Post Range Session Fatigue (Due to Repetitive Concussion?)

[Wynn615]

I have noticed, after long range sessions, I experience eye fatigue similar to long study sessions with my head in the books and notes. It hits, me like many of you have said, when doing extensive accuracy drills 25 yd bulls and dot torture.

- Wynn

[Wondering Beard]

There are times during a shooting session when one should just plink. Some fun should be had in the midst of all that work.

[jwperry]

Are you having fun at the range?

Serious question; it sounds like you're on the path towards burnout if you're getting that fatigued after half a match's worth of shooting.

[YVK]

I just had a 250 round practice session and I got tired. I recovered by driving straight to my gym and swimming for a little, half mile or so. True story.


Seriously though, it is a mental fatigue. High accuracy demand shooting does it earlier for me. It can also be a sign of of an excessive mental tension, and it is not unique to the shooting.

[Yute]

Do you practice at an indoor range? If so, do you see a difference between outdoor and indoor range sessions?

[babypanther]

This week I attended a course at RCTA in MS. This was not a shooting class, and the day that we did shoot live rounds, it was from 0930 to 1130. I went through 150 rounds. We shot a few different drills, from a 2 inch circle walk back competition to shooting and moving in pairs. The accountability for accuracy was high, as it should be. I noticed that after we got back to the hotel that night, I felt noticeably fatigued from the day.

[AJZ]

Interesting that this would come up. One of the guys I work with and I recently noticed that we became much more fatigued after what I would consider a relatively short session (200rds) than a year ago when we were shooting about 700-800rds a session, 4-5 days a week. Something we hypothesized was that since our frequency of practice had been reduced (down to one 200-300rd session a week or less) that our ability to sustain focus and ability throughout a session had diminished greatly. I have noticed as I have been able to get to the range more often that as I increase my rounds fired per session, my ability to maintain focus/ability (I.e. Keep getting meaningful reps) is increasing back to where it was. Like many things, it seems the more you are exposed to it the more you can handle. This has just been my personal observation.

[voodoo_man]

As @txdpd stated it's a fatigue associated with periods of extreme mental and/or physical concentration.

I used to experience this when I was in highschool, this is why studying/doing homework hours before bedtime is a smart move because you'll literally just fall asleep afterwards from being drained.

I found that if I added something which was fun and/or measurably different at the end of my range sessions that I would not feel this way. Every range session I end with something which is completely different than what I was working and usually something which could be challenging but also entertaining, preferably something under a timer.

The good part is that the more you do it the more you'll be able to handle as you go, at least that's what I've experienced so far.

Also playing music in your headphones helps break your concentration. If you want to concentrate and not listen to music, play classical, without vocals.

[NEPAKevin]

Someone once told me that one of the reasons children learn quickly is that they are honest with themselves i.e. they sleep when their body tells them they are tired, eat when hungry and stop doing something if it hurts. For better or worse, as adults we often train ourselves to ignore our body's clues that we are doing something bad and force ourselves to fight through the obstacle. In the case of a life threatening circumstance, this is a obviously a good thing. However, in regards to learning skills acquired through repetitive performance, it may be your body's way of telling you to do something different. I have seen guys burn out when they hit a wall and try to force their way through by doing the same thing over and over to the point of frustration. It is smart to recognize discomfort for what is is and try to find the source and correct if possible.

[Larry Sellers]

I recently just experienced this myself for the first time (that I'm aware of). Went out and did several drills that required a lot of concentration, and on my drive home from the range I made a conscious effort to drink more water and even still after my 50 minute ride home I was exhausted. I was out in the sun, being sure to hydrate but I had to take a 20 minute nap when I got home.

It's at times like this I wonder if the cooling sleeve technology that a few have spoken about (I.E. Qore etc) would be beneficial to helping regulate the body temperature.

I've taken a few 2 day courses in the last few years and have noticed on occasion that I've been prone to getting migraines as the night progresses when I get home. I wonder if there's some correlation between all of it.