The Issue of Stability in Precision Shooting Events

Every coach will tell you that a stable platform is critical in precision shooting and that one requires a consistent and balanced stance to achieve this. The placement of the feet is a constant compromise between stress on the ankles and legs, and the desire to have the widest possible platform for increased stability. In most cases the feet should be shoulder width apart with the majority of shooters beginning with the feet positioned 45 degrees to the firing line. The feet are then generally set as if along the sides of a triangle – toes out, heels in with the firing line being the base of the triangle and a line through the feet converging behind the shooter as the apex. Other shooters choose to stand with the feet parallel to the firing line however they should be aware of the strain on the neck as the shooters then has to twist their head around to sight down the barrel line. Unfortunately this type of stance will also constrict the carotid artery which supplies oxygen to the eyes and brain!

 

Some shooters have obtained good results with different postures and the best example is ex-double world champion, Vladimir Stolypin, who belonged to the Soviet Union’s team for 20 years. In the beginning he shot with his side towards the target and the upper part of his torso leaning much towards the left. At the end of his career he was using the frontal posture, with his chest facing the target and without any inclination at all. Posture is considered by most coaches as an individual matter with the focus on attaining good stability in the chosen posture, with optimal muscular tension. Ideally, posture must guarantee maximum stability, based on the firm stabilisation of the feet, legs and waist, but each shooter must decide how much energy he is willing to expend in order to attain this stability. In training some shooters use foot markers so that they achieve a consistent stance thereby training the muscles in the body to memorise the position until it becomes “natural”. Research has shown that the stability of posture is greater in skilled than unskilled marksmen and women. So it seems that a good stance will give you greater postural stability with the consequence of a stable shooting platform and overall enhanced accuracy. However, as one investigates this matter further one discovers that the greater accuracy of aiming in skilled marksmen and women depends not only on postural stability but also on the displacement of the segments of the arm.

 

Researchers Arutyunyan, Gurfinkel and Mirskii (1968, 1969) studied the movements of skilled and unskilled marksmen while pistol shooting at targets, looking particularly at the horizontal movements of the upper arm, wrist and torso. An inability to minimise the movement of the arms led to errors in target performance for the unskilled subjects. The movements of skilled subjects were more complex, with perturbation of the wrist being compensated at the shoulder, and vice versa, resulting in little overall pistol deviation and improved target success.

 

Consequently it has been proposed that the stability of the pistol was determined by reciprocal displacement of the kinematic segments of the wrist and shoulder and not due simply to improved postural stability, as had been thought previously. In fact these researchers provided the first evidence that skilled movement patterns may involve the development of a muscle ‘synergy’ that is responsible for the coordination of the degrees of freedom of the task. In other words, a strategy had been developed through practice by the expert shooters in which the individual joint movements interacted such that deviation at one joint simultaneously evoked a compensation at another, ultimately preventing deviation of the pistol.

 

So the issue of what stability actually is in regards to shooting is far more complex than just having a stable stance. In fact, if this research is correct one could have an unstable stance coupled with advanced compensation skills and still be a good shooter. However, before you quote science and tell your coach that spending time on a stable stance is actually a waste of time you need to be aware that the above research was in reality rather limited in their data. In fact, the evidence in support of their interpretation of muscle synergies is not substantial and only one study ever addressed the issue of whole body coordination. It however measured arm angles during seated shooting and hence did not investigate control of the whole body and postural sway, as it applies in competition pistol shooting. So to date whole body coordination in pistol shooting has received little study.

 

I have written this article to highlight that stability in shooting is a very complex issue and it does not revolve solely around ones stance. It must be considered within the context of postural sway and the coordination of the whole body. I am currently investigating this as a PhD student (Exercise and Sports Science) at the University of Sydney. My project will try and investigate the role of multi-joint coordinative synergies in determining the accuracy of air pistol shooting as it is very amenable to realistic three-dimensional motion analysis in the laboratory. My project is trying to develop a model for the investigation of coordination at different levels of skill. If you are interested in taking part of this project please contact me. We will soon be recruiting 10 ‘D’ grade shooters (5 male, 5 female), ‘10 ‘B’ grade shooters (5 male, 5 female), and 10 Master grade (5 male, 5 female) air pistol shooters. You can contact me via email focus@spin.net.au or you may email me directly on d.wilhelmi@athleticbusiness.com.au. I will then contact you as soon as the recruitment drive commences.

 

Good shooting