{"id":7297,"date":"2025-08-14T17:54:36","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T17:54:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/?p=7297"},"modified":"2025-08-15T12:44:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T12:44:02","slug":"creating-a-stage-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/creating-a-stage-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating a Stage Plan – Competitive Shooting"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I step off the ramp from the shooter\u2019s waiting area on to the Bianchi Cup practical range, the gravel crunches under my shoes. I don\u2019t hear it, because in my head I\u2019m not walking to the 10 yard line to start the Bianchi Cup. In my head, I\u2019m already there, rehearsing exactly what\u2019s going to happen. \u201cString 1 \u2013 draw, one each target\u201d I think to myself. I visualize perfect little 38 Special holes in the black x-rings of the targets as I step on the line.\u00a0 In the time it takes me to walk from the staging area to the 10 yard line and listen to the instructions, I\u2019ve fired the entire stage in my head and visualized each trigger pull.<\/p>\n

Stage planning and visualization are key parts of success in the shooting sports. While they\u2019re more commonly associated with sports like USPSA and IDPA, incorporating them into any shooting competition will dramatically improve your performance. Visualization prior to matches is one of the principles espoused in \u201cWith Winning in Mind<\/a>\u201d by Lanny Bassham. This then becomes part of your stage planning procedure on the day of the event. Let\u2019s go through an example of how this can play out in a match as we create a stage plan together.<\/p>\n

Creating a Stage Plan – 2023 IDPA Nationals<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Caleb<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been to the CMP Marksmanship Park in Talladega<\/a> what feels like a million times at this point. Everything is familiar, from the parking to walking across the little bridge to get to the action shooting bays. Two weeks before the match, I started reviewing the match book to get an idea in my head of what the stages would look like. Based on the information in the stage book, I\u2019m able to create simple plans for each stage. These plans aren\u2019t specific, they\u2019re \u201cshoot six, move, reload on the move\u201d etc. I\u2019ll rehearse those in dry fire and then work on visualization. The visualizations are also simple; I\u2019m imagining hitting perfect reloads, what my sight picture will look like, basic stuff. I\u2019m also working on affirmations as part of my stage planning before the match.<\/p>\n

Calming Nerves<\/h4>\n

In my shooting career I\u2019ve struggled with pre-match jitters. I\u2019ve had matches where I\u2019m so nervous on the first stage that I\u2019m just in survival mode trying to get through it without torpedoing my entire match right then and there. Pre-match visualization and affirmation have genuinely changed that for me. Sure, I still get nervous, but I\u2019m not a trainwreck like I used to be. Before the 2023 IDPA Nationals, my affirmation was \u201cyou\u2019ve been here before, and you know what to do because you\u2019re a professional and you belong here.\u201d May seem silly, but basically every mental coach for sports teaches their clients to do affirmations.<\/p>\n

\"CalebI arrive at the match with enough time to have a whole day free before I shoot. This means I can see the stages, and balance what they look like in the real work with my stage plan. When I\u2019m standing there on the range by the bays, I\u2019ll stick around each stage long enough to observe a shooter run through them, which helps me finalize my initial plan of attack. After that, I\u2019ll head back to my hotel.<\/p>\n

The Night Before A Match<\/h4>\n

The night before I shoot I don\u2019t dry fire. I just visualize each stage in my head, one at a time. I can see them now, and I can imagine my front sight moving from target to target, hitting reloads, and seeing clean 38 Special<\/a> holes punching through the targets.<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s match day. At an IDPA match, this is the first time I\u2019ll get to rehearse the stage, as per the rules you\u2019re allowed one mass walk through. I can put my feet in the positions they\u2019ll need to be and see specific target angles. Once I\u2019ve seen all the positions, I\u2019ll step out of the stage into the prep area, close my eyes, and visualize each shot, each position, and each reload. I want to get three perfect runs done in my head before I\u2019m the on-deck shooter. Once I\u2019m next up, I\u2019m now looking at the stage again, one last time, burning in those positions and reload points.<\/p>\n

Now I\u2019m stepping in to the start position. I hear the safety officer say \u201cload and make ready,\u201d and I draw my Taurus 82. IDPA doesn\u2019t allow air gunning or sight pictures, so as I pull a speed loader out of my back pocket to load the gun, I\u2019m staring at the first array of targets, or the position I\u2019m going to move to. I glance down briefly to make sure I get the speed loader<\/a> in the gun, then close the cylinder. I\u2019ll pull back the hammer slightly to allow the cylinder to free wheel, then spin it, checking for high primers or binding. While I\u2019m doing this I\u2019m taking one last run through the stage in my head.<\/p>\n

My revolver clicks into its holster. I inhale deeply through my nose, hold it for a 2 count, then slowly exhale.<\/p>\n

\u201cShooter ready?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I nod slightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cStandby\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The timer beeps.<\/p>\n

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