Top shooters dropping down the pecking order

[Phil Russell]

Firstly .. this post is largely in jest and just reflects my own opinions / observations over many years. I wonder what the peak age is for a HFT competition shooter? There seems to be a period when 'top' shooters are king of the roost and rarely off the trophy list but at the same time they are being chased by younger shooters. Eventually these younger shooters seem to reach the top and the older established figures fall back a bit. Now I cannot believe that these younger shooters are any better than the older ones were in their heyday which must mean that the older shooters are just losing their edge. In time scales I think we are talking over several years.
But why? I was never a top shooter but I was happy with what I did. But over the years I have noticed a slow decline in whatever skill level I had. I am not as steady on aim as I was, largely due to, I think, arthritis and the general ageing process affecting joints and core strength. My eyes are not as keen as they once were so my range finding skills are most likely less sharp. It all leads to a steady but slow decline in shooting ability. I do not consider myself decrepit though.
But back to the original question: What are peoples' views on the golden age for a competition shooter?

Cheers, Phil.
Many years a wrinkly.

[WILBA]

Like anything else phil you can lose the hunger for it.

[rapidresponse1]

as above i did for hunting just do target shooting now

[Faerie]

In your early 30's, I reckon. At that time I could shoot 10p piece sized groups at 30 yards, offhand while standing and with a springer under pretty much any outdoor conditions that didn't make hunting impractical. I couldn't even attempt that now because as you get older your muscle tone goes, fitness levels drop, eyesight begins to get a bit iffy, and your hand/eye coordination isn't what it once was.
In competition little things make a lot of difference - miss a couple of shots you'd once have nailed and suddenly you've been surpassed.

[Muskett]

Highly competitive sports such as rifle target shooting then I suspect 40 is the wall to remain competitive. Shotgun, then a couple of years on that.
However, if the youngsters don't come up to standard then they will get beaten by the old experienced hands. The old hands tend to do well at the beginning of the season too, but lose out at the hight as the young guns get up to speed.

Sadly, I don't consider myself competitive any more. Lack of regular practice and real application doesn't cut the mustard any more. I might pull off one good set of targets but can't keep it together over a more lengthy course of fire.

[mr dink]

I competed in FT and HFT and loved every moment and your post could of been written for me, personally i think HFT has become a lot harder ie smaller targets further away and impossible to bracket the targets these days .