Originally Posted by
RobJ
I did used to find it a little ironic seeing guys in those stiff target 'suits' at the club when you can easily train your body to achieve stability and 'rooting' with 15/20 minutes a day without relying on external equipment.
Don't get me wrong, I definitely have some gaps in my knowledge on the target suit things as it's not my discipline, but one thing I do know that even the basic principles of Tai Chi can reduce or eliminate that 'fight or flight' adrenalin response we all have when under pressure.
The target clothing is definitely in addition to physical fitness, not instead of. Most martial artists would struggle to stand still in a load-bearing position for 75 minutes, however stable their stance might be in the short term.
Malcolm Cooper famously did something like 60 lengths of his local pool every morning and would watch TV from a standing position with his rifle pointing at the wall to build and maintain the core stability muscle groups. International grade shooters will do a lot more than 15-20 minutes of physical training a day.
Anyone vaguely into 3-Position and Air Rifle will need a level of muscular endurance. The gear helps iron out minor movement but it's not a magic bullet and ultimately your body is still carrying the weight of the rifle (although the weight should primarily be carried by bone structure, not muscle tension). All disciplines benefit from good cardio and the ability to keep a cool head and low heart rate under pressure.
Last edited by Hemmers; 21-06-2013 at 02:35 PM.
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud
Shooting is my meditation