Jump to content
Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

Time at the range has gone from fun to frustration


lvipscshooter

Recommended Posts

I know there are already several posts out there like this, but as in those, I wanted to create my own.

I have been shooting competitively in USPSA for @ 5 years. I just achieved a M classification, but feel I have been shooting well below my ability recently.

I feel part of it is I do not have as much time to train as I had in the past or as most of the better shooters in my class. Knowing that, I have developed a defeatist attitude that I will never be as competitive as I was in the lower classes.

Part of that problem is I am super competitive, and strive to be the best at whatever I do. Good performance trumps everything for me. When my best is 35th overall and 11th in my class at a major match, I feel like a failure

I don't want to continue throwing money at this sport and being away from home every weekend and coming away stressed and depressed. I have fun hanging out at the range with everyone but have gotten to the point of hating that I actually have to shoot

Opinions here. Should I just switch divisions (of course there lies the not enough time thing training to be competitive in new division), take a break, or just walk away and do something else?

Please keep in mind my fun level is based on performance (sad I know but it is what it is). If I go to the range just to shoot and hang out with "the gang", I'd rather go plink or just stop by the match to say hi and not shoot

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have never put much stock in how I do in my 'class'. Beating a bunch of other guys that also don't train enough to move up is not 'winning'.

Are you improving? if not, why not?

It sounds like perhaps you are result-oriented instead of process-oriented. Most folks I know who are result-oriented have less fun shooting because the result is largely influenced by who else shows up. OTOH, no matter who I'm shooting against, I can always shoot better than I did before. In the long term, if you keep improving, you will be pretty good and the results will come without having to force them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stop trying to beat everyone you shoot with, and just start trying to beat your previous best. Watching others advance or beat you will only frustrate you as you generally have no idea about their training schedule, discipline, how much they live fire, etc. All you can base any real perfomance on is you. Compete with yourself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like we are in the same boat. A few years ago I was shooting anything I could get to. This year, I've shot 2 local 3-gun matches, and 1 local USPSA per month (the one I help run). I'm going to the IN Sectional this weekend and really hoping to not finish last M in Limited, lol. If you haven't had the time/drive to practice you can't expect the results to be there, so I would try to stop worrying about them. Who cares if you finish 35th overall? Did you have fun while you were there?

I would echo the idea of taking a break. Take a month or two (maybe more) off from shooting related stuff (don't dryfire, don't reload, etc). Just live your life and be happy. Stop by the range or swing into a local match to say hi and then leave. I feel rundown at the end of every shooting season and then end up not touching anything all fall while im deer hunting most of the time. By Spring, im itching to get back to the range. Just step away from it for a little bit and let your body/brain refresh itself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been shooting matches since 1979. I have taken a year off 2 times, then came back and enjoyed it again. I would say take a break. But for how long? Until you are itching to go shoot again. I have found that any emotions about how you are shooting during the match is bad. If you're happy about doing well, shooting degrades. If you're mad or sad about not doing well, shooting does not get better.

The only thing to make shooting get back on track is to execute the basics. Call every shot. Be in the moment. This shot, this shot, this shot, or sights and trigger, sights and trigger, etc. I don't do the words, just the images. If you think about anything else while you are shooting, like that was bad, someone else is doing better, what's for lunch, I hate my ex, gotta get the car fixed, etc. you will not shoot well. You are only actually shooting the gun for a few seconds at a time. Discipline yourself and your mind to stay on task for that few seconds. There are hours and hours to think about all the other stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Steve Andersons podcast might help you a lot. I have been listening to him a lot and he stresses going to matches with no expectations on the end results. You go to each match for one reason only, and that's too call every shot. If you do that you will perform as well as you possibly can. Give his podcast a listen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm glad to have finally met people who suffer wit the same problem I have!

I began competing last year and got hooked on the sport! I find myself depressed or feeling down when I have a not so perfect run! Guys, I tell everyone I'm training to win! So I demand performance! Anyway, I was beginning to think I was alone in this emotional problem of getting down and depressed after not placing where I felt i should have, bad stage, etc !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm glad to have finally met people who suffer wit the same problem I have!

I began competing last year and got hooked on the sport! I find myself depressed or feeling down when I have a not so perfect run! Guys, I tell everyone I'm training to win! So I demand performance! Anyway, I was beginning to think I was alone in this emotional problem of getting down and depressed after not placing where I felt i should have, bad stage, etc !

'training to win' seems like setting yourself up for failure. Why not just train to get better, and to shoot as well as you can shoot on match day?

Unless you are eric grauffel or max or ben or nils, you are only going to 'win' if better guys don't show up, or if they shoot poorly. You don't have any control over those things, so it makes more sense to me to define success in a way that you *can* control it. If you train to get better, and if you shoot as well as you have trained to shoot, winning will happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...

I don't want to continue throwing money at this sport and being away from home every weekend and coming away stressed and depressed. I have fun hanging out at the range with everyone but have gotten to the point of hating that I actually have to shoot

...

If you mean these things, for sure a break is in order, unless you thrive in some way on wasting money, being stressed and depressed, and hating the activity in question.

If I take you less literally, maybe you're saying you're simply burned out. You must have loved it at one time, but now it's not as fun.

I like the "take a kid shooting" suggestion but maybe a complete break from shooting might be the ticket. Go focus on someone/something else for a while.

Edited by GunBugBit
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

This is one area where I think that new competitors like me have an advantage. For us winning is simply getting better, making fewer mistakes, or turning in our highest finish ever. That breeds enthusiasm. It sounds like you have reached a point to where you have lost that. It is time to back away for a bit.

Go enjoy something that you have put off doing for too long; live life outside the range for a while. If you do get the urge to shoot, do something different. I like the take a kid shooting idea, I do this with my nephew some times. Make it fun, shoot cans with a 22, blow up balloons and shoot them, just have fun. I bet that is how you started shooting to begin with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know there are already several posts out there like this, but as in those, I wanted to create my own.

I have been shooting competitively in USPSA for @ 5 years. I just achieved a M classification, but feel I have been shooting well below my ability recently.

I feel part of it is I do not have as much time to train as I had in the past or as most of the better shooters in my class. Knowing that, I have developed a defeatist attitude that I will never be as competitive as I was in the lower classes.

Part of that problem is I am super competitive, and strive to be the best at whatever I do. Good performance trumps everything for me. When my best is 35th overall and 11th in my class at a major match, I feel like a failure

I don't want to continue throwing money at this sport and being away from home every weekend and coming away stressed and depressed. I have fun hanging out at the range with everyone but have gotten to the point of hating that I actually have to shoot

Opinions here. Should I just switch divisions (of course there lies the not enough time thing training to be competitive in new division), take a break, or just walk away and do something else?

Please keep in mind my fun level is based on performance (sad I know but it is what it is). If I go to the range just to shoot and hang out with "the gang", I'd rather go plink or just stop by the match to say hi and not shoot

I'd say you're basing your fun on results, not on performance. There's a huge difference between the two.

Read "With Winning in Mind." It will help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to echo on the humility aspect. Getting better and being better than everyone else are two very different mentalities. The latter will be destructive, imo.
Me on the other hand am new and perhaps I have low expecations. But I like to focus on comparing how I did vs. last time. Oh and it's always nice to see how many men I beat, since it's such a male dominated sport :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...