quitting USPSA (and IDPA)?

[borneoknives]

long story short I'm just kind of over it.
I live outside Washington DC and work a regular 9-5, but I'm upper mgmt, so I'm always on call Saturday and Sunday.
Matches have become a time suck and i'm just not into it.
I guess this is fairly normal, but I really don't enjoy matches anymore.
Competition is cool and everything, but it's turned something that used to be fun into just another kind of "work."

(gotta dry fire X hours a week, gotta drive 2 hours to get to a match, gotta burn 1/2 my weekend to go shoot 6 stages at a club match)

Anyone else ever deal with this? (I'm sure)

Did you quit? are you happier on the other side of it?


I dug around and found this old thread: 

 

 

[RangerTrace]

Absolutely.  Quit worrying about winning, stop dry firing and just enjoy the match for the shooting.  If you can't make that adjustment, maybe it's time to step away for a while.  But, don't sell anything.  

[DKorn]

The biggest thing that’s kept me from quitting is focusing on what I enjoy about the sport, and making sure my expectations of myself line up with my level of participation and vice versa. 
 

For me, I enjoy hanging out with my friends at the range and working major matches, so even when my performance is bad, I’m still having fun. I DQ’d at handgun nationals after only getting to shoot 2 stages, and then hung out for the rest of the 2 days of staff shooting as my squad’s RO before working a stage for Friday through Sunday. Was it as fun as if I’d gotten to shoot? Of course not, but it was still a great experience. 
 

As far as expectations go, the biggest problem I see that makes people burn out is when their desired or expected performance is higher than it should be for the amount of work they put in. In other words, you don’t “have to” practice, but if you don’t, you need to lower your expectations so you aren’t disappointed. 

[Zachjet]

Agreed with ranger above
I run two businesses, and have a young family at home. I stopped worrying about trying to win and just go and have fun with my friends.

This is a group of guys that I met at matches. We always shoot together and pretty much fill a squad of 15
Granted, I do have two matches amount that are within 10 minutes from my house. But they do travel to matches almost every weekend. I pick and choose which ones I go to that aren’t local. Fortunately, my wife is very supportive and going out shooting is my way of blowing off steam.

 

 

Best recommendation is stop making it a task and make it a reward. I’ve come to the conclusion this year that I don’t have the time to be in the top 10 of my local matches

 

justGo shoot as a stress relief. Me and my group of friends have so much fun when we go and we couldn’t careless how we shoot.

 

[mmc45414]

Interesting how much hanging out with friends is mentioned.  I typically squad with the same guys I shoot with on most Sundays if we are not at a match. 

 

I also set myself free from the notion that I am gonna win, maybe it is easier being older. 

[shred]

It can be a difficult transition from "in it to win it" to "here for the fun of it" and many shooters leave instead.

 

[RangerTrace]

9 minutes ago, mmc45414 said:

Interesting how much hanging out with friends is mentioned.  I typically squad with the same guys I shoot with on most Sundays if we are not at a match. 

 

I also set myself free from the notion that I am gonna win, maybe it is easier being older. 

Its interesting to see the GMs I used to shoot with start to fall in the local match results.  Age is a real factor and the kids can blaze these days.

[zombywoof]

I've seen many people go in and out of the sport.

 

I agree with stop dry firing and just go shoot.

 

The two hour drive sucks though.

[Joe4d]

For me it became a drag, the matches simply got too big. You had to sign up a week or 2 out,, and my "local" due to traffic was a 4-5 hour round trip.. Combine that with 12-15 man squads,, and suddenly you have 5 hours of driving 6 hours of standing around, for  less than 3 minutes of shooting... For me that combined with matches changing into sprint contests, vs shooting contests... kinda sucked the fun out of it.
Couple years later I got into Bowling pins which was about 30 minutes from me, be there at 9, set up, shoot first squad,, be rolling home by 1130..  Late arrivals, shot next and did tear down.. Shooting went back to being fun instead of a grind... I enjoyed steel challenge when I moved, but back to the nearly 2 hour drive..  ICORE is new enough now and I only shoot a few matches a year, so the drive is ok.  

