRIALS ACTIVITY=20
Extracted from:
Magill, R., & Lee, T. D. (1984, October). Interference during the
post-Knowledge-results(KR) interval can enhance learning motor 
skills.=20
Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Society of
Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology, Kingston, ON.

Note: Post-knowledge-results is also known to shooters as
calling-the-shot(CTS).

Several conditions of post-trial activity were evaluated for effect 
upon
performance. After a practice learning trial (the
"post-knowledge-of-results" interval) Athletes were involved in no
activity, verbal activity, related motor activity, or unrelated motor
activity.=20
Performance was affected by the type of post-trial activity. 
Performance
was either maintained by some form of post-KR/CTS activity or when no
post-KR/CTS activity was used, found to be superior over the use of 
post-KR
or Calling-the-shot activity.
It was advocated that after a practice trial of a skill, an athlete 
should
engage in some activity that will clear the mind in preparation for the
next repetition of the skill the one-shot-match.
Implication. For effective learning to occur between repetitions of
learning trials there has to be a minimum amount of time to allow 
feedback
from a trial to produce a learning effect. That effect does not seem to 
be
modified to any great extent if between-trials activity is related or
unrelated to what is being learned. This means that it is possible to
repeat trials too close together. Such rapidity does not allow the full
learning effects from each repetition to occur.=20
For example, when practicing basketball free throws, after each shot 
there
should be some non-shooting activity (e.g., put the ball down, walk 
round
the circle, recommence the pre-shot routine) before commencing the 
physical
movement in the next trial.=20
There obviously is too short of a period and too long of a period that 
can
occur between trials where learning is intended but fails to mature 
into an
functional learned adjustment.=20
As a further example, when shooting athletes practice from behind a 
firing
line and firing rate of approximately one shot every two minutes, it is
highly unlikely that effective learning and therewith adjustments in 
the
practice or competitive shooting technique will occur, that is shot
accuracy and technique will not be improved. In that form of practice 
not
only is the desired type of shot not developed because there are 
usually a
variety of shots fired, but the lack of feedback utilization most 
probably
will result in the athlete developing more consistency in performing 
both
the good and bad shots practiced rather than improving in any one
one-shot-match as analyzed and filed into memory(Learned).=20
It is possible to practice repetitions at too fast a rate to the extent
that feedback from one practice trial cannot be used to influence the
performance of the next trial. Without that utilization learning will 
not
occur optimally.   Either the athlete is shooting for practice with the
correct time allotted for technique  adjustments and memory retention 
or
firing in competition without any attempt at memory adjustment or
retention.  Mental practice during the competition is for base model
generation in the form of pictorial representations to be used by the
non-dominant mental entity for issuing instructions to the 
neuromuscular
system.
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 MEMORY FILING OF NEWLY LEARNED SKILLS =20

After learning a new athletic skill or shooting position, it takes six 
to
eight hours to permanently store the memory in the brain.  But 
interrupt
the storage process before its completion by learning another new 
skill,
the first lesson will be erased.   Time itself is a very powerful 
component
of learning process. It is not enough to simply practice something.  
You
have to allow time to pass for the brain to analyze and encode the new
skill pictorial representation for filing into memory.    Researchers 
have
determined it takes a minimum of six to eight hours for the memory of a 
new
skill to move from a temporary holding area in the brain to a permanent
storage site at the rear of the brain.   During those six to eight 
hours
there is a neural "Window of vulnerability"  when that new skill can be
easily eroded  or erased from memory if the athlete attempts to learn a
second skill such as would occur in the act of Calling-the-shot.  For 
this
reason the athlete must commence mental practice before going to bed 
and
analyze all aspects of the old and new learnt skills and file into 
memory
the corrected or adjusted skill that is desirable for the athlete in
competition.   In this situation the six to eight hours will occur and 
pass
without learning of a new skill.  The athlete will not debate or cause 
any
mental turmoil by reason of fear, anxiety, or any other match pressure
elements such as doubt during this mental practice or its six to eight 
hour
recording into memory.

