Do you get strange looks at your range when you exercise while shooting?

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I think its a good idea. I do it relatively frequently. But my club is a private club, i'm usually about the only person there, or I know the others.

I think if you are no breaking any rules, interfering with anyone, and the RO is ok with it, then do your thing. You're a paying customer, using the facility inside of its rules to for your purposes. Who cares what others think. If we all did no one would be shooters.
Its good practice, if you've never tried it, you'd probably be surprised how much an elevated heart rate or a bit of adrenaline will do to your groups.

Go for it, man.
 
What other drills/exercises/techniques do you use to train, and how do you deal with suspicious looks and comments from the less serious shooters?
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Look them straight in the eye and say:

"Nothing to worry about. I do this before sex too."
 
when I shoot up at the Osceola range in lake city, I often run and then shoot, to practice breathing and muscle control. In a time of great social unrest, the confrontations might well be like that, where you have to run to cover, then fight.
 
If you did that at my range, I'd find cover and call 911! Random gyrations like that at a range in Texas could get you either arrested or labeled as one of those "Tip toe thru the tulips" type guys.
Merry Christmas to all.:D
 
I might remind those over stress dumbasses that this is america and if you want to swing from the rafters screaming jodies, that's your right.
 
Two suggestions:

1. Try competition shooting like USPSA/IPSC or IDPA. It's not uncommon to sprint through a stage and have to shot with your heart rate way up. Plus, that timer adds more stress than you'd think.

2. Try to find a private range. I'm a member of a range here with a private indoor pistol range. During the week at night (it's open 24 hours) I have the place to my self. I doubt most ranges would let me turn off all the lights and practice shooting by tac light.... but I can do it there.
 
wow, this thread really took off.

I can't say that I'm surprised at the derision that some of the responses displayed. I guess I'm taking this stuff seriously because I'm deploying to Afghanistan in 2009 for a combat mission and that's a good motivator. When my unit shoots at the range it is always from a foxhole and prone position. We just recently added the kneeling position to qualification. It was long overdue.

We never shoot pistols because only officers and 240 gunners are issued the M9 and ammo isn't provided for training on non issued weapons. That means that the typical company only gets a few hundred rounds to shoot per year. I will be getting a pistol when I'm over there even if I have to get it in theater and leave it behind when I come home. It's up to me to be prepared to use it.

I do the transition drills I was discussing on the firing line, but do the exercises behind the line.

I am a 11B staff sergeant with over 10 years time in service I have a firearm collection that's bigger and better than most gunshops' inventory. I have competed in local and national competitions and always qualified expert with every weapon I've ever shot for record (SAW, M16, M9, SIG P226).

I only say this to illustrate that I'm not doing this stuff on a lark or that I'm the sort of kid that plays with airsoft and buys throwing stars and big fake knifes and thinks he's a ninja.

I am a warrior and train for war.

I didn't mean to offend any hunters, I hunt too, just not very often or well. I was just trying to show that shooting a deer is a different skill set and mindset than killing a man, and it has implications that many here never seriously consider.

If you haven't done any sort of stressed shooting you have no idea how much that complicates things. It can only be prepared for by training for it. I offered up my method of training for it and asked for other's input. Some of the responses were contemptable.
 
I don't exercise at the shooting range. I shoot. I would also probably give someone exercising at the range a strange look, but I wouldn't have anything against such a person.

I can see it now.... "Shootin' to the Oldies"
 
ISC-
First and above all, a sincere thank you for your service to our country.

If I saw someone exercising at the range I would assume they are doing it for the exact reason you described. Run it by the owner of the range and tell him why your reasoning. Most range owners I know would give you a green light as long as you are being safe. As for others present giving you strange looks? Ignore them.

Denny
 
A long way back I did some flexing at the range to limber up and proceeded to knock my spotting scope off the bench. No harm done, but I have not repeated the practice.
 
I have an exercise pad that I go prone or kneel on. Any tactical movement will appear odd to some range shooters. The best idea is as previously posted. Find a landowner who has a good area for shooting. You can set up however you want and move the same. As long as you have a good backstop, go for it!

DON'T LEAVE TRASH BEHIND!!
 
I am surprised that Captain Charlie has not shut this one down. Come on, exercising at the range???
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I admit that I kinda cocked an eyebrow at the "strange looks" part of this, but the idea of training under physical stress is a viable one. I know of some courses of fire that require the shooter to start at the 100 yard line, run to the twenty five, engage, then run to the fifteen and engage multiple targets.

There is a world of difference between shooting in a calm, relaxed condition and shooting while breathing hard with a pulse rate of 120 or more.

Carry on.
 
I get some similar funny looks at the range. What I do is bring a pillow, blanket, and cot. I set them up about 20 yards from the firing line. I place my firearm under the pillow, strip down to my tighty-whiteys (unless it's summer when I normally sleep in the buff), and then lay down in my typical (fetal) sleeping position. I pretend that I hear a noise in my house, I jump up, grab my firearm, and run to the firing line. Sometimes that gets some funny looks...or kicked off the range if it's in the summer time. :D

In all seriousness ISC, whatever keeps you alive. If I KNEW I was headed to some serious combat, then your method sure sounds like good training to me.

Thanks for serving your country.

Fly
 
The EIC matchs we shot a couple months ago had us running over 100 M for several of the different shoots. One had us climbing stairs to take positions in a window shooting down into a depression at targets at unknown ranges. I completely blew that one, but I think the biggest problem was shooting at targets at unknown ranges and elevations.

The Patton match was a sprint (200 M I think) followed by a pistol shoot, but we had time to catch our breath after the sprint, so the bigger issue was general physical condition than stressed shooting. By that I mean being in good shape allows your heart rate to return to a normal number in a few minutes after the sprint, which is a different issue than training to shoot while your heart rate is high. The first you can train for at the gym, but shooting with a high heart rate needs to be trained for at a range.

Most shooters without real training have a Bunker hill mentality and envision any action they might see as being where they will hunker down behind cover and take slow aimed shots at an adversary approaching over open ground. They don't have any idea of the elements of manuever and tactical movement that are required to be effective as part of a team or small unit.

Some readers here agree with what I'm saying and see the sense in it.

There is also a sizable percentage of the members here who have no idea about the requirements to be effective in a fluid battlefield. The percentage that doesn't have the physical abilities is even larger, and the percentage that doesn't have the training is even larger than that.

There are some guys that have the knowledge but not the physical abilities. Mostly that's because they got injured, old, or fat. That's life. Do the best you can to get in the best shape you can.

There are some guys that have the athletic abilities but not the knowledge. Find one of the guys described above and train.

Then there are the guys that are content "knowing" that they'll never have to take a shot at another human being, or if they ever do it will be zombie hordes that can be picked off at long range until you run out of ammo, and anyone who prepares by tactival shooting is unrealistic.
 
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Since i am no longer active duty in the Corps i dont think i will have a need to shoot with a high pulse. I dont see a reason to practice it. and Charlie you are so very right about shooting with a high pulse and being out of breath! Its unreal the affect it has on ones shooting.
 
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