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In this issue:

Shooting Boot adjustments
Re: Sydney ranges in danger
Fitness
Prone position (long)
Match pressure

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Hi Mike,

What kind of adjustments to your shooting boots are made from position
to position?  I notice that the there is an adjustent on the back of the boot.
 How is that used?

Alan Tokumura

[Editor - many people don't wear them during prone. They wear their normal
shoes or no shoes. In standing everything is tightened up. In kneeling, the
front and/or back of the shoes is loosened to allow a comfortable position.
I personally loosen the front and back of my kneeling foot's boot. Undoing
the back allows it to bend easily over the roll more than 90 degrees and
undoing the front keeps the laces (and knot) out of the way from digging in.]

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Michael,

Just a comment on the information regarding Anzac Range at Malabar in
Sydney as mentioned in the ML #38.  

Firstly, the 110 long-range target position Anzac Range mentioned, is a
full bore range site (circa - unkown to me, but a long time) and part of
a larger ex military style complex of many acres, which also includes a
small (approx 35 bay) smallbore rifle range, "further down the road".  
The smallbore range was constructed in 1981 as headquarters for the New
South Wales Smallbore & Air Rifle Association Inc.  The complex is not
owned, but leased from the Commonwealth of Australia.

I cannot, and shall not comment on the full bore facilities, only
concentrate my remarks to the smallbore area.  The smallbore range
appears to have been built on unstable ground and the concrete mound is
now on various levels (unintentional of course with a shift in some
places of between 3-8 inches).  This has given rise to many interesting
cracks in the brickwork, and is often a talking point amongst first time
users.  However, as is, the facility is not up to standard and could not
be considered as a training facility for visiting international teams. 
The range lacks target changing machines and relies on 5 bull paper
frame targets.  

While having a glorious ocean vista (and nothing between the ocean, the
top of the cliff and the range) the wind conditions created at Malabar
are legendary, and as a coach, I would not be recommending Malabar as a
first choice to overseas teams.
       
The writer's comment about the only other available smaller suburban
ranges having only 2 or 3 targets at 20 metres is in error, as visitors
to Sydney will discover.  I would venture to ask why teams would limit
themselves to Sydney in the early training phase, as there are regional
centres and other cities in Australia that can provide similar climatic
conditions, suitable hospitality, and excellent range facilities.  

Yes indeed the Supreme Court has refused leave to appeal against the
previous decision and sooner or later Malabar will more than likely be
lost.  That is indeed a sad state, although inevitable - the property
development potential is just going to raise too many dollars to be
ignored. What is even sadder is the vast sums of money that have been
tied up in the litigation - money that has not gone to improving ranges
or athletes. 

All is not lost though - the Cecil Park proposal is good and upon
completion will give metropolitan Sydney siders a truly wonderful
shooting complex.  In the meantime, for more information on available
alternative ranges and training visits, please use the email listed
below.

Tricia Van Nus
Executive Officer / National Coaching Director
Target Rifle Australia
tra@vianet.net.au

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A new topic for spring.(downunder)

I am interested to know peoples comments on the role of physical fitness in
competitive shooting. I know that everyone says that shooting is 99% mental
1% physical, but 99 out of 100 just isn't good enough these days, is it?

We call ourselves athletes, however very little emphasis goes into physical
conditioning. A healthy body is a healthy mind as they say. Is a resting
pulse of 50 beneficial due to the ability to shoot between beats or is it
destructive due to the strength of the beat? Should we aim to lower the
strength of the heartbeat by staying unfit and having a rate of 90 - 100
bpm? The latter being easier, with training sessions at the pub rather than
the club.
The only info I can find on this type of thing is relating to muscle and
joint flexibility and not to cardiovascular fitness.
Any thoughts on this matter?

Richard Jeffries

ps. just for the record I believe calling the shot is an important tool for
analysing and improving on previous performance. No more said.

[Editor - at least on the USST, they encourage physical fitness, especially
cardiovascular. Things like aerobics, running, swimming, cross-training,
etc. My RN wife says the pulse intensity should stay about the same even
though your heart is beating slower. Any doctors in the group? Obviously,
one needs to have some endurance to shoot several full matches over the
course of several days, and I don't believe the "pint (or yard) lifting"
would bring you to that end.]

