Slow Fire Breathing Technique

mr alexander · Post by **mr alexander** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 8:06 pm

When shooting, one is told to take in several deep breaths while the pistol is still resting on the bench.

As you take aim at the target, you are supposed to take in 1 more deep breath, exhale half of it, hold the rest in and then commence your trigger movement.

After the shot breaks and you have followed through, one may then exhale the remaining half of a breath and rest the gun back onto the bench.

I follow this tecnhique with 1 slight deviation. As I take aim at the target, I will inhale a 1/2 breath or so, hold it in and then commence my trigger pull.

In other words, I fire the shot with the 1/2 breath taken "On The Inhale" as opposed to firing it "On The Exhale".

My question? Is there some downside to this method that I am not aware of? Does it really matter one way or the other? As long as one is not breathing during the trigger squeeze, what difference does it make? To me, it seems more natural and comfortable breathing in compared to exhaling out.

For Timed and Rapid Fire, I take in that last 1/2 breath and hold it as the Range Officer gives the command, "Ready On The Left".

Your comments are appreciated.

Isabel1130 · Post by **Isabel1130** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:39 pm

I don't think it matters. I only worry about my breathing during timed and rapid fire.
It helps me to get enough oxygen in for timed and rapid fire so I can actually hold my breath through the string.
In slow fire, I don't worry about it, because if I hold the gun up for more than five or six seconds, I am over-holding and I know it.

Don't get me wrong, shooting during a respitory pause is important in pistol shooting. I just don't think it is AS important as in rifle shooting where your hold is pretty much everything.

trulyapostolic · Post by **trulyapostolic** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 11:35 pm

I feel it's quite important. Before shooting you should have already attained the proper grip, hand and arm position. You inhale while bringing the gun slightly above the target and exhale to lower it into the black using that last breath to control the gun's height.
For me I stop exhaling as soon as the dot hits the black. My arm continues to settle the pistol into the center of the target as the trigger moves rearward.

Chris_D · Post by **Chris_D** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:26 am

The real question here is not whether it matters or not, the real question is "Does it work for you?" Concern yourself not with how others breathe, their lungs are not yours, their ability process oxygen is certainly going to be different than yours.

If it works for you, then do it.

Chris

trulyapostolic · Post by **trulyapostolic** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 7:37 am

If a person does not use breathing techniques to control gun elevation then you're relying on tightening and loosing shoulder muscles. This leads to doing the same to keep the dot centered, which only adds another variable. If you practice what I explained previously there's no doubt that you'll become more consistent. I struggled with this very thing for a couple years before being taught, by the best, how to do this correctly.

shadow · Post by **shadow** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:59 am

Can you clarify

"using that last breath to control the gun's height"

this is the first time that I have ever read/heard this statement.

Do others agree here?

Isabel1130 · Post by **Isabel1130** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:06 am

shadow wrote:Can you clarify

"using that last breath to control the gun's height"

this is the first time that I have ever read/heard this statement.

Do others agree here?

I think this theory comes from rifle shooting. You are so locked into the coat and the sling that breathing raises your shoulder and the elevation of the gun.

I don't think it applies to pistol. When your sights droop with pistol, it is not because of your breathing, (you should be in respitory pause as you pull the trigger) it is because of letting your wrist get floppy.

Remember rifle shooting is almost all hold, and the target is much smaller. With pistol you will do better if you accept your arc of movement, and practice good triggering.

trulyapostolic · Post by **trulyapostolic** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:34 am

Take your pistol and raise it perpendicular to your body. While holding it solidly in that position take a breath. What happens? The gun raises. Now exhale slowly and observe what happens, the gun lowers. Its important to get your grip, wrist and elbow in the correct position before raising the gun to the target. I use the shoulder to raise the gun to the top of the paper, stop inhaling air, hold the shoulder firm, then exhale to bring the sights/dot into the black.
This technique was learned from a very successful pistol shooter and his coach.

