View Full Version : What do you guys do to induce stress into your training regimen?
Of course it is difficult, if not impossible to get yourself to the point you will be in physically and mentally in a real life or death scenario, but I'm looking for some new ideas to add into my routine that consists of presentation from concealment/dryfire/workout.
Specifically I am looking for ways to mentally mindf*ck myself while adding the fatigue of physical stuff such as core body exercises till failure etc.
I have already added visuals such as video to my routine, but after a while watching the typical "cartel" style vids on the net in an attempt to "get me there" gets old. Like I said in my local CT gun forum, don't laugh because it works. Initially, doing this would increase my heart rate much more than just doing physical stuff, but I've kind of gotten used to it. I'm looking more ideas to get me out of my comfort zone.
This summer I am fortunate enough to have the Southnarc ECQC class coming to CT, but the actual rush that will come along with it will only last the 2.5 days.
I have an open mind with this and look forward to your input.
Evil Colt 6920
01-29-12, 16:08
I run till my heart rate is up and my breathing is heavy. Then for whatever drill we are running, a bet is placed:D This gets us a little more nervous since something is on the line. Usually ammo is the currency and this works well if you and your shooting partner are at a similiar skill level. This means neither of you really lose much ammo to the other, basically the same few boxes of ammo are just passed back and forth between drills. Adds a little excitement :cool:
Time is a good stressor and easy to achieve. Buy a cheap timer and put yourself on the clock. Doing something anaerobic will get your heart rate up quick, or if you're unfit like me a short sprint will do it as well. You can do a number of pushups to turn your arms into jello and get your heart rate up before stepping to the line. If your doing precision rifle work you can make an mp3 with various goofy noises and random intervals to see if you can **** with your concentration. The best thing I have found though is to get out and shoot matches. Find cheap local IPDA, IPSC or steel matches and shoot them as best you can afford them.
Definitely shooting matches. Competition induces stressors when you strive to be the best if you're experienced. If you're inexperienced just getting out and shooting in front of large groups of people in a finite amount of time induces stress. So stress when you start out and stress for other reasons as you get better. It will always be there.
Heavy Metal
01-29-12, 18:27
I stepped onto a leaf-covered section of the trail, hit a gap that wasn't solid and fell down a mountain a bit. Is that stress enough?
BTW, my right wrist is starting to throb.
As little as I post, I can see this thread turning me into the forum wackadoo :sarcastic:
On a serious note, I do appreciate the reply's guys and I probably should have been more clear with what I'm asking/looking for. I don't want this to become a gaming vs defensive/combat shooting thread, but I will say that I have intentionally kept myself out of all gaming/competion because I consider them leisure scenarios. For me, any stress that would come of it would be gradual spurts at best. What I'm looking for is that sudden massive surge of stress and other ways of artificially inducing it into my training. The physical and mental aspects of what I do and how I do it works very well, but I am looking for something different. Most times I can get myself into what I can only describe as an "artificial crisis" mode or as close to being "there" as possible.
Below I cut/pasted exactly how I described part of my routine in my local training forum:
"I decided to add what works to get me physically and mentally out of my element, out of my comfort zone and as close to a complete mindf**king as I can induce. I have also monitored my heart rate when doing this and it almost doubles.
Basically, I will do any of the core strength exercises at the link below until I can't do anymore and at the same time, I watch f'd up video that I know brings out my emotions (cartel member being tortured with cordless drills is one example and makes me uneasy and angry among other things). Go ahead and call it kooky or whatever, but it brings you mentally and physically from 0-100 fast and it works. A second later I switch to presentation from concealment/dryfiring etc etc."
http://www.physicaltherapist.com/articles/view/id/8
I stepped onto a leaf-covered section of the trail, hit a gap that wasn't solid and fell down a mountain a bit. Is that stress enough?
BTW, my right wrist is starting to throb.
Immediately after would have been a perfect time to work on your draw stroke :D
Seriously though, hope your wrist isn't too messed up.
Heavy Metal
01-29-12, 19:20
You mean work on my support-hand firing!
Failure2Stop
01-29-12, 19:42
Before worrying about stress, make sure that what you are doing is right, and that you are doing it to a decent level of performance.
Once you are competant at whatever activity you are aspiring to raise, then and only then, worry about bringing stress into the equation.
What is stress?
The definition I work with for training purposes is:
Stress is anything that distracts us from optimal performance.
