STRETCHING & SHOOTING

Posted by Coach Excellence on June 23, 2017 in Physical Work | ∞

STRETCHING FOR SHOOTING—yes I can the groans and moan from here. However I’m not sure that many appreciate the benefit that stretching will afford their bodies.

We heard it all before, yet a glance along most ranges will show that, although the message is out there, the challenge is unheeded.

How many times have we heard… “I finally settled into the position by the 10th shot or so”

And why is this??? Well, obviously the body was not physically ready to shoot.

A warm body is a responsive body, an alert body and a body that is ready to meet the demands of shooting.

And of course those prone shooters will be thinking— “yes this stretching stuff is OK for the position or air rifle shooters, but we don’t need it in prone” Well think again. Imagine assuming your prone position while you are standing up on two feet. It’s a most unusual position—muscles really stretched, arms in odd places indeed.

Now consider a body that has been warmed and stretched prior to commencing the actual shooting.

A warmer and stretched body promotes good blood circulation, and the mental benefits of that are amazing, ensuring that the body is less likely to be under stress, and this assists in injury prevention.

So—now you’re convinced! Where to start. The essence of an effective stretching program works on the principles of:

A general warm-up is essential prior to stretching
Stretches should be undertaken in an ordered fashion…ie head to foot or foot to head
Stretches should be held for a minimum of 15 seconds to gain the maximum effect
Stretches should be complementary (ie forward stretch and then backward stretch)
An effective stretch routine takes as little as 5min before shooting