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CONSTRUCTION OF THE PRONE SHOOTING POSITION

PRONE:
1. Preparation:  The prone position is thought to be the easiest position
of the three.  The prone position is started by placing the mat on the
firing position or point, the mat is placed at an angle facing or pointing
10-20 degrees to the right of the target.  The upper left corner of the mat
will then be pointing to the target center.  
(a) Place the spotting scope between the firing line and the left shoulder
position while in firing and position.  This will allow the athlete to view
the target while charging the rifle.  
(b) Place the ammo block to the right of the firing position between the
right shoulder and hips at a comfortable position. 
(c) All other items required by the athlete can be placed to the right of
the shooting position but not in such a manner as to disrupt the athlete
next to you.
	
	NOTE RULE:  Do not place items of equipment on or forward of the firing
line during live fire or competitions.
	
2. Taking the position:  PRONE
GENERAL:   The body is in contact with the ground,  and the low center of
gravity of the body produces a very stable position. For the athlete who
will enter precision competitive shooting (International competition) in
the rifle discipline, many hours of study and training is involved.
However, such labor should not deter those who have the aspirations and the
overpowering desire to succeed in becoming a World Class Shooting Champion.
 But how difficult precision shooting is will be realized in a matter of
time.  At first, the many different kinds of mistakes that can be made are
often underestimated.  A major amount of patience and concentration will be
required before observable results and consistent  scores are achieved.  
The athlete must acknowledge the fact that shooting positions are dependent
upon the physical structure of the human body and concurrently we are all
constructed differently during our growth.   Therefore, a perfect shooting
position does not exist, but a general compromise of basic position
procedures or tenets of construction do exist for the shooting athlete.

BODY	 The body is stretched out at an angle of about 10 to 20 degrees
alignment direction of the right of the target and the right knee is
slightly bent.  If the shoulders, backbone and hips are awkwardly
positioned, cramps will occur or muscles will be overly stressed causing a
snap release upon the firing of the rifle,  and resulting in flipping the
rifle off of the sighted target bull.  The backbone or spine and the
shoulders must be at right angles.  The body weight lies on the left side
of the body.   This makes breathing easier and prevents the pulse
transmission from the abdominal area to the bone structure. 

LEGS	   The legs should spread loosely and without tension.  The left leg
will be straight but the right leg will be bent and drawn up 45 degree in
order to ease the pressure on the stomach and stabilize the position.  The
inside of the right knee will lay upon or against the mat.
 
FEET	The position of the feet is determined by the position of the body. 
The left foot should turned inward. The right foot should rest with the
instep pressing lightly against the floor. 

LEFT  ARM    The weight of the rifle is supported by the left forearm,
which is placed directly below and slightly to the left of the rifle.  The
left elbow is pushed forward, giving a flat, extended and therefore stable
body position.  The angle of the forearm must not be less than 30 degrees. 
The central load bearing point is below and slightly to its left.  This
produces a well-balanced, triangular position in a natural and relaxed
position.   However, if the left elbow is forced directly below the rifle,
excess tension will occur in the upper arm and shoulder.  Any changes in
the elbow position during shooting can mean changes in the point of impact.
 The athlete will find that the elbow will move during the shooting process
and will destroy the sighting process and cause the position to become
unstable during the shooting procedure.

NOTE RULE: The Prone position requires the left forearm to angle at not
less than 30 degrees from sling  hand stop and continuing to a point on the
floor where the elbow make contact with the floor.

LEFT HAND    The front of the rifle stock rest on the ball of the thumb of
the left hand.  The fingers are completely relaxed and should not grip the
weapon.  Even the smallest irregular pressure from the fingers on the stock
or barrel can produce a change in the point of impact.  The left hand is
pushed forward as far as the rifle hand stop.  This means the stock is
securely held and will not slip during the shooting process.  In both prone
and kneeling positions, the left hand is pushed against the hand stop.  The
fingers must never grip the forestock.

