Why does being in shape matter?

[Jake Di Vita]

Through various podcasts and discussions I've had and read over the years, the consensus is that being in shape is beneficial in only a small way for us competitive shooters. Now obviously it's true that you can be in terrible condition and still be a phenomenal shooter. Shooting ability will always trump anything else as far as impact to your results. I'd like to touch on a couple reasons why being fit is beneficial that might not be apparent to most people. For years I've trained some amazing athletes, and I've been fortunate enough to have dialogue with some of the best coaches in the world on this subject. I've developed a love and a passion for elite human performance in any discipline, and the significant challenge that coaches face is how to make the best in the world even better. We live in a sport where hundredths of a second can be the difference between winning and losing. Nothing can be afforded to be left on the table. This is mainly geared towards that end, but shooters of all levels can benefit from it.

Does strength matter? A little bit, I think the weaker you are the more of a problem it can be and there are fast diminishing returns on being stronger past a certain point. We shooters benefit most from strong hands, strong shoulders, and explosive legs. The majority of the advantage from being fit does not come from strength in my opinion.

Having the durability for long hot (or cold or rainy) match days is absolutely a huge bonus. If you feel like you're dragging ass by the end of the match, you probably need to pay more attention to your fitness. Having the benefit of being conditioned to strenuous activity in the same weather conditions as the match will absolutely make you more durable as well. A friend of mine always tells his legion of followers that your training stimulus must exceed whatever you could potentially see on game day. Being mentally on point is critical to executing to your best ability, as your body fatigues it becomes more difficult to keep your head right in my experience.

Prone, low ports, or other weird obstacles can also present problems for shooters that find it difficult to get into that position. A normal human should be able to put their feet anywhere from together to outside of shoulder width and be able to squat all the way down keeping their balance over the center of their foot with an upright torso and not feel like they have to work being in this position. 5% of the people at best reading this will be able to do that. The reason for this is that the human body is an amazingly adaptable organism. In the same way that the body responds to training stimulus by getting better, the body responds to lack of stimulus by getting worse. For another example that isn't specific to shooting, if you don't consistently put your arms above your head in a fully flexed shoulder position with straight arms you will eventually lose the ability to do so. If you tell your body you don't need a position by not ever using it, your body will do what you tell it.

Generating stability to me is where the greatest advantage to training is. This is also a little bit of a difficult subject because learning this for most people can't happen accidentally. The vast majority of people that work out have no concept of this. At this point, we know how the human body is mechanically designed to function. We know this to the degree that it is in no way up to debate. The way that the human body generates stability in many joints is through torsion which sets the joint in it's best position and compacts it with the capsule (imagine putting your fist in your shirt and twisting your shirt around it). For example, we know that the mechanical best fit position of the hip in flexion (a squat) is external rotation (driving the knees out away from each other). We know that a drop of the navicular bone (flat footed) is due to the ankle being in a collapsed position which is internally rotated usually with your foot pointing out (this has all sorts of impact for injury, but that is another discussion). I've met a lot of people with flat feet. I've never found someone I couldn't coach to have an arch in minutes. The shoulder is incredibly similar in design to the hip. The stable position of the shoulder in all ranges of flexion is also external rotation. The question is why does any of this matter?

Your stance and your grip are your foundation of shooting. If there is a break anywhere in that kinetic chain, it translates to a loss in performance. If I shoot with a crappy ankle, hip, or shoulder position I am not controlling recoil as well as I could be, I am not able to generate maximum force in minimum time when I need to leave a position, I am not as stable when I shoot on the move, and the list goes on and on. The primary benefit of fitness in shooting is that under the right conditions where you are instructed by someone knowledgeable in this field (which is harder to find than you might think), it is the best way to teach how your body is designed to move. You'll learn more about hip and ankle stability by squatting, cleaning, and snatching than you will doing anything else in this world. You'll learn more about shoulder and trunk stability by pressing, doing handstand work, and jerking than doing anything else in this world.

For the best shooters in the world, this is time on the table that's being given away in small amounts with every less than ideal action you take in a stage. I'm in the process of revamping a significant portion of my technique with this in mind. My gut says this will matter even more in 3 gun, but I don't have enough experience to say that conclusively. Put this together kind of quick, hope its useful and that it clarifies a thing or two for some. Any questions, let me know.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Jake Di Vita

[Corey]

Loved it Jake!!

[Magsz]

Yeah but all of that nasty working out requires effort! Plus, who wants to actually eat to fuel their body...such a pain in the butt!!!

Ok, enough sarcasm, that article was great! Thank you!

