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In this issue:
Re: Thune jacket riding up in prone
Thune vs Akah slings
Cease fire!
Mental training technique
Hypnosis
Hypnosis part 2
The eyes have it...
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Michael,
Regarding the prone jacket that rides up. I, too, had that problem with a brand new Kurt Thune jacket. The final solution was emailing Kurt Thune and sending digital photos of the jacket's fit. The cutters were able to determine the problem, and after sending the jacket back for repairs, I am quite pleased with the adjustments.
Michele Makucevich
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[Editor - this was another good thread I participated in on another forum so I thought I should share it here.]
What features make the Akah logic belt so much more expensive than the Thune UIT II? Is the distance between the holes 10 mm on the Akah as is stated for the Thune UIT II? Although the UIT II is advertized as being preferred by prone shooters, I expect it is still suitable for kneeling. If this is incorrect please advise. Based upon both of your comments I will likely select one of these two products and I don't think I could go wrong with either.
Harold
[Editor - I have no idea why the Akah is so much more. I'm sure it is an excellent sling and I know the Raabs (Center Shot owners) sell good stuff. The Thune is likely the most popular sling out there right now. I bought the UIT I for my team. I didn't go with the UIT II because it is so much bigger (I think they were meant for apes!), but I think having 2 buckles would be a nice feature. You can of course cut off parts so it's more manageable if needed. I moved the buckle on the model I which was a pain (I have short arms) and I'd guess having 2 buckles would have made that easier. I don't know if they have enough holes punched on the II to make it small enough for me though. They didn't on the I. I also cut off some extra length from it. I can't even fathom somebody using the full length of the II with a legal position. Even the longest-armed kid on my college team isn't close to the end of the I. Anyway, I'm honestly not trying to steer you away from the II. The 2 buckles may be easier to adjust the way you want, but I don't see why they made it so long and even made a model I.]
Another response - Harold, we own both slings. I use the Akah and my wife uses the Thune single buckle. In my opinion the Akah is far superior. We purchased the Thune for my wife because we were told it was better for small arms. While it does fit her arm better the buckle is larger than the Akah and its placement gets in the way of her hand. The Thune is also harder to adjust than the Akah. Last but not least the Akah is lighter to carry. Center Shot carries both. The best person to talk to is Janet Raab. She can advise you regarding which sling will meet your needs. You might consider ordering both and returning one after looking them over.
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You are all free to express your opinions on my list, but if you do
not keep them CIVIL, I will remove the offenders.
While Mr. Skinner has not been welcomed in other forums, I don't have
a problem with having him here. Yes, his ideas are not conventional
and he has difficulty transferring knowledge because of the
unnecessarily complex language used. It definitely helps if people
can understand what you are saying.
So while some may not agree with Mr. Skinner (or anyone else for that
matter), there is no need for degrading comments. You are free to
state your contradictory ideas without bringing mudslinging into the
picture. If you cannot, then do not share your opinion.
Michael Ray
The Editor
[Editor - I'm including this here since I had to do some damage control on the real-time version of the list. While Mr. Skinner has himself flamed others, it is quite often done in a defensive nature as it was in this case. I don't believe 2 wrongs make a right and have spoken with both parties involved so it should not happen again. I can control flames on this version of the list easy enough, but only after the fact on the auto-mailer one. "SO BE NICE!" -Woody (Toy Story)
Be forewarned the remainder of the list is from Mr. Skinner so if you cannot handle that, stop reading. I suggest you start providing more material to the list to balance things out. Perhaps everyone is on vacation or at Perry.]
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What type of mental training are you using? It seems you talk a lot about
the physical aspect of shooting (mounting the rifle, feeling the position,
sighting and firing in a short time), but this can't be totally trained in a
physical manner, due to the loss of focus (letting the conscious take over).
My mental training program as developed from the writings of researchers in
the medical field over the years. It originated in 1948 with the basic
question that all beginning shooting athlete ask their coaches. At the time
I was shooting at Academy with small bore.
1. For the beginner we start from the book. This gives the basic
understanding of the technique and we start from that. As you can willing
agree the basics cover allot of ground but it must be covered to originate a
common ground from which to start. Other wise was are lost in
misunderstand.
2. feeling the position is the use of the mental and neural functioning.
While the physical form the backbone for the transmission of data it is in
fact the kinesthic responses the form the data informing you of the internal
statue of the many organs and muscles of the body.
3. sighting is accomplished in the passive physical mode ad active mental
mode. The physical eyes merely function in their normal passive way by
taking snap shots of the external world. These pictorial representations
are transmitted to the non-dominant mental entity and analyzed one against
the other. Any deviations from the normal or accepted form as held in the
permanent memory, then instructions are issued to the neuromuscular system
for necessary adjustments. This is spontaneous mental functioning and you
will never be alloyed to review this in the conscious mode. In effect you
see a 9 the neuromuscular system is spontaneously adjusted to this 9 and you
will not feel or see occur. And, when trigger is pulled you will of course
receive a 9.
