Pistol Shooting

ASK yourself "What are you going to do at your next shoot?"

If the answer is "I don't know", don't despair. There are a lot of athlete’s who have no plan of attack or game plan to which they will adhere to during their next shoot.

A shooting plan may not make anyone shoot any better, but it may help with approaching the event with added confidence, knowing that all the preparation has been done in training and is about to be carried out.

Making a plan simply means that: Writing down what is required to perform well in whichever event is chosen.

A SAMPLE SHOOTING PLAN  (Precision, Air)

The plan can be as “wordy” as the athlete likes. It is simply a diary type notation of the plan before the event. It takes out the possibility of not being prepared when they arrive at the venue and then trying to find the shooting bay, pistol checking, range times etc.

Not all contingencies can be planned for, but it gives the athlete greater confidence that they actually know what is going on around them. It may begin when they arrive at the range, do all the usual meet and great stuff, then commence with warm-ups, dry firing, setting up gear etc.

The actual match plan should consist of setting up, how to use sighters, the transition from sighters to the match etc. This may also include the actual shot plan or shot process previously spoken about on this site.

It is desired the match plan be drafted up approximately 2 weeks prior to a competition. Read through the plan several times a day (if possible) and maybe add or delete some aspects. It simply gets the mind on track and takes out any self-doubt in the athlete’s ability to perform.

An example of a match plan is as follows, but can be as simple as the athlete and coach desire.

When I arrive at the range I will familiarize myself with the surroundings and find out in which bay I will shoot. Warm-up before the match and dry fire. When it is time to set up for shooting, I will prepare my equipment and then sit down quietly to prepare my thoughts for the match running through my shot process.

Use sighters to gain attention to “seeing sights” and particularly smooth trigger press. Accept my area of hold and continue to strive for sight clarity and smooth press.

Follow through of each shot is extended to ensure I am seeing sights through the shot and a continuation of a smooth trigger press.

Just a very brief plan, but one that makes the athlete think about what they intend to achieve.

The application which I shall follow for each shot is:

I raise the pistol with the trigger finger on the trigger and feel the pad pressure being taken up.

With the pistol above the target, I lower the pistol whilst seeing the sights roughly aligned and slowly controlled, enter the target through the centre, whilst striving for sight alignment.

During this stage I increase the trigger pressure so that, as the pistol 'pauses' under the black, within my “area of aim”, I am striving to achieve good sight alignment, whilst pressing the trigger.

Having fired the shot, I maintain and extend my follow-through on the sights and the trigger pressure.

My match goals:

 a)      Accept my wobble area

 b)      Smooth press whilst aligning the sights

          c)      Follow through - sights and trigger, extend follow through time.

Below are simple “Cue Cards” which the coach and athlete may develop to assist in keeping the mind on the task at hand. These may be placed on the bench to remind the athlete of the shot process, should they deviate and find themselves in difficulty getting back “on-track” during a match.

Once into the event, the athlete should only be concerned with the three elements of analysis. The plan should not be read during the shoot as this may give self-doubt. The shot should be analysed and then, depending on the outcome of the result, work done on the aspect which may have caused a break-down of the shot.

It does not matter how long the plan is, but it needs to be explicit in its instructions on how a shot is to be fired.

This is only a guide for a plan and should not be followed word for word. It is important that plans are made for each event and each shoot. No plan should be used more than once, as perception of the importance of different events can change from day to day and month to month.