Have a cold; was shooting for crap

doofus47 · November 7, 2013, 11:58 AM

So I left the range early rather than waste ammo.

Then I got to thinking: was I wrong? I there any benefit to training/practicing when you're just not yourself?

It seemed like focus, dexterity, eye sight just weren't there for me.

Just curious if there's other opinions.

BigJimP · November 7, 2013, 01:00 PM

In my view....there is "good practice" ....and there is "just throwing lead downrange"...

It depends on what you're shooting for ( tactical, defense ...) ...or for (BullsEye practice )..../ if I just wasn't on my game that day - and practicing Bulls Eye, I'd quit and go back another day. If I was practicing my Tactical shooting...I'd probably press on / make myself run some of my drills even though I wasn't feeling that good.

When I practice tactically...( I keep a small 3" X 5" spiral notebook in my range bag )....I make a note on drills I ran ( like my Reload #1 drill --- draw and fire one - reload - fire 2 in under 3 sec / target at 15', 18', 21' ...out to 30' ) ...make a note on date, drill, how many shots missed, # of times overtime, # of times I fumbled reload ---notes ( felt crummy, guy next to me shooting a .454 Casull...whatever )..../ over time, I look at my trends on that drill....am I improving, or plateauing, or getting worse....seek out some instruction help on it....or a buddy or whatever.../ as a note my target is a silhouette target - and my A zone is nipple to nipple - and rectangle down to belly button area / not a 3" circle...( although I'd like 90% in that 4" or 5" circle in the center chest....a shot to lower left of rectangle is just as good as a shot to upper right of rectangle ...for "tactical" shooting ...based on my goals....

Point is ....I don't just go to the range with 6 boxes and blaze away with no plan.../ tired, didn't sleep well, bad day at my office, a cold.....all goes into the book ( and I'm not a great shooter / I shoot to meet my own goals / not someone others expectations )..../ I actually make up sheets of Courses of Fire -with times, etc.../ takes me about 2 min, to sit down on bench after I'm done shooting to annotate the notebook...not a big deal...

aarondhgraham · November 7, 2013, 05:31 PM

Way back in time,,,
When I was an aspiring competitive archer,,,
I trained with a gentleman who specialized in Japanese style archery.

He read me a passage from a centuries old martial training manual.

Basically it said practice was to burn the muscle memory into your brain,,,
So there is no sense in practicing when you are "off",,,
That is practicing doing something badly.

I honestly think he was and still is correct,,,
I would go to the range and shoot an end of six arrows,,,
If they grouped well and were centered I would continue practicing,,,
If they weren't grouped or centered I would settle down and try it again.

If they still weren't grouped I would case the bow and walk away,,,
There is no sense practicing doing something badly.

There is no empirical proof of whether this works or not,,,
But I felt it was a very valid training philosophy,,,
I became very good in a very short while.

At my age and with my aging eyes,,,
It doesn't seem to matter very much for me now,,,
I'm shooting more for recreation and enjoyment than proficiency.

I figure I'm as good as I'll ever get with guns,,,
That makes me somewhat sad.

Aarond

.

Erno86 · November 7, 2013, 06:11 PM

On shooting days...sniper's try to avoid caffeine and sugars.

If your eyes are getting blurry...you're not breathing enough, which brings oxygen enriched blood to your retinas. If you get dizzy, you might be hyperventilating...so you might have to breathe in a paper bag to get more carbon dioxide into your bloodstream.

Do yoga exercises...in order to relax. Do not shoot when tired.

I take herbal eye supplements for my eyes, such as: fish/flax/krill oil, Lutein, Zeaxanthin and phosphatidylserine for brain relaxation.

Try to end your shooting session on a positive note, by shooting a bullseye or a close Charlie with you're last shot.

November 7, 2013, 05:31 PM	#3
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	Way back in time,,, Way back in time,,, When I was an aspiring competitive archer,,, I trained with a gentleman who specialized in Japanese style archery. He read me a passage from a centuries old martial training manual. Basically it said practice was to burn the muscle memory into your brain,,, So there is no sense in practicing when you are "off",,, That is practicing doing something badly. I honestly think he was and still is correct,,, I would go to the range and shoot an end of six arrows,,, If they grouped well and were centered I would continue practicing,,, If they weren't grouped or centered I would settle down and try it again. If they still weren't grouped I would case the bow and walk away,,, There is no sense practicing doing something badly. There is no empirical proof of whether this works or not,,, But I felt it was a very valid training philosophy,,, I became very good in a very short while. At my age and with my aging eyes,,, It doesn't seem to matter very much for me now,,, I'm shooting more for recreation and enjoyment than proficiency. I figure I'm as good as I'll ever get with guns,,, That makes me somewhat sad. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

November 7, 2013, 06:11 PM	#4
Erno86 Senior Member Join Date: September 22, 2012 Location: Marriottsville, Maryland Posts: 1,739	On shooting days...sniper's try to avoid caffeine and sugars. If your eyes are getting blurry...you're not breathing enough, which brings oxygen enriched blood to your retinas. If you get dizzy, you might be hyperventilating...so you might have to breathe in a paper bag to get more carbon dioxide into your bloodstream. Do yoga exercises...in order to relax. Do not shoot when tired. I take herbal eye supplements for my eyes, such as: fish/flax/krill oil, Lutein, Zeaxanthin and phosphatidylserine for brain relaxation. Try to end your shooting session on a positive note, by shooting a bullseye or a close Charlie with you're last shot. __________________ That rifle hanging on the wall of the working class flat or labourer's cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there." --- George Orwell

November 7, 2013, 11:58 AM	#1
doofus47 Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: live in a in a house when i'm not in a tent Posts: 2,483	Have a cold; was shooting for crap So I left the range early rather than waste ammo. Then I got to thinking: was I wrong? I there any benefit to training/practicing when you're just not yourself? It seemed like focus, dexterity, eye sight just weren't there for me. Just curious if there's other opinions. __________________ I'm right about the metric system 3/4 of the time.

November 7, 2013, 01:00 PM	#2
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	In my view....there is "good practice" ....and there is "just throwing lead downrange"... It depends on what you're shooting for ( tactical, defense ...) ...or for (BullsEye practice )..../ if I just wasn't on my game that day - and practicing Bulls Eye, I'd quit and go back another day. If I was practicing my Tactical shooting...I'd probably press on / make myself run some of my drills even though I wasn't feeling that good. When I practice tactically...( I keep a small 3" X 5" spiral notebook in my range bag )....I make a note on drills I ran ( like my Reload #1 drill --- draw and fire one - reload - fire 2 in under 3 sec / target at 15', 18', 21' ...out to 30' ) ...make a note on date, drill, how many shots missed, # of times overtime, # of times I fumbled reload ---notes ( felt crummy, guy next to me shooting a .454 Casull...whatever )..../ over time, I look at my trends on that drill....am I improving, or plateauing, or getting worse....seek out some instruction help on it....or a buddy or whatever.../ as a note my target is a silhouette target - and my A zone is nipple to nipple - and rectangle down to belly button area / not a 3" circle...( although I'd like 90% in that 4" or 5" circle in the center chest....a shot to lower left of rectangle is just as good as a shot to upper right of rectangle ...for "tactical" shooting ...based on my goals.... Point is ....I don't just go to the range with 6 boxes and blaze away with no plan.../ tired, didn't sleep well, bad day at my office, a cold.....all goes into the book ( and I'm not a great shooter / I shoot to meet my own goals / not someone others expectations )..../ I actually make up sheets of Courses of Fire -with times, etc.../ takes me about 2 min, to sit down on bench after I'm done shooting to annotate the notebook...not a big deal...