[OPENB]

1 hour ago, RangerTrace said:

Its interesting to see the GMs I used to shoot with start to fall in the local match results.  Age is a real factor and the kids can blaze these days.

I had this conversation with a GM recently, asking how long do you think we should do this. It is challenging to see your skills decline, and younger shooters getting even better. But I still enjoy it, and shoot every weekend there is a match. I even shot IDPA Sunday just to get to shoot. Not sure I'll do that again.

[Sarge]

9 minutes ago, Joe4d said:

For me it became a drag, the matches simply got too big. You had to sign up a week or 2 out

For whatever reason there has been quite an uptick in match attendance around me. There are three locals within 40 minutes of me and two of those fill up within 36 hours of opening up on PS. You have to set timers/calendars just to get in. I MD one of the two and it’s become almost like running a major in this regard. Waitlists, can you find space for me on squad X, I was busy and forgot to register can you hook me up, etc.

 

[Sarge]

3 minutes ago, OPENB said:

 I even shot IDPA Sunday just to get to shoot. Not sure I'll do that again.

[IHAVEGAS]

Everybody loves the getting better phase, maintaining is less fun, and getting worse due to age or unwillingness to practice like you used to (or both) is less fun still.

 

When you mentally get back to the reason most folks started shooting matches (having a good time with friends) and shift your focus to things like where your group is going to go eat and grab a beer after the match I think you can enjoy things for the long haul. 

[Racinready300ex]

My first thought, as others have mentioned stop or cut back dry fire and try to just have fun. Maybe shoot something different, like your EDC. Shooting a carry gun will nuke any hope of winning anyway and might help you stop worrying about that so much.

 

Personally I like dryfire.

 

Also do you shoot year round? Maybe take a off season. I typically force myself to stop training late fall and don't really start again until the next year. That forced stop/break can help bring back some fire and give you fresh eyes to approach your shooting with. Plus it's cold outside. 

[MHicks]

I have 3 matches per month within an hour of me. I do see shooters online who shoot 6-7-8 matches per month. I could see that many matches burning someone out sooner. We aren't  in a large population area and the monthlies aren't hard to get into. It does help to have reasonable expectations on your match placement depending on the amount of work you out in. Shooting different divisions keeps it interesting.  Sure, I'd like to shoot better but apparently not enough to actually put in the work to get there. I enjoy the matches and people I shoot with.

[OPENB]

Changing divisions is an excellent suggestion. Most divisions are different enough from each other, it's like shooting a different sport. Or try a different sport for a season. Trap/skeet, Steel Challenge, Precision rimfire. Great excuse to buy guns.

[Matt1911]

I stopped trying to attend every match within 4 hours of me and just focus on the 2 clubs that are within 45 minutes. 
between the 2 there are 4 matches every month that I like, and I usually pick 2

I’m not spending as much on gas or ammo, and I’m actually enjoying the matches I do attend because I’m more relaxed. 

[Artemas]

I went 5 years or so shooting 6-8 matches a month and a ton of time in practice between them. Post covid ammo/gas prices and just general burnout I slowed down a lot. I don't enjoy shooting anymore, but I like going to matches. Now it's maybe 2-3 a month if I even feel like going that weekend. I am still competitive in locals, I still enjoy the game, but if I found something new tomorrow I'd be out.

[dannyd]

What your experiencing is normal, so you just need to step back for a while and relax, but don't sell your equipment because after you relax for a while you will get the shooting bug again.  

[Cuz]

7 hours ago, shred said:

It can be a difficult transition from "in it to win it" to "here for the fun of it" and many shooters leave instead.

 

Yup, for the past few years the matches are more of a social shooting event for me, which keeps them fun.  I get to hang around and shoot with a bunch of buddies.  Doesn't get much better than that.  I NEVER do any dry fire practice, and my performance shows it, but I don't care because it's all just for fun these days.