[2MoreChains]

Plus you may live a longer...

[GunBugBit]

There are a couple of heavy guys who shoot great at my club's range. They can't run fast but they can shoot fast and accurately. Their scores are really good. Except on stages where a lot of movement is required, shooting fast is a higher priority than moving fast on the ground. But, the majority of the top shooters I've observed in person tend to be the streamlined types.

Edited May 19, 2015 by GunBugBit

[mrpredictable]

This is something that I have been thinking about lately. Maximum performance in this sport seems like it would require a fairly well rounded athlete.

Strength for explosive movement and recoil control.

Stamina for long days and stages.

Flexibility for awkward positions and efficient movement/transitions.

That's a lot to work on

[BritinUSA]

Jake, have you thought of expanding this a little and perhaps submitting it to Front Sight magazine, there are lots of match reports in this publication but we seldom see good articles on how to perform better at matches. This sounds like an ideal addition to the magazine, maybe even a series of articles…

[Swanny10]

I'm not about to argue that fitness is not an element of being a successful competitive shooter. However, in kinesiology, fitness is usually quantified by individual variables such as VO2max, strength, power, speed over a given distance, etc. The real trick is combining those independent variables with the neuromuscular system (where in our hand-foot-eye coordination comes from). Here comes the bad news. While the average American can most likely make huge improvements to any given variable mentioned earlier, the rate limiting step for an adult individual is going to be their "athleticism" (the aforementioned combination and application of abilities).

So if you need yet another reason to lose that extra 20 pounds, which is quickly becoming 30, or a reason to get stronger, or maybe just more motivation to get off your lazy ass (not directed at the OP obviously) than by all means use the possibility of shooting better to get more fit. But in reality, I wouldn't expect to suddenly fly up the rankings due to hitting the gym 3 times per week.

OP--I'm not really trying to be combative or argumentative. I don't disagree with anything you said. But I am sure that some people are going read this and expect huge shooting gains from exercise when in actuality, they need to simply shoot more. A lot more.

I guess I do take exception to one statement.

"Having the durability for long hot (or cold or rainy) match days is absolutely a huge bonus. If you feel like you're dragging ass by the end of the match, you probably need to pay more attention to your fitness. "

If a shooter cannot exert oneself for 30 seconds several times a day spread out over a few hours without becoming overtly fatigued the last thing they need to worry about is how they are placing at a match. I have a word for people like that but the mixed company of a public Internet forum is not the place for it.

[amish_rabbi]

I guess I do take exception to one statement.

"Having the durability for long hot (or cold or rainy) match days is absolutely a huge bonus. If you feel like you're dragging ass by the end of the match, you probably need to pay more attention to your fitness. "

If a shooter cannot exert oneself for 30 seconds several times a day spread out over a few hours without becoming overtly fatigued the last thing they need to worry about is how they are placing at a match. I have a word for people like that but the mixed company of a public Internet forum is not the place for it.

I don't think he ment that the exertion of shooting is what fatigued you, but that the elements did. The better shape you are the better you are going to be able to deal with an 8 hour day in the sun.

[Jake Di Vita]

Jake, have you thought of expanding this a little and perhaps submitting it to Front Sight magazine, there are lots of match reports in this publication but we seldom see good articles on how to perform better at matches. This sounds like an ideal addition to the magazine, maybe even a series of articles…

Thanks man, I might do that.

I'm not about to argue that fitness is not an element of being a successful competitive shooter. However, in kinesiology, fitness is usually quantified by individual variables such as VO2max, strength, power, speed over a given distance, etc. The real trick is combining those independent variables with the neuromuscular system (where in our hand-foot-eye coordination comes from). Here comes the bad news. While the average American can most likely make huge improvements to any given variable mentioned earlier, the rate limiting step for an adult individual is going to be their "athleticism" (the aforementioned combination and application of abilities).

I don't know what you're trying to say here. People get more athletic when they continuously practice compound multi-joint movements and try to apply what they learn in the gym to real life or sport. There are plenty of ways to measure this.

So if you need yet another reason to lose that extra 20 pounds, which is quickly becoming 30, or a reason to get stronger, or maybe just more motivation to get off your lazy ass (not directed at the OP obviously) than by all means use the possibility of shooting better to get more fit. But in reality, I wouldn't expect to suddenly fly up the rankings due to hitting the gym 3 times per week.

OP--I'm not really trying to be combative or argumentative. I don't disagree with anything you said. But I am sure that some people are going read this and expect huge shooting gains from exercise when in actuality, they need to simply shoot more. A lot more.

