We have likely all been there, whether in Appleseed (AS) or any other discipline.
"Your 3 minute preperation period begins now"
Years ago, for me that would mean....
Get my sling on (if course of fire deemed it necessary)
Load (or prepare) magazines
And by the time the above 2 tasks were completed.....I would hear "Your preperation period has ended".
Then the frantic rush would commence to get myself situated before the line was called hot.
LOTS of wasted time, in my prep periods.
What exactly is prep for?
I would say, it is exclusively for dry firing and establishing Natural Point of Aim (NPA)
That is absolutely it, anything else done in those 3 minutes is robbing you of time needed to dry fire and establish NPA.
At the National matches at Camp Perry, the times are held to very strictly. You get a 2 minute pre-prep period, and then a 3 minute prep period. My first year or two at Nationals were a mess, trying to get all my gear setup and on the line.
When I became more competitive, I started to pay more attention to what I call "Logistics".
Logistics include getting all my "Stuff" to the right place at the right time all the time on time, so I can MAXIMIZE my 3 minute prep period.
For AS events, that would mean that:
My sling is on my arm
My eyepro and ear pro is on
My magazines are loaded (prepared) and are either in my pocket or on my mat within reach so as to minimize my breaking of position to grab them. I have a spare/panic magazine as well, in case of a malfunction.
I know the course of fire (I had that written on one of my shooting mats, because I had a hard time recalling it my first few events)
Then, I use my 3 minute prep, to dry fire (learn my trigger again), and to establish/adjust and adjust and adjust my NPA.
What about transitions?
When I establish NPA during transitions, I mark my mat or use a reference to get back to my NPA after standing.
Prone: I use a dab of spit where my elbow goes
Seated: I cannot stand in the seated position, so...I look at the toe of my right foot....and pick a reference. I try to stand with my right foot somewhat in place (for a lefty, that would be the left foot). I also note where my groin/butt is on the mat, and pick a reference out on the range for that. I drop down into position, and line those 2 references up, and I'm either dead on, or pretty close.
I was lucky enough to be able to compete in the CMP New England Games in Vermont the past week. Lots of Appleseeders there, and many of them did real well.
The CMP Games for us (my daughter and I) are a chance to shoot several matches with several different rifles. Wood rifles for example, of which I may only shoot once or twice a year (Garand/03A3/03A4/1917/Carbine/Rimfire).
The 3 minute prep was very important for us at those matches. We are primarily service rifle competitors, and we definitely know our triggers on our AR15s, but the rimfire rifles have a single stage trigger. And the wood rifles all have different feeling triggers.
I've watched my daughter in the past at AS events and also CMP Rimfire Sporter events, PULL THRU the first few shots, as she was not used to a single stage trigger. What that really meant was that she got lazy in prep.
Watch accomplished shooters, they pretty much are dry firing the entire 3 minutes. Then watch those that are not doing so well....I bet you will find them doing nothing, simply waiting for the "Fire" command.
Use your prep time wisely, and work on match/event logistics to help you maximize the use of that 3 minute prep period. It is REAL important and a key component to scoring well/higher during an event.
Hope this helps!
R/
Chris
The above was geared solely towards a 25 meter event....but....
Refer to wind topics in here as well. Cause that 3 minutes is also used to dope the wind, when shooting at distance. All the way up to the last few seconds you will see successful competitors adjusting the sights for the wind.
R/
Chris