Building Filler

This brings a new face to practice. Rather than trying to memorize the move, you train the move and build filler.

So when you perform, if you are trying to remember what to do, you are not using filler. In fact, you’re programming bad filler.

Thinking while performing is a distraction. I understand that more fully now than ever.

Building Filler in Your Fundamentals

So as you go through the practice, it’s like our journey through beginner, intermediate, and advanced shooters. At each stage, you must do certain things that build the foundation: first the fundamentals, and performance second.

You cannot perfect the fundamentals of performance if you have to think while performing, because you can’t. Performance is about using filler. When you think, you cannot access the filler.

This is huge because it defines what you do when you’re practicing. It also identifies that you are the author of your destiny.

So as you begin to understand and perfect the fundamentals, the better your fundamentals without thought are. Then you can develop higher-quality filler via practice and performance. In turn, your practice and performance begin to take on higher quality and meaning because you can’t memorize the stuff you need to perform.

Remember, you cant be involved in the input and the output at the same time.

Two things are happening: 1.) The brain is anticipating the target’s position in the future constantly, and 2.) The hands are moving to the intercept point. As long as the two are separate, things are great. When either becomes a conscious act, both are suspended and you’re guessing what’s happening. What you do is anything but graceful and/or successful.

The amazing thing to me is that you’re actually building the foundation that will enable you to rise to the occasion and compete… and it’s yours.

It’s not a penance that you must go through like an initiation. It’s actually something you are building for your future.

How to Build Your Filler

The whole thing comes down to how many times have you done it and then how many times have you done it successfully and how many times you have addressed a failure as a learning experience. The fact that you have to build the filler is amazing. It shoots a hole in most conventional thinking about learning from a champion.

There is no magic bullet. You must do your due diligence and build the filler via attitude and repetition and then the rest will come. Being honest with yourself is critical.

Everything that is happening is part of learning to perform. But you must fail before you will succeed. Any emphasis on score or winning at the beginning stage of learning the fundamentals will set you up for failure… and eventually, success.

It must be a surprise (not an intention) if you win in the beginning stage because winning is also a circuit in the brain that must be developed after the fundamentals are solid.

In the beginning, and along the journey to master class, you are building filler. You need to be more determined to test the filler instead of trying to be perfect and win. When trying to win, you are unable to use the filler because you become too involved in the outcome based on expectation.

Two processes are going on: one input from the target and two outputs from the filler. Getting involved in winning keeps both from being able to do what you have trained them to do.

Never experience satisfaction or relief during a performance. Practice more intently and be determined to just shoot and let results just be there.