TargetTalk

Hi Guys,

I am new to 10m Air Pistol shooting and learning the nitty gritty's of the game. As a beginner Stability is a concern for me. I would like to know how i can improve stability, is there specific exercises or techniques which i can follow ? Kindly help !!

In general most people do normal cardiovascular type exercises which help stability. The next level on is probably looking at developing your core stability. You can use things like balance boards and learn to stand still on them, even adding in a pistol.

Unless you have big stability problems I'd be inclined just to do normal fitness work whilst starting out, but there's certainly no harm in doing the more advanced stuff.

Rob.

Also, for core exercises see: http://www.armyprt.com/special_conditio ... core.shtml

As far as stability goes, the best change I made to my technique is to keep my feet parallel or if you are more flexible than most, slightly pigeon toed; toes turned in. Here in America it has been the habit to teach new pistol shooters to stand with the feet at 45 degrees or so apart.
If you look at the high level shooters of the world, almost all stand with feet parallel.
This stance will torque the leg muscles and tighten the knee and ankle joints as well, providing a feeling of having your legs screwed into the ground. It is really quite extraordinary. You will have to adjust the distance between your feet.
I find I can stand closer together than before. To each his own. This works for precision fire such as AP, and is especially nice in the rapids with the .22. And, as you might imagine, its great for shooting .45 hardball.
Give it a try and get back to us.

Dr.

Whilst you can of course point your toes inwards, it is not recommended. You want to be standing comfortably and not with muscles and joints stressed - that leads to pain and potentially more serious problems. You will also find that most world class shooters do not have their feet parallel, they are generally closer to parallel than to the 45 degree mark though. Standing with the feet slightly less than shoulder width apart will also help, but for most people getting into a good physical shape will have a bigger effect, especially if you add in the core training.

Rob.

When I got into air pistol, my arm hurt after a match even with a light Tau 7 sport. I just kept practicing until my arm got stronger.
If you cant practice often, I recommend holding up soup cans like you shoot and just hold them there. Start with small cans them work up to larger cans.

Shoot straight!