Ever just have one of those days?

[gtmtnbiker98]

When the suck and fail flow without limits while at the range? Everything I tried to do was horrible and these were my standard drills that I perform 3-4 times a week. Draws sucked, SOM sucked. For no rhyme or reason, all I did was waste ammunition today.

[voodoo_man]

When the suck and fail flow without limits while at the range? Everything I tried to do was horrible and these were my standard drills that I perform 3-4 times a week. Draws sucked, SOM sucked. For no rhyme or reason, all I did was waste ammunition today.

This is why having a standard drill you run at the range every single time to determine where you are is a necessity.

I've gone to the range with the best intentions and shot a 200 drill like I wasn't even aiming. Did it a second time just to make sure I wasn't all messed up and it was similar. Packed up and left.

No reason to turn money into noise when all you need to do is some dry fire to work out whatever is going on.

[Luke]

Yea I have one of those days frequently.

[okie john]

When the suck and fail flow without limits while at the range? Everything I tried to do was horrible and these were my standard drills that I perform 3-4 times a week. Draws sucked, SOM sucked. For no rhyme or reason, all I did was waste ammunition today.

Yep. I pay more attention to them than to the days where I nail everything hard and fast the first time around. I consider them a sobering reminder of what my true skill level is likely to be if things get real.


Okie John

[Josh Runkle]

When I have that day, I stop trying to train, and switch guns and just shoot for fun. I'll rent anything if I didn't bring something else (but there's usually something random in a bag or the trunk).

My goal is to leave happy, so that I am ready to come work hard at the range the next day.

[breakingtime91]

Had this last week. Tried something new with my grip and fucked everything up. Kept trying to push through it but all I did was waste 100 rounds. I had fun but was frustrated at the end also.

[psalms144.1]

I've had more than my share of "those days."

I actually prefer those days to days when I'm running hot - once I've sucked hard it's easy to see improvement. But the pressure to keep performing after you're killing your old performance standards gets to be a bit much. Early in 2015, I had a run where I shot a perfect score on our 300 point qualification nine times in a row - it was actually a relief to gank a weak hand only shot on the 10th run - no more pressure!

[lwt16]

Had "one of those" range days last year.

After shooting 17 years of perfect 100s on quals (rifle, pistol, and scattergun) at work, I moseyed on out to the range to do my yearly qualification. First round was like a 96 with an absolutely embarrassing group....more like a pattern.....on pistol. Second round I slowed down and focused on fundamentals.

94 on that round.

And our qual course ain't that hard.

Anyway, one bad day out of hundreds of days at the range isn't going to haunt me. Lots of things were going against me that day: lack of sleep, lack of food, coffee was terrible that morning.....all sorts of little chinks in the armor that day. And I hadn't been practicing enough....it truly is a frangible skill.

I'm back where I need to be now and have sent 3k pistol rounds down range this year to date....including a shooting school or two. Working on carbine stuff now.

Don't sweat it. Work on dry fire for a while and shake it off. We all have "those" days.

[Artemas2]

yep. Bombed my last idpa match, and subsequent practice sessions have been awful. Nothing like a 8 inch group 12 inchs left of POA.... at 7 yards.

Shows why one needs to dry fire practice daily.

[shane45]

When I post mortem those occurrences, I most often come away with the conclusion that my head was not aligned with the task at hand.

[Peally]

I have plenty of training sessions like this. When I start dropping F-bombs I take it as a hint to stop, go home, relax, and pick it up later with a more analytical relaxed mind.

[Nephrology]

Yup... check my most recent entry in my training journal.

I ended up pushing through it after 3 shitty dot tortures in a row. It was sort of helpful. It forced me to really, really slow down and think about just what the hell I was doing. That was helpful, in a way, and it reminded me that I can't escape the importance of regular dry fire.

[olstyn]

yep. Bombed my last idpa match

My last USPSA match was awful as well. I think we've all been there at some point. Thankfully practice the next day was not so bad; I was at least able to renew my faith in my ability to be accurate. Much like shane45 said, I think usually when this happens to me, it's an indication that my head isn't in the game for some reason.

