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Stage Planning

Stage CraftLevel 2 — Intermediate

Prerequisites

Pacing / Gear ChangesClose TransitionsPosition Entry

Unlocks

Flowing

What It Is

Planning the target engagement order, movement path, reload timing, and shooting positions for a stage before the timer starts. This includes the walkthrough, visualization, and development of a plan that maximizes efficiency while minimizing risk. Stage planning also encompasses the dry fire process of memorizing the specific plan so it executes without conscious thought under match pressure.

Correct Execution

  • Walk the stage methodically -- identify all targets, no-shoots, hard cover, and fault lines
  • Determine shooting positions based on target visibility and distance
  • Plan engagement order within each position to minimize transitions
  • Identify reload points that coincide with movement (no standing reloads)
  • Plan foot position for each shooting position, especially for wide transitions
  • Use target-level markers for positions (the specific target you will see from each spot), not ground-level markers (looking at the ground for tape or marks)
  • Identify the highest-risk targets (far, partial, no-shoot-adjacent) and plan appropriate pace for them
  • Develop a simple, executable plan -- not the cleverest plan, but the most reliable one
  • Memorize the specific plan so you can execute without thinking
  • Minor corrections in position should be small (bend a knee, lean slightly) not dramatic repositioning
  • Visualize the full stage run mentally before stepping to the line
  • "If you want me to lean, put down a fault line and make me" -- choose comfort and balance over unnecessary aggressive positioning

Progression Levels

Diagnostic Tree

Coaching Cues

  • "Best shooters win on fundamentals, not stage craft" -- Stage craft matters but is secondary to marksmanship. (Stoeger, Skills and Drills Reloaded)
  • "The best shooters are the fastest and most accurate -- if you can accept that, it will drive your training" -- The uncomfortable truth. (Stoeger, Skills and Drills Reloaded)
  • "Simple plans survive contact with the timer" -- Complexity is the enemy of match execution.
  • "If you want me to lean, put down a fault line and make me" -- Choose comfort and balance. Don't volunteer for awkward positions. (Stoeger, "Ben Stoeger on movement basics," 2024)
  • "Pick your spot on the ground before you get there" -- Plan foot placement during walkthrough. (Perez, "Match Video Skills Assessment," 2021)
  • "Use target-level markers, not ground markers" -- Keep your eyes up and your gun ready.
  • "If your dry fire is faster than your live fire, you're behind schedule before you start" -- Dry fire timing must be realistic. (Perez, "Realistic Dry Fire Training While on the Range," 2020)
  • "Memorize the plan. Then forget the plan." -- Rehearse until execution is automatic, then trust the process.

Common Errors

  1. Over-planning: Spending 5 minutes on an elaborate plan that saves 0.5 seconds over a simple plan. -> Misplaced priorities; avoidance of fundamental skill work. -> Simplify. Spend that mental energy on execution.
  2. Ignoring reload placement: Planning engagement order but not where to reload. -> Reloads treated as afterthoughts. -> Reload placement is part of the plan. Reloads happen during movement, never standing still.
  3. Not planning foot position: Knowing where to shoot from but not how the feet should be oriented. -> Foot position feels like a detail. -> Foot position determines stance, which determines recoil management, transition range, and exit efficiency. Plan it.
  4. Copying other shooters' plans: Using someone else's plan that is optimized for their skill set, not yours. -> Assuming the best plan is universal. -> Your plan should match your strengths.
  5. Ground-level position markers: Looking at the ground to find shooting positions. -> Habit from walkthrough. -> Use target-level markers that keep your eyes up and gun ready.
  6. Not memorizing the plan: Having a plan but not rehearsing it to the point of automatic execution. -> Overconfidence in ability to remember under pressure. -> Dry fire the specific plan until it requires zero conscious thought.

Related Skills

  • position-entry: Foot position and target acquisition must be planned during walkthrough
  • position-exit: Exit direction must be pre-planned
  • transitions-wide: Wide transitions require specific foot orientation planning
  • flowing: The execution of a well-memorized plan with no processing breaks

Edges

⚡ Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong

Fundamentals Beat Stage Craft Every Time

stage-craftstage-planning →

Intermediate shooters spend enormous mental energy on elaborate stage plans, believing a clever plan will close the gap to GM. It will not. The time gap between B-class and GM on the same stage is 5-15 seconds. Stage planning differences account for at most 1-2 seconds. The remaining 3-13 seconds come from fundamental skills: transitions, recoil management, movement efficiency, and pacing.

What most people do
Spend 5+ minutes per stage on elaborate walkthrough analysis. Debate shooting order. Develop complex plans. Meanwhile, their transitions are 0.15s slow, their position entries lose 0.3s each, and their splits are 0.05s above potential.
What the best do
Walk the stage, see the obvious plan (pattern recognition from hundreds of stages), confirm foot positions, and spend the remaining mental energy on visualization and execution focus. "The best shooters are the fastest and most accurate."
Why it's an edge: Mental energy spent on stage craft is mental energy NOT spent on execution quality. The ROI on fundamental skill improvement is 5-10x the ROI on stage planning optimization.
How to exploit: For your next match, deliberately simplify every stage plan to the most obvious approach. Spend the saved mental energy on visualization and process focus. Compare results to matches where you over-planned.
Cross-domain parallel
In marketing, teams obsess over campaign creative (the "stage plan") when the real driver is offer quality and audience targeting (the "fundamentals"). A mediocre creative with a great offer outperforms a brilliant creative with a mediocre offer every time.
Stoeger, Skills and Drills Reloaded, 2018

Sources

  • Ben Stoeger, Skills and Drills Reloaded (2018) -- Fundamentals over stage craft principle, "fastest and most accurate" truth, proper prioritization of planning vs. skill development
  • Ben Stoeger, "Ben Stoeger on movement basics" (2024) -- "If you want me to lean, put down a fault line and make me," minor corrections vs. dramatic repositioning, target-level awareness
  • Charlie Perez, "Optimize Your Live Fire Practice Sessions" (2022) -- Walkthrough timing process, 80/20 dry fire/live fire ratio, par time calibration
  • Charlie Perez, "Realistic Dry Fire Training While on the Range" (2020) -- Realistic dry fire pacing, "boom boom" cadence, "if dry fire is faster than live fire, you're behind schedule"
  • Charlie Perez, "Match Video Skills Assessment" (2021) -- Foot placement planning, position programming, ground-spot picking