We have talked about this before but what do you do to train under stress? In the Marine Corps you get thrashed with exercise then you perform tasks. Another is under the duress of a time clock. I have a new one for you. Three shots in two seconds and you have to hit the Alpha section of the target but here is the catch, Put a rubber band over the barrel and over the trigger. When you shoot you will be struck by the rubber band while executing this task. This is another good reason to wear eye protection. The reality of consequences is real now and your basic skills need to be on point.
100 pushups then shoot, any physical training paired with range time will work you up for stress training. The act of being attacked at the time you have to shoot requires training. In a class we have someone grab the back of your belt and tug on you while you shoot. An attack on you is a distraction and helps you keep focused on the basics of shooting.
One I felt pressure on is going to the range with LEOâs. That picked up my nerves and had pressure on me. I had to perform good! I did not want to look bad!
My hands would be dead steady, but only because I will have died at about the 1/4 mile mark.
My [mostly joking] motto is: âI have about 5 seconds of ârunâ, 10 seconds of âfightâ, and 15 rounds.â
It ainât the years, itâs the miles.
âThere it is!â
I am âOld School OK?â
When I shoot now I shoot for accuracy
My Range doesnât âAllowâ me to move about bring
in any âStressorâsâ, Iâve seen Gunnerâs get âCautionedâ with TIMERâS.
I have been in the sh!t too many times to need outside stimulation
to get me motavated/Trained up
I 'Mozanbique Drill as much as I can til itâs MM. THAT will save my axx.
Bravo to all of you who get creative, that is not for me
Getting hitin the face with a rubber band, somebody yelling @ me
is not my idea of a good time.
Good Topic Todd. I am happy it works for you.
Edit: (100) Pushups then shoot! You wait that long for me the Perp will have died of old age!
Having 3 screaming children can make the household stressful just to be in. They are the ones I am likely to have to protect in a firefight, so training around them with a SIRT Training Pistol helps to prepare yourself and them for the possibility of what we hope will never come. I also recommend taking them to a firing range so that they can experience what itâs like to be around live gun fire. Whatever training you do around children though, be 10x safer than you feel like you need to be. Stay safe out there.
Shooting RELIEVES my stress also.
It calms me, focuses me, takes away my PTS
(which fortunately only comes out now going INTO the darn Range)
These folkâs make it unpleasant sometimes signing up, and
prepping to get into my lane. Once Iâm in itâs my own Don World
Just leave me be
I know the rules
I know my sh!t
I wish somebody with a boatload of cash and Common Sense
would open up a Range here. Competition might make these jerks nicer.
âŠOr not.
New Mexico (Abq/Rio Rancho) doesnât have enough Police OfficersâFACT
BUT they have enough Range (Open Space) Officers that at the sound of Gun shots come runninâ like a fat kid loves Twix!
I canât go out far enough now to be comfortable and shoot without bumping into
an âROâ or a Migrant camp! The trash and debris these pigs leave is disgusting (and depressing)
Sure wou;dnât want to âwingâ an Illegal by accident!
The instructor at my first in person defensive handgun class had a really good stress/distraction drill setup.
He had a cardboard silhouette target on a low wooden cart with wheels. Iâm pretty sure it was set to about 21 feet away. A rope was attached and another student would be behind you playing with the rope so you could not be sure when they were actually going to move. Making a motion towards drawing before the cart actually started moving was a big no no. The instructor stood beside the shooter asking all sorts of random questions about their past forcing them to think and trying to draw their mental attention away from the target.
At a completely random moment the student flipping the rope around would take off running and the cart would charge straight at you. You had to clear your cover garment, draw and get at least one solid hit in before the cart slammed into the stopper inches away from the front of your pistol. Challenging and stressful due to the distracting questions, charging target and the audience.
I have been wanting to set up a similar drill here at one of the gravel pits using photorealistic targets but the couple of shooting buddies I have are very unreliable and even just getting them out there for a quick session is like pulling teeth.
I actually attended 4 days training class where instructors where shooting AR15 around us (toward the target of course), simulating returning fire.
It was really realistic, hearing gunshots close to youâŠ
I have had the same issue with an unfamiliar range âSportsmanâs Clubâ before. Dealing with the egos and attitudes is a pain, and I paid for it. There was one guy who was the self-appointed RSO who had a shooting lane but would walk the pistol line every time the actual RSO went to the rifle side. He yelled at my sister for putting her pistol down while experiencing a hand cramp. The line was hot and she just needed to adjust to the 45 degree weather outside. It would have not been a big deal but he kept going on about it. That did her in for the day as it made her pretty mad.
As I am packing up to leave he wants to ask about the different pistols we have out on the bench. Dude, you want to get your snoot out of my stash of weapons. Really rude behavior. As I am leaving I hear him yelling at someone else about putting a pistol down on the bench while the line is hot. The RSO was standing behind him and said âAs long as the line is hot he can put it down if he needs to. It does not need to be cleared at the moment.â The guy got pissed and stomped off yelling: âThis is how accidents happen and you should never lay a pistol down on the bench. I know, I was trained by so and so,âŠâ I suppose there is one or two at every range,⊠I will eventually meet all 10 of them.
Fortunately we have found a range that is pretty chill. They are safe about everything, but not militant about being RSO / C-RSOâs. If a mistake is made the RSO will quietly advise and nothing more. No need for an exertion of authority and making an example of someone. As they say, teachable moments.
When I went there one time with my sister about a year ago and she was first starting/learning, I did see the RSO nut up once for one guy flagging someone. It was an immediate expulsion from the range and he canât come back without a basic pistol training certificate. My sister thought it was extreme at first but I told her if you canât know and understand the very first rule (Treat all firearms as though they are loaded) let alone the second (Donât point the gun at anything you donât intend to destroy) you have no business on the range. I donât care if it was unloaded, it was loaded to me. The live fire range is no place to start learning the very basics.
I hope it gets better for you. At least you have the Zen of shooting without three or more other people standing over your shoulder and critiquing your every move, and all wanting to be âInstructorsâ like a I had at the sportsmanâs club. I love the Zen of shooting, it helps you focus and de-stress. Be safe, everyone!
