As with any sport, shooting is a discipline and requires a degree of fitness. Strength in the arm and shoulder to hold the gun and strength in the core and back to maintain the posture. As well as physical strength, shooting also helps to improve breathing and aid relaxation. This is done when concentrating on the shots themselves. Whilst strength goes a long way to stabilizing the gun and achieving better scores, without being able to control breathing, the shooter is missing out on those crucial bulls.
The stresses of an average day manifest themselves through the tightness of muscles, higher blood pressure, headaches, and fatigue. Whilst shooting, this will cause tension in shoulders, arms, and hands causing the shooter to snatch more shots. Higher blood pressure means that the heart rate is quicker and stronger which adds to more movement in the gun from the blood vessels.
Through slow controlled breathing, this helps to further increase the stability of the gun and get those high scores; these are the short-term consequences. The longer term is similar to yoga: stress maintenance and lower blood pressure.
When controlling their breathing, the shooter becomes more relaxed, the heart rate slows, blood pressure is reduced, and involuntary twitches and shakes begin to stabilize. Over a 10 minute course of shooting, the pressures and stresses of a hard day or week begin to fade. Studies show that evening meditation or yoga helps with sleep, depression, and anxiety; controlled breathing in shooting will do the same.
As with any sport, shooting is also a very social experience, by interacting with different people than you work with takes you out of the stress connecting environment and also helps you to relax and reset.
So why not give it a try, go to your local club and find out how it can help you.
Exmouth Small Bore Rifle & Pistol Club 