Practicing When Your Mentally And Physically Exhausted

[Flyin40]

How does everyone deal with practicing while your not all there mentally or physically???

I ran into this tonight. I worked about 17hrs starting around 9:30pm to 2:30pm at the prison. So I get home and spend some time with my girls and they decided to take a nap. Well I took the opportunity to dryfire. I already felt exhausted and knew its was going to take alot of mental effort to keep my mind on the task at hand. It took some effort but after 15mins or so I was nailing reloads as good as any other day. I walked away from the session better than I had began.

I have read many times on this forum and in books that if your not all there its time to hang it up for the day so nothing bad is practiced. I disagree with this notion. Nothing ever goes perfect at a match, the match can run long, reshoots ect in 100degree heat. Your ability to focus and concentrate during those times will be the difference between having a good run or bombing a stage. If you never push yourself to get past these barriers how can you ever expect to overcome them in match conditions??

Some food for thought

Flyin40

[Catfish]

I think Burkett summed it up well when we were taking a class from him - he said something to the effect of when you're feeling like crap and want to call it a day and are shooting/practicing terribly, suck it up, do 10 more perfect reps and then stop. Don't quit when you want to, quit when you're finished.

[LittlePistol]

When I'm screwing something up, we either go to a game or switch to a different gun (usually the trusty .22 ) till I fix my issue, then go back to what we were doing.

[Micah]

My attitude on this topic has changed over the past year. There are certainly days that I am just not into it, so I take a break and look at my huge calendar in my den with all of the matches I have mapped out for the 07 season. I give myself an immediate pay value to practicing by desiring to be at the top of my game.

Another side to this is that we are not able to choose how we feel emotionally and physically on the day of the big match...the choice has already been made. By practicing when I am tired/grumpy/sore, I am teaching myself to get past these hurdles and just get to the shooting.

It ain't easy working with lil' rapist bastards John, I know.

[kruger]

If I didn't practice when exhausted, then I would be only practicing once or twice a month.

After work, I am practicing one martial art or another. After practice I go home, have dinner

and start my dryfire routine. If I'm not exhausted when I get home, I am not practicing

intently enough.

Suck it up, get it right.

Respectfully,

Mark Kruger

[Flexmoney]

I have read many times on this forum and in books that if your not all there its time to hang it up for the day so nothing bad is practiced.

That may be what you heard, but I'm thinking that is not what was trying to be said.

For me...the thought is to not continue to practice poorly. If you can come upon an obstacle...and get through it...great. If you keep bumping against a wall and aren't getting through it...aren't getting anything positive flowing...then, why continue? Why practice being sucky?

If you were to practice being sucky often enough...then that becomes the reality.

I always like to ask myself..."what am I practicing". That can give me a goal to work towards. If I'm making negative progress...then I might consider changing gears and working a different goal.

[FranDoc]

The issue that jumps out at me here is safety.

Agree with Flex that there's a difference between knowing when to push through a bad session and knowing when to pack up for now.

Practice during fatigue can build skill & character, as long as there are no lapses in attention to safety. Dry fire when tired may be OK. However, if you've really reached the point of 'too tired to concentrate', take out the ammo and give up any notion of continuing live fire practice BEFORE an 'accident'.

Anybody care to share insights on the 'Zen' approach to practice when exhausted?

[Flyin40]

I have read many times on this forum and in books that if your not all there its time to hang it up for the day so nothing bad is practiced.

That may be what you heard, but I'm thinking that is not what was trying to be said.

For me...the thought is to not continue to practice poorly. If you can come upon an obstacle...and get through it...great. If you keep bumping against a wall and aren't getting through it...aren't getting anything positive flowing...then, why continue? Why practice being sucky?

If you were to practice being sucky often enough...then that becomes the reality.

I always like to ask myself..."what am I practicing". That can give me a goal to work towards. If I'm making negative progress...then I might consider changing gears and working a different goal.

I understand what your saying but......... if your at a match and having a really bad match how can you turn it around. Where do you learn that mental toughness it takes to turn your performance around. You shoot a match like your practice. I can't see anyone saying in a Match, I'm doing badly so I need to go home so I don't reinforce bad habits. Thats just not an option, so why should it be an option in practice???

