Hi Briha,
Thank you for the tip on stance . I shall be breaking that down as well.
Regards,
Dev
FUNDAMENTALS OF AIR PISTOL SHOOTING
Hi Guys,
After much contemplation, research and going through the valuable suggestions & observations made in this thread by our respected fraternity of Gurus & Upagurus, I humbly submit the mechanics of what every aspiring shooter must bear in mind while on the road to achieving success and satisfaction in Air Pistol Shooting.
In my considered opinion and I hope that the Guru & Upagurus will agree is that, all elements of pistol shooting such as position, grip, sight alignment, breath control, trigger control, physical condition, and psychology of shooting only when perfected, simply enables the shooter to perform with complete ease & harmony.
BODY POSITION OR STANCE
1.We are all constructed differently and have different natural positions. To find your natural position, face away from the target at 45 degrees. Look at the target by turning your head and eyes only and raise the pistol to the eye / target / line. Close your eyes & raise your pistol and arm several feet and allow it to fall in a relaxed and natural way to the horizontal. If it falls right down the center of the target, you have your natural position. If it falls to one side, shuffle on your feet, keeping the body axis from the feet to the shoulder the same, until the pistol is aligned on the target again.
2.Several tries such as this one will readily show you how far to face away from the target. This test need only be made a few times. At all following sessions start out with the position that you have decided is natural for you and stay with it. The feet should be spread apart about the width of your shoulders or marginally more (refer my earlier post). You may have noticed that you’ve spread your feet farther apart than when you first began shooting. However, if you spread your feet unnaturally at first, you may have to exert undue muscular effort to maintain balance. The objective is to be well balanced and comfortable in your stance.
3.The legs should be straight, but not stiff. Allow the knee joints to fall into a locked position, but still be relaxed. The thigh muscles should be relaxed. If you are tense anywhere, it is a sign of strain and will show up in your trigger control. The hips should be level and in an easy, natural position. Let your abdomen relax. Allow the shoulders to hang naturally and relaxed.
4.The head and neck should be in an easy natural position. You must look at the target by turning you head and eyes slightly without moving from the neck down. The simplest way to do this is to face your entire body away from the target at the angle you have selected – preferably 45 degrees and then turn your head and eyes only to the target before raising your pistol to the firing position (refer my earlier post).
5.While looking at the target from this natural position, raise your pistol until you can align the sights on the target. The important thing is to make your pistol arm fit the body position instead of ruining a good body position by craning the neck and shoulders trying to get behind the pistol. The body position (stance) must be selected first, then use the pistol arm only to bring the sights in line with the eye and target.
6.The pistol arm should be extended directly toward the target. The wrist is locked without strain, (this requires practice). The elbow is locked also but with no sense of strain or tenseness. Try holding a ten or fifteen pound weight out in the firing position and feel the top of your shoulder where the arm joins and you will find the small hard muscles that support your gun arm. You should feel that the pistol is hanging from above, and not that you are pushing it up from below.
BREATH CONTROL
1.The object of breath control is to enable you to hold your breath with a comfortable feeling long enough to fire. Take several deep relaxing breaths immediately prior to extending the pistol, and as you extend it, take another breath and exhale until your lungs feel normal. Hold until you fire. If you have too much air in the lungs, you will feel the pressure and it will interfere with your ability to hold. If you completely empty the lungs your arm will begin to shake in about 5 seconds.
PHYSICAL CONDITIONING
1.Many shooters discount the element of proper physical conditioning. They think that so little effort is required to extend a two pound pistol and fire it that they need no exercise. You’ll realize that some of your fatigue is due to a certain amount of nervous tension, however, when you are in top condition, you will feel good even after two or three days of match shooting.
2.The real payoff for good condition lies in the score. Several shooters have added fifty points or more to their Grand Aggregates by conditioning themselves with systematic weight training programs prior to the matches. I recommend a mild weight-training program and some road work to put the shooter in a good general condition, then some special exercises for the shooting arm (I had sent these to AGN & Jitu earlier)
3.These special exercises consist of holding an object, weighing several times more than the pistol. A bottle full of water or a five pound dumb- bell are some of the things that can be used. Extend the weight just as you would a pistol and line it up on an object and try to hold it steady until your arm starts throbbing. Rest for a few minutes and repeat the exercise. 10 minutes of this each day that you do not shoot on the range will enable you to hold steadier and longer than before.
