TargetTalk

I have been on a self-imposed hiatus from competing for the past 15 months. Initially, I was going to take the summer of ’06 off to recover from exhaustion and burnout. Since then, I lost my coach, my trainer, and my dad all at the same time.

I’m now in the spirit to resume competing, as I no longer want to watch the world go by. However, I haven’t dedicated any time to a single aspect of competition, whether it’s physical, psychological, or otherwise. I've only read about shooting, with the hope of hitting the ground running. Have you or your fellow shooters taken an extended break for any reason, and how did you or they return to competition successfully? I don’t want to make this a futile effort by embarrassing myself, which may end my career altogether.

Thanks.


Bob

aim4au wrote:I have been on a self-imposed hiatus from competing for the past 15 months. Initially, I was going to take the summer of ’06 off to recover from exhaustion and burnout. Since then, I lost my coach, my trainer, and my dad all at the same time.

I’m now in the spirit to resume competing, as I no longer want to watch the world go by. However, I haven’t dedicated any time to a single aspect of competition, whether it’s physical, psychological, or otherwise. I've only read about shooting, with the hope of hitting the ground running. Have you or your fellow shooters taken an extended break for any reason, and how did you or they return to competition successfully? I don’t want to make this a futile effort by embarrassing myself, which may end my career altogether.

Thanks.


Bob

What discipline?

What Level were you at prior to taking a year plus off?

What is your physical condition?

You really have to do an honest assestment of where you are, where you want to be, and what you can dedicate (time and resources)to get yourself to where you want to be.

15 month isn't that long and if you can dedicate the time and resources to train it's probably doable depending on your physical condition.

By all means, get back in the saddle.

I'm on a military imposed hiatus from shooting right now. I do try to keep my mind in it, and I coach one day a week. I've taken long amounts of time off before, and it is amazing how fast you can get back to your former performance level. It will be about 15 months total from the last time I shot 3p until I shoot it again. Prone always comes back fast for me, so I'm not too worried about that. Just have patience when you start back up. Don't expect things to happen immediately. Endurance will take the longest to get back, but it will with some work.

Welcom back!
Eric

My sympathies on the loss of your father.

If you have a fear of embarrassment, then you will need to work on psychology. There's no need to feel embarrassed by trying what you enjoy. Although you use the word "career", very very few of us can make target shooting into a real career. Take that pressure off of you: it is a very enjoyable hobby, the rest (such as winning something) is icing on the cake!

To avoid feeling truly like a rank beginner again, try dry firing at home for a while to get your muscles, eyes, and mind back into shooting shape. That will also allow you to get your equipment organized again. (to avoid that true embarassing feeling that one of us gets when showing up without a bolt, scope, ammo, etc :^)

By all means, find a range or club with people involved in your specific discipline, and go there even if you don't feel like putting shots downrange that day - just go and socialize about your sport to keep in touch.

PL, Wheaton (posting from where I oughtn't sign-in)

Thank you all for your input, well wishes, and sympathy. Now, to fill you in on things.

My disciplines are 3P and Prone in smallbore, as well as Standing and Prone in air rifle. Until my hiatus, I was a member of the US Disabled Shooting Team for 18 years. I have earned 12 national championships in various courses of fire and I've won medals at the international level several times (including bronze in Air Rifle Prone at the 2005 World Wheelchair Games in Rio). Most of all, I competed in the Paralympics in Barcelona, Atlanta, and Sydney.

My condition is obviously not the best, but not that bad. I just don't want to be sore for several days after my first 3P. I guess getting over that will involve "just doing it".

My biggest concern in a comeback is getting around with my stuff. My dad was also instrumental in setting up and storing my equipment. Forgetting equipment - or its purpose after this long - would be embarrassing, but I'm not apprehensive about it happening the first few times. I've also been offered a lot of help from range officers and other shooters at my usual match locations.

I guess it's just a matter of getting out there and seeing what happens.

Thanks again.

I took 30 years off to raise 6 kids, and I won my first prone match when I started shooting again last year. I now had the funds to buy the best material, and it all clicked. I do think I lucked out with geting a "one in a thousand" rifle.

When I resumed shooting in October, my scores were understandably low. While my scores have been improving, my enthusiasm hasn’t returned to what it was 2 years ago. The logistics of preparing for matches and attending them, in addition to focusing on shooting, is far more demanding than I expected. These responsibilities have placed an extreme physical toll on me more than once over a 2-week period alone. My well-being and living situation have always taken precedence over my endeavors in shooting, and these priorities became even more important over the past year. I’m managing them well with only necessary support (due to a disability), but I can only handle so much at any given time.

Due to these and other reasons, effective immediately, I have decided to permanently discontinue shooting in a competitive capacity. I am not ending all involvement in shooting, as I would gladly give back to the sport that has made my life so rewarding for the past 20 years. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I know you can only cross a bridge when you get to it.