How do you avoid burnout?

[JPG]

I have been competing for about 3 years, and only began taking things 'seriously' this past year. My definition of 'serious' means that I've set a goal of being a GM - other people have their own definitions of 'serious,' but this is mine.

After setting this goal, I began training - both dry fire (daily) and live fire (usually 2-3x month plus matches).

I don't think I'm burned out with training yet, but I feel like I'm close . For example, I spent the past two weeks hammering the dry fire drills in preparation for a local club's 8-stage outlaw match ($45 for 8 stages - hell of a deal IMO). I get to the match today, and as I'm unloading my gear into the cart, and I feel like I don't want to shoot the match. So, I just RO-ed the match and didn't fire a single shot (fortunately, the match is over two days, so I can shoot it tomorrow if I want).

Many of you have set similar goals for yourselves and have reached them, i.e., win my club match, win a LV 2, become A/M/GM, etc. My questions: How do you find balance? How do you continue to have fun while being 'serious' about shooting?

There are a number of posts that talk about what to do 'after' you're burned out. How do you prevent from getting burned out?

Thanks in advance folks!

[caspian guy]

I always change divisions when I get bored... something to mix it up... I am normally an open shooter but I just spent 6 months shooting single stack. Find something to keep it fresh.

Edited June 29, 2014 by caspian guy

[MWP]

I'm trying to fight the same problem. I have to find something pure fun to keep me interested.

Try taking the wife to the range. Take the kid down the street. Shoot a couple of fun club matches where no one knows your name, at games that aren't even your normal games. I've been catching .22 falling plate matches, and bullseye. Believe it or not, it's working.

Pretty sure even the top guys get burned out, they've just figured out how to manage it.

[Jman]

You have set a very lofty goal. Fine one too...if you are a master class shooter. Sounds more like you are grinding. Work on small achievable elements of technique, not the rewards of mastering them.

[Nimitz]

For me it's easy .... I have a lot more fun when I do well and the only way to do well is to train harder than anyone else ... It also has a lot to do with your personality. Peresonally, I'm an extremely competitive person. I don't like losing to anyone at anything and the only way to keep that up is to train ....

My own theory on burn out is that you really can't prevent it with some technique becuase it is your inner self telling you you're not that interested in whatever you are doing ... You really can't lie to yourself. If you really want something bad enough you'll figure out a way to accomplish it. If you don't, that ok too. Find something else that excites you and get invloved ....

Edited June 29, 2014 by Nimitz

[b1gcountry]

I am a pretty experienced diver. Everything from reefs to uw caves to deep wrecks in the great lakes. I have been diving for almost 20 years. In that time, I have seen a lot of new divers jump in all out, and start doing very advanced dives within a year after getting certified. For a lot of them, they set pretty lofty goals, and then spend almost every weekend taking classes or training at the quarry. A lot of the divers would make their goals, but then a majority of them stopped diving.

It seems to me that the majority of the 20+ year divers I know are not goal driven. They dive because they enjoy it, and they do not dive when they don't feel up for it.

My point is, you don't get burned out when you are having fun. So don't set any goals that prevent you from having fun.

Edited June 29, 2014 by b1gcountry

[Nimitz]

Setting goals and having fun are not mutually exclusive. Competitive shooting is, well .... competitive. And to beat your competition you must get better and to do THAT you must set goals.

I have been SCUBA diving for over 20 years and as far as I know there is no competitive SCUBA diving events. You do it for the enjoyment of it. If you want to do the advanced stuff well then you get the proper training and you go do that. When you tire of it you stop, competition has nothing to do with it.

Just because you do something for "fun" and not a competition does not protect you from becoming burned out. While 'burn out' is most often connected to competition is is not exclusive of this. Burn out, by definition, is you telling yourself you don't want to do the activity any more, competition is just a side issue, not the cause .

In a competitive sport like USPSA, every time you attend an event you are competing, it's the nature of the sport. If you don't want to participate in the competitive aspect of it that's fine as well. I guess you can just shoot and not look a your scores .... However ,I have yet to meet someone in the 2 years I've been competing who has not looked at their score after a match .... The fact that you may not be trying to win the event does not mean that you are not interested in competition.