I'm just putting some stuff out there to make people think, I'm not saying one way is the right way or one way is the wrong way. This is one of those things is different for each individual, depending on your outlook, personality and self talk(whether it is positive or negative).

Changing your "goal" during practice is a good option. Start working on something different and you can always come back to it or just wait until the next session.

Another is to work on something basic, get things flowing then go back to what you were working on before.

Sometimes you can hit a wall and until your push through it you have problems with that area. It could be several sessions to get through it. At the same time you can hit a wall and end the session and come back the next day and have a great practice. I think its just one of those individual things.

Flyin40

[Singlestack]

A couple of years ago I had to drive all night long. I was mentally exhausted but as I arrived home, my buddy called and wanted to go to the range to practice. I reluctantly agreed and off we went. I shot faster/better/more acturately that day then I ever have before or since. Later, reflecting with my friend, we concluded that due to the fact that I was so tired my brain was not getting in the way. I would not want to try this at a match because of stage dopeing but it was pretty cool at the time. I was popping sub 1.7 sec bill drills with ease and on demand and seeing it all.

[AikiDale]

"Man's got to know his limitations."

We do not want to practice poorly and reinforce bad habits. Neither do we want to train ourselves to give up. How to train when we would rather do anything else and still be positive is always a challenge.

If you have the will to practice and the practice is not going well you might make a change. Shift to a skill or a way of practicing that will result in a good outcome.

For example if you are working on drawing with a timer and the times are getting slower rather than faster you could change the skill to doing reloads, without the timer and work on being smooth. If you are determined to work on the draw then perhaps set a time which you can accomplish and try to hit that time with each draw.

The secret is to always allow the mind to keep moving. It's what we call winning without fighting. Fighting is not important. Winning is.

[Rocket35]

I think I would agree on the point that you need to know yourself and your limitations. If/when I am having a totally piss poor practice and attitude where nothing is going right, I pack up and go home. It isn't often where that is necessary. And I have even done this at a club match once by the way. Changing to other "drills" won't help if "nothing" is going right. I think it is more damaging than good to continue plugging away and reinforcing the bad. At that point, one starts trying too hard and forcing things to happen instead of the way it should be. Carelessness and complacency start to set in. At least for me anyway. And like I said before, I may see the need to pack up maybe once a month. If I need to call it a day one out of the 20 practice sessions I do a month, that is pretty good IMHO.

[benos]

Don't quit when you want to, quit when you're finished.

I like that.

Most times when I was struggling in practice, I felt like maybe I should give it up, but I never could. I'd just keep digging, and usually something good would come out by the end.

be

[Flyin40]

Don't quit when you want to, quit when you're finished.

I like that.

Most times when I was struggling in practice, I felt like maybe I should give it up, but I never could. I'd just keep digging, and usually something good would come out by the end.

be

Thats exactly how I am. I can't quit, its not even an option and I have yet to ever have a bad practice session. Things may get rough but I keep at it and get through any problems.

I won't allow myself to walk away. Thats just me though. I was kind of suprised that more people didn't pick that last option. I few times I have took a break, maybe pick up brass or something but 99% of the time if I have had problem I just keep at it and every time I walk away feeling I have had a good practice.

If you read 1 and then 5 they sound the same but I put a subtle difference in it.

Flyin40

[benos]

Yea, #5 doesn't read exactly right for me. For me it would be "suck it up, dig deep and hopefully I'll learn something in the end."

[Duane Thomas]

I went for "I push on knowing I will be a better shooter at the end of practice." And this is true: it's the way I've always done it. However I'm trying to break myself of this habit. I've come to realize that all I'm really doing by "digging deep" when it's just not happening is frustrating myself and not really accomplishing anything worthwhile from the standpoint of improving my skill level. YMMV.

[Sam]

Practice isn't something that I feel I must do. But, it is one of my favorite places to go when I am tired or mentally out of it.

One thing I definatley don't do when I'm really tired is work on accuracy. So, if I'm really tired and the accuracy starts to go to funky town, I just start working on other stuff that requires a "different kind" of attention.

