Sports Shooting Psychology - Concentration

This entry was posted in news, tutorials on 2nd January 2015 by ELEY Ammunition.

Concentration – staying focused in stressful competition situations

There are tons of books out there totally devoted to concentration, so I what I am about to write is only my opinion and take on the subject matter. There are so many aspects to the game of shooting, whether it be rifle, pistol, or shotgun. At the same time, one of the constants is concentration. Concentration is one of the things that allows you to be your best and keeps you in the “zone” when you are performing extremely well. It’s also a piece of the puzzle that has often disappeared when things go awry.

So how do you concentrate when the pressure is on? The exact recipe will be slightly different for different people, of course. Two important things for anyone, however, are practice and a great imagination! If you never practice focusing intently on anything, or especially during training, you will never learn to do it when you really want to. You must practice every situation that could occur during an important competition and practice what you will do so that you can continue to be your best. That means imagining and practising what you will do in the biggest match of your life when things are going incredibly well. How will you react? How will you work with it so that you continue to perform beautifully?

What will you do if you are in that same biggest match of your life and something goes wrong? How will you keep your poise, get back on track, and do what you’re capable of to achieve your goal? The answer depends on you. A great shooter needs to have a great imagination and needs to be able to look deep inside themselves to know how they might react in every different situation. If something doesn’t feel comfortable or there is nervousness, that means the athlete needs to work on preparing for it in training so that if the situation happens in a competition, there will be no lapse in concentration. There is a plan and it has be rehearsed so that it flows effortlessly.

I certainly can’t recommend any “quick fixes” to help anyone concentrate better. That doesn't really exist. A couple things that always help in stressful situations, however, are these:

- Breathe!! Stop and take a few slow, deep breaths to slow the heart down. You’ll be surprised how much this can help.

- Keep your thoughts rational and focused on things you can control. Any worries about “what if’s” or things out of your control are completely useless and will only take your concentration off of what you’re trying to do.

- Stay in the moment! Good or bad, the past is done! You cannot change it. If the past was great, enjoy it for a moment and move on to now. If it was bad, learn what you can from it and move forward. The future is what you create. Every future moment is this current moment. Enjoy and make the best of this current moment and the future moments will come by themselves. Make the current shot the best shot you can possibly make, enjoy it then repeat on the next one.

- Picture what you want to see happen. Imagine a short video of the “your perfect shot” and play it over and over again in your head. Keep it short, keep it simple.

- Lastly, no matter whether it’s your club championship or the Olympic Games, remember why you are shooting. Hopefully you are in that particular moment because you love the game. At the heart, that is why we play any game – because we enjoy it! Never forget that no matter how stressful any competition might be. Aligning the sights and making a great shot is a whole lot of fun to do wherever and whenever you do it.

Good luck and great shooting,

Matt Emmons

Posted by Thom Erik Syrdahl

Source - http://www.eley.co.uk/en/the-bulletin/sports-psychology-concentration/

Sports Shooting Psychology – confidence

This entry was posted on 9th January 2015 by ELEY Ammunition.

Confidence  - how to believe in what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

Written by ELEY shooter Nicco Campriani

I would first like to start with this citation that describes my idea of the purpose of sport:

“It’s not always necessary to be strong, but to feel strong”.

When I started my career I wanted to win a Gold medal at the Olympics. That was my ultimate goal and the only way I thought I could prove to everyone that I was the best.

I was young and I was wrong.

Somehow I confused cause with effect: it’s not what you do that defines who you are, it’s exactly the opposite. I learned that at my first Olympics in Beijing. At the time an Olympic medal was just too much to handle and it was more than a dream, it was almost a need.

After the lessons I learned in Beijing I drastically changed my approach. First of all I tried to become the best shooter I could be, regardless of what rankings and scores were saying. I did not care anymore about world rankings and I did not need any “evidence” of how good I was. The most important thing for me was to have no regrets, to know that I gave my very best at every match and at every training session.

I started to think like a “champion” and then only as a consequence, I won two Olympic medals in London.

This way of thinking was the best gift that shooting could give me. It’s something that I will take with me for the rest of my life, both inside and outside of the shooting range.

My message to the young shooters is to not try to be somebody else or, even worse, try to be a “star”. Just be yourself and believe in it.

There are no real finish lines: World Championships or Olympics are just stages. This is a pursuit of perfection and it will last for your entire life.  I wish you a great journey.

SPECIAL THANKS to Dr. Edward Etzel that helped me to find my path.

Nicco Campriani

Posted by Thom Er ik Syrdahl 

Source: ELEY Ammunition  Website - 

http://www.eley.co.uk/en/the-bulletin/sports-shooting-psychology-confidence/

Gran actuación realizó la Selección Chilena de Tiro al Blanco en el Gran Prix Toronto

08/02/2015 

 la medalla de oro obtenida por Manuel Sánchez

Una gran actuación realizó el equipo chileno de Tiro al Blanco en el Gran Prix Toronto, evento que finalizó este domingo 8 de febrero.

