Time To Take A Break
One of the most important aspects that can help any shooter refine their techniques is actually by taking a break. Your take on breaks can literally ‘make or break’ your score card for any match and this is why we at Aim Down Sight have decided on to write an article discussing this. When we talk about brakes we tend to either think of the short 5-10 mint ones we take between shooting sessions or the longer ones we take from the sport itself. So let’s get started!
Short Breaks
Most shooters have a very inconsistent pattern of taking breaks during a shooting session because they do not understand the purpose and importance behind them. Before we get into the details of why breaks are important let us first run through the most common misconceptions shooters have about breaks.
The Problem
The first misconception that shooters have is that “Taking a break will disturb my flow and ruin my match/practice session”. This way of thought is very common among shooters who are just starting out and this is a thought that needs to be rectified so that you can move forward. After shooting for a period of time our body and mind start to tire and this point can be different for every shooter.
Unknowing of this state of being most shooters don’t recognize the fact that they are hitting bad shots because they are simply tired. They end up in a vicious cycle of hitting bad shots and trying to recover them by changing their techniques and their position. Therefore instead of improving their score they end up making mistakes they usually wouldn’t and decreasing the score. Physical exhaustion and uncertainty then eventually lead to mental exhaustion making the shooter doubt every decision and shot s/he is making.
The second type of miss conception that shooters have about breaks is the complete opposite of the first kind; “Taking a break will push the reset button on my shooting”. Some shooters rely completely on the act of taking a break when their shooting starts going south without understanding if they actually need a break. There can be multiple reasons for your shooting not going well and not all of them can be solved by taking a break.
Taking too many breaks can also be just as damaging in nature as taking too little or no breaks in between matches and practice sessions. One of the adverse effects of taking too many breaks can be preventing your rhythm and flow of shooting from developing and stabilizing or breaking it completely. This can further confuse shooters as they end up with such polarized results that they are unable to decode the real problem.
Ways to Fix it:
Now that we have had a chance to figure out what people normally think about breaks let’s figure out when is the best time to take breaks during shooting sessions. The most important thing to realize is that every person has their own individual style of shooting. Figuring out when your body and mind get fatigued and need a moment to breath is when it is ideal for you to take a break.
To start with, you can try to fix a certain amount of shots after which you have to take a break. By doing so you will get into the habit of taking regular breaks whenever you feel the slightest bit fatigued. This will also help you maintain a certain rhythm as taking breaks will become part of how you conduct your shooting session.
Relying only on rhythm is not the answer either. It is a common mistake for shooters to get carried away with the flow of a shooting session. One should never take their rhythm for granted. A big reason why most shooters end up breaking their rhythm is not taking adequate amounts of breaks at the correct intervals. This is why really understanding your individual requirements is key.
We have one more reason why breaks are important. When you take a short amount of time to relax your body and mind during a shooting session, you create an opportunity for yourself to analyze and evaluate the shooting you have done till then. This helps you realize the mistakes you’ve made in a given shot. You can also figure out what you did right and continue doing it to ensure successful shots.
Going with the flow of your shooting can be misleading as you may not realize what you are doing inefficiently and taking a break can help you evaluate and re-build on your strategy. This continues back and forth will help you gain a lot of feedback at the end of every shooting session. With this feedback you will be able to plan your future training session and build on your shooting in a more progressive manner.
Seeing that there are many benefits of taking short breaks during shooting sessions, it is advised by experts that every shooter figure out when and how they should take breaks to obtain and prolong their peak performance.
Long Breaks
Taking longer breaks from shooting can be just as useful as taking short ones. We usually get so wrapped up, one competition after the other, that we forget that having a life outside of our sport. Having a personal life balance is one of the most overlooked aspects of every athlete’s life. Taking a break from your sport can seem like a very drastic move for most or an indication of weakness but it is actually the opposite. It is a very healthy practice for all athletes to take breaks from their sport to prevent them from overworking themselves mentally and physically. After all, even the best of us need a break from time to time!
Taking a break from your sport and focusing on your mental and physical health can also make or break your shooting career. If you want to be in the game for the long run instead of just winning a couple of medals and calling it a wrap, then keeping in mind when to take a break is very important. But just taking a break out of nowhere without giving it any deep thought is not the way to go about it. To ensure that you take the right kind of break and at the right moments in your career is very important.
Taking a break from routine and the hassle of everyday life and just living in the moment and enjoying life is just as important as working hard everyday to attain success. If you overwork your body and mind then there will be a point where you will burnout and that will take much longer than a short break to recover from. It is common for people to criticize an athlete for performing inadequately and as such the attention is shifted from the very serious issue of the athletes burnout to bad scores.
When you play match after match, you are surrounded by a constant field of pressure and stress. This can be good as it results in players maintaining their form and performing well. This constant pressure can also have negative mental and physical effects like injuries and anxiety. However, taking a break after a long season of matches and constant practice sessions is an effective and smart step that can prevent all such pain.
Shooters need to realize that they are only human and that good and bad scores are all part of their professional career. Excess of anything is bad, especially stress and pressure. Taking a step back can help you realize your faults and inspire you to do better.
Taking breaks, short or long, can be hard for a lot of people because it is human nature to push and criticize ourselves. The hardest part about growing is attempting new things and taking risks. “Time to take a break” may seem like the simplest phrase but doing it takes courage and knowledge. So shooters let’s get to know ourselves better by understanding when we need breaks and then muster up enough courage to DO IT!
Let us end this article with the wise words of former world number 1, pistol shooter Heena Sindhu – “In order to be better in anything, you need to have that hunger to go back to. And if you’re already over-eating everyday, then you won’t feel that hunger anymore. So, whenever you think that you’re losing your hunger, that rawness or you feel like not wanting to go to the range, that’s when you need to take a break. There’s no point pushing yourself at that time.”
If you like this article let us know how you feel in the comments section below. What is your take on breaks? Do you think taking short breaks in-between shooting sessions is important? And what is your ideal idea of a ‘long break’? Tell us your experience and help others learn for you as well. KEEP GROWING SHOOTERS.