Speed work, shooting off balance, left hand bill-drills, "turning the badger loose", it's all great fun when I'm tired and just letting it hang out. I have learned that being tired hurts my precision, but not my reflexes. Having a real hoser of a practice session always puts me back in the zone and I'll be good for the rest of the day or maybe for two. Practicing tired also has another benefit. When you get down to the last couple of stages in a long match, everything feels normal.

[Religious Shooter]

It may not be 100% applicable to the topic, but during a class Sevigny advised the students to stop their practice sessions still wanting to shoot.

I think it's a very valid point that you should practice when you are "exhausted" mentally and/or physically to be familiar with it. But to me shooting is about fun, and practicing when you are exhausted isn't fun. Furthermore, IMHO, it isn't efficient and in the long run you are more likely to "burn out."

But if you are that rare and lucky individual that WANTS to shoot while they are physically and mentally exhausted... Go and practice.

Also... "exhausted" <> tired.

[shadetree]

I think Burkett summed it up well when we were taking a class from him - he said something to the effect of when you're feeling like crap and want to call it a day and are shooting/practicing terribly, suck it up, do 10 more perfect reps and then stop. Don't quit when you want to, quit when you're finished.

I would also ad that I try to allways end a practice session on a possitive note. I think that the last thing you do at the end of any practice session sticks with you for a while. Even when things are going poorly I will look for something that I do well to finish with. Sometimes 1 good pass is all you get. I find that leaving on a positive note makes is easier to come back tomarrow.

[38superman]

I don't think you are doing yourself any favors by pushing through a practice session if you are physically and mentally exhausted.

I try to avoid shooting major matches with 10 or more stages in a single day.

When I can't avoid this, by the end of the day I am battling fatigue and serious back pain.

That is the time when I need to dig deep.

I don't believe that practicing when I feel that way would help me deal with it in a match.

I practice when I feel like practicing.

If you are motivated to improve you will "feel like it" often enough.

It takes hard work and sacrifice to rise to the top of this game.

It also takes a love of the sport.

I don't want to kill the joy of it by forcing myself into a brutal effort when I'm just not up to it.

Tls

P.S.

Last year I shot the Georgia Sectional while I had Pneumonia.

I was very ill but I wanted to compete so badly that I just couldn't bring myself to withdraw.

I was miserable the whole time and my performance was awful.

There was nothing gained by doing it.

Edited March 21, 2007 by tlshores

[raz-0]

I can't honestly choose any of the poll answers.

To me, the reality is somewhere between "practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect," and some of the techniques in with winning in mind, where you basicaly mentally erase your screw ups and reinforce your successes.

Much liike flex mentioned, I don't want to practice sucking, but it doesn't mean I just call it quits. That's something else i don't want to ingrain.

Physical exhaustion is easy, for the most part you just suck it up and MAKE yourself do it right in practice.

Mental exhaustion is worse, especially with dryfire. For dryfire to work, you need to not only do the task, but observer it well, and assess if it was good or bad.

For both, I'll try to do it right. If i'm finding i can't, I'll try a a different drill or exercise to I find something I am practicing well. Usually worst case scenario, if i'm beat, but focused, i'll take some targets, scatter them aorund the basement, call it a stage, and runn it without thinking a few times till i ahve a par time for it. THen I'll stop, and actually do the mental stage prep and visualization thing, and see if i can cut that time down without running myself ragged. For physically there, but mentally not, usually I'll hang up the guns is slower or different doesn't help and just exercise, being in better shape can't make me shoot worse.

Frankly, the schedule is a lot bigger problem for me these days than the will or the energy.

[racerba]

I worked about 17hrs starting around 9:30pm to 2:30pm at the prison.

I think it depends on the situation. After 17 hours of work, I'd hang it up and go to sleep.

[Flyin40]

I worked about 17hrs starting around 9:30pm to 2:30pm at the prison.

I think it depends on the situation. After 17 hours of work, I'd hang it up and go to sleep.