Edited June 29, 2014 by Nimitz

[glockified]

Do whatever it takes to keep it fun. It's great to have lofty goals, but don't let them interfere with your ability to have fun. I want to improve too, but I don't want to be like some shooters I see who are so serious they beat themselves up after every stage - that doesn't look like fun to me. Maybe work on small goals one at a time, and then you can have a sense of accomplishment and pride when you master each small goal while still on the path to your larger goal (GM).

[BSeevers]

I think I find this fun, shoot with me if you wanna see, after 26 years but when I am serious in performance, Nothing will stop me from my goals.

All negativity will either spur you on, or defeat you. Burnout is self induced negativity. Heck I don't even like to post on these type threads because of that fact. It is all inside you. If you feel that you have "arrived" investigate that. My language is strong but it has to be. Have I felt your feeling, of course I have. I choose how I handle that feeling. I tell people that I coach, after they have fallen in some way. Today you decide to get better, stay the same or quit.

[Toolguy]

I have been shooting matches since 1979. I have been in burnout mode twice during that time. I still love shooting though. When I felt burnt out, I just left the guns in the safe and did something else for a while. Then when I started to miss not shooting, went back to it.

I think to avoid it in the first place, back off a little and make time for other people and things. Do some of each - achieve a balance of the good things in life. Do things with the GF or wife that they want to do Then when it comes time to shoot or practice you will be ready to dive in and give it your best effort. You will probably be happier and more composed mentally too.

[MarkCO]

The vast majority of people I have seen truly burnout (to not return) are those who ran matches, RO matches, gave much more than most to the shooting sports. Some who burn out are also those who train a lot of other shooters.

Taking a break is good advice for sure.

[co-exprs]

The vast majority of people I have seen truly burnout (to not return) are those who ran matches, RO matches, gave much more than most to the shooting sports. Some who burn out are also those who train a lot of other shooters.

Taking a break is good advice for sure.

Been there.

[Nimitz]

While I agree with the above that taking a break may be helpful, what I don't agree with are that setting lofty or difficult goals are the cause of your burn out. I'm pretty sure they're aren't too many people who have set tougher goals for themselves then me but the key is what is called expectation management. That and just focusing on one thing: shooting ( not being a MD or club officer or RO at ever level II match in your area, etc)

Setting difficult goals is good and some would argue mandatory to have any chance of success. However, you must be realistic in your expectations for how you will achieve your goals. If you are currently a D class shooter and have set a goal to become GM by the end of the year you are probably setting yourself up for failure or burnout. You need to set realistic goals with realistic timetables based on your current life situtation and resources.

Becoming a M/GM level shooter is a much more difficult proposition than most people realize and takes a level of commitment most truely don't understand. Mike Seeklander once told me that most shooters in our sport never make A class not becuase they don't have the ability but because they get frustrated and quit. I'm lucky that at this point in my life I can focus all of my energy to one activity and live fire 3x/week and dry fire 5x/week. When I was younger I would never have been able to do that and therefore probably would have set myself up for burnout/ failure if I tried to do what I am currently doing ....

[b1gcountry]

I have been SCUBA diving for over 20 years and as far as I know there is no competitive SCUBA diving events. You do it for the enjoyment of it. If you want to do the advanced stuff well then you get the proper training and you go do that. When you tire of it you stop, competition has nothing to do with it.

You just haven't been exposed to the competition part of diving then. Trying to push caves or discovering wrecks might not get you an award, but many divers have died doing stupid things just trying to add a couple feet to the end of the line in a cave.

My point is simply that you need to structure your goals in a way that lets you enjoy the process.

Tom

[Nimitz]

hmmmm .... if by structuring your goals you mean setting realistic timelines for accomplishment and the identification of required resources and a plan to acquire things you don't have but will need to succeed, then I agree. Setting goals will never be the source of burn out but your approach to achieving them certainly could be ...

[Jman]

JPG (OP)

I hope you find some of these responses helpful.

[Blueridge]

I myself avoid burnout by having more than one hobby/competitive outlet. In addition to being a competitive shooter, I am also a competitive fencer (olympic style). In addition to competing I help coach others in both shooting firearms and fencing. It helps me keep perspective.

