Should I reset my tactics?

What is your goal? A high tactics rating on this site or learning tactics? If the former, keep doing whatever you're doing. If, however, you want to learn tactics you need to change your approach. First of all, forget ratings and ignore the timer. Focus on the tactics instead.

To do that, study the position and look for tactical themes: are there any undefended pieces or overloaded defenders? Are there weaknesses in the K's position? Are major pieces lined up on a diagonal? And a thousand others. When you spot a theme, look for a continuation that takes advantage of it. If you can't see one, look for moves that threaten something and force a response. In all cases, analyze in your mind to what you think is the solution before making any moves. This is important: learning tactical play requires that you learn to visualize the position that will result from your intended line.

Once you have chosen a line of play, make your first move. Whether it's right or wrong, play through to the end of the problem. Now you've seen the solution. If you had it right, great. If you had it wrong, take careful note of the tactical theme that you missed in the original position. This will help to burn that pattern into your understanding.

I hope this helps. Best of luck.

I have a neurotic approach to resetting Tactics Trainer - I reset every time I get one wrong! I try to ignore the rating and the amount of time needed to solve the tactics; I just focus on keeping a "perfect" record (e.g. 10 out of 10) as long as I can. I've twice made it to over 100 but usually I'm pleased if I get to 50. A few days ago I got to 64 - a good chess number! It's only one of many possible approaches and may not be one of the better ones, but I enjoy it.    

Great advice OldPatzerMike!

Challenge set. It will take me another two weeks to break 100 though.

Thanks for the advice. I do seem to be improving, but at the moment I'm just trying to get as many correct as I can and hopefully get better in the process.

The time pressure the chess.com tactics trainer puts you under is not geared for improving your chess.

Take your time, even if you get only 1 point because you didn't solve a 3-mover in the 7 seconds chess.com ridiculously says is the target time.

I take an avg. of around 4 min., have done 1454 problems here at chess.com, solved 82%, and have a 1704 tactics rating,  I also solve problems at other sites.

Note that you should do more than simply solving the problem to improve your chess.

When I miss a problem I go back and redo (unrated) until I solve it.  I then look at the TAGs involved - the specific tactics and ask myself why I missed them or why it took me so long to see them.

I memorize - and rememorize from time-to-time- the Tactical and Positional Motifs on these pages to the point where I can demonstrate them by name. That name puts a "hook" in my brain from which I can more quickly retrieve the tactic or recognize it's pattern in a game or puzzle:

https://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-tactics--definitions-and-examples

https://chesstempo.com/tactical-motifs.html

https://chesstempo.com/positional-motifs.html

That is a lot of problems, with a very good success rate! Right now since my reset I've done 200, and got 139 correct. But I got far more correct up to about 1200 rating than I am now doing. Right now of my most recent 100, I think I got 53 correct. They're definitely a lot harder when rated 1200 to 1800, (I'm rated 1450 or so in tactics at the moment). My average time is about 1 minute per problem, some of the earlier ones I got correct in 30 seconds, but with these harder ones sometimes I'll get the first move right and the next wrong or I get the first move wrong and the actual answer will be obvious. Or I just don't get the answer at all and don't understand the solution. It's frustrating, yet weirdly addictive?

mj welcome to my world! I share your frustration and addiction!

In another thread of mine I've asked about coaching, it definitely sounds like something I'd need to seriously improve, though it's a luxury I can't afford right now, but once I can I'll look into it.

Oh I have gamblers mentality. Start doing well and get a few correct, then think just one more then have a bad run, get upset, then try some more to reclaim pride or rating.

Yep! Gotta jump back on the horse!

I reset my ticks after they gorge

That's a great one for Halloween!

Gross. Can you please remove? 

I think 5 a day is more than enough. It usually takes me 2 or 3 minutes per puzzle, and sometimes 7 or 8 minutes if it's rated a lot higher than my ability. So 5 per day can be 20 or 30 minutes if they are all difficult and I take the time to understand why I got them right (or wrong).

Even if I could do more per day, I wouldn't because that's too much time. Some days I do none, some days one, but most days 5.  If I can understand all 4 or 5, that's more than enough and I'm just not up for any more than that.

I agree with the person who said resetting your tactics cant hurt, but it wont help either. Your ability is your ability, resetting isn't going to change that. One thing that has helped me is to not worry about getting them wrong. I think you mentioned something about taking too much time looking for a better move once you found a good move. Sure you might make the right first move, then make a mistake, and get docked a bunch of points because you played a good move, but not the best move. But remember, in a real game those good moves that tactics trainer punishes you for are most likely going to win the game.

What I do like though is that satisfaction of getting one correct, especially if it requires 5 or 6 moves or was particularly beautiful or difficult. Chess, played well and when I can understand it (rarely in that case) is an art form.

When all the moves in your game flow, it is like watching ballet or listening to a symphony!

True. Just a shame I rarely if ever get a brilliancy.

53 puzzles to get over 1000!

Congrats on staying at 100 percent.