The biggest problem is that people don't take the time needed to perform and action correctly under stress.
This might be due to fear, injury, sub-optimal positioning, or just plain hastiness. It is usually due to the fear of injury or injury to ego.
Stress induction and stress reduction techniques definately play a part in a training continuum, but one of the best ways to learn how to mitigate the effects of stress is to make stress a normal part of your training.
One of the best ways to experience stress is through relevant competition. I am a combat veteran and competitive shooter, and I can say that the type of stress associated with marksmanship problems is very similar between the two.
Another very useful tool is force on force. This can be as simple as you and a buddy (both wearing all appropriate safety gear and with all safety precautions in place, thank you insurance company) with single-shot airsoft guns, performing repetitions of draw to first shot on each other, first stationary, then incorporating lateral movement, then full range of motion, then strong hand only, then support hand only, etc etc.
One huge thing I want to hit again: go compete. You don't have to shoot all "gamered" out, go shoot it with your duty gear. Sure, you probably won't win, but then again, only one dude that's all "gamered out" will win anyway. Go shoot it with a few friends and tell me that some anxiety doesn't effect your performance.
You don't need to get beat on with a bat to feel stress or to be useful.
I use small targets and strict time standards. My goal is to shoot as fast as I can, while maintaining very tight accuracy standards. I want to feel shame every time a round lands outside of my acceptable standard. Every round counts, and to achieve the results I want, I need to practice perfect fundamentals!
I have found that the above will add plenty of stress to your training regiment and is mentally exhausting. Shoot the 700 and tell me how fatigued mentally you are after. Focus on training that counts every single round fired and has a par time associated with it.
If you want to add some physical stress, Kyle Defoor has some great "test" or standards that do a great job of blending marksmanship with some hoofing it to get your heart rate up.
To often I see people training who are running around hosing a target and thinking that they are accomplishing something, when in fact they aren't doing anything but wasting ammo. If you cant keep them in the black on a square range during training, chances are you wont hit your target when it really counts.
I think you will find that there is a fine line between what should be practiced at your local gym, and what should be practiced on the range.
You are in for a great class with SN. :cool:
What would I do to create stress? I would go to a Vickers Tactical LE/Mil CQB class, forget to load all but one of my rifle and pistol mags and attempt to clear an entire house (running out of ammo in the second to last room).
The screaming at my partner (who was the one guilty of the above) was so bad, I had to walk out of the room. :D
C4
F2S. Thank you for the quality responses.
I am a combat veteran and competitive shooter, and I can say that the type of stress associated with marksmanship problems is very similar between the two.
If you don't mind, I have a question related to your statement above...When the sh!t hit in combat and you felt all of the standard body's responses to what was happening in that moment (motor skills crapping out, tunnel vision etc.), did you find that any specific previous training you had helped you overcome it? Was it something you just had to push through and let your fundamental base subconsciously lead the way?
Another very useful tool is force on force. This can be as simple as you and a buddy (both wearing all appropriate safety gear and with all safety precautions in place, thank you insurance company) with single-shot airsoft guns, performing repetitions of draw to first shot on each other, first stationary, then incorporating lateral movement, then full range of motion, then strong hand only, then support hand only, etc etc.
I've been considering this for a very long time. I think I will give this a go at this point. I appreciate you bringing it up because I completely forgot about the airsoft FoF approach and fortunately I have 2 very close switched on buddy's who will be game to join me.
One huge thing I want to hit again: go compete. You don't have to shoot all "gamered" out, go shoot it with your duty gear. Sure, you probably won't win, but then again, only one dude that's all "gamered out" will win anyway. Go shoot it with a few friends and tell me that some anxiety doesn't effect your performance.
That is exactly the approach I will take. Like my buddy says, "I don't know how standing directly in the fatal funnel is a good use of cover". The offer is on the table from a local experienced IDPA shooter for me to try it. I will consider it.
If you want to add some physical stress, Kyle Defoor has some great "test" or standards that do a great job of blending marksmanship with some hoofing it to get your heart rate up.
You are in for a great class with SN. :cool:
Thanks to our friend the Slut, we are starting to get a consistent flow of quality training up here in CT and roadtrips are less frequent. Kyle will be here in in a few months for his adv carbine and I'm signed up and look forward to his uptempo approach.
And yeah. SN will be awesome.
