Having trouble calling shots?

I'm able to call my shots occasionally but not consistently.  I was given a suggestion yesterday to improve the process by looking at each shot through a scope and determine whether the shot was on call or not before firing again.  Normally I can see each shot without a scope but not always.  What I've been doing is shooting a string of 5 or 10 shots and then going to the target to look at the results and replace or mark the target.  It's during this time that I think about what adjustments should be made.  I'm now thinking that scoping each shot will force me to focus on calling the shots better.  Some of you have mentioned calling shots before but it's just now that some of it's registering.

Be sure you write it on your shot process.  Then it's official and part of the routine.  If the process doesn't say:
"call the shot"
"scope the shot"
"get frustrated about the shot"
"lose focus"
"start again at the top"

...then you should be fine when you scope each shot.  There is something about following the written shot process that makes it permanent...makes you need to follow each step.  When you start analyzing and getting in your own head, you need to go back to the written process.  The process is how you shoot well.  If your body or brain isn't doing only the stuff on the list you can dryfire until you are back on track.

When I call my shot it's usually "that was a little down and left" or whatever.  It's not on my list to guess if it is a 7.  If the hole is down and to the left I don't pain myself if it's a 6 or a 9--that shot is gone and has nothing to do with the process anymore.  If my call was wrong I don't wonder about it...that's not on my process either.  The only thing that poor shot calling prevents is bold sight adjustments.

Just adjust them!  Just because you saw the sights one way and had a tight group in the middle doesn't mean that's how you are seeing the sights right now.

A point I have not seen here in these exchanges is you should be putting your priority on group shooting more than score.  Score will take care of itself as groups improve.  Trends seen in group locations will lead to adjustments.

When you do call the shot, mark a target on your table according to your call after each shot.  Scope each time or wait to string end.  Compare and learn.

I do believe shot calling itself evolves from gross calls to more precise calls.  A good call at first is like I just hit the bull.  Later a call can be about which side of the 10 ring.  Don't sweat it throughout the process. Shoot groups.

Just a suggestion.  Put the scope right next to you so you do not have to move your position to look in the scope.

Maybe I better go back to the definition of a called shot because confusion is setting in again.  Here's the way I define it - The point of aim on the target when the shot breaks is the where the shot is called.  I don't always have a presence of mind or ability to concentrate on associating when a shot breaks with the point of aim.  I seem to instead gravitate toward shooting a string and then analyze.  I thought by looking at each shot through a scope that it would help me call shots better or at least draw my attention to doing it more.  Does this make sense?  When looking at groups of shots I generally didn't make sight adjustments because it was usually because of gross errors like jerking the trigger (anticipating recoil), etc.  But now that my trigger control and sighting is getting better I have a sense that more precise ways of dealing with off called shots are needed but I figured first I have to call the shot.  And that brings us back to the beginning.

ChipEck wrote:Just a suggestion.  Put the scope right next to you so you do not have to move your position to look in the scope.

Yes, and that was suggested to me too.  Makes sense by lessening the variables.

for slow fire, in both practice and for the matches, for the time being take a look at each shot and evaluate it, was it where you called it to be?  If yes, run through the process that caused it to be where it should be. 

If it is in a different part of the target, was your hold wobbly? was your trigger pull straight back? gripping front to back?  figure out why it did not go where you thought it was going. 

for the next week, try this shooting drill for slow fire shots.

Hold the dot in the bull and watch it.  watch it bounce around from the seven ring to the 10 ring and back to the seven ring.  Watch it but do not pay any attention to it.  Concentrate on the most perfect trigger pull you can deliver.  then see if your slow fire scores improve. 

The basis for this drill is that as you hold the dot on the target, you will find that you are holding the dot in the ten ring 95 percent of the time.  The 9 ring, 3 percent of the time, and the 8 and 7 ring the remaining 2 percent.  Do the math, you deliver a perfect trigger pull and you will score over 90 on the slow fire. 

Say this to yourself:


Watch the dot,
Wait for bang!

If you get chicken finger, then modify it to be:

Watch the dot
Pull trigger quick
Wait for bang. 

Let me know if this works for you.

Regards,
Crankster

Step 1, Dryfire, always dryfire.  Set up your shot and dryfire and call the shot.  If you can't, then do it again. Did you really see the sight alignment when the hammer fell?  Or did the sights just jump somewhere out in left field? If you can call the dryfire, then Sept 2. 

Step 2, Then try a live round. Call it, then scope it.  If it ain't on call, back to Step 1.
Eventually, it comes to sight alignment, trigger control and being honest with respect to what we see or rather did not see. 
Doesn't have to be too complicated.

My coach always had us start a session with lots of dryfire, then a couple of blank targets and then we proceeded to whatever drill we were working on for the day. Then at the end we would shoot no more than one NMC. In my opinion nothing helped my shooting more than dryfire, next most effective was shooting on blank targets.
Blank target shooting is also a very good indicator of what you can do vs. what you are doing. If you can make good calls and shoot better groups on the blank target then you are just letting the bull grab your eye or you are worrying about shooting an X. If you are not making good calls or not shooting groups on the blank target, then like Cecil said, go back to dryfire and find out what adjustment is needed in your process.
As far as shot calls on targets Arnie Vitarbo told me he used two differently colored sets of numbered pegs to track his calls and shots during training. He would just set a repair center down on the bench and shoot make a call, mark it with a peg, scope, mark the target with the other color peg.

Bees
Instant Master is not always possible.
I may say this poorly but I think it must be said to many new shooters.  You can not always apply the same thinking for goals that a Master does.  Start slowly.  Do not rush your skill building to Master thinking so fast you skip Sharpshooter and Expert.  Be content that your call, today, may only be "good shot" by today's standard.  Tomorrows standard will be better and your calls more precise.  It's a process, enjoy he trip.

For a long time I scoped every slow fire shot during both practice and matches, hoping that somehow I would discover what worked.  It did help me to call my shots, but not much else.  After attending a bullseye clinic I returned to the basics (not necessarily in this order): Stance, grip, breathing, sight picture, trigger pull, physical fitness. I focused on physical fitness (upper and lower body strength, and endurance).  I modified my stance so that when bringing the pistol up I am in the black.  I modified my grip, per the Zins method. I kept notes on what worked, what didn't. Over the course of a year my scores improved and I now have a shot process that is repeatable, every match.