Whether you are preparing to work your first Major match or your fiftieth, some advanced preparation can help get you ready that will increase your performance and the fun factor. Part of that preparation is getting your mental game ready. Let’s look at some things you can do to further that effort.
Even though I am in the rule book almost every day helping answer questions that arrive at rules@uspsa.org and preparing for podcast recordings, among other things; I still always make it a point to re-read chapters 8, 9, 10, and Appendix A3 (Glossary), and, if I am working as RM chapter 11, and Appendix C2 (Chronograph). Have I read them before? Absolutely, but re-reading them helps get them fresh in my mind. And, because I have rule books dating back to the early 2000’s lurking up there, it helps me get the newer rules moved to the “top of the stack”. That doesn’t mean I still won’t look stuff up in the book just to be certain during the match, but keeping the memory sharp is a good thing.
It is all too easy to fall into the “been there, done that” mindset and think you do not need to brush up on the rules. And then something happens and you wish you had taken the hour to go back through things. Trust me, I’ve done it, and regretted it.
It is also a good idea to remember that while 99% of working a match as an RO/CRO/RM is pretty run of the mill stuff, there are always going to be “interesting” things that pop up. DQs are almost always stressful for everyone involved. Even if the competitor admits their error, they are still likely not happy about it. The staff involved will be a bit stressed, and so on. This can lead to people acting out of character…to put it nicely.
It’s a great exercise to run through past events like these and how you handled them. Especially if you think maybe you, or others, could have handled it better. Refresh your mind with the lessons from the past. Maybe you were not directly involved but observed some events and you liked how they were handled or thought they could have been handled better. Again, work through these in your mind to refresh your thoughts.
If there were things that occurred in those past memories that triggered you into reacting in a way you were not pleased with, doing some self therapy about those types of things and reminding yourself how you want to handle them in the future can have significant benefits.
A bit of unsolicited advice (and I offer this as much to remind myself as to help you): It is always okay to disengage for a couple minutes. Don’t just run away and leave everyone hanging. The old “Let me go over here by myself for a few minutes and look at the rules and I’ll be right back” thing really does work. Not only does it give you a chance to disconnect, cool off, and get your thoughts sorted out; it does the same for everyone else that is involved. Remove the catalyst and the reaction generally dissipates. Once you have your head right again, rejoin the discussion and you will be surprised how much better it goes…usually.
Depending on your role at the match and how they are staffing it, you may be a static CRO/RO assigned to a single bay/stage, or you may be assigned to a squad as they move through the match. You may even be shooting with that squad but are assigned to RO them as well. This sort of situation gets complex and it is wise to pre-think the mindset shift you really need to be making between being a competitor and being an RO.
Shifting your mindset between roles is a conscious thing and it really helps you do both things better. If you are running shooters when you are called as “in the hole”, switch out of the RO role, and into the competitor role while others take over the RO duties. Give yourself a chance to re-walk the stage, do your visualizations, hydrate, whatever you need to do. Handing off the score pad or timer and then being the next shooter never helped anyone perform at their optimal level at a match. Once you have finished shooting, take care of yourself (i.e., hydrate, go to the bathroom, put gear away, etc.) and then rejoin your RO role as necessary. Making that mental shift will help you do better at both tasks and help increase your enjoyment of the match.
Another part of mental preparation is removing stress and, at least for me, a huge part of that is getting everything packed and ready to roll out the door well in advance. I have an advanced certification in procrastination and I learned the hard way that running around the night before an early departure for the airport packing everything that needs to go with me just adds a lot of stress. This then carries over into the actual travel (which always seems stressful these days). And, if you are like me, the whole time you are traveling you are wondering what you forgot because you were packing in a hurry.
To help eliminate the packing stress I rely on checklists. There is a reason pilots are trained to go over checklists like their lives might depend on them (because they do). They are really good at eliminating the risk of forgetting critical stuff. Maybe you have driven to the local match only to realize you forgot some critical thing at home like, oh, your gun which is resting comfortably in your safe, or your ammo, or your belt and holster. You get the idea. Packing for a trip to work a major just involves remembering even more stuff. Do you have your RO Toolkit?
What I am taking with me varies widely depending on if I am driving myself, riding with others, or flying. Admittedly, if I am driving myself I wildly over pack. On the other hand I am not at WalMart trying to find something because the weather went an unexpected direction either. So, I have separate checklists for flying and for driving.
And finally, while it is a physical thing, what we do physically also affects us mentally. Pay attention to your hydration and nutrition before you start the trip to the match, all during the match, and for your trip home. Your mind and body will thank you!