Training when you're ill

Yesterday I was cruising the web looking for information on whether or not you should exercise when you're sick - because I happen to have an awesome head cold right now. I actually did find an article in the NY Times about exercise when you're not well, which suggests that as long as it's not an illness that inhibits lung capacity or respiratory function that it's safe and beneficial to work out when you have a cold.

That got me thinking about practical shooting and training - it's no secret that I approach practical shooting from an athlete's point of view - so what are the benefits to shooting when you're running a head cold?

Unlike pure physical exercise, practical shooting such as IDPA or USPSA requires you to "think" with a gun in your hand. You're required to solve a shooting problem within the confines of the rules of the sport, which is added to the already significant challenge of having the mental focus to run your gun well. That's the problem with practicing when you're sick - a head cold can be a mental distraction and interfere with your ability to focus on the front sight, pull the trigger properly, etc; personally I wouldn't recommend live fire practice if you're got a raging cold.

But that doesn't mean you can't practice! This is where dry fire comes into the equation. Just because you're sick doesn't mean you can't practice other things, like dry firing, presentations from the holster, or magazine changes. Since you're probably stuck in the house anyway, a cold (unless you're really knocked out by it) can give you an opportunity to work on some of the mechanical skills involved in being a successful practical shooter. Just make sure that you're not reinforcing bad habits. If your practice starts to get sloppy, slow down and make sure you're nailing the fundamentals. Just don't let a head cold be the thing that takes you out of your game.