LOL, I would never get to practice then. I been working 16-17hrs 3 to 4 times a week. I had 35hrs in by Tuesday at 2pm and still have 3 days left. Actually after working all those hrs I came home planning on hitting the bed early. So its about 6pm and just spent the last 3hrs playing with the kids and decided to go to bed. So I'm laying there and can't fall asleep. After watching some TV I get up, put the rig on and dryfire for 1.5hrs. I finally got to bed around 9pm after I watched SpongeBob with my 3yr old.

It took alot of effort mentally but I had a great dryfire session. Thinking about it while I was at work today I was glad I dryfired.

I looked back through my journal recently and counted up draws, reloads etc and looked at how many days I dryfired. It average about 4 times a week, about every other day. I can think back about the days I was exhausted and dryfired and I get a good feeling knowing I didn't quit and stuck with it. By the end of the yr, all those times I put the rig on and kept at it will show.

My main priorites are my family and my job. So after that I'm usually pretty exhausted so theres not much choice when to practice. If I want to get better either I dryfire or make some excuse. Its all to easy to make an excuse. Its just that this yr I told myself I wouldn't make any excuses why not to practice. I would take what little time I have and stay at it.

I think its paying off already.

Flyin40

[Zerwas]

If I'm physically exhausted, I don't find there is any benefit to waste ammo just because.

I'd just as soon not pick up any bad habits because of my being really tired.

I would think that would work negatively on your confidence as well.

[Jasonub]

lance armstrong being told that there is 3 feet of snow ahead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYVB8V4EngA

If your going to adopt his attitude and missing or hitting no shoots during practice when your tired mentally and phisically, i suggest that you move 3 meters closer till you get your a's and end up happy. If its too easy, move back a meter, then another just dont start missing or doing what you dont want to do.

key is be happy after practice and getting to hit your targets properly.

But if your too tired, might as well pack away than accidentally shoot yourself. but before going home shoot a 3 meter target, thus you get your A's and be happy when you leave the range.

-

[Flexmoney]

I can't see anyone saying in a Match, I'm doing badly so I need to go home so I don't reinforce bad habits. Thats just not an option, so why should it be an option in practice???

Again, practicing exhausted isn't the thing I was looking to convey. It is performing poorly that I don't want to the reinforce.

I understand what your saying but......... if your at a match and having a really bad match how can you turn it around.

Why have a really bad match that needs turned around ? What gets a shooter to that place ?

Where do you learn that mental toughness it takes to turn your performance around. You shoot a match like your practice.

I'd like to say this is a chicken and the egg thing, but it may not be at all.

If you practice shooting great...come match time, you should be a great shooter. 50 great practices = 50+ great self-images.

If you practice being in a hole and pulling out of it. If you are successful in pulling out of the hole...fantastic. What if you are only successful 50% or 70% of the time. What self-image is that building ? Why is there a hole to begin with ??? Where did the hole come from ? (How did I get this shovel in my hand?)

It is good to have that (image of being able to come back) in that toolbox, but...might there be a better self-image to nourish that could work even better ?

I'm just putting some stuff out there to make people think.

I'm glad you did...we need to beat this stuff around.

Changing your "goal" during practice is a good option. Start working on something different and you can always come back to it or just wait until the next session.

Right. Catch yourself doing something good and keep reinforcing that. Success in one area can often trigger success in another.

Another is to work on something basic, get things flowing then go back to what you were working on before.

Great insight. Often, I'll notice that if something isn't clicking, there is a something a bit more fundamental that is off. If the foundation is swaying, the walls and roof won't be stable. Stepping it back a notch or two can be a good move.

Sometimes you can hit a wall and until your push through it you have problems with that area. It could be several sessions to get through it. At the same time you can hit a wall and end the session and come back the next day and have a great practice. I think its just one of those individual things.

I think we are geared toward that. If we get stuck..give it more gas. If we hit a wall...use a big hammer. We probably get that through past experience...making ourselves actual give full effort with a clear goal in mind...usually means we succeed. We find a way through desire, determination and mass of effort. There is confidence in that.

On the flip side, if we are given 110% and just spinning our wheels...it might be smart to step back and try a different approach.