The icon that you see to the left of my post is a bronze medal that I won at the 2012 Cresent City Open in New Orleans, Louisiana. As far as success goes, I have qualified for 14 of the last 15 US Fencing Nationals and competed in 13 of them. I have even competed internationally in Australia, where I finished in the top eight in Epee at the Pan Pacific Masters Games.

My shooting sports achievements are not as impressive yet, but I am working on it. I have a few silver and bronze medals from competing at the State Games of North Carolina in USPSA and SASS, but nothing on the regional or nationals level.

Too much of a good thing (shooting sports for example) can become overwhelming at times. Having another outlet can give you the chance to renew your energy and drive.

[CHA-LEE]

I think that the "Burn Out" starts when the "Discovery" process stops. When you stop discovering things and get into a "Maintenance Mode" style of training that is when it becomes very boring and can lead to burn out pretty easily. I am always trying new things both in skills and gear. Doing this helps me maintain a healthy dose of "Discovery" during my training and practice sessions. Doing this also helps me stay ultra observant of what is going on while you are training and practicing to see if the new or different thing is or isn't making a difference. I enjoy tinkering on things and figuring things out. I also know that if I am having fun doing something I am more willing to do it. All of this combined helps me from getting "Burned Out" on this hobby I like doing so much.

This also explains why I have purchased, setup, tested, modified and ruled out every single race holster on the market and keep going back to a simple Blade-Tech kydex holster. Trying out different holsters is fun, it forces me to practice to test it out, and it forces me to observe my technique while using it to identify any advantage or disadvantage of using it. I could say the same thing about gun parts, ammo, shoes, glasses, sights, etc.

There are a crap ton of different methods, skills, and equipment used in this game. If you are getting board doing the same old thing over and over, that is your choice.

[2MoreChains]

Friends and friendly competition helps me keep my interest up. But I also had to take some short absences from shooting/dry fire due to work periodically though-out the year, which makes it even more enjoyable when I can get back into it. But when work is not clamoring its shrieking demands on my time/availability I am usually shooting a match every weekend, with some Steel Challenge thrown in there during the summer, plus weekly dry-fire routine. I also mix up the type of shooting by doing some indoor bullseye in the winter to work on fundamentals (man I suck...) as well as 3gun once a month (suck less but nothing to brag about). So all that helps keep it fresh.

I also MD, design stages, deal with the BoD of my club, club contact with USPSA, setup/tear down, RO, and also work major matches. Recently I shot a section match where due to the uncertainty of whether or not I could fit it into my work schedule I didn't sign up to work the match like I normally do. So at that match I was just a competitor and squadded with some really good friends. I had a blast, and that was like a mainline injection of pure enjoyment, and renewed for me how much I like this sport. Previously that spring I worked as a CRO at an Area match, RM'd three matches that are pseudo Level 2, and MD'd the USPSA matches all winter long at my local club. While I think I am still a ways away from burn out, I realized that it is really enjoyable now and then to just be a competitor for a change.

[MarkCO]

I realized that it is really enjoyable now and then to just be a competitor for a change.

Or...it is nice to see how 80% of USPSA shooters enjoy the sport.

[b1gcountry]

hmmmm .... if by structuring your goals you mean setting realistic timelines for accomplishment and the identification of required resources and a plan to acquire things you don't have but will need to succeed, then I agree. Setting goals will never be the source of burn out but your approach to achieving them certainly could be ...

That is pretty much the point I was trying to make. Plus don't set goals that are ego driven.

[pjb45]

Lanny Bassham writes about goal setting and achieving your goals. You might give his book a read. Also, Mike Seeklander's training books offer enough varied exercises that it helps in keeping the training fresh.

[grayguns]

Love the process. Gain visceral enjoyment from seeing the sights and feeling the trigger through each shot. Then the match will greet you like a warm friend.

-Bruce

[A-shot]

Do something else.

[Steve Anderson]

If you don't define success, you'll never have any. So, make sure you know what constitutes success on a regular basis and make sure you have some.

Burnout occurs when the effort required exceeds the pay value of the reward.

My new book has a full chapter on this topic called "Goals and Level of Participation." Suffice to say I've experienced this several times, as well as the very real issue of goal depression, which is related but slightly different.

Bottom line: Choose a level of participation based on available resources and set an achievable training schedule that can be exceeded but never shortchanged. This will keep your life in balance, and be very good for your self-image.