Breathing between standby and beep

[Steve Koski]

I find myself exhaling then holding, then a large inhale at the beep as I draw. Not sure how I got this habit.

Good, bad, stupid, suggestions?

[MWP]

I'm the opposite, exhaling half before beep, then a short sharp exhale and tighten the stomach on the beep. Not sure how I got started on that either.

I've tried inhale on beep in practice, and it feels too relaxed for me, like I'm telling myself there's no rush.

[BillinTR]

I take a deep breath on "shooter ready" then nod to indicate I am ready and continue normal breathing on that part. Don't know if it helps, hurts or has no effect. It is just a habit I got into.

[rowdyb]

standby equals long exhale for me until the beep goes which equals inhale.

i've worn my heart rate monitor during stages and stages i hold my breath or don't breathe well my heart rate is double my resting hr. when i breather properly its only 50% greater.

not sure if i can say i shoot better one way or another, but i know which one feels better to me when the stage is over. and that's breathing more.

[C-Money]

I find myself exhaling then holding, then a large inhale at the beep as I draw. Not sure how I got this habit.

Good, bad, stupid, suggestions?

Holding your breath will get you killed in the streets. If you do the same thing while you draw, you'll get good at it. Do you mess up because of your draw? If so, stop doing what messes you up.

I don't worry about breathing since I'm listening to the beep and got my eyes locked on the first target (if possible,) I ain't got time to breathe.

[Kool Aid]

I take deep breath at the stand by command so I'm exhaling at the beep like a sprinter coming out of the blocks. Coaches in other sports have said reaction times are faster when exhaling, so I try to time my breathing this way.

[Sac Law Man]

_{Steve,, look up autogenic breathing exercises...}

[Bob Hostetter]

Muscles tend to react quicker when responding from a relaxed condition. Holding your breath causes muscle tension, releasing (or exhaling gently) your breath is a relaxation technique. Breath normally ...

[Tom C]

While I am not one of them, I have talked to some top shooters and they breathe relatively normally and relax their jaw (mouth slightly opened). They swear it's part of a relaxation technique that does not hurt their reaction time.

[JBOT5000]

Three deep breaths before anything you do under stress can decrease your heart rate by 50%. This is a long standing performance psychology observation. Many swat teams will have their guys do this in the van before they get to the target location. Try to get your breaths in while you are standing in the box so you are getting the 3rd one done by the time you are ready to shoot. While you are shooting make sure to force yourself to breath every time you move just in case you are holding your breath without realizing it. I come from the martial arts/fighting competitive sports also and making sure that you are breathing every time you strike or attempt a grappling move ensures you are breathing that is why you will hear a boxer make a weird exhale sound when they punch.

[FTDMFR]

I inhale in on "Are you Ready?", start exhaling slowly on "Standby," and then quickly exhale whatever's left on the beep.

[Heckler]

I take 4 or 5 deep breathes while stepping into the box and making ready. I read somewhere that this helps get extra oxygen to the eyes which I figure can't hurt. I know it helps slow down and steady my heart rate.

I inhale deep when I nod and slowly let it out until the buzzer. Then exhale sharply.

[SierraAV8R]

Wow, I've wondered about this. I take a few deep breaths to up the O2 in my blood before the beep, then I have no idea what I do after the beep. It's all a clumsy blur.