"If you were performing in the standing position and fired a 
one-shot-match
 from a learnt skill, and then attempted to make adjustments which is a 
new
learnt skill  originating from Calling-the-shot and then the adjusting
learnt skill will cause problems.    The problem will be in retention 
or
modifications including the elimination of the initial athletic 
procedures.
   A conflict between already learned skills and the mental function of
calling-the-shot or any feedback that will cause a deviation of the
original learnt skill will be in conflict.   Upon the attempted
modification  or feedback deviation of any learnt skill by the use of
calling-the-shot  with the concurrent failure in observing the mental


control with six to eight hours of routine activity that does not cause
additional new learning, the athlete will scramble their brain there 
with
destroying all original learnt information on position and athletic
procedures with shooting techniques.   Another words, the athlete will 
be
back at square one and will have to relearn the necessary steps of
technique and procedures all over again through mental practice.  And, 
what
of the next one-shot-match before the new learnt skill can become 
effective
in six or eight hours,  will become scrambled and the goals or shooting
procedure will be nothing more than random shots with the concurrent
elimination of the athlete from further competition.  You want to 
destroy a
shooting athlete, just tell them to call the shot and stand back as its
effect will be accumulative and will climax into the athletes 
destruction
as a competing athlete.

This is a study completed by Dr. Henry Holcomb psychologist, Head of 
the
psychology at Johns Hopkins University and published in the Journal
Science, August 8, 1997
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This applies to calling-the-shot(CTS).   Because  CTS occurs at the end 
of
a firing sequence, the CTS can not cause a functional impact upon the
firing procedure or activities.   However, when the shooting athlete 
fires
the one-match shot then clears the non-dominant entity in preparation 
for
the next one-shot match such action is in compliance with the findings 
as
indicated above and time limits specified.    After clearing the
non-dominant mental entity, the shooting athlete must commence the next
one-shot match by starting the pictorial representation of the step
sequences of Chapter Seven through to the competition of the firing
sequence.  CTS reflection will not accomplish a useful purpose or 
improve
the shooting athletes competitive results within a competition period 
or
prior to commencing the next one-shot match.  The shooting sequence is 
to
rapid of a firing rate to allow feedback from one match shot to the 
next
and cannot be used to influence the performance of the next 
one-shot-match.
Do not call-the-shot as it is a form of match pressure and therefore, a
major source of disruptive anxiety because the shooting athlete will 
expect
something that will never happen.    How an athlete believes he/she 
will
perform in competition will effect the degree of anxiety that precedes 
the
one-shot-match.  It is in every coaches' best interest to assist 
athletes
to focus on the performing elements of Chapter Seven including the 
one-shot
match which is accomplished well and over which the shooting athlete 
have a
high degree of perceived control.

Calling-The-Shot  is a waste of the shooting athletes time and effort.
  =20
For a copy of the book The Mental Art of World Class Competitive 
Shooting,
contact Mr. Chet Skinner, 121 Whitehall Dr., Clarksville TN 37042.=20

Chet Skinner
CSkinner@clarksville.com

******************************************************************

In case anyone is interested, I have several articles from various
publications concerning ammo testing, that might help Eitan with his
question. If anyone wants a copy, which would run to several pages, you
can send along $2 to me and I will copy and mail the several pages to
you. If interested, send the above to:  Don Williams, 17446 SW Granada
Dr., Beaverton, OR 97007.