4. but this can't be totally trained in a physical manner, No you must use
the menial checklist as it operates in a strict logical from and is in
effect a preprogram of the autonomic and non-dominant mental entity. The
check list also has quality assurance sequences imbedded so the functions
can be implemented for first each is check for correctness an timeless
during the shooting technique.
5. due to the loss of focus (letting the conscious take over). Correct
problem, the conscious is not connected to the autonomic systems of the
neuromuscular systems so no capability of muscle adjustment exist. So you
go no where fast. What happens is the mind goes into a random functional
mode and the results is as with a slot machine, who know what will come up
next...With such randomness you will of course see the occasional jackpot of
a 10.9 but more than any thing else more 7's, 6's, or 8's.
Chet Skinner, Coach
Entity Sports International
http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/dome/4512/index.html
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After transmission of the message on Hypnosis yesterday, a valid question
was posed.
'What role can hypnosis/selfhypnosis play during shooting activity in
general
and more specific during execution of the Mental Check List?'
First of all, a light state of hypnosis occurs in the waking state as it
does in the sleep state. This tells you that during the waking day you can
utilize many of the states and stages associated with hypnosis. It is
unnecessary for the athlete be placed into a sleep state in order to be
hypnotized.
In the first second the athlete is free of the hypnotic state and therefore
the mentalchecklist will function normally to firetime. However, when the
hypnotic state commences invading the mental condition the mind is
immobilized and the mental checklist becomes nonfunctional with the same
degree that hypnotic start invades the mind. Also and important point is
that the trigger finger is also immobilized and the longer the time from it
commencing a light stateof hypnosis the deeper the hypnotic state.
What happens during the increase of the state...? After one second the
athletes physical functions determinate to zero controlled functioning. The
only way for the athlete to stop this mental decay and physical functioning
is the break the circuit as fast as they can and restart the shooting
sequences. Most important is that it is the mental that must be reset as
the origination of hypnosis occurs in the cognitive entity.
Let us look at an elite athlete from the US.
'The wobble can be eliminated (by the use of the mental QZ~), as was shown
with electronic equipment hooked up to one of the National Team members at
the USAS Coach College a couple years ago. Anna Marie (Pfifner at that time,
but since married I think) held dead still on the 10 dot for nearly three
seconds before firing a ten. Her problem was "overholding" (entry into the
hypnotic state) and they were trying to get her to shoot sooner (the mind
was immobilized by a light hypnotic state) when the sight was on the ten.
The big problem is keeping yourself in the "Zone" while shooting. As soon as
you consciously recognize the perfect hold you are no longer using a mental
checklist and trigger let off sequence, and are back to conscious action
(which is about two times slower than subconscious reaction, again according
to data presented at the Coaches College by researchers from I believe
Maryland and Arizona). '
Hope this answers your question. Please remember that the athlete need not
have the eyes closed and the hypnotic state can be entered in the everyday
waking level as in an induced hypnotic state.
In California they at one time lined the roads with palm trees and of course
the Engineers aligned them with equal spacing. When the road speed was
just right the tree spacing become a very well timed frequency that induces
a hypnotism state. The way they found this out was because many cars were
leaving the road (HWY 99) and killing the drivers and passengers. Not just
in one spot but a couple of miles. The timed rhythm becoming monotonous
and the eyes starring at the road with the exclusion of all external input
quickly put the driver into a deep hypnotic state and of course immobilizing
the mind during the period. Needless to say the driver did not intended to
become hypnotized any more than a shooting athlete wants to become
hypnotized but it is a normal and functional part of the mental functioning.
It is our job to recognize it and prevent it from destroying our shooting
technique.
The question was posed by Morten Risstad, Coach and Instructor of mental
shooting technique.
Chet Skinner, Coach
Entity Sports International
http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/dome/4512/index.html
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Cortical inhibition into a somnolence (the quality or state of being drowsy), which differs from sleep. The whole of hypnosis is in the realm of psychology and the end result is observed in the external physical realm.
The origination of such conditions is the immobilization of attention by fixation
on the front sight and the seesaw of some regular rhythm (in our case mental
music by the mental athlete). We also note that immobilization can be
implemented by other ways such as mental image including pictorial
representation such as the perfect bull's-eye and the spontaneous thought of
an idea such as the mental checklist. With lighter degrees of hypnosis, it
is seldom or if ever followed by total somnolence or amnesia. However, when
the stimulus is increased the state of hypnosis is prolonged, the state of
somnolence becomes stronger until the full state of profound hypnotic
somnolence state is achieved. What happens to an athlete who experiences a profound state of somnolence, the state will advance to normal sleep and the athlete will wake up as if they had been in a sleep over night or nap? Other then that, nothing will hurt the athlete. Just a will earned relaxing rest... :)
So first we have focused attention, which is the beginning of concentration upon the front sight concurrently followed by physical relaxation, we have immobilization of both physiological, fixed gaze upon the front sight.
