BAD day on the range?!

[TElmer2]

So...an absolutely horrible day on the range today. Split times were incredibly off, and reloads were just fumbled and bumbled all day long. I know I'm not on your guys' levels, but I'm no slouch either. It was probably because I didn't eat my oatmeal this morning. So the question is...

How do you handle your bad days? Do you just shrug it off or do you go home and dry fire your rear end off?

One last thing...any tips on getting faster/better on concealed draws from behind the hip(4:30) placement? I guess copious amounts of dry fire is still needed.

[gringop]

Depending on how bad it is, to keep on pushing is just a waste of ammo. I've had days when I put away the Glock and just started plinking dirt clods on the berm with my 22. And I've have days when I packed up after 50 rounds and drove home.

Since my whole reason for practicing is to improve my performance and I know my performance suffers when I''m stressed, to continue pushing when I'm stressed is counter-productive. Whether it external stress (weather, illness, range environment) or internal stress (emotional upset, worry, frustration), I know that I am not gonna get the reps and feedback that allow me to improve.

The time for stress and/or stress inoculation is when I've written into the training plan or at a match. In other words, a test environment, not everyday skill improvement environment. Training with stress doesn't make you perform better but it can make you handle stress better if it's done right.

The best thing that you can do with a bad day is to try to understand WHY you have had a bad day, then accept it.

Gringop

[ToddG]

It would be nice if there was one simple universal answer.

If I'm having a problem with something specific -- like my reloads -- then I'll probably drop everything and focus on that. Often that means deconstructing the technique and going a lot more slowly than I want to. Or sometimes it will make more sense to move on to something else and put my effort somewhere it will do some good.

If I'm uncomfortable, unhappy, or distracted then I'll try to work through it. For example, if the guy in the lane next to me on the indoor range is shooting his battlecomp'd 7" AR three feet from my head I'll suck it up and keep practicing.

But like gringop said, if I am just wasting ammo then I'll stop. I'm not at the range to prove I can discharge a weapon in a westerly direction. If practice isn't turning in results I stop.

[JV_]

How do you handle your bad days? Do you just shrug it off or do you go home and dry fire your rear end off?

This might help:
http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?2612-Bad-Range-Session-Recovery

[Odin Bravo One]

Try to keep it in perspective.

If you left he range with the same number of holes you arrived with, it certainly wasn't as bad of day as it could have been.

[TElmer2]

This might help:
http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?2612-Bad-Range-Session-Recovery

Thanks...will definitely do some reading.


Try to keep it in perspective.

If you left he range with the same number of holes you arrived with, it certainly wasn't as bad of day as it could have been.

This always a good thing and yes I left with the same holes as I arrived with so I guess all was not lost yesterday.

[Kyle Reese]

We all have bad range days. Learning when to pull the plug (as Todd said) and call it a day is important. If you're not already doing do, have some drills prepared before going to the range, as well as a way to track performance. When you're having an off day/session, log it as such and strive to improve next time.

Hope this helps.

[dbateman]

I try and just forget what ever it is thats distracting me and tell myself the only thing that matters is sight picture.

Nothing else is important.

[Josh Runkle]

I do a few things. I stop and unload the gun and so 10 dryfires as a punishment/correction. Reload and keep going. If this is not working. I stop, take out .22 and have fun. For me it is usually only that particular day, or a particular drill or something. Usually never a bad week or anything like that. I also try to keep it in perspective. Sometimes, lately, my worst failures are still better than I shot a year ago. I am my biggest critic. So, I keep it in perspective and move on.