TargetTalk

Does anyone think there may be a benefit in using a heart beat monitor to confirm a nice slow beat prior preparing for a shot, ie not being too anxious? Thruxton.

It might be a good idea in practice, however, if you ever shoot finals, it may scare you to death!!

I don't think so. If your heart beat isn't down where you'd like it, it will only stress you out and affect your shooting negatively.
Paul

IMHO don't bother with gimmicks. Learn to judge your arousal and heart rate levels without them.

There are far more important things to do.

Interesting issue but agree with David.

From a purely hypothetical/philosophical standpoint there are a couple of related issues that have been kicked around lately though (is this for position rifle or pistol? shooting around heart beat? etc.) that you might want to look at.

Also check out Matt Emmons forwarded post about his infamous last shot . . . all food for thought.

But no, in general, there are much, much more important things to define, refine, and work on (especially in pistol). Having the "best" amount of arousal (anxious enough but not too anxious) is definitely something we all struggle with (it goes both ways).

The best way to reduce peak anxiety is to train hard and be confident in your fundamentals of technique.

It may be useful to do at intervals in your training to see exactly how your training including physical conditioning. Some people are motivated by empirical data. But I would not suggest wearing one all the time. Also most HRM sample, usually ever 5 sec min. Polar has a couple of models that actually record beat to beat which would give more accurate info over short duration events like shooting. They are also useful to use as a biofeedback device when trying to work on relaxation techniques.

They are also useful for your cardio program, which is part of your training, isn't it.

I find this thread very interesting, and quite a coincidence. Just this week, my Internist found my pulse rate to be too low (46), and before adjusting my meds., had me wear a Holter Monitor for 24hrs.. This is actually a portable EKG device(clips to the belt), along with the five adhesive electrical contacts, which records and then the data is downloaded into the computer at the medical facility.
I only mention this because I found the adhesive electrical pickups along with the wires taped to my chest a bit uncomfortable, and couldn't see wearing them while shooting. Do the units being discussed work this way, or just a pickup mic. near an artery like a BP monitor?
Paul

The Polar Wearlink which is the part that goes on your chest is very comfortable, nothing like the monitor you had to wear.

The Polar, NordicTrak, etc. units are all very similar . . . a cloth covered elastic band holds a 0.5" wide by around 6" long plastic unit around your chest (where bottom of pecs meet sternum area). Wet the sending unit (works best when wet) and the two sensors pick up the heartrate and trnsmit it to the display unit (which must be relatively close; designed to be worn like a watch but can place on shooting bench if you want).

Gives "continuously updated" (ymmv) heart rate; will record mins, maxes, average, etc. etc. etc.

Steve Swartz wrote:The Polar, NordicTrak, etc. units are all very similar . . . a cloth covered elastic band holds a 0.5" wide by around 6" long plastic unit around your chest (where bottom of pecs meet sternum area). Wet the sending unit (works best when wet) and the two sensors pick up the heartrate and trnsmit it to the display unit (which must be relatively close; designed to be worn like a watch but can place on shooting bench if you want).

Gives "continuously updated" (ymmv) heart rate; will record mins, maxes, average, etc. etc. etc.

No really totally correct, the Polar Wearlink only has a small transmitter in the middle .25"x2" the rest is a very soft cloth, including the electrodes. This has been out for a few years and is very comfortable. I still have one of the old hard plastic 6" ones and it is nowheres even close as comfortable as the Wearlink.

They display continuous but they have different recording rates. The new SD 800, 400 do R-R intervals which measures your heartbeat intervals and reflects autonomic nervous system activity in heartbeat regulation. The R-R interval measurement is most useful at rest and at low intensities. Relaxation rate indicates the state of your physical recovery. The recording rate on these can be set as low as 1 sec, most of the other models go down to only 5 seconds.

Ahh thanks I will have to look into that- I have a NordicTrack and Acculink that both have the hard plastic strap.

As far as I can tell the frequencies are all compatible? My Acculink works with my NordicTrack and vice versa. Not sure about the Polar . . .

It works with my Concept 2 rower and all the equipment at the gym.

Just a bit of historical information i remember about shooting around the heart beat.
In the 70's & 80's it was reported that some Eastern block shooters had trained so hard and had also mentally got stress levels under control that they could fire a shot between the heart beat. It was later revealed that some of them had been using Propanolol.

That would help ;)

Monitoring heart rates in training can be a lifesaver.

I had been progressively struggling to shoot through a 1600 conventional match, and started noticing a lot of vertical space in my shots as my shot counts increased. I could clean a A-23 target, change it, shoot the bull with friends for a few minutes, and clean another one. However, if I had a number of targets to shoot, my match scores would not meet my personal potential capabilities and would worsen by the shot.

I made an appointment to see a cardiologist just before Perry. While at Perry, I measured my 15-minute resting heart rate at a high of 108. It was a struggle to finish each prone day, let alone hit the target properly with it bouncing all over my sights and scope. I went home to NC and took a detailed stress test that showed very high blood pressure and an enlarged heart as a result of the BP issues. No blockages, but now I am on high doses of Toprol and Rampril until we can figure out what's causing the problems.

Now I'll root for my son who is shooting for NC State, glad to be around to do that. Keep an eye on your BP and heart rate if you're seeing a lot of sight bounce. I have a lot more respect for the biathalon shooters now!

I used one in training, and it was very helpful for assessing various methods of relaxation techniques, as well as monitoring overall aerobic endurance as the season progressed.

I have been experimenting for about 2 months now and all I can say at the moment is that at least it makes me wait a while between shots, it gives me time to concentrate more on what i'm supposed to be doing . Thruxton.

I am a total newbie, NRA 1600 prone shooter (I shot my first match this Saturday). Someone remarked that their heart beat caused a vertical movement on the target. I am seeing a horizontal displacement. I assumed it was heart beat related. Breathing causes a vertical movement for me.

So what things are likely to cause a slight back and forth horizontal movement? The degree of movement is about ten ring width. I wear my sling high but shoot in a low position and fairly straight to the line. I smoke and have always had a fast resting heart beat, even as a teenager when a jogged a lot.


Russ

Attached to a datalogger, it might possibly be an interesting training exercise - studying stress patterns when you pop a couple of out, how you relax when they are going in, etc, etc.

However, as a unit on the point, I can only agree with David - it's going to distract you from the shot process. You'll end up playing games - trying to lower your bpm and not focussing on what's going on down the sights.