******************************************************************

This if for the section on testing ammo. =20

The way the national team tests ammo is in a clamp with the stock.  I 
do not
think that the machine rest allowed for any recoil, but if it did it 
was=
 very
little.  The reason they do it this way is then it is exactly 
consistant
between types of ammunition and between different lots.  It is my 
feelings
that
after you have tested everything out of the rest you should test the 
best=
 two
or three in the prone position in order to see what you shoot the best 
out=
 of
the shoulder (like in a match).  As far as a distance to test at, I 
feel=
 that
it is dependant of the matches that you will shoot as well as range
availability.  If all you shoot is international 50 meter compition, 
then=
 test
your rifle at 50 meters.  If you shoot prone matches at 100 yards then 
it is
important that the rifle shoots well at 100 yards.  Some of this is my 
own
opinion and some is the opinion of the nationally known shooters and=
 coaches.

Jeff=20

******************************************************************

Hi Henry,

I read your response to my question regarding testing ammunition.  Your
questions about the number of groups and the number of shots per group
are two questions I thought about and do not really have a good answer
to.

Can you please elaborate and provide statistics (By trade I am a S/W
engineer and understand statistical terms)?

How much improvement in grouping can I expect when comparing ammunition
that matches the rifle and one that does not?

Thanks in advance
Eitan Barazani

******************************************************************

VISUALIZATION AND IMAGERY  IS THE WRONG CONCEPT AND LABEL TO USE IN 
SPORTS=
=20

Skinner, C. L., The Mental Art of World Class Competitive Shooting,
Clarksville. Entity Sports International.
Cautela, J. R., & Kearney, A. J. (Eds.), Covert conditioning casebook.
Boston: Brooks-Cole (pp. 30-31).=20

It should be stressed that one does not see themselves in scenes as if 
they
were watching themselves in a movie or video, but rather they should
imagine they are actually in and totally experiencing the situation
described.=20

"The term visualization and imagery, which are often used in the 
pictorial
representation literature, has, unfortunately, sometimes been 
misleading in
giving the impression that only the visual modality should be used.
Actually, as many additional sense modalities as are appropriate should 
be
involved, such as hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and kinesthetic
perceptions."   Applications of mental conditioning or practice, which 
is
the better structure for mental pictorial representation activities,
usually involve sets of two scenes: (a) a scene of the target
behavior(perfect bulls-eye), and (b) a scene of the results of that
behavior(perfect bull's-eye). It is important that the client shift 
quickly
between them both. Without this structure, behaviors will be rehearsed
without reinforcement. Unfortunately, that is a common but most 
probably
ineffective, practice.=20

A further element of mental pictorial representation that strengthens 
its
effects is the communication of pictorial representation clarity during 
the
activity. If an individual perceives or sees pictorial representation 
in
the presence of another individual, the raising of an index finger to
indicate that pictorial representation clarity (vividness) and control 
has
been achieved is a means of producing very focused practice. When
individuals practice alone, some physical action  such as seeing the 
front
sight come to a halt in its swing movement will indicate to the 
shooting
athlete that clarity has been achieved will strengthen the process and
increase the likelihood that a focused and correct form of pictorial
representation is performed.=20

At the transition from the scene to the results a term such as
"reinforcement" should be thought or even muttered to indicate control 
and
achievement of the scene. That recognition also produces a higher 
degree of
control and separation between the two elements which enhances the 
rigor of
the procedure.=20

Implication: These features have been shown to be very effective and
increase the impact of pictorial representation. Unfortunately, the 
common
perception of pictorial representation is all that is needed is for a 
coach
or athlete to state the word "visualize." Full pictorial representation 
and
mental practice is a powerful tool for affecting learning and 
enhancement
of the shooting technique. It currently is not being exploited fully
because of a lack of appreciation and understanding of the ingredients 
that
are necessary to proceed in the most effective manner. The items 
discussed
above need to be implemented in an pictorial representation process.=20

The Mental Art of World Class Competitive Shooting
Chet Skinner, Coach
Entity Sports International
CSkinner@clarksville.com

******************************************************************
End of UIT Mailing List #8

Michael Ray - Systems Engineer
Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. Rifle Coach
UIT Shooting Page - http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1190/index.htm




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