That's why I wrote the first paragraph. This is geared towards making the best shooters even better, although everyone can garner something that will help them.

I guess I do take exception to one statement.

"Having the durability for long hot (or cold or rainy) match days is absolutely a huge bonus. If you feel like you're dragging ass by the end of the match, you probably need to pay more attention to your fitness. "

If a shooter cannot exert oneself for 30 seconds several times a day spread out over a few hours without becoming overtly fatigued the last thing they need to worry about is how they are placing at a match. I have a word for people like that but the mixed company of a public Internet forum is not the place for it.

There is more energy expended at a match than only when you are shooting. Being on your feet all day, in possibly adverse weather conditions, resetting stages all day, travel, etc. There are plenty of people that feel tired as hell at the end of a match. When you happen to find a match that is 4 days long that has you on the range for 12 hours a day, that fatigue can add up. This applies even more to 3 gunners. Even though it's a bit of an outlier match, I shot the MGM Ironman once many years ago...that was pretty tiring.

Edited May 20, 2015 by Jake Di Vita

[Swanny10]

I guess I do take exception to one statement.

"Having the durability for long hot (or cold or rainy) match days is absolutely a huge bonus. If you feel like you're dragging ass by the end of the match, you probably need to pay more attention to your fitness. "

If a shooter cannot exert oneself for 30 seconds several times a day spread out over a few hours without becoming overtly fatigued the last thing they need to worry about is how they are placing at a match. I have a word for people like that but the mixed company of a public Internet forum is not the place for it.

I don't think he ment that the exertion of shooting is what fatigued you, but that the elements did. The better shape you are the better you are going to be able to deal with an 8 hour day in the sun.

Fair enough. As a guy who has spent the majority of his life working outside I suppose I am not appreciating how draining that can be on some people.

[BritinUSA]

At the Single Stack Nationals, the squad I was following on Froday spent 11 hours at the range, that's eleven hours of walking back and forward through the stage, lifting up poppers, taping targets. Never mind the shooting part of it, they were shooting for about 200 seconds, that's just over 3 minutes. It's the other 10 hours and 57 minutes when the damage is done.

Any information that will help a competitor to deal with that and still perform at a high level is the kind of stuff that I would like to hear about.

[Swanny10]

Jake, have you thought of expanding this a little and perhaps submitting it to Front Sight magazine, there are lots of match reports in this publication but we seldom see good articles on how to perform better at matches. This sounds like an ideal addition to the magazine, maybe even a series of articles…

Thanks man, I might do that.

I'm not about to argue that fitness is not an element of being a successful competitive shooter. However, in kinesiology, fitness is usually quantified by individual variables such as VO2max, strength, power, speed over a given distance, etc. The real trick is combining those independent variables with the neuromuscular system (where in our hand-foot-eye coordination comes from). Here comes the bad news. While the average American can most likely make huge improvements to any given variable mentioned earlier, the rate limiting step for an adult individual is going to be their "athleticism" (the aforementioned combination and application of abilities).

I don't know what you're trying to say here. People get more athletic when they continuously practice compound multi-joint movements and try to apply what they learn in the gym to real life or sport. There are plenty of ways to measure this.

Examples?

My point is that fitness and athleticism are very different animals. And while fitness is very modifiable throughout a lifetime, athleticism is much much harder to modify in an adult individual. The neuromuscular system loses a lot of its plasticity (which is to say, ability to learn) as it ages. I'm all for doing the Oly lifts but their ability to increase performance on a shooting course in an adult would reach a point of diminishing returns rather quickly as opposed to setting up shooting or dry firing drills that require a high degree of mobility would most likely be time better spent.

So if you need yet another reason to lose that extra 20 pounds, which is quickly becoming 30, or a reason to get stronger, or maybe just more motivation to get off your lazy ass (not directed at the OP obviously) than by all means use the possibility of shooting better to get more fit. But in reality, I wouldn't expect to suddenly fly up the rankings due to hitting the gym 3 times per week.

OP--I'm not really trying to be combative or argumentative. I don't disagree with anything you said. But I am sure that some people are going read this and expect huge shooting gains from exercise when in actuality, they need to simply shoot more. A lot more.

That's why I wrote the first paragraph. This is geared towards making the best shooters even better, although everyone can garner something that will help them.

I stand corrected. You did state that this was primarily for the high level competitor looking to shave hundredths off.

I guess I do take exception to one statement.

