Burn Out

[Flexmoney]

Ya miss me huh, sweetheart ?

(I thought the 10mm and 41Mag were "dead"?)

[redmist10]

Now the challenge is not in the shooting but in the wanting to shoot .........A much larger and tougher challenge that I have yet to decide to tackle.

Good luck to you all.

SAM

Rumor has it that if you get that troublesome hip replaced you're attitude about life will improve exponentially.

Good luck to you, Sam.

[hopalong]

Now Flex..............

the Revolver in USPSA was supposed to be dead too!!!!

Thanks Redmist.

SAM

Edit to remove double post.

Edited September 28, 2006 by hopalong

[RodeoClown]

Hopalong, thank you for the insightful posts. I feel like I'm in a similar place.

I burnt out in two sports, skiing and playing golf. When I grew up I skied up to a hundred times a year, as to golf, I did it whenever I wasn't skiing, and sometimes even on the same day. Both of those sports were more important to me than school. I was hoping to turn pro in either of those disciplines, but by the time I was fifteen I pretty much hated both of those sports and I doubt I will ever ski or play golf again.

I started shooting roughly a year ago and started going down the same path. After work, I'd either dry fire or go to the range, and after that I'd read posts on the forums here, sometimes until four or five in the morning. I had to master this game in the quickest time possible. About two months ago, the desire to ever touch a gun again pretty much completely left me. I have now made a commitment to myself that the only time I will ever pick up a gun again, even for dry firing, is if I really want to, and not from some sense of trying to improve, or what have you. Maybe it's one of those zen things, if you truly let it go, it might come back, and if not, well, then it won't. I'm not sure what has a guy like Tiger Woods hit a thousand golf balls a day and not burn out. I'm starting to believe maybe it's something innate to the person, and not something somebody can learn. I know from experience that self discipline will only get you so far. Beyond that something else seems to be involved. Maybe an acceptance that you either are or are not meant to get to a certain level, or do certain activities. I know this is a bit esoteric, but that's where I am right now. And I have read enough self help books, done enough therapy and gotten to know myself well enough to know that this goes beyond some kind of mental block or what have you. Rather, I feel that maybe I don't have that much control over this life or where it might go. Truthfully, though, I also feel that I’m at a much freer place than I have ever been. Only it also seems to mean that I don't really get to decide exactly which way my life is going either. But looking at my past and how it turned out I probably, or almost surely, never did. The only thing that guides me these days is a vague inner sense of direction, that, from a rational point of view, very often makes very little sense at all. But there’s a sense of excitement and innate joy of living that I hadn’t experienced before. On some days, though, when I look at my life from an objective, right brain place, I think I must be out of my mind, and maybe I am. And who knows, maybe that’s a good place to be. Except, sometimes I get very scared. And, as far as shooting is concerned, it might mean that I’ll never get to be a GM, or even return to a range ever again. But then again, that might have happened anyway, but probably with a lot more headache involved.

[racine]

Thanks for sharing your honesty with us Sam. Insight sometimes comes as hindsight and only then as 20/20. I took up USPSA for the love of shooting and then as a relief from the strains of my job. Shooting has bouyed me above the madding din of human competition in my field of occupation for the last 10 yrs- prior to that it was skiing. Finally my work took overwhelming precedence and eventually necessitated my re-location. Shooting in another section was interesting but what has caused my loss of interest in shooting has been the lack of attention to the new shooters the local clubs provide. I've traveled to at least 4 matches in the last 12 months that were cancelled without notice leaving me and several shooters high and dry. With time being a precious commodity, I've taken up golf and tennis to which I don't have to travel 45"-1.5 hrs for nothing. I miss shooting but I also value what little time off I now have. I've attended your matches in Glen and enjoyed them and hope to be back someday. For now I'm content shooting 18 holes.

Racine

Edited October 8, 2006 by racine

[Rocket35]

I feel for ya Sam, I also hit rock bottom this year. I have been off for going on four months now. I am also getting a new blaster and looking at going to matches at the top of '07. Match Directing and training really hard with no "winter break" were the culprits I believe also. The time away from shooting has afforded me the opportunity to spend quality time with family and old friends though. There is always a silver lining.

[Mooney]

Sam,

Thanks for a great post. I have recently had a conversation with answers nearly identical to your burn reasons form a former shooter/ national champ in our area over bbq- our group was trying to get this person back into shooting; just at the local level, but out, on the range, with us. This person said a lot of the same things. If they messed up, they went to the range the next day and shot themselves bloody. Literally.

Another among us has been having health problems too, and he is finding it necessary to take time off. After he made his decision though, he realized that a lot of it was burn out. It seems to be quite common in those of us who take all aspects, including the work, seriously.