[miller_man]

Being a much less skilled shooter than many on this board, I find this a little refreshing to hear.

Anybody seen the new VW commercial?
Where the guy comes off the golf course with his friends, and starts shouting and throwing his stuff in the car, only to get in and say "same time tomorrow?"

Ya, thats me shooting sometimes. Especially after my last USPSA match. Saw that commercial, and told my wife "that was me today!"

[BN]

I'll have a bad practice day sometimes. When I do, I don't shoot a lot. Just a little for fun. I don't let it bother me because I usually only have those days one at a time. At the next match, I just let the zen flow and I do OK. :)

[StraitR]

Yup, I've had them, especially when working on something in dry fire all week and taking it to the range for the first time. This is one of many reasons why I never go to the range without a couple rimfire guns and an AR anymore. If it all starts going to crap in the pistol bay, I either pull out the 22's (usually 22/45 LITE + 15-22) and have a little fun, or pack it up and head over to the rifle line for the same. Throw a can on all of them, mo-better fun. No reason to waste a trip.

[Welder]

When I saw the title of this thread, I was all set to tell about how not only did I get stung by two bald-faced hornets today, but I sweated like 2 gallons of water while welding on a metal gate wearing full leathers in the middle of a CVS parking lot in the hottest day yet this year, then forgot my wallet when I went inside to buy something cold to drink, then....but never mind. Dang click bait threads. ;)

I only wish I had the luck to get a chance to shoot crappily today.

[olstyn]

I only wish I had the luck to get a chance to shoot crappily today.

Hah! Said like a man who hasn't recently been in a 7-way tie for last place/zero points on a classifier stage. :cool:

[Welder]

Hah! Said like a man who hasn't recently been in a 7-way tie for last place/zero points on a classifier stage. :cool:

:D

Wellll....since you bring up the classifier. For a minute I thought you knew me, then saw you ain't from 'roun heah. Last month was our local classifier and I had the brilliant idea to just shoot the whole thing with my BUG gun, kind of cocky-like since I finished top 5 in the last BUG match I was at a couple hours south of here. So I figured yeah, I'd just go ahead and classify for BUG, then also go for CCP while re-upping my ESP and SSP all at once.

Long story short, I had one of "those" days. I could make excuses but I won't. Classified SS in BUG but that same time transferred to MM in CCP. Would have been MM in the other two also if IDPA let your classifications go negative. I forget how many points down because I can't count that high.

But to answer your statement, yes, I believe I'd rather have suffered through the ignominy of everyone watching me burn, than go through today again. :D

[olstyn]

In that case, TBone550, welcome to the club. :)

[LSP552]

Sometimes we all just have a day when things just aren't working in synch. If you can focus a bit on what is going wrong, then it's a great opportunity to grow as a shooter. My personal issues on these days is generally a lack of focus. If its a physical thing, such as grip, trigger control, etc., it's pretty easy to pay a bit of attention to that and get back on track.

For me, the lack of mental focus is harder to deal with. Shooting really is about 90% mental so it's easy to loose focus sometimes. On those days, I just try to make it a fun day and not waste ammo or work on a single factor I'm having issues with or want to improve on.

Shooting at a decent level contains a decent amount of auto pilot where a number of things work best without a lot of conscious thought. Too much mind can screw with that.

[Nephrology]

:D

Wellll....since you bring up the classifier. For a minute I thought you knew me, then saw you ain't from 'roun heah. Last month was our local classifier and I had the brilliant idea to just shoot the whole thing with my BUG gun, kind of cocky-like since I finished top 5 in the last BUG match I was at a couple hours south of here. So I figured yeah, I'd just go ahead and classify for BUG, then also go for CCP while re-upping my ESP and SSP all at once.

Long story short, I had one of "those" days. I could make excuses but I won't. Classified SS in BUG but that same time transferred to MM in CCP. Would have been MM in the other two also if IDPA let your classifications go negative. I forget how many points down because I can't count that high.

But to answer your statement, yes, I believe I'd rather have suffered through the ignominy of everyone watching me burn, than go through today again. :D

Last time I shot the IDPA classifier I absolutely hosed it. I generally (used to) place with people classified as SS or higher; I basically only managed MM by the grace of god that morning. I'm convinced this is why I will never shoot IDPA if given a choice; too much emotional trauma.