What would I do to create stress? I would go to a Vickers Tactical LE/Mil CQB class, forget to load all but one of my rifle and pistol mags and attempt to clear an entire house (running out of ammo in the second to last room).
The screaming at my partner (who was the one guilty of the above) was so bad, I had to walk out of the room. :D
C4
Haha. Love it :D
I don't want this to become a gaming vs defensive/combat shooting thread.
Matches are a great way to get the stress you're looking for. They only breed bad habits if you let them. Shoot lots of different types of matches and you'll find all the stress you desire. You'll also learn a lot about shooting that you can take onto the street with you.
Okie John
Recently I have been doing the following: Set one 12"x12" steel plate at the end of an empty 100 yard range. Beginning at the steel, sprint 100 yards turn and engage off-hand. Repeat until you can't hit anymore. Have also benefitted from doing the same with a handgun at 25 yards.
In addition to inducing some physical stress via exercises like the one above, I've found that competition is an excellent tool for learning to focus and function under some psychological stress. I derive the greatest benefit from shooting new and unfamiliar matches against competitors much more skilled than I am.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I throw shots on other shooters targets.....:haha:
Anything that gets your heart rate up is going to do the job. Drills that make you think about what you are doing is also good. Like locking your mags in a lock box and needing to open it and put rounds on target all under a specific time. Making small bets keeps thing interesting. Try to design drills that use all of your senses and make you think about every step.
Once had a buddy throw firecrackers at me while running to engage several targets. He wasn't intentionally trying to hit, I think, but it created a flinch I never knew I had and had to work through.
Stonebridge
01-30-12, 00:06
I personally think push-ups are a great way to mimic stress. Especially if said push-ups are done as punishment at one of C4's classes :D There's a lot to be said for the stress of public humiliation.
On people I've worked with, I've used running, push-ups, shot-timer, math for the mental aspect (quick, what's 17 x 3! ... FIRE!), and very occasionally in certain settings an M-80 or two. It's actually quite difficult to focus on your shot when you know that in the next 2-6 seconds a very loud bang is going off up by the target. Laugh and deride all you like but I believe each tactic has its place. But notice most of these require a partner. That's because -I believe- the best stress inducers involve uncertainty.
To create uncertainty for myself, one thing I do is put randomly mix empty brass in as I'm loading my mags. Dump 5 mags in a dump pouch and you never know when Mrs. Malf is gonna visit.
-'bridge
Skyfire1201
02-01-12, 14:43
I think getting a timer and push yourself to beat par time is a great way to induce stress into training, one that's effective and doesn't require a whole lot of extra equipment. Training this way will also help you to get faster. The old saying goes "that which gets measured gets improved."
lifebreath
02-01-12, 14:56
I have my friends shoot the ground all around me ...
Ok, just kidding! Physical exertion using running, pushups, etc., to get heart rate and breathing increased, combined with time limits.
I have my friends shoot the ground all around me ...
While you may be kidding, the Russians are not!
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8ea_1326333134
Never mind that their "tactics" are undoubtedly strange, you will notice that the guy on the right is doing exactly what you described.
Littlelebowski
02-01-12, 15:03
I just let the nerve damage in my gunshot arm bug me :D
to echo some points above.
get solid fundamentals ( I dont know you, you may have that down already) first.
compete
Train with SouthNarc and Defoor
repeat :big_boss:
Some good feedback in this thread thus far...thank you. I've always been a big advocate of including the physical and mental (thinking) aspects to any dry/live training because it flat out works and any formal classes/trainers I have run with more than once reflect that. I'd rather punch myself in the nuts than be in a class where I am standing in a line the majority of the time.
As for competing, I am going to give it a go at the end of the month. It can't hurt.
What I would really like to see is a course that included a FoF aspect that's done with sims and makes weapon retention a priority; basically one of these IDPA courses with a handful of guys placed around the course, some armed with sims and some a training blade, along with targets for additional scoring. This way if you run the course not following proper TTP's you are penalized for it. I would go out of my way to attend something like that.
to echo some points above.
get solid fundamentals ( I dont know you, you may have that down already) first.
:
Fundamentals are solid, both edged weapons and firearms. Manipulations are subconscious in light or dark conditions. I'm at the point where continuing to exhaust reps with my current regimen is solely to maintain what I have developed and am in search of new ways to get me out of my comfort zone, mainly mentally.
