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Rocks wrote: Just wondering about the figure eight… why? which way.. down over and up or up over etc, never heard of this before…
If I recall correctly from Jay’s book, the reason for the figure eight is to ingrain into your mind that you don’t have to release as soon as your aim reaches the target. By repeatedly getting on and off target from different directions, you gain control over that situation. It’s the same theory behind the “draw-anchor-aim-let down” drill. This is very effective for some people, but not for everyone (myself for example).
The thing about target panic is that it’s not the same for everyone, so there’s no one-size-fits-all cure. Target panic is somewhat like automobile problems. If you simply scratch your paint, you can call a body shop and they can tell you how to fix it; get some touch up paint and buffing compound—very cut and dry.
But if you turn your key and your car won’t start, the diagnosis isn’t so automatic. You may need a new ignition switch, battery, alternator, or starter. You may have even seized your engine entirely. Telling someone that such-n-such will definitely cure his target panic is a bit like telling a person that his car will start if he replaces the battery. If the battery is the problem, replacing it will work. But if his starter is fried, he can replace his battery a hundred times and his car still isn’t going to start.
If we could crack open our skulls and poke around in our brains like we do automobile engines, target panic would be easy to fix. Unfortunately we don’t have that luxury, so we have to fix things like target panic through trial and error. Bottom line: find a “cure” and give it an honest try. If it doesn’t work for you, find another remedy and see if it yields sufficient results. Keep trying different ideas and hopefully you’ll find something that will take care of the problem.