Reinvigorate your shooting through change

 

Have you ever felt that our shooting is becoming stagnant? Yes, you still enjoy going to the range however, your scores have levelled off and you have been in the same grade for a number of few years. You shoot at your club on the weekend and practice when time permits occasionally mid-week and you see no real improvement on the horizon. You have even entered a few competitions to try and rekindle your interest, however you are still shooting the same old scores. You are perhaps considering other interests as it is just not happening for you on the range. So what can you do to reinvigorate your shooting?

 

Change

The simple answer is ……… change! You will need to change something so that you can invigorate your passion for shooting. All sportspeople require some sort of a change to prolong their motivation and their competitive interest in their sport. The type of change is based on your individual requirements but here are some options you might consider:

 

Change your current situation

What are your strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) as you perceive them? Perhaps you will be able to pinpoint areas that have made your shooting stagnant. From this analysis you should be able to develop a change action plan to increase your motivation levels and to ultimately reinvigorate your shooting.

 

Change to Private Coaching

Ask yourself when was the last time you received coaching from a qualified coach? Some shooters head for they’re nearest bookshelf to improve and change their performance. Books however, do not cater for individual differences such as style, technical execution, psychological and or training approaches. Imagine if an elite athlete such as Roger Federer told the sporting press that he studied books on tennis to improve his technique.

 

Some shooters get coaching from other members of their club. There is nothing wrong with this as most of us begin to learn to shoot through fellow members who are either in a higher grade or who are considered ‘expert’. These shooters have a lot to offer however, if your scores are stagnant perhaps it is a time to organize a private session with your qualified club coach. In addition, expert shooters may have abilities that are natural to them and may not appreciate the difficulties you are going through.  

 

From my experience the best technical coaches are those who not necessarily perform at the sport at the highest level but who through study, dedication and trial and error understand the execution of the various techniques involved. For example, I am unsure how many records Laurie Lawrence set as a swimmer but we all know what a great swim coach he is.

 

However, finding a coach is not limited to their qualification. You will need to find a coach that you have confidence in, who is able to communicate to you in a meaningful way and who understands your personality. Finally, the strength of private coaching is that you receive individualised and tailored information that is delivered and communicated in a purposeful and meaningful way.

 

Change your coach

Perhaps you have had the same coach for a prolonged period of time. Sometimes it is beneficial that an athlete changes their coach so that a fresh pair of eyes can look at what is happening to the shooter. Many athletes will do this irrespective of past successes as new coaches not only bring a fresh set of eyes but will also bring with them different approaches to training and a different trainings environment. This in itself can be invigorating to an athlete and can assist in producing enhanced performance levels. Most coaches will understand this so don’t be afraid in asking them who they could recommend. After all they have come to understand your technical capabilities and personality.

 

Change your Trainings Plan

Reinvigorate your shooting by changing your trainings plan. Changing the framework by which you train will increase your motivation levels as it will get you away from what you have been doing in the past. Sometimes increasing your rest periods between competitions may freshen you up. Remember the trainings plan provides you with a purpose every time you go to the range.

 

Be consistent in your training modality and commitment. Training is seen as a systematic athletic activity of long duration, so you must be committed to the long haul. From experience it will take approximately eighteen months to see the benefits of a change in technique at the competitive level.

 

Change to Quality Training

Another aspect to reinvigorate your shooting is to consider the quality of your training session. The next time you go to the range observe yourself and others around you and ask yourself if the training that you are observing is of high quality. Quality training is achieved through developing purposeful sessions that are linked to a particular outcome or goal.

 

Understand the difference between playing and training. Some shooters spend the entire day at the range enjoying the social aspect of the range (playing) but do not engage in quality training (training with a purpose). The next time you go to the range just monitor the time you spend in socializing and compare this with the time you spend training. In most cases you can do more with less.

 

Good shooting

 

Dieter Wilhelmi