TRIGGER CONTROL
1.I am not particularly fond of using the word "squeeze" in connection with trigger control. When we think of the action of squeezing, we usually close all four fingers and thumb together at the same time. This is definitely not proper trigger control. The pressure put on the trigger must come from the trigger finger only. The gripping fingers and base of thumb should not move. Get the proper grip on your pistol and keep the pressure constant, align the sights on the target properly, then with the trigger finger only, exert a steady, constant & continuous pressure, straight to the rear, till the pistol fires. All these movements in ONE SMOOTH MOTION.
FLINCHING
1.All shooters suffer from this malady at one time or another. Your progress in the competitive field of target shooting depends largely on your ability to overcome flinching. Here is exactly what happens.
2.If you know the exact moment your pistol is going to fire, your subconscious mind orders you to brace your body against the recoil, and you do so, resulting in a flinch. The remedy is to never know the exact instant the pellet discharges. Even then your subconscious mind will brace, but the reaction time between the shot and your bracing will allow the pellet to leave the barrel without being misdirected by your flinch.
PSYCHOLOGY OF SHOOTING
1.This is a serious problem to many shooters and to some degree a problem to all shooters. I'm referring to the building up of pressure inside the shooter that makes him shoot like a novice. It is sometimes called "Involuntary Response". It prevents the shooter from shooting in matches, the scores that he shoots in practice. The best cure for this feeling is building Self Confidence. Don't keep such an accurate count of your scores that you end up in knowing that if you shoot well, you will set a new record. Just shoot your matches as they come, record your score, and forget about them.
2.Never count your competitor's score to the point that you know exactly how much you need to beat them. The advice is to spot your shots until you are sure that your sights are aligned perfectly and then finish your string without spotting any more.
3.As a match shooter you have an unenviable problem. You want to win and when you see a chance to win because of some good strings, your breath quickens, and your heart beats so fast that you can feel it in your trigger finger. As a result you usually blow a five shot string and then for the rest of the match you shoot normally. If you could just go to a match and be satisfied with your practice score; refrain from counting up your aggregates as you go; refuse to speculate on how much it will take to win; refrain from comparing competitor's scores, you would then probably shoot much better. Here again experience strengthens your ability and you begin to shoot your best scores in matches.
SUGGESTIONS TO THE BEGINNER
1.Let’s begin with equipment. You must have complete confidence in your pistol and your pellets. If you doubt either, you will blame equipment for your errors, and not correct them. Dry firing will develop and improve every element of your shooting. It’s suggested that you practice a fifteen minute session of dry-firing every day – on days that you do not shoot on the range. Simulate the range conditions as much as possible wherever you practice.
2.When you feel any fatigue or feel that you are running short of breath, by all means you should lower your arm, breathe deeply and try again, after relaxing. Some excellent shooters try this two to three times prior to getting a shot off. Always insist on having the perfect sight picture / sight alignment before applying pressure to the trigger.
TIMING THE FIRE
1.Prepare your lungs by breathing deeply prior to firing and holding it just as you align your sights. Make rhythm (interval between shots) as your prime objective. Never vary your rhythm. Adjust your recovery so that you have your sight picture in time for the next shot to go.
CONCLUSION
The theory of shooting is simple:
1.Begin with your stance, grip and breath-control. When your sight alignment is perfect, you should apply gentle pressure on the trigger and continue slowly, steadily and continuously till the shot is completed and proceed with the follow through. In practice you may sometimes find your hand shaking a bit, because your brain begins to count scores and anticipate wins. Only through experience and practice you will master the absolute co-ordination between your body, and mind – a perfect synchronicity every shooter dreams of!
Good Luck & Happy Shooting!!!
Briha
It's a dilema akin to newer version of linux working well with older Intel hardware chipset than with latest.
I am still groping around for #9s.
No strays this time.
But then my AP is 20+ yr old; may be it does not have the nautanki of accepting new and shiny ones. Upacharyaji, I shall gift thee a tin of RWS R-10 which I have hoarded if you show up at Japs. 