Air pistol training routine for an oldie?

[Dagpistol]

Hi, my first post on this forum.
I’m approaching 78 and getting more interested in 10m and 20yd competitions at my club and and in county competitions.
By the way I’m a Brit and live in Surrey UK and recently bought a Morini 162ei after years of plinking with springers and CO2 pistols.
What I would like advice on is a training programme to overcome any hand shaking which I seem prone to.
Any suggestions on what to do and how frequently would be very welcome.
Thanks in advance and a Happy New Year to you all.
Jim

[PeeWeeDaddy]

I will be 78 in August.
I shoot my FWB601 and IZH46M in Silhouette matches.
I will be shooting 10 meter (8.5 actually) this spring.
I also shot air rifle field target with my TX200 and Marauder Rifles twice a month all year long.

There is a program for shooters who are becoming older.
You my want to look into it:

https://www.issf-sports.org/getfile.asp ... dition.pdf

[Dagpistol]

Hi,thanks for that link, at the moment I seem able to shoot off shoulder 20yd rifle without too much trouble and for pistol competitions I don’t believe the support would be allowed in the UK. However I will keep that support shooting suggestion in mind as it may not be too long before I need that help.
Many thanks,
Jim

[PeeWeeDaddy]

The supported shooting program will be allowed if the UK allows it.
The ISSF is an international shooting organization:

https://www.issf-sports.org/

Your representative in England:

49335C4F-38CF-4E77-8F96-25DE5D8CA737.jpeg (18.92 KiB) Viewed 35176 times

[Dagpistol]

Thanks, that's a good point and I'll remember to check with her if I should decide to try supported pistol. For now though I will try and exercise the wrist and forearm to steady myself unsupported.
I've just found a UK NHS website giving a series of exercises for wrist and arm so will have a go at those.
It's at : https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-an ... r-problems
Regards
Jim

[PeeWeeDaddy]

That site is worthless.
Just use 5 lb weights for handgun training.

[Rover]

"What I would like advice on is a training programme to overcome any hand shaking which I seem prone to."

I think I can help you a little with that, youngster.

There is a specific technique that I feel may be helpful.

You LOWER the gun through the bullseye while aligning the sights and taking up the first stage of the trigger.

As the gun reaches the sub-six position....shoot.

The reason for doing it this way is that it is easier to lower than to raise the gun (less shake).
Shooting quickly reduces the time you are supporting the gun; again less shake.

You oldies gotta use the time you have left efficiently.

[Dagpistol]

I like your suggestion Rover, thanks. Hopefully I have enough time left to give it a go.
The 5lb weight is a nice exercise PWD. I’ve put a front bag into a plastic shopping bag and tied a strap to it such that I can raise my arm from about 45o to horizontal and hold it there. I’ll work on that and Rover’s suggestion and see how I get on.
Thanks guys,
Jim
ps If I don’t pegout I’ll let you know what improvement if any I get.

[BobGee]

Hi Jim,

I too am in my mid-70s. My strength exercise kit includes:
Plastic 2l milk bottle filled with water (max 2kg) - started with 1/2 full and increased
Strap-on wrist weights - can be worn all day doing normal things
Grip exerciser springs - cheap
Theraband (green)
Powerball - spinning wrist exerciser.

Not saying I use them all;-) I still have tremor but gradually reducing. It’s the twitching that upsets my scores!

Bob

[Rover]

I just remembered an old post of mine that covers this training.

http://targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?t=4 ... t=potatoes

[Dagpistol]

Thanks all! Some excellent and varied advice and much appreciated. I have the bags with rice , the armbands, and a local supermarket has 3kg dumbbells for sale at £10/pair. I can always lay one on a bench and use as a rifle rest.
Take care and be careful with those potatoes !
Jim

[spektr]

Im 65, have a partial foot amputation so I wobble.
My training is to close my eyes, raise the pistol and get the NPA
on the target and shift the foot position as needed. Shoot 5 rounds without looking at the scope
and sit down and look at what I shot. I wobble standing so I'm no big threat to win, but
I do have a routine that I follow that is repeatable and works, but most importantly
I ENJOY THE HELL OUT OF IT..................................

[PeeWeeDaddy]

Keep it up.

[Morini162]

Sorry to jump in late but for what it is worth. I am 70 yrs and had stopped shooting in 2044 due to cataracts and other issues. During Covid time I decided to get back to shooting but had a tremor and shakes. Began with building up physically with a routine for upper body and shoulders with bottles filled with sand and some core exercises. Added some weights for squats and dead lifts and am steadier now still some shakes. Actually I took a leaf out of Darius Young's plan. Walk uphill on alternate days, cycle on other days in the morning. Mid morning shoot or dry fire or train for holding. Evening light weight training. Working OK now just shot 360 out of 400 in a local match.

