Shooting at the range when tired?

[fmcgraw]

I never go to the range when tired or not 100% to minimize the chance of making a careless error. I just got back from a business trip and planned to go to the range since it won't be as busy on a weekday, but being tired from travel I opted to stay home.

This made me wonder though if I should practice occasionally when I'm not 100%. If I'm home asleep and someone breaks in, I'll be sleepy or slightly disoriented. I could have the flu. In either case, if I had to defend myself, am I ready?

I would expect building good routines and muscle memory when I can focus on it should make me more capable when I'm notable to focus as well. Any thoughts? Does anyone practice when not 100%?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Guantes]

It is good to know how you will perform under as many different physical conditions as possible.

[buckeye .45]

I don't get to choose when I train most of the time, so tired, cold, wet, sick, hot, I have trained in all of them.

It's a good idea to get out fo your comfort zone when shooting, because in a lethal encounter, you definitely get outside your comfort zone.

One thing we do that I like are stress shoots, where, instead of just being static and firing, we will do roughly 2 minutes of hard calisthenics, to get the heart rate up, and the breathing going harder, and then shoot. Not sure how well once can do that on a civilian range, but it is good practice.

[gasmitty]

If I'm so tired I can't bother loading up the range bag, I won't go, but - if it's just stress or job fatigue getting to me, there's nothing like the solid thump of a .45 to make that junk melt away. I call it "group therapy".

[Hiram25]

Try spending a year in a war zone! There were a few days I didn't feel 100%, but you had to keep on keeping on.

[threefeathers]

I agree with not shooting or driving when tired if at all possible. I also get in trouble with range masters so I'd rather stay home.

[Hopyard]

Not directly tired related, but impaired, stunned, related. In Krav we simulate a stun by spinning someone around a few times 7-10, to get them dizzy. They then need to try to stay on their feet and block punches. Its tough. Especially if you spin with your head facing down a bit.

I'd not try this with a live gun, but with something safe like snap caps or airsoft, see what kind of combat you are able to engage in after a simulated stun. Yup, OT, but if you worry that you can't shoot when tired, you should worry about whether you'll be able to shoot after a jolt to the head by a BG, or a bad fall.

Back on topic, don't go shooting when you aren't 100%. Just not worth the small risk that you will mess up or that you won't notice the guy next to you doing something that might endanger you.

[buckeye .45]

Try spending a year in a war zone! There were a few days I didn't feel 100%, but you had to keep on keeping on.

Yup, pretty much

[goldshellback]

I never go to the range when tired or not 100% to minimize the chance of making a careless error. I just got back from a business trip and planned to go to the range since it won't be as busy on a weekday, but being tired from travel I opted to stay home.

I'd done the same thing.

This made me wonder though if I should practice occasionally when I'm not 100%. If I'm home asleep and someone breaks in, I'll be sleepy or slightly disoriented. I could have the flu. In either case, if I had to defend myself, am I ready?

Like being tired from a long trip? Naw. Serious range time occurs when your a little tired sometimes anyway. But being tired enough to question being at the range......or driving......or working even? No. If your tired enough to question it, then don't. A mistake made when tired is still a mistake. At the range, or driving, or whatever could have 'not-good' conquenceses.

I would expect building good routines and muscle memory when I can focus on it should make me more capable when I'm notable to focus as well. Any thoughts? Does anyone practice when not 100%?

Build that kind of response when your 100%, it'll off HUGE dividends when you need it......... tired, sick, or otherwise.

If I'm so tired I can't bother loading up the range bag, I won't go, but - if it's just stress or job fatigue getting to me, there's nothing like the solid thump of a .45 to make that junk melt away. I call it "group therapy".

Now THAT is a TRUE statement!

[joker1]

It's hard for me to imagine being too tired to go to the range.

[patrol]

As odd as it sounds when I was in the Marine Corps it was a tradition we would go out the night before qualification and get drunk and come in late get maybe two or three hours of sleep before qualifying and oddly enough I shot better because my nerves were not existant. Those positions were easier to get into when relaxed like a slug i guess.

[patrol]

Ofcourse i do not recommend this type of behavior to the general public. It just worked for me. Sometimes the less I think about it the better I shoot.

[patrol]

If I'm so tired I can't bother loading up the range bag, I won't go, but - if it's just stress or job fatigue getting to me, there's nothing like the solid thump of a .45 to make that junk melt away. I call it "group therapy".

thats awesome...i might just steal that quote from you if you don't mind....

[trev869]

Honestly I am tired most of my life because I work night shift so it don't bother me much plus we have scheduled training all hours of the day, rain or shine. I feel that if I can shoot good on a combat course after a 12 hour shift and no sleep, then I am good to go. We also have a practice exercise once a year that test us to the extreme. It is done in a well controlled area where we have to take a one second ride from a taser, run to the firing line, draw, and shoot targets in a very short amount of time. We also do this another time after having our faces wiped with freeze +p. It sucks and we only do it once a year but it shows how you will perform at your worst. I don't recommend anyone trying this unless you have the capability to set up a range to safely do so.

[10thmtn]

My daughter is 17 months old, and wakes up 2-4 times every night. I have not had a decent night's sleep since she's been born. There have absolutely been times when I cancelled planned range trips and trap shooting because I knew I was too tired to be safe. I've been so tired that I've literally been light headed and dizzy. No condition to safely shoot.

When the SHTF for real, you will have adrenaline to give you a short-term boost. That does not happen when you're tired at the range, and that's when you make errors. Not worth the risk.