 

But, if USPSA isn't doing it for you.  Grap yourself a shotgun and try Trap.  I started that last year and I had no idea how much fun sucking at trap could be.  Or, build/buy yourself a precison rimfire or centerfire rifle and start shooting that?

 

It's all about the shooting, not the competing.

 

And, yeah Shred, I know this isn't directed at you, it's for the OP, but I just grabbed your post to reply.  I guess I suck at forums too, but this place is still fun...

 

[JoeMKY]

I started mixing things up to prevent burn out, switch guns and divisions in uspsa, steel and idpa.  Sometimes I will do a nra fclass, prs or prs22 match to get a break from the normal.  3 gun is also another option that I throw in.   I’ve known some people take a little break from 3 gun and pistols and shoot trap mostly and come back to pistols here and there.

 

 

[JoeMKY]

11 hours ago, DKorn said:

The biggest thing that’s kept me from quitting is focusing on what I enjoy about the sport, and making sure my expectations of myself line up with my level of participation and vice versa. 
 

For me, I enjoy hanging out with my friends at the range and working major matches, so even when my performance is bad, I’m still having fun. I DQ’d at handgun nationals after only getting to shoot 2 stages, and then hung out for the rest of the 2 days of staff shooting as my squad’s RO before working a stage for Friday through Sunday. Was it as fun as if I’d gotten to shoot? Of course not, but it was still a great experience. 
 

As far as expectations go, the biggest problem I see that makes people burn out is when their desired or expected performance is higher than it should be for the amount of work they put in. In other words, you don’t “have to” practice, but if you don’t, you need to lower your expectations so you aren’t disappointed. 

Good advice Danny.  I was wondering why you dq at nationals since we are in the same class for single stack.  Glad to hear that you still had some fun afterwards.

[tkheard]

A bit different perspective for you.

I started USPSA in 2013, at 60. Against the 20 somethings, I’ll never take them. USPSA gave me an outlet for my control issues. In my work as a parish priest, my performance was totally on me. I’ve had a great time, and it has been helpful for me.

Fast forward 10 years, and a 16 month sojourn in Chicago. I could only dry fire, which I did pretty regularly. Now back in the Deep South, I can shoot matches again. Let me tell you, the first one dropping the hammer on a live round in my open gun was exhilarating! I shot like sh*t, but it was so much fun! Steel Challenge has opened up another door for me. Again, my performance is entirely on me.

I’m 70 now and don’t intend to stop any time soon. It’s about what I do as well as hanging with a bunch of friends.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[DKorn]

1 hour ago, JoeMKY said:

Good advice Danny.  I was wondering why you dq at nationals since we are in the same class for single stack.  Glad to hear that you still had some fun afterwards.

I don’t want to derail the thread with all the details, but the short version is:

-I had a stuck case fail to extract on the last shot at chrono. 
-Somehow both the RO at chrono and I missed it at unload and show clear. 
-On the next stage, at make ready I couldn’t get the gun to load, and when I locked the gun open and looked in the chamber, I found the stuck case. I let the RO know what was going on and we worked together to clear it. We called the RM over and, after he reviewed the situation, I was (correctly) DQ’d under 10.5.13. 

Lessons learned / takeaways:

-Use of the correct range commands (“if clear…”) is critical because it puts the onus on the shooter to make sure the gun is truly clear.
-Actually look to make sure your gun is clear, always. Don’t assume, don’t glance. Actually, truly look. In this case it was just a DQ, but it could cause a safety issue in other circumstances. 
-When ROing, actually look at the gun when someone shows clear before giving the next command. You might save them an embarrassing DQ. 

[borneoknives]

13 hours ago, Zachjet said:

 I stopped worrying about trying to win and just go and have fun with my friends.

 

I've found when I squad with my buddies i shoot even worse because we're BSing lol