RIFLE SLING  The left arm supports 92% of the weight of the rifle.  Without
additional sling support, and despite the support provided by the forearm,
the rifle could only be maintained in the firing position by sheer muscular
strength.  The rifle sling forms a stable triangle as it joins the left
arm, the forearm and the stock, thereby imparting the required degree of
stability to the shooting position.
When putting on the sling, the athlete must make sure the pulse effect from
the upper arm is not transmitted through the sling to the rifle.  The
athlete can fit the sling loop either above or below the upper arm muscle. 
For the sling to fit properly above the upper arm muscle, the athlete must
wear a proper fitting shooting jacket with a suitable sling retaining loop.
The supporting effect makes the position stable and the sling will ease the
muscle fatigue while supporting the rifle and position.  It also ensures
the head is upright increasing the stability of the position and sighting
system.  If the rifle sling slips during competition it may press on a main
artery and the pulse will be transmitted through the sling to the rifle. 
Upon the sling slipping, the sling assumes the lower sling position and
this arrangement reduces the angle of the position,  often becoming close
in  violating the rule of 30 degree angle of the left arm in the prone
position.   The athlete tries to make up for the increase in  stability
with renewed muscular effort, which is just bad shooting procedure.  The
length of the athlete's arms will determine the point on front of the stock
at which the rifle sling and hand stop will be located and attached.  The
hand stop must not be allowed to move during shooting or competition.  The
sling passes around the left forearm. This means there is no transfer of
pulse effect to the upper arm and the tension is exerted directly backwards
rather than to the side.  The sling length is adjusted in such a way the
rifle is held securely and effortlessly in the firing position.  If the
sling is too long, the firing position will be too low and too limp. If it
is too short, it will press the shoulder backwards and affect the
circulation of blood.  This will result in an increased pulse and pain in
the left hand, arm, and shoulder.

RIGHT SHOULDER  A few athletes neglect the importance of the rifle and
right shoulder position relationship. This is wrong, as any variations of
location or of pressure on the butt plate will inevitably result in changes
in the point of impact.  As described above, the ideal position is the 
shoulder placed at right angles to the spine. The rifle butt must be
positioned at the same point each and every shot as its relationship to the
shoulder is in fact the fulcrum of the rifle in relation to muzzle jump or
other recoil movements.

RIGHT ARM   The elbow is slightly to one side and the position is flat and
stable.  The shoulder is behind the weapon.  The right elbow is relaxed and
pushed forward, but slightly to the right in a comfortable position.  The
actual distance from the body is determined by the position of the body.  

The athlete will not allow the arm to move back towards the body, otherwise
the shoulder will be at an unnatural angle and will be cramped.

RIGHT HAND      The right hand must not exert lateral pressure on the rifle
stock.  The degree of firmness used will depend upon the manner of firing,
the trigger resistance the individual firing technique.  If trigger pull
resistance is high, the athlete will grip the rifle firmly and if the
trigger pull resistance is low, the athlete will grip the rifle lightly.  
Always use identical pressure during competition.  The wrist is extended as
a natural extension of the forearm, the trigger finger must not be in
contact with the rifle stock.  The thumb must not be uncomfortable or
obstruct the shooting sequences.  In order to obtain good shoulder contact,
the right elbow may be drawn in a little.  But if this is done, the
position must be completely steady and well balanced.  It is wrong for the
arm to be drawn in for the purpose of balancing the shooting position.  The
right hand must grasp the rifle stock grip in such a manner that the
movements of the trigger finger is directly to the rear.  A key point here
is that the two inter fingers are firmly pulled against the grip in order
to lock the wrist during the firing sequence.  The locking of the wrist
will firm the right hand and arm system.   A good way to test and learn
this function is to shake hands with a friend and pulling firmly with the
two inner fingers, the athlete will note the wrist will firm or lock solid
depending upon the pressure applied.   While this is normally used in
pistol shooting, it equally applies to the rifle athlete as well.

HEAD POSITION    The head position is obtained quite naturally if the
position is correctly adopted.  The height and inclination of the rifle
stock must match the head position in such a way that the athlete can see
through the middle of the rear sight and the head maintains it straight up
and down balance without difficulty.  If necessary, a slight misalignment
of the rifle (canted), may have to be accepted.  The position of the cheek
and its pressure on the rifle stock must be constant from each one-shot
match to the next.
NOTE  FUNCTION:  THE RIFLE STOCK AND CHEEK PIECE IS MOVED TO THE HEAD AND
NOT THE HEAD TO THE RIFLE

EYE RELIEF     The distance of the eye from the rear sight is generally
somewhere between two to six inches.  However, what ever the distance is
for a given athlete, the distance must always be the same for each one-shot
match thereafter.   Eye relief will of necessity change from position to
position.  In the Prone, a relatively short eye relief will be used; in
kneeling and standing a relatively longer eye relief is used.  Eye relief
distance is a function of the spot weld referred to in other chapters.  
Eye relief of a given position is determined by the precise location of the
spot weld upon the rifle stock.

