Drugs and Shooting

The taking of performance enhancing drugs has once again made the news. The regulating, monitoring and detection of these drugs is something that all sporting bodies are constantly concerned with. In today’s high performance sports environment it is becoming a battle of technologies in regards to the how the drugs are masked and detected. It is also a never-ending burden to the athlete as they are constantly bombarded with information in regards what they are able to eat and drink. Some athletes are complaining that it is becoming so regulated with penalties so harsh that even regular food intake is becoming onerous.

Most club shooters don’t take performance enhancing drugs however, I felt it was a good time to talk about the regular drugs we do take in everyday life and to investigate their impact on our health and on our shooting performance. As Australians we are being educated about the harmful effects of the habitual use of alcohol, coffee, tobacco and various drugs. It is important to understand that any drug that causes the body organs to perform their work at a greater rate than normal, fatigues them sooner and causes them to age more rapidly. So consequently stimulants and depressants overwork many vital organs, often when their best performance is needed for normal body activity. The effects of the use of such substances depend upon how much is used and whether or not the body is strong enough to repair the damage done. So what is the difference between a stimulant and a depressant? A stimulant is a chemical which, when taken into the body, excites the organs to greater effort. For example, nicotine increases heart action by depressing the nerves that slow the heartbeat, thus causing a faster pulse. Depressants are chemicals that slow down body action but may also speed up body functions by reducing the influence of the nerve centres that slow down body action. Depressants deaden pain and lessen discomfort and thus make us feel better without removing the cause.

There is enough published information on the habitual use of alcohol, coffee, tobacco, and drugs, their temporary and permanent effects on the human body, both mental and physical. Shooters generally agree that these agents will in no way help to improve shooting performance or scores. The control of the coordination of mental and physical effort in a concentrated, precise action is a major determining factor in shooting performance and the lessening of this control shows itself in lower scores and poor performance. What many club shooters do when their control is declining is to analyse their technique. However, when did you ask yourself if this loss of control and poor performance has been caused by other factors. Questions such as what did you have at breakfast – cups of coffee and cigarettes? Perhaps even a few too many last night or partying in the early hours with a consequence of loss of sleep. As you can see al of these factors are enough to ruin anyone’s control!

How does one regain this control? The easy answer would be to never drink, smoke or go to parties! However, what it would be far better to maintain a diary noting what you are taking before and after matches. This can then be later analysed. I distinctly remember an elite shooter doing this a couple of years ago and discovering that eating Chinese (MSG) the night before her matches was having a major effect on her performances. People who habitually smoke or drink coffee don’t want to admit that such habits have a negative effect on their performance. Unfortunately it does, and is not reflected in well worn statements such as “well, every time I stop prior a match I shoot worse anyway”, as any changes from anyone’s regular pattern will usually impact negatively on performance. Here is a short summary of how alcohol, coffee, tobacco and drugs have an impact on your scores and perhaps some of your performance lapses may not be directly the consequence of changes I technical execution.

Alcohol

Here is the good news, alcohol is used for a number of organic substances some of which are necessary to good health. The scientific name for the alcohol sold for drinking purposes is ethyl alcohol. However, in the strictest scientific sense it is an anesthetic or pain killer like ether, which is made from it.

The bad news is that Ethyl alcohol is generally considered to be a habit forming narcotic. In addition, alcohol is rapidly distributed through the body and promptly affects the brain by decreasing its ability to take up oxygen. Even a small percentage of alcohol in the blood may sometimes cause remarkable effects. Inhibitions and the corresponding cautions are removed, reactions are slowed, coordination is impaired. The senses become less acute, the field of vision is reduced – ordinary objects become darker and indistinct – poorly lighted objects are lost entirely. Reactions are slowed down and concentration becomes difficult. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol acts as a depressant rather than a stimulant. It dulls the senses, lessens the desire to win, destroys coordination and lessens the shooter’s ability to concentrate.

