The yips

[pete evans]

In golf there is the yips and darts dartitus but is there a shooting equivalent? Recently missed a few routine shots that have made me question rifles zero. When checked rifle spot on. I suspect I just need an extended session on paper but it’s odd as I have shot for years and generally shoot pretty straight

 

[VSS]

Yes, I think there is.
I'm sure everyone has experienced a period when, for whatever reason, they just can't seem to get "in the zone".
And then, as suddenly as the affliction appeared, it just disappears again!

 

[Mike1979]

Fully agree with Tim (VSS) above. I have had periods over the years where things just dont go to plan (missing easy shots...or just missing) .

Sometimes a short break from shooting to get over it and then back to normal

 

[Malxwal]

Dry fire trigger time, see if any abnormalities have crept in ? Or bad habits allowing a bit of muzzle flip ?

 

[Camdig]

Buck fever! It applies to Does too and for me can apply to foxes, I get all giddy when a fox is spotted that's after many years foxing.
Its basically an uncontrollable excitement and can really get you flustered.

 

[VSS]

Buck fever! It applies to Does too and for me can apply to foxes, I get all giddy when a fox is spotted that's after many years foxing.
Its basically an uncontrollable excitement and can really get you flustered.

I'm the same with foxes. And paper targets.
Never with deer.

 

[Cottis]

Yips are involuntary movements affecting motor skills which impact your ability to perform tasks that were previously possible without this involuntary intervention of undesirable movements.

I have seen it with others in golf and have experienced it myself with chipping in golf. I play to a high level, yet it can develop seemingly from nowhere when you previously enjoyed entirely good form.

It is very well known in golf and has affected some of the best players in the world, so it is nothing to do with a lack of ability. It is, i believe, to do with the brain becoming sub consciously involved in a movement due to an unseen fear or anxiety attached to the movement. Most likely from recent fear or failure when making the movement. So with golf, it tends to happen with slow movements like putting or chipping rather than fast and explosive movements like driving or iron play. Slowing down to achieve some type of tempo once more can help but basically I believe it is reps and removing the sub conscious doubt by realising good results again, which allows the brain to let go of this attachment to previous failure. Symptoms I felt included things like tension in muscles, hands and shoulders when addressing a chip when it is desirable to be very loose and have a very loose grip on the club. When making changes in golf, I work on the basis of going as much to the extreme as possible. So I started to practice without my thumbs on the grip to promote a very loose attachment to the club. This resulted in less tension and therefore less involuntary jabs at the ball. I also removed the outcome from the practice. So I wasn't chipping towards a target or a flag. I chipping in to a net or hung blanket at home. The ball was only travelling a yard before it hit the net. So everything was simply targeted on club and ball and a lack of tension and it was impossible for me to attach failure to the end result as there wasn't an end result. I was breaking down the task in to smaller chunks and working from there.

For shooting, are you finding you are snatching whilst also feeling very tight? The rifle needs controlling somewhat but you don't want to be hanging on to it.

If you are not scared of recoil, it is likely the brain attaching too much significance to result. Take shots with incredibly loose grip on the rifle and work on doing whatever it takes not to flinch. The rifle cannot hurt you. The brain will learn these things and it will become easier to do it on autopilot once more.

The brain is a funny thing. Yips are no joke in golf. I saw it destroy the putting of someone I knew who was a very a good player a few years ago. They gave up the game despite being a plus index player. They went from shooting mid-high 60's to literally not being able to keep it under 80 due to what i can only describe as carnage on the greens. It was brutal to watch.

 

[MilesW]

In golf there is the yips and darts dartitus but is there a shooting equivalent?

Definitely. I have seen professionals who shoot thousands of critters a year succumb. This is when the humble .22 becomes your best friend. In a relaxed setting, absolutely not structured - like paper targets - where you put pressure on yourself. Set out reactive targets like eggs, fruit, clays at variable distances and have fun. Mix it up free hand, sticks, out the truck window, and anything else that feels interesting or challenging. As it comes back, get out a spinner or similar knockdown target. It works.

