So I came to this stage fresh from absolutely ripping through Hotel Chaos (which ended up being a stage win for me) and I was pretty pumped for another good stage. I picked a conservative stage plan that played to my confidence and did a good number of visualizations/rehearsals to make the it as subconscious as possible, and it panned out. I credit running my mental program for a 3rd place overall finish on this stage in a tight field (places 2 through 7 all finished in the 19th second) without having to take any real risks (even though I wanted too).
I used to dread unloaded, mags out, table starts, but that all changed when I started using the Midwest Competition Works Modular Mag Pouch. Full disclosure, I wear their logo on my jersey and I hope to for a long time because they truly are the best IDPA-legal magazine pouch in the game. I literally get nothing for saying that, except less of an advantage on table starts once everyone is using them.
So the table start went exactly as planned with no hiccups and that set the tone for the rest of the stage.I really enjoyed the wide transitions and I remained super accurate throughout. I did spend a good bit of extra time on sight picture confirmation for several of the targets to insure that accuracy, but that could have been left over from the accuracy testing stage prior, or it could be a partial side effect of taking a conservative approach to the planning. It could also just be a thing I need to train out of.
I’m probably going to be setting this one up at a local match, and when I do I will run the riskier stage plan to see how it would have turned out. It would look something like what Jeff Nelson, starting off with a tack load to get 9 in the gun rather than 8 in order to go 1-for-1 on all required shots for the entire stage and not dump extras and face a second reload. That was pretty much the extent of where his plan deviated from what you will see below, and his raw time is faster (some of that is just how he do). But the other thing I would change, is I would hit the steel and immediately transition to the short range target to my right, and then BACK to the obstructed pop-up target.<br><br>Assuming the same level of accuracy, and maybe a little less time before breaking shots on new targets, I think that stage plan would have won the overall by a significant margin. Regardless, here is my run through Stage 5 – “Clean Your Gun”
Great
- Table Start powered by Midwest Competition Works
- Perfect Accuracy
- Great visualization/rehearsal
Okay
- Speed
- Confident, safe, stage plan.
- Reloads
Needs Work
- Convince myself I can break shots sooner without losing accuracy.
See anything I need to add to these lists? Let me know!
Special thanks to Walther Arms for being the title sponsor, and Hunters HD Gold for continuing to support the Sheepdog CCP Championship, a match I look forward to every year.
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