Alcohol taken at the proper time in the proper amount might possibly lessen the shooter’s anxiety but by doing so other effects are released that are far more harmful to the body and detrimental to the shooter’s score. No one can say what the right amount is or when it should be taken. Some shooters may shoot a good score with a hangover. But, the second day is when the after affects become acutely noticeable and the shooter’s control may disintegrate on the firing line. These facts establish that one small drink of intoxicating beverage places the shooter under an enormous handicap. The false feeling of well-being is deceptive. We all know that combining alcohol with our sport is extremely unsafe and is severely dealt with. But ultimately the message here is also that don’t kid yourself alcohol and shooting performance do not mix.

Coffee

So OK alcohol is out. So what’s wrong with drinking coffee? That is easy – caffeine. Each cup contains an amount equal to about two pinches of salt. That doesn’t sound like much, until you realise that it is one-third of the amount given by doctors as a heart stimulant! With three cups of coffee you are getting a dose of caffeine calculated by scientists to be medically effective for making a weakened heart work as hard and fast as a normal heart!! When a heart is ready to quit, and won’t pump another beat without the help of caffeine, maybe such a measure is justified but is this the sort of jolt you want before a match? It is a scientific fact that the stimulating and exhilarating affects coffee produces is usually followed by a loss of energy and a feeling of unsteadiness. No matter how we look at it, coffee takes more from the body than it gives. All coffees contain caffeine but in varying amounts. Fresh ground coffee is the most potent in caffeine. Instant coffees contain half as much and decaffeinated coffees contain about one third as much. So try and refrain from drinking coffee before and during the shooting session and be moderate in coffee consumption when not firing.

I have got the solution, let’s drink tea! But before we start do you realise that tea has larger amounts of caffeine and tannic acid (the two most detrimental ingredients) per weight, than coffee. Caffeine in tea leaves is about three percent in ratio of one to two percent in coffee. The general effects of caffeine are cerebral, cardiac and diuretic (copious urination) stimulation. Since coffee is made about twice as strong as tea in liquid form, a strong cupful of either will contain about two grains of caffeine and over three grains of tannic acid.

Cola

OK so I have ruined your life. Never mind lets have as the Coke ads used to say ‘the real thing’ – some Cola. You can’t believe it but a pistol shooter should stay away from the colas. Cola drinks, in addition to other soft drinks, contain that well known perk-up ingredient, caffeine. Look, there is just no reprieve!

Tobacco

To the best of my knowledge little caffeine or alcohol is found in tobacco. So surely, I can still perform by having the odd ‘relaxing’ smoke! Unfortunately, tobacco consists of nicotine which is a powerful alkaloid poison. Nicotine that is absorbed specifically affects the nerves that regulate the heart rate and the size of the blood vessels, and, therefore, alters the pulse rate and the blood pressure. From a scientific perspective the window of opportunity is in the first ten minutes after smoking as the pulse rate is slowed to about five beats per minute because of an increased stimulation of the nerves that slow the heart beat. After this temporary slowing effect, nicotine depresses these same nerves. This results in an increased pulse rate that may last for up to three hours. This for the average shooter means a pulse rate increase of five to ten extra beats per minute! One cigarette after breakfast will step up heart beat for half the shooting day. With the damage already done, abstaining for the rest of the day’s shooting is to small avail. The work of the heart is affected not only by the increased pulse rate but also by the decrease in size of the arteries. Both of these factors raise blood pressure and increase the work of the heart.

The combined effects of nicotine and carbon monoxide explain why the pistol shooter must avoid smoking if they are to shoot with the greatest possible skill. This conclusion does not mean that an individual or a team whose members smoke may not win, if it is competing against inferior opponents, but it does mean that any individual shooter on a team cannot perform at his best if he uses tobacco. b. Simply explained, cigarette smoking affects the smoker by; initially, slowing the pulse rate, increasing the pulse rate, increasing blood pressure and overworking the heart, reducing the oxygen capacity of the blood, causing shortness of breath and bringing on fatigue more quickly. From the standpoint of shooting, smoking does affect performance, and more importantly, control. It is possible to become more proficient in shooting and still continue smoking, but the road is long and the progress slow. The crux of the problem of smoking is the inhalation of tobacco smoke. Herein lies the answer. Stop inhaling and you have solved the problem.

Good Shooting

Dieter