 

[TringSaint]

For me, the longer I sit and wait for a deer to get into the right position, the more the doubt creeps in.
Am I steady, is it quartering, is the safe backstop really safe, is it too far, what’s the wind doing, etc.
I’m much better when I see a deer, mount the rifle and bang - dead.

Too much overthinking does me no good!!

 

[Klenchblaize]

You can never spend too much time considering the backstop so don't beat yourself up over that element.

K

 

[TringSaint]

You can never spend too much time considering the backstop so don't beat yourself up over that element.

K

Thing is, I know it’s as safe as houses, but doesn’t stop the mind wandering!!

 

[tarponhead]

I get trigger freeze when shooting clays, much to the delight of my companions - it can take me several goes to pull the trigger before I hit the clay in flight and costs me about 6-10 shots in a sporting hundred. Bloody annoying!

 

[Mungo]

Yup, definitely.

I've got to the point where I can to some extent tell in advance is it's likely to be an issue, and there are things that I now do that counteract it to some extent.

It's completely context dependent for me: I can do all the dry firing and target practice in the world, but that has no effect on yippage when there'd a deer in front of me.

What does work is getting some solid, clean kills in easy contexts: essentially, rebuilding confidence. So if I know I'm going into an episode, I go to places where I know I'll get a really easy shot at a roe deer. Somewhere where I can set everything up to be completely comfortable: off bipod at a calm deer at 80-100m. Do that 2-3 times, and the problem goes away.

 

[Mike1979]

Yup, definitely.

I've got to the point where I can to some extent tell in advance is it's likely to be an issue, and there are things that I now do that counteract it to some extent.

It's completely context dependent for me: I can do all the dry firing and target practice in the world, but that has no effect on yippage when there'd a deer in front of me.

What does work is getting some solid, clean kills in easy contexts: essentially, rebuilding confidence. So if I know I'm going into an episode, I go to places where I know I'll get a really easy shot at a roe deer. Somewhere where I can set everything up to be completely comfortable: off bipod at a calm deer at 80-100m. Do that 2-3 times, and the problem goes away.

Totally agree that you cant replicate real life. I managed to shoot my first red about a month ago after trying a few times. We watched a group for about 5 mins and then I watched a small stag in cover for a further 5 mins through the scope waiting for a clear shot off the sticks about 80 yards away....bloody adrenaline kicked in and I was shaking like a leaf...amazing and memorable (dropped him on the spot about 80 yards away) but it certainly doesnt help when you cant keep the bloody rifle still

 

[Marchman]

I get trigger freeze when shooting clays, much to the delight of my companions - it can take me several goes to pull the trigger before I hit the clay in flight and costs me about 6-10 shots in a sporting hundred. Bloody annoying!

I used to shoot with someone who suffered trigger freeze at DTL. We read an article that sometimes shouting out loud 'pull' for the clay stopped the trigger freeze. He did have some success by doing this.

 

[Pellet Pinger]

This is where having recoil activated recording on digital scopes can be advantageous.
I record everything and on a few occasions i would have swore blind a good shot and on playback its a clear miss, slowing the video down allows you to see exactly what happens at the very point of letting the round go, you would never compute that split second in real time, this allows you to learn from the misses rather than just shrugging it off or blaming your kit.
Also handy to keep an eye on zero, you can cross check the exact aim point with the entry wound.

 

[AHPP]

Check all your scope and rifle screws are tight. Dry fire.

 

[pete evans]

Yes i put two shots into a target at 100m that i zeroed on a couple of days ago. Initially thought id completely missed target but shots were pretty much on top of the last 3 shot group so rifles spot on. Just need to do a bit more practice and get confidence in set up back.

 

[brandon]

Yes definately. Called target panic.

 

[GBR66]

Dry fire trigger time, see if any abnormalities have crept in ? Or bad habits allowing a bit of muzzle flip ?

I just think most of us don't practice enough, if you're massively confident because you shot three good groups 1.5 inches high at 100m last weekend, you are pretty sure the deer at 150m in the clear fell in front of you is going down. And it normally does.