Imagination vs Reality with not enough sleep

[hyasuma]

So I went to the Production Nationals this past weekend for the first time. 29th out of 101 Production B shooters, lot of learning curves for sure. Anyways, the next day my buddy and I decided to go to a local match to practice for Area 5 that is coming up this weekend. Keep in mind we drove 8 hours back to MI from Quincy,IL and got back about 4 am in the morning and had to get up at 7

I was grumpy, hungry and there was a tough stage that I ran through in my head for so long that I swear  that I hit 2 A on that target and there was no way that I didn't engage it. Said it to myself many time to engage that target at the corner right after a reload and  end up accusing ppl for pasting the target before it was scored. Then we reviewed the video an of course, I didn't even engage it. I apologized to everyone many time and we all laughed it off....man, talk about mental preparation vs what actually happen..

It will be wise to get enough sleep or grab a snicker......just my 2 cents

Edited August 15, 2016 by hyasuma

[Hi-Power Jack]

I doubt anyone would argue that no sleep is better,  BUT,

My first very large match with an Open gun, I was so nervous

the night before, I got NO sleep (I don't mean I had trouble sleeping

or dozed on and off) - I got NO sleep that night.

Really worried the next morning about how well I'd do - would

I drop the gun - forget where I was - fall asleep mid - COF?

I shot terribly, but to my level at the time.  No sleep didn't

seem to affect me at all - guess the adrenaline pumped in,

and I shot as poorly as usual, but not worse

BUT, I still agree with you, completely - better to get some sleep

(and eat Twinkies)

[M1A4ME]

My experiences with lack of sleep go back to the U.S. Army.

You get tired, sleepy, you fight it by moving, talking, smacking yourself, etc.  If wintertime use snow/ice/cold water (I've seen guys dump ice/snow down inside their field jacket/long underwear to shock themselves to alertness) to help.

Then you get a "second wind" and everything is okay for several more hours.  Then the need/desire for sleep comes back.  You fight through that with what works for you. 

After that you go into the "stupid" stage.  Not funny things are funny.  You laugh your butt off at people falling down, dropping stuff that shouldn't be dropped.  If the first couple of sleepy stages are bad, for the job, this last one is just dangerous.

Eventually you go out, no matter how hard you fight it.

We were out one night when there was 6 to 8 inches of snow on the ground with a frozen crust over it.  You'd stay on top some steps, break through on other steps.  Up and down the hills and through the brush.  I got picked to stay at the ORP and was sent down near a stream to watch in that direction.  It started with freezing rain that turned to sleet.  I crawled up under a holly bush/tree (the only thing that had leaves on it to block some of the freezing rain/sleet.

If someone had told me I could fall asleep in those miserable conditions I'd have told them they were crazy.  Some deer coming up the creek bank woke me up, breaking through the crust on the snow and slipping around trying to get up the creek bank into the woods.  I don't think they ever knew I was there.  A few minutes after they passed by the Sgt. sent someone down to pull me back to the ORP and we left the area. 

I can't imagine really firing live weapons in that state of mind.  It might be real ugly.