LENGTH OF STOCK     It has been stated the spine and shoulder must be at
right angle to each other and is used to determine the stock length.  It is
determined mainly by the body dimensions of the athlete and mounting of the
rifle sling on the front of the rifle stock.  The length of the stock is
important, if too short the shoulder has to be pushed forward by muscular
effort in order to make a good contact with the rifle.  If the stock is too
long, the shoulder is pushed back into an unnatural position causing a
cramped position that is out of balance.  Each shooting position requires a
different stock length and in free rifle this is not much of a problem,
however,  if the competition is in standard rifle prone only,  the stock
must be fitted for that shooting position.

BEHAVIOR OF WEAPON DURING SHOOTING     In a steady relaxed position, the
muzzle of the rifle will jump a fraction with the shot and then return
immediately to its original position provided that quality competition
cartridges are used.  If this happens after every match shot, the shooting
position can be regarded as the perfect shooting position and is well
balanced.

SLING     Attach sling to rifle forehand stop.  Twist the sling one-half
turn to the left.  Slip the sling onto the arm and place it at the triceps
muscle.   Insure the sling is tightened preventing slippage but not so
tight as to cause pulsebeat being transmitted through the sling.   Adjust
sling length until it supports the rifle completely.

COMPETITION  IS  WON  BY  THE  ATHLETES  OWN  SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE
	 
THE MENTAL ART OF WORLD CLASS COMPETITIVE SHOOTING, COPYRIGHTED 1972, 1997,
Mr. Chet Skinner, Entity Sports International

Chet Skinner
Coach 
meecin@tnproweb.com

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Elements of Match Pressure.

For the information of all, I have extracted a page from Chapter Three of
the book.   Shooting athletes, upon the advise of their personal
psychologist in confitmation of what is printed here, will be will advised
to learn more about the mental aspects of competitive athletics.  Chapter
Three is titled "The Mental Art of Match Pressure".  A page from this
chapter follows.

Under the same circumstances, the athlete must not acknowledge or count
scores.  The accepted score the athlete must achieve for  obtaining a
position on the team will work against the athlete in the same way the
"Call-the-Shot" procedure.  Some call the MQS or "Match qualification
score" and called by any other name will destroy the athletes ability to
achieve the highest score possible ( also called Personal best).   Counting
the score or discussing the scores will place in the athletes a barrier
which will stop the athlete from reaching The Gold.    This is match
pressure.
During the qualifying season the qualifying score is fixed and the athlete
must exceed this score before being appointed to the Team.   This score,
with a reoccurring or a repetitive pictorial representation being passed to
the non-dominant mental entity has now formulated the score which the
athlete will not exceed.  We now understand how match pressure and our own
mental entities will combined to destroy our competitive abilities.   So
again, by misinformation and poor knowledge on the part of some
coach/instructors we suffer the misapplication of a mental procedure that
is so important to the shooting athlete.  Counting the score is a tactical
match pressure incident.  A match pressure incident which must not be
repeated as it is a way to also eliminate the athlete from achieving
superior performance and the competition Gold.
We have now  considered  match pressure elements of  "calling-the-shot" and
"counting-the-shots or score keeping" by the shooting athlete.    Both are
disruptive and destructive as match pressure to the performing  and
competing athletes.   The mind can consider one thing at a time, if the
mind is working on Calling-the-shot and related analysis, the mind is not
working on the requirement of the next one-shot-match.   Trying to change
history is to late, rather the athlete should have planned and implemented
the future, then the history would not have required changing and the
athlete would not have a reason for calling-the-shot.

[Editor - snipped out a paragraph on calling the shot since we agreed not
to discuss it further until our mini-list sends me its final report on this
overdiscussed topic.]

The winning athlete does not allow the weather to beat the athlete, but the
World Class Shooting Athlete beats the weather.

The athlete will win the match if the athlete concentrates on eliminating
the weakness and deficiencies in the athlete's own mental and physical
performance. The athlete's goal is the perfect  position and bull's-eye.

THE MENTAL ART OF WORLD CLASS COMPETITIVE SHOOTING,  Copyrighted 1972-1997,
Mr. Chet Skinner, Entity Sports International

Chet Skinner
Coach 
meecin@tnproweb.com
 
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End of UIT Mailing List #40

Michael Ray - Systems Engineer
Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. Rifle Coach
UIT Shooting Page - http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1190/index.htm