I have noticed this a bit with myself, esp. because I have this work ethic which won't let me sit. I have just started to not tape for the shooter before me (while on deck, in other words), and to try to relax. I also picked up on one of the quotes in someone on this forum's signature lines about just going for it. If it doesn't work, too frickin' bad- someone's gotta suck. I've applied this and realized that shooting can still be very fun- but that it is still a game.

Your post gave me a lot of insight in what to watch for in myself, so thanks.

I hope that you can get back to a point where the range time is a desire, and an enjoyable activity. Your posts here have always been insightful and entertaining.

Mooney

[justinwb]

I will offer a little insight on what burnout does to a person.

I am quite competitve by nature always have been.

As most of you know I have shot the Revolver exclusively for the last 2 years partly because of the challenge it represents and because somehow it seems pretty natural to me.

I started in 2004 shooting the wheel gun, was a B class Limited shooter.

Every one knows that Jerry Miculek is the Barrometer in Revolver shooting, I first got to shoot with him at A-3 in 2004 and go to meet the nicest two people you could ever want to know(Kay and Jerry). I also managed to end up 60% of him for the match, with 2 stage wins.

So I saw what I needed to work on to improve for Nationals, worked on it and made a goal of 70% and hopefully the shootoffs.

Nationals came, missed the shootoffs by 2 spots but did make the 70% and was quite satisfied.

Now is where it changes.

I usually take a break during the winter months but that winter 04-05 I kept at it, not much dry fire as I preferr the information feedback provided by bullet holes.

Scheduled major matches(13) into the mix to keep pushing the BIG MATCH atmosphere to help get the anxiety issue that we all get when going to a big match.

Starting in March I would hit the range Saturday or Sunday and go through a pretty strict practice regimine that required 4 hours Min and 1000 rounds min, then on the other day I'd try to hit a local match, with the goal of 60% of the overall match winner(usually an Open or Ltd M or GM)

Work took an unexpected downturn and in April I took a voluteer lay-off to get more range time, which I took advantage of.

Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays were spent with 6 hrs at the range working on what I thought I needed to work on. I was doing this all by myself, no one else to practice with, and no one to offer advice.

Tuesdays and Thursdays were 4 hrs of shooting stages or other scenarios.

This went on from mid April to June when I was satisfied with the results and started to really concentrate on not trying to speed up things but to eleminate mistakes.

Nationals was in July and after the last 3 months I set a personal goal of 80% or better of Jerry and wanted top 3.

The two weeks before Nationals I worked on mainly steel trying to get my eyes to catch up to my hands, seems to have worked as I could run a 3 second run on a TX star and sub 3s of the plate rack at 15 yds.

Time came for Nationals, chose to shoot with my friends in a squad full of Master class Limited shooters....good bunch of guys and glad I did.

Was having what I thought was a decent match with a few little uh-ohs but nothing serious I think 2 misses for 12 stages and one No-shoot. On the last day I put 4 stages back to back together that I thought were pretty good and came up on a stage that I thought would be the "make it or break it" stage.

I saw it as two ways to shoot it. Agressive and put the nail in the coffin or safely and hope it turned out good. I chose the first way and managed to really screw it up with 2 noshoots and 4 mikes(2 caused by the no-shoots) and ZEROED the stage. My choice I'll live with it and don't regret it.

Finished up the the match and ended up 78% of Jerry with a 90 point stage zeroed.....pretty good in most folks eyes, even managed to win 2 stages one of them the hardest stage of the match.

But after the one stage I was not even satisfied with 78% even though I had made the goal of 80% and after the months of working on shooting I felt pretty disgusted with myslef.

Now the time for Sections come up, still shooting the wheelgun but not as hard and often but still more than in 2004. Have only 4 total shooters for the two section matches I atttend and that is the straw that broke the camels back. After the Mississippi Classic I put away the wheelgun and have not shot it more than 24 rounds since.

In that time I went through 60,000+ rounds of Major .45 and by then don't really care if I ever shoot another again and even contemplated quitting and selling some of my gear to recoup the time off and cost of the year.

The only thing that saved me takeing a leave of abscence is the Limited gun Benny Hill built for me, I started shooting it a little and did not have any preconcieved ideas of that I should do good no great no matter what. It put the fun back into what I started as a fun hobby.

So in a nutshell, please don't take it too seriously........As I did or it will drive you away as it almost did me. Plus, I'm not a quitter and don't plan on becoming one

KEEP it FUN!

Hopalong

Oh yeah, for the what ifs.....

If I had shot the stage with the same 78% as the rest of the match........

2nd or 3rd and 85% of Jerry....

But I didn't and it doesn't matter any more.

Jerry is a class act, probably one of the nicest people I met at nationals. His wife is awesome to. Good people restore my faith in humanity I guess