TargetTalk

I shoot air rifle three to four nights a week and Im trying to get a scholarship for it.But i get to the point now where it gets old really quick and instead of being fun it becomes hard work. Any advice would be muchly appreciated Thanks?

Take a break! Some time off may actually improve your shooting as some little quirks you may have acquired die off and you return to basics.

If it's not fun, don't do it.

stacker10x wrote:I shoot air rifle three to four nights a week and Im trying to get a scholarship for it.But i get to the point now where it gets old really quick and instead of being fun it becomes hard work. Any advice would be muchly appreciated Thanks?

Exactly as Rover posts.

Also what do you do - do you just shoot each time or do you train ? Do you have specific training drills, a coach and a training plan ?

Training can become monotenous especially if you're not doing it poperly. Consider adding in some variety and do some none shooting training. Physical (shooting compatible) exercise etc.

I look at my training as the work I put in between competitions. I don't train as much as I used to but it never got boring. If I found it hard work or less enjoyeable, then I packed in early.

Rob.

I shoot international standing twice a week and 60 shots kneeling about once a week. I practice prone maybe once or twice a month, but i usually shoot 100s or 99s in prone.

I second the above. Here are some other drills for air rifle:

3 or 5 shot groups - allows you to set your NPA and realize the importance of it. Also lets you concentrate on shot execution and not changing you NPA every shot

__ number of 10s - shoot until you reach a predetermined number of 10s. Keep a record of how many shots it takes you and try to beat your record. If you are looking to shoot in college, then I suggest 60 10s. If you have a short practice time one day, shorten to 20 10s.

NPA Practice - Sight in, shoot one shot, then get out of position. Get back in position for your next shot, then get out again, etc. Do a 10 shot string. The goal is to shoot a score around your average.

And the suggestion to take a break I highly recommend as well. I just shot air rifle for the first time since last March, and I shot a PR. The break lets you forget the little things you think make you shoot better, and and then you can concentrate on what really matters, AKA, fundamentals.

The above advise is good,
But what you need is to have someone to practice with, or against.
When you have someone to shoot against, it has more meaning.
If the other person does not shoot as well as you, give them a handicap
Up to your level.
Practice by yourself can be very boring.

Sometimes training will be hard work. What I've found though is that while it can sometimes be tough and not much fun, it's only ever boring or repetitive when I've lost focus on improvement and working towards a goal. Remaining aware of how you're training and what you're trying to accomplish is key to maintaining momentum. Much of the above advice is great, but I'm wary of any suggestions to only train when it's fun and pack it in when it's not.

Your hope of getting a scholarship is a good one, but stop thinking about it. Focus on improving your shooting and let the scholarship happen. If you get focused on something you're trying to do by improving your shooting then you're not making the most of your time in terms of self-improvement. The end-goal is distracting for the process, in other words.

They key things I'd take to work on if I were you would be as follows, and of course you can modify the advice according to what your current training methodology is like, since I don't know:

-Shoot drills. These can focus on shot rhythm, competition rhythm, preparation, speed, individual competencies such as aiming and triggering. Keep detailed notes on the drills and evaluate based on any performance metric apart from scores.
-Get a good training partner, someone who's at the level you're aspiring to. If you train around good shooters, you will perform beyond your current level in order to shoot up to the standard of your environment.
-Talk to a coach, and spend as much time shooting with a coach as possible. It's just about impossible to get frustrated with yourself when someone else is helping and directing you. Being able to mentally take some of the responsibility and put it on someone else lets you get on with the work without having things like goals and consequences weighing on your mind.

All my humble opinion. I'm far from where I want to be too, but I'm getting there, and stuff like this has been instrumental for me.

I know staker10x, but good. He belongs and shooting history is with a 4-H club that is basically disfunctional now. he and his little sister are the only percision shooters. it has no coaches other that trained by 4-h which hates percision and competation in general in this state. He and his sister travel 5-6 hours to shoot club matches about every three months with a club two states over (there is little shooting in our part of the state). For the past year he has been trying to learn from a book. a good book, but never the less,, a book. his 3 P scores are around 555 but has shot in the 570's in the past two months, generally cleans or gets 197 up in prone.

any help is greatly appreciated.

stacker10x wrote:I shoot air rifle three to four nights a week and Im trying to get a scholarship for it.But i get to the point now where it gets old really quick and instead of being fun it becomes hard work. Any advice would be muchly appreciated Thanks?

There is good advice from the above. If your training properly you shouldn't be bored since shooting is 90% mental. It will be boring if your just doing the same thing day in and day out. There is always something a shooter needs to improve & each problem can be treated one at a time as your training goals. One of the hardest goals especially for young shooters is to maintain a proper focus on the front sight that is properly centered & aligned & to complete your follow through consistently. This takes time & patience which makes this sport challenging.

Thanks for the help. I have my sister to practice with in a month or two she will be at the level i could compete with her( if she practices). but the nearest precision shooter that i know of is about four hours away? I don't have a good precision coach where i live, and i have been trying to learn from a book called Ways of The Rifle 2009. It has taught me alot. And yes practicing by yourself can get boring quick, but that's the only option i have had so i go for it. i probably need to think of a new training program i have had this one for months.Also i will do some of the things that you all have suggested.
thanks for all the help!!

Dave IRL wrote:Remaining aware of how you're training and what you're trying to accomplish is key to maintaining momentum. Much of the above advice is great, but I'm wary of any suggestions to only train when it's fun and pack it in when it's not.