"Having the durability for long hot (or cold or rainy) match days is absolutely a huge bonus. If you feel like you're dragging ass by the end of the match, you probably need to pay more attention to your fitness. "

If a shooter cannot exert oneself for 30 seconds several times a day spread out over a few hours without becoming overtly fatigued the last thing they need to worry about is how they are placing at a match. I have a word for people like that but the mixed company of a public Internet forum is not the place for it.

There is more energy expended at a match than only when you are shooting. Being on your feet all day, in possibly adverse weather conditions, resetting stages all day, travel, etc. There are plenty of people that feel tired as hell at the end of a match. When you happen to find a match that is 4 days long that has you on the range for 12 hours a day, that fatigue can add up. This applies even more to 3 gunners. Even though it's a bit of an outlier match, I shot the MGM Ironman once many years ago...that was pretty tiring.

Agreed. Also agreed that the example is an outlier.

[Swanny10]

And I apologize for the crappy formatting of my response. Trying to multi quote on my IPad is kicking my ass!

[Magsz]

The day that i read this...i strain my hip flexor in the gym.

Sigh.

For me, i use shooting as a drive to do well in the gym but the reality is that i dont expect to do better at the sport unless i TRAIN to be better at the sport. The time spent in the gym allows me to do that and do it for longer and harder duration's.

[Swanny10]

The day that i read this...i strain my hip flexor in the gym.

Sigh.

For me, i use shooting as a drive to do well in the gym but the reality is that i dont expect to do better at the sport unless i TRAIN to be better at the sport. The time spent in the gym allows me to do that and do it for longer and harder duration's.

This is the crux of my argument. And you get it. But my question is this-how much is enough? And when does it become overkill? Where is the point of diminishing returns? How strong do you have to be to shoot course X in time Y? If I can run a mile in 4:30? Great. Or get my Fran or Betty or whatever the hell her name is time down to 2:30? Then I'm a kick ass cross fitter. But why spend an inordinate amount of time training an energy system when my chosen competition never taps that energy system? Or practice a movement I never use in comps with a weight I never lift outside of work? Again. Exercise is GOOD. But don't expect it to be a shooters life changing event. It just troubles me that people always seem to worry more about the frosting more than they do the cake. Go shoot more!

Now keep in mind, does it astound me the amount of sloth I see at an average match? Absolutely. But it doesn't bother me as a shooter. It bothers me as an American.

[Corey]

Its true that simply exercising won't make you a better shooter, shooting will. BUT, being in better physical condition will help overall on the shooting range (mobility in a stage, speed/agility, endurance on a long day, etc). All else being equal (meaning shooting skills) when comparing two shooters, the person who is more fit will finish higher in the standings at the end of the day. That's not to say bigger guys cant shoot well and win, they do all the time. But they shoot exceptionally well and win DESPITE being out of shape not because of it. I've said this before and I'll say it again. Guys like Taran Butler blow my mind with their shooting ability. Imagine what a machine he would be if he dropped 40# and became more agile on his feet.

[Jake Di Vita]

Swanny, I don't think you understand crossfit as well as you think you do. Sometimes improving something has affects that go beyond what you were trying to improve. You can't say if I have x strength I can run that field course in y....it doesn't work like that. A 230 Fran does not by itself make you a better shooter than someone with a 330 Fran, that is missing the point entirely.

Once again, I clearly stated in the original post that shooting ability will always have the largest impact to your score, what I am primarily talking about is the small amount of time or control you waste doing every action that is less than ideal. There is no better place to teach you how to move your body than the gym. And yes, people of all ages can learn how to move better.

Weightlifting is the most formal expression of human engineering.

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Edited May 20, 2015 by Jake Di Vita

[Not-So-Mad Matt]

I've met a lot of people with flat feet. I've never found someone I couldn't coach to have an arch in minutes.

So, how do you fix flat feet in minutes?

[motosapiens]

I guess I do take exception to one statement.

"Having the durability for long hot (or cold or rainy) match days is absolutely a huge bonus. If you feel like you're dragging ass by the end of the match, you probably need to pay more attention to your fitness. "

If a shooter cannot exert oneself for 30 seconds several times a day spread out over a few hours without becoming overtly fatigued the last thing they need to worry about is how they are placing at a match. I have a word for people like that but the mixed company of a public Internet forum is not the place for it.

Hmm. I'm in pretty decent shape. I've run marathons, competed on bicycles at the regional and national level, and I still mtn bike, lift and play hockey regularly. I personally get pretty tired by the end of an all-day match. It's not so much the physical effort of shooting for a few seconds, but the back and forth up and down of stage reset, mental fatigue of constant focus on my stage plan and what I need to be doing, etc.... I think being in the top few % fitness-wise allows me to focus more on my shooting (and pick up more poppers) for the same level of fatigue tho. But mostly I just stay fit because my wife is 17 years younger than me, so I need to keep up.