Train with SouthNarc and Defoor
repeat :big_boss:
I agree with your "repeat" comment. Although I believe it is good to seek out trainers with different styles (which I have), I also feel that certain ones work and certain one's don't for my personal goals, especially when the overall $$ picture comes into play at the end of the day.
What SouthNarc and Defoor bring to the table is relevant to my personal goals and are definately going to be part of my permanent yearly rotation along with TS and "my go to" PFC who I have hundreds of hours under my belt with. I'm eyeing (drooling over) that kick ass Defoor/Kier concealed carry and weapons integration class this June, but I'm currently in the Fed hiring process and don't know if I'll be around for it.
From my interview with JD: http://www.firearmstrainingandtactics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1710
Q: What are your thoughts on simulating stress in training, and the importance's of doing it or not?
A: The key is that "combat stress" cannot be simulated in training. You cannot, on an individual basis, simulate all the effects of survival stress. Hey you could take one of our friends out to the range... you could mace them, flog them, put them on the timer... and they'd handle it like a champ. Put a spider in front of them, and they'll freak out... they'll start jumping up and down, flipping out, etc. How would you know that if you never put the spider in front of them? You wouldn't. So you can't prepare someone on the range for being blown up, or having a round wiz by their head, or watching someone get shot. The effects that survival stress has on the body, involuntary blood pressure, heart rate, rate of breathing increases, the sympathetic nervous system secreting specific hormones adrenaline or epinephrine… you can't accurately simulate it on an individual basis... what works for one guy might not work for another.
It's important to add stress to your training... the PT stress and mental stress etc., but you can get their heart rate up, their physical stress up, but you can't simulate the body's stress response... the fight or flight, you can't simulate that from stress on the range. Is it important to simulate stress in training and do that stuff? Absolutely. It's good to see where you're at when you’re fatigued, or when you're out of breath, when you're tired... but I think it's used the wrong way. People think "well, I'll train when I'm smoked, because that's what it's going to be like in combat"... No. There were plenty of times when I was in shootouts when I wasn't smoked, and I wasn't breathing hard. But there were other stresses that I was dealing with - things were blowing up, rounds were coming past your head, guys get shot, people are screaming… that's tough to simulate. I can't prepare you for what it's like to see the guy next to you get shot... until you're there.
The concept of adding stress to your training is great. The intent of simulating combat stress through PT is not completely accurate. The concept of managing different types of stress and being able to perform is where the value lies.
Q: How do you feel that your mindset plays into your perception of those stresses?
A: So if you look at that kind of stress, combat stress - stress of a life of death situation... stress is really a perception of imbalance between demand and response capability where the demand has consequences… it's fear and anxiety. You have fear and anxiety based on your perception of a situation... more specifically, your perception of your ability to handle a situation, to deal with it... that's what creates it.
So… a thing that's commonly overlooked in stress management is breathing. That fear and anxiety causes shallow breaths, which causes hyperventilation, which gets the stress ball start rolling. When people get freaked out and they can't get control of their breathing, they freeze, they wig out… and that's when the stressful situation goes bad.
It goes back to the competence and skill confidence built through experience, that allows you to say "hey, I'm going to be alright here. I can get out of this."
From my interview with JD: http://www.firearmstrainingandtactics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1710
I read that when it first came out and completely forgot about it. Thanks for pointing me back to it Jim. JD is brilliant and those words couldn't ring any truer or be said any better.
Stonebridge
02-03-12, 07:52
I'd rather punch myself in the nuts than be in a class where I am standing in a line the majority of the time.
This could also be used to simulate stress though prolonged repetition could lead to other difficulties....
:D
-'b
ranger_sxt
02-03-12, 08:56
The Kasarda Drill
http://youtu.be/OoOIBxn-71k
Start at 100 yards from your target, get a hit, throw your kettlebell. That's your next position from which you shoot. Repeat until you reach a designated stop point.
To further add stress, do it with a partner. Alternate throwing and shooting. The person on deck for throwing does curls with the kettlebell whilst the shooter is making their hits...
John Hearne
02-03-12, 23:32
I think that man-on-man shooting is one of the better ways out there. It is very easy to check the progress of the other guy and not focus on your problem. The goal of training should be to allow you to focus on the fundamentals while ignoring external stimuli over which you have not control.
My other favorite is to introduce some form of decision making into the shooting process. I have two remote control stoplights and I'll paint plates matching colors. I'll start out having folks shoot the color shown. Later, I'll change the color shown to the no-shoot.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.