[Peally]

If IDPA is emotional trauma USPSA is watching your house filled with puppies burn down. Some of their classifiers are satanic.

[lwt16]

Shooting really is about 90% mental so it's easy to loose focus sometimes. .

This is very true and quite evident when guys I work with can shoot tight groups all day long in practice sessions but seem to always throw one round out on quals.

To get the "Distinguished Expert" pin you have to have five years of perfect 100s in a row. Miss one round and you start all over. I have seen folks get to their fifth qual and throw one round.....usually at the five yard line shooting one handed.

Always fun to watch them throw things and go full potty mouth when that happens.

Once you get the pin you keep it for your career so there is no pressure whatsoever and I still blew that 17th year qual. lol

[ubervic]

I actually think it's a good thing to have an off day once in a while. When it happens to me, I immediately slow down, dry fire a bit right there at the line, then resume live fire with an emphasis on fundamentals.
I look at the temporary setbacks as a kind of training opportunity and to keep me honest with grip, trigger press, sight picture and follow-through.

[Nephrology]

If IDPA is emotional trauma USPSA is watching your house filled with puppies burn down. Some of their classifiers are satanic.

this is why I've yet to shoot a USPSA qualifier ;)

USPSA is much more fun than IDPA though - usually if I get hosed on a USPSA stage it's because I earned it. I've shot several IDPA CoFs where I ended up placing last because I forgot to shoot from behind cover or while moving or with 2 fingers crossed behind my back or...

[Welder]

this is why I've yet to shoot a USPSA qualifier ;)

This is why I've never shot USPSA period; seems like all the videos I see are doods running full-out here to there, and then to there (2), and then to there(3) all the while shooting this and that. My problem is that currently I can both run and shoot faster than I can focus / think. I need some kind of drill to work on focus and actively thinking while shooting. Haven't been spending any time on DOTW - maybe it's time to open that subforum and start picking through it.

[jthhapkido]

This is why I've never shot USPSA period; seems like all the videos I see are doods running full-out here to there, and then to there (2), and then to there(3) all the while shooting this and that. My problem is that currently I can both run and shoot faster than I can focus / think. I need some kind of drill to work on focus and actively thinking while shooting.

You might find that starting to shoot USPSA will give you the impetus to start thinking while shooting. :) (More importantly, you might find that shooting USPSA will force you to start doing it.)

It is always interesting to watch people in their first USPSA match (no matter their skill level), then observe the changes in their skill levels in the first year. They are normally----significant. :)

[olstyn]

It is always interesting to watch people in their first USPSA match (no matter their skill level), then observe the changes in their skill levels in the first year. They are normally----significant. :)

No joke. USPSA can teach a lot about efficiency of movement and shooting quickly while maintaining accuracy. In addition, it will really test (and improve) a person's ability to figure out what do do when their plan goes sideways. Also it's a hell of a lot of fun.

[That Guy]

I seem to be having one of those lives... :p

When I get to the range I know it'll be at least a week until I get a change to try this again. So quitting when everything sucks is... difficult. Sometimes I manage to push through the suck in the end, sometimes not. Hard to tell in advance if the day is going to be a complete waste of ammunition and time or not.

[Nephrology]

It is always interesting to watch people in their first USPSA match (no matter their skill level), then observe the changes in their skill levels in the first year. They are normally----significant. :)

I think honestly the biggest improvement I've made since I started shooting USPSA was losing my hesitancy to move my damn feet. I used to walk very slowly and deliberately, or sort of shuffle places while trying to half-heartedly shoot on the move. I've now realized it's much better to sprint from position to position, to shoot and move on. I still manage to shoot on the move but I reserve that for high-probability targets that are between me and a good position to shoot a lower probability one.

[Larry Sellers]

All to frequently. A friend told me to stop at times like that and dry fire. No need to throw 50$ in the trash to make noise and become more frustrated.

[Joe in PNG]

Having some sort of stupid fun gun along for the range session can help remind one of why you shoot in the first place, and just be good for some stupid fun.