[Morini162]

Hi
I will soon be 70 yrs and have restarted shooting after a gap of about 14 years.
My muscle tone was bad so I began with some physical conditioning using 500 ml plastic bottles half filled with sand, then full of sand and now a mix of sand an fired airgun pellets to make a weight of 1200 grams. I started with shoulder lifts, then circles. Many youtube videos will tell you how to build up shoulder strength. holding exercises with the airpistol also help.
Finally shooting air pistol at least 4 times a week also helps build technical skill and physical strength.
I am not a coach or an expert but this has worked for me. Some shooters suggest giving up tea coffee to reduce shakes but I drink both.

[kevinjab]

Es mi primer posteo en este foro, como verán soy de Argentina, me emociona lo que comentan, tengo 63 años y tiro con una FW C20 a CO2, una hermosa arma que compré usada, voy a tener en cuenta todas vuestras recomendaciones, leo sus comentarios usando el traductor automático de Google, ya que no entiendo vuestro idioma, pero esto del tiro con pistola neumática me apaciona, es una actividad que pude empezar a practicar siendo ya grande de edad, no estoy llendo a torneos, pero en mi club de tiro siempre trato de mejorar y me comparo con los resultados que se realizan en torneos oficiales, soy oriundo de la ciudad de San Francisco, en la provincia de Córdoba, Argentina.-
Aparte soy apacionado del tiro con arco, el cual practico desde que tenía 20 años, en 2019 quedé en 4° lugar en el selecionado de mi pais para participar en un internacional en Monte Rey, Mexico, en la especialidad de tiro de "Arco Desnudo" (Barebow), pero por temas del COVID 19 se suspendió todo.-
He tenido una IZH46M antes de la FW C20, una hermosa arma, la usó mi hijo mayor Miltom posteriormente, llegando a hacer puntuaciones superiores a 540, lamentablemente la tuvimos que vender para poder cambiarla por una Steyr LP1 a CO2, que es la actualmente usa mi hijo.-
Lamento que deban tener que usar un traductor para que nos entendamos, pero es un deporte que nos apasiona, no importa la edad que tengamos, lo importante es tratar de mantenernos en actividad.-
Gracias a todos y estaremos en contacto, no soy de postear mucho, pero me gusta leer y solo comento para aportar algo, es un placer pertenecer a vuestro foro, sin importar que estemos al otro lado del ´planeta tierra, esto es lo que nos une y elimina las fronteras.-

[BobGee]

Hi kevinjab, and welcome.

Kevin's post translated by Dr Google:

It is my first post in this forum, as you will see I am from Argentina, I am excited by what you say, I am 63 years old and I shoot with a CO2 FW C20, a beautiful weapon that I bought used, I am going to take into account all your recommendations, I read your comments using Google's automatic translator, since I do not understand your language, but this thing about shooting with a pneumatic gun excites me, it is an activity that I was able to start practicing when I was already old, I am not going to tournaments, but in my club shooting I always try to improve and compare myself with the results that are carried out in official tournaments, I am a native of the city of San Francisco, in the province of Córdoba, Argentina.-
Apart from that, I am passionate about archery, which I have practiced since I was 20 years old. In 2019, I came in 4th place in my country's selection to participate in an international competition in Monte Rey, Mexico, in the "Naked Bow" shooting specialty. "(Barebow), but due to COVID 19 issues everything was suspended.-
I had an IZH46M before the FW C20, a beautiful weapon, my eldest son Miltom used it later, achieving scores above 540, unfortunately we had to sell it to be able to exchange it for a Steyr LP1 to CO2, which is what he currently uses my son.-
I'm sorry that they have to use a translator so that we can understand each other, but it is a sport that we are passionate about, it doesn't matter how old we are, the important thing is to try to stay active.-
Thank you all and we will be in contact, I am not one to post much, but I like to read and I only comment to contribute something, it is a pleasure to belong to your forum, regardless of whether we are on the other side of 'planet Earth, this is what we unites and eliminates borders.-

I too am on the other side of planet Earth: down in Australia. These forums are a life saver for some issues and so interesting for others.

I'm still working on my strength to eliminate the shakes as much as I can. Another exercise which is useful for building up wrist strength is winding up and down a weight suspended from a piece of plastic tube - a wrist roller: see attached. As Dina Aspandiyarova has said elsewhere, if you can develop the strength to lock your wrist, you can set up your sights such that you don't have to worry about the light bars on either side of the front sight but just concentrate on hold and trigger control.

Hope this helps.

Bob