One Bad Stage Had Me Questioning Everything

Darius and I recently represented MacBroz at the All American Gun Slinger League Night, and this match gave me a lot to think about.

The night started strong. I felt good, I was moving well, and overall, things were trending in the right direction. But then came the final stage.

And that one stage had me questioning everything.

My performance. My mindset. My consistency. My stage execution. And yes, even whether I should keep running the Staccato or go back to the M&P platform.

That is the thing about competition. It exposes stuff you can sometimes ignore during regular range days.

Competition Tells the Truth

Normal range sessions are great. You can work on fundamentals, test gear, shoot drills, and build confidence. But competition adds a different kind of pressure.

There is a timer. There is a stage plan. There are people watching. There are decisions to make in real time. And once the buzzer goes off, the truth comes out.

You find out pretty quickly if your grip is consistent. You find out if your draw is clean. You find out if your stage plan actually makes sense. You find out if your mental game can survive one mistake without turning into three more.

That final stage reminded me that I still have work to do.

The Match Started Strong

Overall, the night was not a disaster. That is the frustrating part.

There were good moments. There were things I did well. There were stages where I felt like the work I have been putting in was starting to show.

But when you end on a bad stage, it can make the entire match feel worse than it actually was.

That is something I am trying to be honest about. One bad run does not erase all the progress. But it also cannot be ignored.

The goal is not to make excuses. The goal is to learn from it.

The Staccato vs. M&P Question

After that final stage, I started asking myself the question:

Should I stick with the Staccato, or should I go back to the M&P?

That is not just a gear question. It is a confidence question.

The Staccato is a great platform. It shoots well, it feels premium, and there are obvious performance advantages when everything is clicking. But the M&P platform is familiar. It is simple. It is consistent. It is something I have a lot of time behind.

So when performance gets shaky, it is natural to start wondering if the platform is part of the problem.

But I also have to be real with myself: was it the gun, or was it me?

Accountability Over Excuses

This is where competition gets uncomfortable in the best way.

It is easy to blame the gun. It is easy to blame the stage. It is easy to blame the lighting, the setup, the grip, the dot, the holster, or whatever else you can grab onto in the moment.

But at some point, you have to look at the run honestly.

Did I execute the plan?

Did I stay disciplined?

Did I move with purpose?

Did I call my shots?

Did I recover well after a mistake?

That is where the real growth happens. Not in pretending everything went great, but in taking ownership when it did not.

Bad Stages Are Part of the Process

Nobody likes ending a match on a rough stage. It sits with you. You replay it in your head. You think about what you should have done differently.

But that is also why competition is valuable.

A bad stage gives you feedback. It gives you a clear place to focus. It shows you what needs attention before the next match.

For me, this match was a reminder that consistency matters more than flashes of performance. It is not enough to have a few good stages. The goal is to build the kind of discipline and execution that holds up all night.

That is the work.

Shoutout to Brownells

I also have to give a shoutout to Brownells, a great company and sponsor that helps support what we do.

Brownells is where I get a lot of my ammo for competition, along with other accessories and gear that keep us training, filming, and showing up to matches. Their pricing is competitive, their selection is solid, and their customer service has been top notch.

When you are shooting more, competing more, and trying to improve, having a trusted place to get ammo and gear matters. Brownells has been that for us, and I appreciate their support.

Final Thoughts

This match was not just about guns or gear.

It was about mindset. Accountability. Stage execution. Consistency. And learning how to take a bad run and turn it into something useful.

Darius and I had a great time representing MacBroz at the All American Gun Slinger League Night, but that final stage definitely gave me some homework.

Now the question is whether I stick with the Staccato and keep building consistency, or go back to the M&P platform and lean into something more familiar.

I am still working through that.

Drop a comment and let me know: should I stick with the Staccato or go back to the M&P?

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