TargetTalk

Hi

I helped out with the beginner class last night and we have a boy who can't shoot from the sitting position. Heck he can't even assume the sitting position. Yes, he's a short round kid, short arms and legs. He's right handed, his right leg was straight, left leg bent at about a 30 degree angle, left elbow resting on his hip, and his torso leaning back at about a 20 degree angle. We tried to get him bent forward, but then he quit breathing. [Breathing can be important].

What (if anything) can we do with a kid this out of shape? By the way, the friend shooting next to him had a much bigger gut, but has NO PROBLEM sitting crosslegged and shooting in a normal sitting position.

Yes, in the beginner class, we teach all four position.

Any ideas? We tried cross legged, legs spread,

Thanks

Mike
Wichita KS

Sounds distantly similar to a problem I have...a short ham-string. If it is too short, it will prevents the hip bone from rotating forward, thus requiring the forward bend be with the spine. That would compress the diaphram which could prevent the lungs from expanding. (not good)

Can he can sit on a chair w back at 90 degrees to his thigh, and his thigh at 90 degrees to his calf?
Then if he can't do it on the floor, the problem would appear to be a short ham-string.

You need to be very careful with this next test.
Lay him on the floor on his back and slowly raise his legs.
Make sure to watch that his hip bone is flat on the ground. You want the leg to move at the thigh/hip joint. What you are looking for is the angle that you can raise his leg to, before the hip starts to rotate.

From my personal experience, stretching the ham-string, at least for an adult with less flexibility, could take a LONG time. A younger kid might be able to stretch it faster. Just don't push the stretch too fast or he could tear something, which will be BAD. A good time to stretch is right after bath, when the leg is nice and warm, and more easily stretched. Cold tissues just don't like being stretched.

The other idea is simply the joint flexibility at the thigh/hip bone joint.
Sitting in a chair, can he lean forward, moving the hip bone and back as a unit, so the actual pivot is at the joint of the hip bone/thigh. Some exercises here might stretch things so he is more flexible.

gud luk
Gary

I hope he can learn to shoot despite his size. I don't have any ideas, besides the obvious of diet and exercise, but I can sympathize with him. As a kid my brother said it wasn't fair that when i shot i had a big gut to rest my arm on and he didn't. It did make for a steady hold. The fitness bug hit me in high school, I'm 35 now and run 3 to 4 times a week to keep my resting heart rate and weight down. Besides improving shooting, proper diet and exercise will help with a host of other things.
JMHO
Rob

I'll bet he also can't get into kneeling. That's where we find occasional problems (usually with kids in football - all tight muscles and no flexibility). A few weeks of stretching and working into position does the trick. Thank goodness juniors are much more flexible than old coaches!

Gentle stretching exercises should help. With luck, you can encourage him to stretch at home and try to pretend he's shooting sitting. Like dry firing, but without the gun. Just position training. Might as well also start work on his kneeling too.

about an hour before he has to shoot ahve him for for a 10-15 minute LIGHT jog. After the Jog do some stretching, stretch the hanstrings then probably the glutes. avoid static stretching (bouncing during the stretch to stretch further) It should be one smooth stretch held for 10-15 seconds. Someone may need to gently help him with the stretching. The jog may elevate his heartrate some which is why I suggest doing it an hour before shooting. It is however, VERY important to warm up the muscles before stretching them.

Another problem could be that his legs are so short. I have short legs and a longer torso and as a result dont have a very steady sitting position. Try having him go to a crossed ankle position.

Hi

Thanks for all your help. I printed this stuff off for my coaching book, but I missed a week and he missed the other two, so I assume he quit. I didn't see this boy again after asking the questions.

Thanks anyway

Mike
Wichita KS