Dentro de los buenos resultados destacó la medalla de oro obtenida por Manuel Sánchez en la competencia individual de Pistola de Aire 10 metros. El podio en esta prueba se tiñó de rojo ya que la medalla de plata recayó en Enrique Laurel. En damas, Gabriela Lobos y Karina Vera obtuvieron el cuarto y sexto lugar, respectivamente.

Elías San Martín se quedó con el oro en la prueba de Rifle Aire 10 metros, competencia en que Gonzalo Moncada se llevó la medalla de plata.

En las pruebas por equipos Chile obtuvo la medalla de plata en Pistola Aire 10 metros Varones en conjunto con un competidor canadiense (equipo compuesto), el oro en Rifle Aire 10 metros Varones mientras que las damas lograron oro en la misma prueba en que las nacionales hicieron equipo con Uruguay (equipo compuesto).

De esta manera Chile cerró la competencia con una gran actuación que se resume en 4 medallas de oro y 3 medallas de plata.

Escrito por Daniel Arellano
Fuente y foto: Gentileza Facebook Pavel Sosa

Postado por Thom Erik Syrdahl

Fuente:  EL DEPORTERO

Three weeks to European Championship in Arnhem, Netherlands, on March 2

The 10m European Championship Air Rifle and Air Pistol will start in Arnhem, Netherlands on March 2

In just three weeks, the 10m European Championship Air Rifle and Air Pistol will kick off in Arnhem, Netherlands. Over 560 athletes from 42 countries will join the competition, which will to take place from 2 to 8 March 2015.

The Arnhem-hall shooting range will host the Championship, whose 1990 and 1999 editions had been hosted by the same venue.

 The range features 83 SIUS LS10 Laserscore targets—each one sports a remote camera that gives the audience individual athletes' points of view. Screens on the side of the venue show scores and standings. Walls above and around athletes may be used for visual effects.

Other than the Olympic disciplines, the Championship will showcase a Target Sprint event that the ISSF recognized. Athletes will run and shoot with air rifles on the athletics track of the National Sports Center, right by the range.

 Up to 800 fans will be able to enter the Arnhem-hall for free. Fans at home can watch the Olympic finals online on theISSF, ESC, or ECH2015 websites.

For any other information, look up the competition's website: www.ech2015.nl.

Alessandro Ceschi

Posted by  Thom Erik  Syrdahl
Source:  ISSF  Website

Tuesdays: Dahl ready to take to podium

US teenager McKenna Dahl is one of her country’s brightest medal hopes in shooting for Rio 2016, and aims to step onto the World Cup podium in 2015.

McKenna Dahl of USA competes at the USA Shooting National Championships for Rifle and Pistol, 2013 © • USA Shooting

By Jake Smith | For the IPC

“I feel inspired to keep working hard to achieve my dreams and prove to myself that I can accomplish a goal this big.”

The first IPC Shooting World Cup of 2015 kicks off in Stoke Mandeville, Great Britain, from 26-29 March, and 18-year-old US athlete McKenna Dahl is ready to step up her game in the year before Rio 2016.

Dahl recently moved to the Olympic Training Centre in Colorado Springs, after her talent was spotted just two years into her shooting career.

Living and training in the ideal environment, surrounded by like-minded athletes with world class training facilities at her fingertips, Dahl has a gale-force wind in her sails as she kicks off her 2015 campaign.

“My goals increase as the year moves on. I have the quota and MQS [qualification] scores needed to qualify for the Games, but I need to improve personally in order to make myself a podium competitor,” she said. “My main goal is to medal at the World Cups I attend this year.”

Since relocating interstate to the Olympic Training Centre, Mckenna’s scores and results have improved dramatically and with little over a year to go until Rio 2016 it is full steam ahead.

Pushing the limits and eyeing podiums during the World Cup season, Dahl is focused on cementing herself among the top R4 (mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2) contenders in 2016.

“I believe that it will take at least a 637 to make a final in Rio,” Dahl said. “The scores and world records keep getting higher as each competition passes and I know the competition will be fierce at the Games. By the time Rio rolls around, my goal is to be shooting in the 640’s.”

The dedication and sacrifices of being an elite athlete have been felt by Dahl and her family first hand. Her father transformed his own woodwork shop into a makeshift rifle range so that his daughter would be able to train from home whilst finishing her senior years of high school.

“I will never forget the time I spent training in my dad’s shop,” she said. “It’s where I got my start. I would never be where I am now without the opportunities my parents provided for me, by spending the money for the electronic target system, other equipment and tearing apart the shop for me to train at home.”

At London 2012 Team USA sent two shooters, Eric Hollen and Joshua Olson. However athletes like Dahl are inspiring heightened competition and setting the standard for shooting in the USA.

With a Paralympic debut in sight and a podium performance at the forefront, Dahl has the potential to be the next big thing in shooting para-sport.

“I feel inspired to keep working hard to achieve my dreams and prove to myself that I can accomplish a goal this big” she said. “Shooting is a dream, as well as a passion, and I want to take it as far as I possibly can.”

The 2015 IPC Shooting World Cup season features competitions in Great Britain, Poland and Turkey and qualifiers in Australia and the USA.

Posted by Thom Erik Syrdahl

Source:  Official Website of IPC Shooting ooting