[motosapiens]

There is no better place to teach you how to move your body than the gym. And yes, people of all ages can learn how to move better.

Weightlifting is the most formal expression of human engineering.

that's an interesting opinion. I personally think a gym is a silly place to teach you how to move your body, but a good place to build some general strength, especially in the muscles that may be underworked in your primary activity, or that are particularly important in your primary activity (obviously for me, hanging around a gym is NOT my primary activity). I think a soccer field, or a hockey rink, or on top of an off-road motorcycle, or on a USPSA stage, or on a ski hill is an outstanding place to teach you how to move your body, and it's much less stinky and way more fun.

As a serious cyclist and now hockey player, I use the gym to do upper-body and ab work that those sports mostly neglect, but for sure I would be in crappy shape if I had to rely on lifting only. I think I'm not the only one that finds lifting and gym work to be boring and stultifying and something to be avoided. It's much easier to stay in shape if you find some exercise you LIKE to do. All the more so if that exercise is a competitive venture. Then the grim work of going to the gym now and then can be at least seen as benefitting the fun and interesting activity. Hooray for the outdoors!

[Jake Di Vita]

I've met a lot of people with flat feet. I've never found someone I couldn't coach to have an arch in minutes.

So, how do you fix flat feet in minutes?

It's hard to explain via text, but it is a matter of motor control. The reason people have flat feet is because they don't understand how to stabilize their ankle. I didn't say I can fix flat feet in minutes, I said I can get them to create an arch in minutes. In reality if that person wants to fix their flat feet they will have to spend a likely large amount of time making the correct motor control a habit.

The easiest way to explain it is for you to stand with your feet hip width, toes pointing straight forward, then try to spin both of your feet (toes) outward but don't actually let them move. When done correctly, this generates torque in your ankles in the form of external rotation, which causes you to have an arch. If you happen to be at the Ohio state match this weekend, I'd be happy to show you in person, it will make much more sense.

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Edited May 20, 2015 by Jake Di Vita

[Jake Di Vita]

There is no better place to teach you how to move your body than the gym. And yes, people of all ages can learn how to move better.

Weightlifting is the most formal expression of human engineering.

that's an interesting opinion. I personally think a gym is a silly place to teach you how to move your body, but a good place to build some general strength, especially in the muscles that may be underworked in your primary activity, or that are particularly important in your primary activity (obviously for me, hanging around a gym is NOT my primary activity). I think a soccer field, or a hockey rink, or on top of an off-road motorcycle, or on a USPSA stage, or on a ski hill is an outstanding place to teach you how to move your body, and it's much less stinky and way more fun.

As a serious cyclist and now hockey player, I use the gym to do upper-body and ab work that those sports mostly neglect, but for sure I would be in crappy shape if I had to rely on lifting only. I think I'm not the only one that finds lifting and gym work to be boring and stultifying and something to be avoided. It's much easier to stay in shape if you find some exercise you LIKE to do. All the more so if that exercise is a competitive venture. Then the grim work of going to the gym now and then can be at least seen as benefitting the fun and interesting activity. Hooray for the outdoors!

I think we are talking past each other a little bit. For me the gym includes powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics, running, throwing, etc all while under the experienced and trained eye of a coach that knows what he's looking at.

Part of the reason why the gym is the best place to learn how to move is because in order for me as a coach to make you better, I need to fix you at the point you break down.

For example, I've seen plenty of people able to deadlift very well when fresh. If I tell the same people to run an 800 first and then deadlift, I will more accurately see the real athlete. If you are a great deadlifter usually, but fall apart when you get to 405 for reps, that is where I need to fix you, and I can't do that during a soccer game or a uspsa stage or on a ski hill.

In the gym I can control the stimulus and make immediate correction based on what I see....I can't really do that anywhere else nearly as well.

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Edited May 20, 2015 by Jake Di Vita

[motosapiens]

Ok, I see what you mean. Fortunately, my deadlifts don't need to be fixed. I have had excellent results with being coached on uspsa stages and ski hills and soccer fields and hockey rinks, however, and I'm a big fan of getting at least occasional coaching/assistance at anything you really want to be good at. It can be formal (paying someone who makes their living doing it) or informal (being observed by a more experienced colleague), or even self-coached to some extent with video.

But of course that has *#($-all to do with being in shape.

[Swanny10]

"But mostly I just stay fit because my wife is 17 years younger than me, so I need to keep up.

Ok. Here's our winner.