Braid writes, "A shooting athlete may be hypnotized by keeping the eyes fixed
in any direction. It occurs slowly and feebly when the eyes are directed
straightforward. The depth increases by assuming a level of obsession.
The athlete soon shows that they are indifferent or ignores everything going
on around them.". Bernheim writes and confirmed that the same mental
functioning can also be achieved by an idea or spontaneous thought of an
idea such as mental checklist. In this case the idea of the idea of the
mental checklist with PBE and the fixation of the front sight complies with
Coue' and Bernhiem theories for the origination of the hypnotic state.
Coue' accepts the existence of two methods for the origination of a state of
hypnosis. It can be noted that if we set out from the condition of
immobilization of attention as a principal, the two procedures of fixation
upon an idea or fixation upon the front sight are closely related.
At any rate the level of hypnosis is light and eliminates match pressure
problems though light hypnotic somnolence. Because the time necessary for
incurring a minor hypnotic state (one second or more) we find that any hope
of achieving our shooting goals must be accomplished in the first one second
or incur the loss of motor control of the physical and other physiological
functioning as control by the mental checklist such as trigger pull. After one second the total human system commences deterioration as caused by the increasing depth of the hypnotic stages into somnolence state. But we must remember that any state or stage of hypnosis can also be accomplished in the waking state as well. In the waking state we use the hypnotic functions without going into the hypnotic state to accomplish them. In fact, going into the hypnotic state destroys our efforts to accomplishing the PBE. We have noted this in the case of Anna Marie by over holding for three seconds shows clearly that she was entering the light stages of a hypnotic condition which precluded her ability to pull the trigger. She had to break the circuit and enter the conscious mode to complete the trigger pull sequences. Why was she able to still fire the 10.9? Because the physical system remained in temporary hypnotic lock up. How do we describe Anna Marie's trigger pull, a quick conscious rapid pull? In the one second prior to entry into the hypnotic state we have total control over our intellect and neuromuscular systems but when we start into the hypnotic stages we lose neuromuscular control over the physical systems.
What does all of this warn you of, fire in the first second or be as Anna Marie and miss your chance and watch the position including mental function deteriorate to zero. Recap: Set the position; commence the mental checklist and fire in the first 3/4 of a second. Do not enter any level of hypnosis that will destroy the shooting technique after the first second.
Hope this answers your question. Now you can present it at the coaches
conference....:-))
Chet Skinner, Coach
Entity Sports International
http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/dome/4512/index.html
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Hi Chet,
Things are not quite so clear for me on the physical snapshot technique. In
my previous description what was I doing wrong.
Not a problem Mike,
In our everyday living our eyes work on a snapshot principle. They take
millions of snapshots and this is analyzed as they are received into the
brain. This is seamless and is what gives you the sense of awareness or
conscious mode.
What we want is to receive the snapshots and then use them within the
non-dominant mental entity for development of the mental checklist and
instructions to the neuromuscular system for sight alignment and target
finding sequences. This is the way it happens for shooting. It is similar
for driving and other functions. So it is not really to worry.
Why did I tell you about something that really does not appear to have
anything to do with shooting....?
It does have a critical purpose but as with all things mental you have to be
informed about all actions that is functional to the brain. In effect you
have to preprogram all functions of the brain so we have done this..
So for shooting, the eyes take millions of snapshots of the external object
(bull and sight alignment) in the form of pictorial representations and
transmitted them to the NDME for relational analysis that will determine the
relational proximity to each and other objects viewed. This is ongoing and
it is very fast as it must be used to note any changes to the external world
or the object relationships to other external object in view. It is the
way the brain detects movements. This happens so fast that it appears
seamless to you. Now that we have told the brain what it already
knows...and uses, we can use it for shooting.
So, do not stare as the eyes are taking snapshots and there is no need to
stare at the sights and bull. We need to see them all or pictorial
representations of the objects which each snapshot does well, then do mental
analysis of the relationships and determine the center of mass. All
inclusive in depth analysis and the instruction issued to the neuromuscular
system for sight alignment and for the information to the mental checklist
for the firing technique.
The amazing part is that not one object is or needs to be clear or will
defined. Pictorial representation Fuzzes is the accepted norm for the eyes
and it is enough for the mind as well. It is the NDME that forms the center
of mass for each object and it is the center of mass that the shooting
athlete fires upon. Basically Glasses and the such is not really needed and
the dominant eye is very unimportant to the shooter. The real reason is the
sighting and firing sequences of the NDME is accomplished totally within the
mind...! You can see things very clearly but as long as you can see it
fuzzy and can identify what it is .. enough for the brain to use during
functioning of the shooting technique. While I said glasses are not
necessary, they should be worn for safety purposes.
Hope I have answered your question..
Chet Skinner, Coach
Entity Sports International
http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/dome/4512/index.html
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End of UIT Mailing List #22
Michael Ray - DBA & Systems Engineer
Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. Rifle Coach
UIT Shooting Page -
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1190/index.htm
