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Tie Breakers?

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Franklink

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Sep 3, 2017
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AZ, United States
I understand and agree with what seems to be the trend in field target (at least here in AZ) to have shoot offs for ties in bigger matches, like Grand Prixs, but for the monthly club matches I've seen the tiebreakers handled numerous ways (NOT shoot offs). I'm curious to see what others think about using those alternative methods to break a tie. 

Most commonly I see the longest streak of knocked down targets being used to break ties, but I've also seen first miss used. What is inherently "wrong" or "right" about using longest streak or first miss?

The guys that are pro longest streak claim that the shooter with the longest streak was more consistent but I argue that if they tied they both knocked down and missed the same percentage of the targets. 

And for the first miss method it's not fair to the shooter who was shooting a target barely on the edge of legality on their first lane versus the shooter they tied with that had a 1 incher @ 30 yards and a 1.5 incher @ 35 yards on their first lane. 

Personally I'd just as soon see a coin toss to break the tie as either of those methods, but I'm curious to see what the rest of the field target shooters think. 


 
Ties at out club are decided by who did the best in the forced position lanes.
Click to expand...

I like Chasdicapua's solution BUT for standing shots only. There are too many guys that can't do kneeing for health issues.

An option I have never heard of........kinda unusual............Why not just allow BOTH or MULTIPLE tied shooters to be declared/awarded 1st or 2nd or 3rd, ect. If certificates are awarded for local matches, it is just a matter of printing out multiple/duplicate certificates prior to the match. This unusual option would not work if costly trophies were given at local matches.

The longest streak and/or first miss are poor and unfair options. 
 
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At Palmyra Sportsmen, we decided to take the advice that tie breaking by using a kneeling lane can be unfair to those that have to shoot offhand on instead of kneeling for health reasons. Although it is possible a kneeling lane be used to break a tie, it is the final option before doing a shoot off. Generally choosing the lane containing the most difficult target in descending order. Of course, if two shooters manage to shoot perfect, there is going to be a shoot off. 

This is our methodology.

Tie breakers will be determined by total lane score, with lanes chosen in the following order until the tie is broken. 

1. Forced position standing lanes in descending order of most difficult target on lane.

2. Non-forced position lanes in descending order of most difficult target on lane.

3. Forced position kneeling lanes in descending order of most difficult target on lane.

4. Shoot off match.
 
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I lost a match due to a forced position rule. I protested claiming my AARP membership number was lower than the other shooter. Did not do any good....

All joking aside, a couple of clubs I shoot at use the forced position rule for the sake of time. However, they use the shoot off rule for GP's. Saw two shoot offs at the Republic of Texas GP last year. One heck of a shoot off ensued. I should have taken bets. 

Club monthly matches.. make it simple. Forced totals are fine. Makes you try harder and do better in forced lanes if you know your shots may be a tie breaker. 

GP's and up. Yes. Shoot-offs. I don't spend all this money and travel all those miles to just have a some-skill/some-luck shot determine the winner. Let's see who can hold up under pressure as well.
 
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" I don't spend all this money and travel all those miles to just have a some-skill/some-luck shot determine the winner. Let's see who can hold up under pressure as well."

That's why I think the tie breaker should be based on who hit the most easy, non forced shots instead of who hit or lucked into the most hard shots.

If you win a tie breaker because you hit more standing shots, you must have missed the most easy shots.

But no matter how it is done, it is little better than a coin toss.
 
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In my estimation, being able to perform in a shoot off is just a subset of the skills required to win in the FT game.

Other categories being (but not limited to):

A- close targets with tiny little holes in them

B- mid range targets with slightly larger kill zones often times in the 50 Troyer range 

C- one third of the targets in a GP match are over forty yards 

D- forced position kneeling 

E- forced position standing

F- reading and adjusting for wind

G- Elevated targets and/or elevated shooting positions

Again, the list above is certainly not exhaustive but you get the point; to make the podium in our game you better be able to make the ALL the shots.

I participated in one of the shoot offs at the Republic of Texas Grand Prix that Dave Cole mentioned in a previous post. That shoot off was for first/second between me and "Airandngasman" (Ron Robertson). We were tied after day one at 50 each. Our scores were the same in the forced position lanes on day one. On day two Ron and I were squaded together and went toe to toe in very windy conditions. We remained tied until the standing lanes of which there were two, back to back, for a total of eight shots. In those two lanes I got ahead of Ron by three. Over the course of the next few lanes, Ron chipped away that lead bringing it back to a tie on the last lane. Ron was first to shoot in that last lane which included a target at 50 +/- yards and a 90 degree right to left wind blowing somewhere around 9 MPH. The rotten bas.... cleaned the lane! That was actually the first shoot off of the day. I had to clean the lane to remained tied which I did.

The shoot off was set up in accordance with AAFTA rules with one target at 25 yards and a 1/2" KZ. The second target was at 50 yards and a 1" KZ. Ron and I both made the sitting shots taking it to kneeling. Ron made the 25 yard, 1/2" kill zone, 75 troyer, kneeling shot. I didn't.

So, what is my point? Ron did not make a "lucky" shot. He made a shot he has been practicing for for many, many, years. He is a multiple time national champion in our sport and he showed us why that windy Sunday afternoon. I was not prepared and it showed. 

You can bet that very shot is now part of my regular practice routine should I ever be fortunate enough to be in another shoot off for first place. Not just practicing kneeling but doing it with an elevated heart rate which is meant to simulate the stress of a shoot off.

Leave the rules the way they are and structure your practice routine to prepare for the shoot off when it comes.

Just sayin'.

Art (Podna) Womack


 
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