Bob-Riegl · Post by **Bob-Riegl** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:15 am

Proper breath control is most essential in all aspects of shooting including the rifle. Marine Corps sniper school teaches breath control as a most essential part of the cycle of shooting a rifle with accuracy....."Doc"

Isabel1130 · Post by **Isabel1130** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:49 am

Bob-Riegl wrote:Proper breath control is most essential in all aspects of shooting including the rifle. Marine Corps sniper school teaches breath control as a most essential part of the cycle of shooting a rifle with accuracy....."Doc"

I agree. No one can shoot well without proper breath control, and shooting during a respitory pause. However, there is a difference here between the general truism and a very specific claim.
The original claim was that your exhale causes the gun to drop into the target. If your shoulder and arm are dropping as you exhale, you are not breathing correctly from your diaphram.
Also coming into the black slowly from above, is only one of a lot of different legitimate styles of slow fire shot processes. It is not the "only" proper method.

Anything that gives you a consistent shot process will make you a better shot. I was getting very good slow fire results, with bringing the gun down from above but had to stop doing it because it was hurting me in sustained fire, and on ranges where they did not want you to raise the gun above the berm. Bullseye is mostly about excellent triggering, and since the Bullseye forum was the one the question was asked in, I assumed the poster was looking for a Bullseye answer and not a free pistol answer.

trulyapostolic · Post by **trulyapostolic** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:31 pm

You're absolutely correct, the process I described is not the only way. I'm certain others have done well employing different methods.
I use this same process in slow and sustained fire (for the first shot). I don't know where the free pistol comment came from as this is the bullseye forum. I thought the suggestions would be helpful since they were learned from the most successful bullseye shooter known.

Isabel1130 · Post by **Isabel1130** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:32 pm

trulyapostolic wrote:You're absolutely correct, the process I described is not the only way. I'm certain others have done well employing different methods.
I use this same process in slow and sustained fire (for the first shot). I don't know where the free pistol comment came from as this is the bullseye forum. I thought the suggestions would be helpful since they were learned from the most successful bullseye shooter known.

Rather than cite Brian Zins and Andy Moody anonymously, why not just point people to their web site so they can see what Brian actually says?

http://www.brianzins.com/category/fundamentals/

trulyapostolic · Post by **trulyapostolic** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:23 pm

Probably won't find it there. A person would have to attend a clinic to gain that insight.
Either way give the technique a try and see if it helps.

Isabel1130 · Post by **Isabel1130** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:36 pm

trulyapostolic wrote:Probably won't find it there. A person would have to attend a clinic to gain that insight.
Either way give the technique a try and see if it helps.

I've been. :-)

Has it helped you? What were your slow fire scores before the clinic as opposed to now?

trulyapostolic · Post by **trulyapostolic** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:53 pm

I was a marksman, now less than 1% below Master. Our clinic was a year and a half ago.

Isabel1130 · Post by **Isabel1130** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:06 pm

trulyapostolic wrote:I was a marksman, now less than 1% below Master. Our clinic was a year and a half ago.

Good, I hope you make master. Too many people get stuck in the expert class
and never quite get there. There appears to be a huge mental hurdle between expert and master, and I fear an even bigger one between master and high master.

mr alexander · Post by **mr alexander** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 11:57 am

One thought that I meant to include in my original posting about this topic.

When exhaling, we all expell CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) from our lungs; inhaling, we are absorbing O2 (Oxygen) into our systems.

From a truly physiological standpoint, does it make a difference between breathing in or exhaling out before firing a shot?

I know I may be getting picky, but don't all of us Bullseye shooters "suffer" from this characteristic?

Isabel1130 · Post by **Isabel1130** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 4:43 pm

mr alexander wrote:One thought that I meant to include in my original posting about this topic.

When exhaling, we all expell CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) from our lungs; inhaling, we are absorbing O2 (Oxygen) into our systems.

From a truly physiological standpoint, does it make a difference between breathing in or exhaling out before firing a shot?

I know I may be getting picky, but don't all of us Bullseye shooters "suffer" from this characteristic?

Probably not, but I believe I have read in some shooting literature, that having your lungs full of air, or empty of air, makes it stressful to hold your breath. From a practical standpoint, for me, it is much easier to judge when I have expelled half my breath, as opposed to judging when I have taken in half a breath. That is why it may be better for most people to pause on the exhale.

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