Jump to content
Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

How important is physical training to the shooter?


joedodge

Recommended Posts

How important is rigorous training to shooters and diet? Im 160 pounds 5 foot 6 inches not fat but not skint like a rail. How much does physical fitness play into our sport i know core strength and agility are important but are the cut and ripped hard core tai ning guys really that much better at our game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 54
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

How important is rigorous training to shooters and diet? Im 160 pounds 5 foot 6 inches not fat but not skint like a rail. How much does physical fitness play into our sport i know core strength and agility are important but are the cut and ripped hard core tai ning guys really that much better at our game.

Not in my opinion. But you can't have a grip that's to strong though.

be

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IMO it matters... hard to quantify and it depends on the stages in the match. Lots of stop/starting and running 20 yds at full steam make it difficult to steady your shots on small steel, etc.

I'm made a commitment to myself to work harder on this after a recent area match.... as I think it matters enough. Plus it's what I have to do to keep up with the young guys.

EDIT: I don't think you need to be ripped... just good cardio.

Edited by lugnut
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think balance and agility are more important that strength. Knowing where your feet are and being able to place them where the need to be, being able to control your center of gravity is more important than pure leg strength. Grip strength is important, being able to get a solid grip but still have a fluid trigger finger is important.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

forgot to mention I'm 23 not to many top shooters are that young lol

I disagree. Nils Jonasson, BJ Norris, KC Eusebio, Cody McKenna, and undoubtedly some others that I'm forgetting are all around our age or younger.

As for the importance of physical fitness, I think it would change depending on who you were talking to. Sevigny would probably say it's critically important to his game, but look out how well TGO was doing despite his knees.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can make GM and never leave a 3 x 3 shooting box.

I can think of many good shooters whose shape is round. This is a sport where middle aged fat men put on cleats and think of themselves as athletes.

My lack of focus hurts my performance a lot more than the fact that I gave up running and lifting in 1992. Plus I have not been truly hungry since 1991 and I have the pants to prove it.

Edited by Coach
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The theme of this years Area 4 match should have been 'thigh-master'

Long, full speed runs, hard turns at full speed, and lots of low and awkward ports.

I loved it, even though it beat me up and took one of my shins.

I saw several out of shape shooters drop a few places due to the physical nature of the stages.

You can do just fine most of the time at any reasonable fitness level.

But you can never be too fit, too strong, too fast, too agile. (I am none of the above)

Recovery could also be a major factor in multi-day matches.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The theme of this years Area 4 match should have been 'thigh-master'

Long, full speed runs, hard turns at full speed, and lots of low and awkward ports.

I loved it, even though it beat me up and took one of my shins.

I saw several out of shape shooters drop a few places due to the physical nature of the stages.

You can do just fine most of the time at any reasonable fitness level.

But you can never be too fit, too strong, too fast, too agile. (I am none of the above)

Recovery could also be a major factor in multi-day matches.

Couldn't agree more. Being able to squat deep and sprint was the theme of that match. I guess it says something when a fatty like me can still beat the skinny guys. :cheers:

That said, I have been crossfitting for about 2.5 months (2 months as of A4) and I'm certain I wouldn't have been able to squat at most of those ports if I hadn't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Taran Butler doesn't look very svelte on the cover of Front Sight. He does OK.

Just imagine how good he could be if he hit the gym hard for a year. :surprise:

True, you dont need to be in top physical form to compete in our sport, but look at most of the people dominating lately: they are all in pretty good physical shape. I'm feeling better and shooting a little better since starting crossfit a couple months ago. I'm no where near where I want to be, but I'm headed in the right direction I think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe he would be better or faster, maybe he wouldn't.

We don't know. He'd be in better shape for sure.

He's very, very good. If he hit the gym hard for a year, I doubt he would start dominating the sport and beating everyone else everytime out of the gate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The theme of this years Area 4 match should have been 'thigh-master'

Long, full speed runs, hard turns at full speed, and lots of low and awkward ports.

I loved it, even though it beat me up and took one of my shins.

I saw several out of shape shooters drop a few places due to the physical nature of the stages.

You can do just fine most of the time at any reasonable fitness level.

But you can never be too fit, too strong, too fast, too agile. (I am none of the above)

Recovery could also be a major factor in multi-day matches.

Yes sir, after shooting that match my legs told me how out of shape i was for about 2 days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Old age and treachery v. youth and vigor.

Different ways to skin the proverbial cat, as it were. You can shoot fast and well, but move a bit slower; or shoot a bit slower/not as well but move faster and still end up in the same place. But, if you can move fast and shoot fast/well, it seems like that would be an unbeatable combination, in abstract theory anyway.

People will put in hours of practice to shave a couple tenths of their draw. I would think being in shape would help shave off even more time, saving a few tenths every time movement is required from position to position. (I neither shoot fast/well nor move fast, so file this under "ruminations of a newb")

I'd be interested to see some kind of empirical data on just how much time can be saved by being a bit faster on your feet. Probably very little if any, on the classifier or speed shoot type stages, but I think there might be some significant savings on field courses.

It's a heckuva lot harder to get motivated to go do wind sprints or a couple miles of roadwork than it is to strap on the gun and dryfire though.

There's also a question about training ROI. With a limited amount of free time in the day to train, where are you going to get the most bang for the buck? Like anything else, the law of diminishing returns applies. If you're already relatively fit, there might not be much that can be gained. OTOH, if you're finding yourself winded during a stage or are losing significant time moving from position to position, then some PT might be more beneficial than shaving another .1 off your draw?

Edited by Racer377
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think your level of fitness matters. In a sport where fractions of a second decide the winner, how can it not matter? Moving from shooting point to shooting point means quick starts and stops. That requires leg strength and agility. Getting to your feet after going prone or getting low enough to shoot from a low port happens much faster for the fit. You don't have to train like an Olympic champion but it does matter. I often thought that tennis would be good cross training for our sport.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Taran Butler doesn't look very svelte on the cover of Front Sight. He does OK.

If TB was in shape, no one would beat him

But he's not, so they do.

I'm not buying that one. Taran's what,70lbs overweight? And he's a top shooter.

Are you saying he's that much better a shooter than everyone else? His splits, transitions, reloads and accuracy are that much better than the rest of the top guys? Only movement from shooting position to shooting position is stopping him from ruling the shooting world?

Course, I could just be projecting my own inadequacies... :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...