Taking that deep breath before the beeeeeeepppp

[robot]

This is an interesting point. Will definitely try the Mouth/Nose method next time.Thanks!!

Edited February 2, 2011 by robot

[pjb45]

I used this technique at the WSSSC and was pleased with it. I have incorporated into my routine along with a final visualization.

[MQW]

You are dead on the money with this post; I am associated with LTC Dave Grossman (ret) author of "On Killing", On Combat" and co-Author of "Warrior Mind-Set", this last book is very relevant to competitive shooters as it covers a tremendous amount of info about stress response, Stress Inoculation, Visualization, etc.; one of the things Dave speaks about a lot, is "Stress Breathing or Tactical Breathing", for you I-Phone owners, there is even an App that helps you practice this technique; I use this technique in all of my matches, no matter what type of match it is. It saved me from some real problems during the USSA Pro Am last year, with the super hot and humid weather; I really, really try to hydrate myself correctly all the time, but I forgot about what eating a meal with a lot of protein does to your system; I had a fairly good size breakfast around 9:30am, thinking I would be fine for a 13:00 start time; wrong answer, my stomach was still digesting the protein and pulling all of my hydration away from my extremities, so I started the match behind the power curve; I had to use stress breathing to bring down my heart rate at almost every stage, I was over-hyrdrating the entire time but it didn't matter because I was already very de-hydrated due to the incorect meal; anyway, the breathing technique enabled me to stay in the game, I didn't perform at my best but I didn't pass out or become a heat casualty either, that was really all I wanted to accomplish for that day beside getting the beta on the stages by shooting them in Open class the first day; I was able to come back the next day and shoot well enough to take the High-Military title in Limited Div.

I was fortunate enough today to participate in a "medical techniques for law enforcement" class and it related to shooting. One of the main points in the class was stress response, something all shooters are very aware of. Basically, we were given a basic wrap and turniquet and had to tend to the wound of our partner, no problemo. However, when we were doing it with instructors yelling and distracting us, many people fumbled and couldn't perform the simple task. The instructor (a trauma surgeon who is also a county swat team medic) told us about the importance of breathing when our heart rate climbs. The heart rate climbs, fine motor skills deteriorate and our duties become that much more difficult. I saw that being the same as nailing a reload, clearing a malfunction, etc. A tip from the doc was that when in a high stress situation it is important to take a good deep breath to bring your heart rate down, which calms you and clears your senses (vision, hearing). I do this (and many others do) already just before the buzzer, but his version was a little different. Breath deep through your mouth and exhale through the nose. However, when exhaling through the nose, bear down on your chest almost forcing the breath out. Bear down, as he put it in so many words: "bear down in the same way as if you were sitting on the toilet." (his words not mine). By doing this, and exhaling through your nose to cause the most resistance, you stimulate the Vegus nerve. The Vegus nerve acts as the brake pedal for your heart. By stimulating this nerve, you slam the brakes on your heart rate to slow it down even more so than just regualr deep breathing. Just thought it was interesting.

[shootaglock89]

Good stuff.

The more oxygen you get, the better your brain will preform.

Like others have said, look at weight lifting. If you hold your breath, or do not breath adequately, you will not preform at your peak level.

[Jake Di Vita]

Like others have said, look at weight lifting. If you hold your breath, or do not breath adequately, you will not preform at your peak level.

Uhhh....have you ever heard of the valsalva maneuver? Your statement is simply 100% incorrect.

True that your shouldn't necessarily hold your breath while shooting, but this is one case where you can't compare it with lifting.