Practical Tips for Shooters
Coaches will be on the line at every practice to help shooters one-on-one, but here are a few tips to give you a head start.
Sugar turns to energy in your body very quickly, increasing your heart rate, and potentially making you shaky. You might not have noticed it before, but it makes a big difference when you're trying to aim for a target fifty feet away! Good shooters will try to avoid sugar or caffeine on the day they plan to shoot - practices and competitions.
Avoid Sugar & Caffeine
You should always stop breathing the moment you decide to pull the trigger. Otherwise, you're moving the sights up and down. After a relaxed exhale (don't force air out!) is the best time to shoot. Your body is relaxed and not tense. Most importantly, do it consistently, that way your rifle falls into the same place every time.
Shoot After an Exhale
Your natural point of aim (NPA) is where your body naturally points the rifle when you're holding it and relaxed. If your NPA is off, your body tries to force the rifle into the correct position to hit the target, but it actually makes it worse and makes your shots inconsistent. You should find your NPA every time you start a new card - that's what your sighter shots are for. Good shooters will check their NPA on every row, or even every shot.
Natural Point of Aim
Good shooters pull the trigger so slowly that it nearly surprises them every time it goes off - that's very slow! Hard and fast trigger pulls jerk the rifle away from the target and can result in a bad shot or even a complete miss. Plus, it can be dangerous. Always aim first, then slowly pull that trigger when you're ready.
Pull the Trigger Slowly
"Follow through" means, freeze after you pull that trigger! Nothing should move - don't take a breath, don't move your trigger finger, don't bat an eyelash! Hold your position for 5 seconds, and then you can move. That's "Follow through." Shooters that have a good follow through, are generally more consistent in their shots, and take their shots more carefully. And the shots are almost always more accurate.