The point was that training when fun leads to positive reinforcement. Generally when it isn't fun, you get negative re-inforcement. One answer is to change tactics and shoot a drill that is different or focus on another element of your shooting. My point was that it's no good training lots when the bull seems impossible to hit and your hold and groups have opened up. Better to go do something else, come back another day and when it is going great, keep training.

Rob.

Well there's a choice to be made you can shoot for fun or you can shoot to actually get something out of it (ie a scholarship, WC victory, an Olympic medal). If you're shooting for the later it will become work, just like any other avocation that is going to put something on the plate. Training three to four times a week is really a bare minimum to actual really achieve improvement. What you might need to do is look at your training and see if there is something you can do to hold your interest. Sure you can take a break just remember those that are competing for the things you want won't be.

To me sounds like you are losing motivation and your training might be lacking enough variety.

All that being said training isn't solely going to the range and shooting, you can work on physical conditioning, mental training, relaxation training ....

If you can describe what your four days of training consists of. Do you have a coach, or are you self coached, what level are you shooting at?

Stacker,

My daughter is in a similar situation. She trains alone, with no couch except me and the books. Through hard work she has improved greatly. It can be done, but is the hard way i'm sure. If you can find a good couch, even one several hours away it will help. We have only been to a couch a couple times, but it is worth it. Keep your chin up, take some time off and come back when your ready to train hard.

I think it is very important for people to realize, and understand why they shoot. Actually, it is important for people to understand why they do anything, but that's beyond the scope of this conversation.

Just because shooting is one of the few sports you don't have to run and jump and be fast, it doesn't mean it is easy. At the end of the day, in order to really accomplish anything significant in shooting, you will have to put in many hours of hard work. Often when you don't feel like doing it too.

So, you have to ask yourself, is your goal worth the cost? I think Lenny Bassham talked about it a lot in his book.

Now, having said all that, if you do feel the payoff is worth the price, then all the things people above already said make sense. Take a break, get a training partner, formulate training drills, find a coach (not couch!), find ways of making training fun again.

Much of it is your mental attitude. If you approach training as if someone is trying to shove medicine down your throat, then you aren't going to get a lot out of training. But if you approach training each day as an opportunity to learn something, about shooting and about yourself, then you will benefit a lot in the long run.

-trinity

Trinity I was going to say the same thing, Lanny Bassham called pay value. The pay value needs to be worth the effort, if not your motivation will wane.

Hey don't knock a good "couch", I know I find the couch very valuable ;)

A lot of people want the end such as an award or scholarship, but they don't evaluate what it actually takes to get there and in the end they aren't willing to do what it takes.

I know what you put in to reach your goals and I know you know what it takes. Unless this person is doing more outside of the 3-4 days of training that they didn't consider training, such as physical training and they need a break because of that small amount of training they really do need to consider their goals and what they are willing to put into it to achieve those goals.

I have been self coached for the past 4 years, by reading books, watching Olympic final shoot offs. Also when the chance does come i go shoot with other friends in PA(which live in PA and in the northern part of my state). I would say i shoot in the mid 570s. I guess for being a young 16 thats not to bad?. On days that i don't shoot i dry fire 20-50 rounds. i do shooting related exercises. Some days i can't shooting at all because school catches up. Also in PA the man that runs it is a retired olympic coach.

Stacker, I remember nothing except your opening statement---you are doing this for what purpose????? Think how this will turn into if you get your "boat ride", can you then afford to say---"it's getting old....."? If you have a goal which you have set for yourself and you don't achieve it because "it got old"---you have suffered some damage to your self-image. If you want it bad enough then you will rejuvenate yourself and you will press on regardless and break your butt and strive for the goal. If you are a phony then you will disappear into the murkiness of self-defeat, and wallow in your lack of character. If you want it, go for it and don't ever quit in your resolution. If you feel you don't have the talent and guts then cash it in and walk away. Do you want to be a winner or a loser---that's your decision. The Crochety Old Coach----"Doc"

Stacker,

As has been said, training involves more than just shooting. Set up a plan for training specific parts of your shot process; physical training; technical training including finding the proper adjustments for your rifle; mental training including self assessment of how bad you really want the goal set; education (school) as part of getting a scholarship is having excellent grades; a process to put these is some order so you are not doing all of them to the fullest at the same time (periodization); get copies of several DVD's to watch on days you just can't do "other" training: "Rudy", "Miracle", "Glory Road", "The Rookie", and pay attention to the determination and work put in their sports by those who are determined to reach the top.

Believe in yourself, and Persist!

stacker10x wrote:I shoot air rifle three to four nights a week and Im trying to get a scholarship for it.

OK .... A question here on the above statement ... Why?

1) Are you looking to a shooting scholarship to pay for schooling?
2) Are you looking to a shooting scholarship to shoot on an NCAA team?
These are two totally different motivations.

For the vast majority of the NCAA teams a scholarship will only pay for a (small) percentage of your collegiate education. Programs get 3.6 scholarships, and they have to distribute them (for the most part) across their team in some fashion. All the coaches do it different.
If you are looking at 100%, hmmmmm ... look at service academies ... or maybe the ROTC programs at the schools, but then you will have responsibilities both during school and a commitment (not a bad thing at all) after you graduate.

Brad Donoho with the CMP has written a set of articles, as has Paul Davis of the what & why & how of this topic.
You are at the point where you need to begin to do much research on this.

Also know, if you >>LOVE<< the shooting, but can't afford to go to an NCAA school, the NRA has the Intercollegiate Club program now. You can be an individual and shoot in this too as long as you are a full time undergrad. Check out the NRA's website or do a search on "NRA collegiate".