The Vital Problems of Pistol Shooting

From the biomechanical point of view, this action is quite simple. Then, why is it so difficult to carry out?

I see the solution to this problem as a change in the shooting pattern, as a change in the shooter's objective in
the shooting process.

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I would like to draw the attention of my colleagues, coaches and shooters to a problem that concerns
practically all shooters. This problem is the last stage of the shot, aiming and the action of the trigger.

It is commonly known that the impact of bad shots is always in the upper-right or lower-left zone of the target
(for right-handed shooters). This phenomenon is always the result of the movement of the wrist when
shooting. This movement is applying lateral speed to the bullet. The deviation distance of the bullets depends
on the speed of the movement. If the pistol is kept steady when shooting, there is no deviation and it is
obvious that it is best to shoot in that instant.

Let's study the reason for the movements of the wrist in that moment when it is necessary to have maximum
stability. The shooter wants to shoot in the moment when the real image and the ideal image of the aim
coincide. This coincidence occurs several times, but always for brief instants. The shooter wants to take
advantage of these instants, he/she has to pull the trigger very quickly, producing the movements of the wrist;
these are produced because the independent movement of the index finger is quite a difficult process.

Let's analyze if the ideal aim is indispensable in the process of shooting a pistol. Stability, even in the best of
shooters, is never ideal. The "shooter-weapon" system is not firm, there are always oscillations. So, talking
about a precise shot with a pistol puts the shooter in a situation which is not always solved in a positive
manner. The perfect shot with a pistol requires the coincidence of several random factors. It would be better
to speak about a compromise shot, a compromise between the need to make a perfect shot and the
impossibility of keeping the pistol completely steady.

There are two solutions to this problem. The first, which is being used by many shooters, is to "hunt" for the
ideal aim. When the ideal aim appears, the shooter increases the pressure on the trigger in order to shoot dead
center. This wish to shoot dead center is the reason for the movement of the wrist, the breadth of which
depends on the shooter's experience and skill.

The second is the classic aiming scheme, a process which seems simple but is quite the opposite. I am
completely convinced that the process of aiming does not exist, or rather, is not possible to carry out in every
shot. It is a casual process and this opinion has been confirmed in conversations with colleagues and in
practice.

For me, aim and stability are one and the same thing. The best shooter is a vise - if we steady the pistol in a
vise, the problem of aiming disappears. The shooter must turn into a vise, but this is not possible and we go
back to the idea of compromise.

The breadth of the oscillations of the pistol during a shot, the arc of the movements, is an individual
characteristic of each shooter. It is quite constant and remains so for a long time, even when not training. The
arc of the movements (AM) can be a shooter's certificate of quality. If your AM is the size of a size "8" circle,
don't think of obtaining only a "10". First you must reduce your AM, but it so happens that reducing the AM
is much easier than actually taking advantage of this improvement. The shooter has to know his AM
limitations very well and his ambitions cannot be that much higher. Only the quiet and sure shot within
his/her AM can guarantee the absence of very bad shots, those that "swallow" your hard-earned tens.

There is an idea possibility by which one can record and observe this characteristic: the SCATT computerized
systems for training, designed in the Soviet Union and produced in Russia. This system allows one to observe
that the stability of most of the shooters with 2-3 years' experience is almost always found in the 9.5 circle in
the moments prior to a shot. This means that the shooter, shooting without any movements of the wrist, is
going to shoot within this circle. The same SCATT confirms that mid-level shooters have an average stability
within the "10" zone during the last second prior to a shot of 60-75%. Theoretically, then, shooting with an air
pistol, these shooters can obtain results of 576 to 585 (men) and 376 to 380 (women), which much higher
possibilities for elite shooters. The 85% stability can yield results of 590 and 394 respectively. I know
shooters who have a stability of over 85%, but they do not obtain higher results. In the "Time Shift" graph by
SCATT we can see that the shooter would obtain the maximum result if he/she shot 0.1 - 0.3 second faster.
This, however, is not true because the shooter will still make the same mistake, regardless of this gain in
speed.

The objective of the shooter should be the conservation of maximum stability during the time that is needed
for the action in the trigger and a bit more. The shooter should be certain that, during this time, the pistol is
not going to leave the shooting zone, he/she must trust his/her stability, which is always better than it seems.

With the help of an armorer, each coach can prepare and carry out a very effective and efficient experiment.
In order to do so,

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I THE PREPARATION PHASE FOR THE SHOT

II THE EXECUTION PHASE FOR THE SHOT

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one needs to adapt the remote control cable of a photographic camera to press the trigger. The shooter is
keeping the pistol within the shooting zone and the coach, without looking at the image of the aim, is
shooting. This yields surprising results in every case. It confirms that our number one problem is not aiming,
but the movements of the wrist.

Below one can see the diagram of the actions during the shot. You must divide the whole process into two
parts that are related to each other and of equal importance: preparation and execution (the shot itself). The
preparation is often ignored by the shooters, but it is the foundation of a very delicate process: the shot.

1. When he raises the pistol a bit above the target, the shooter is making a mental tour of the most important
points regarding posture: Ankles, knees, lumbar zone, shoulder, wrist. 2. When he/she fixes his habitual
muscular tone, the shooter is concluding "I am ready to go!" and lowers the pistol to the shooting zone,
accompanying this movement with a full exhalation. Note: The exhalation gives a feeling of calm and security
as a conditioned reflex. Remember - when we are suddenly faced with danger: "Ah!" - inhaling; the danger
passes - "Phoo…" exhaling.
After lowering the pistol to the shooting zone, the shooter begins the movement of the index finger - slow but
firm. This movement is almost independent of the shooter's will. Imagine that you have a fuse pistol in your
hands, which has no moving parts and only the fire moves in the fuse. You only have to keep the pistol in the
shooting zone and, as a very good shooter once said, "keep a stony face" as you wait for the pistol to shoot.

I know it is very difficult to keep totally indifferent to the position of the sights in relation to the target, but it
is worth the effort because the aiming errors are always much smaller than those made by the movement of
the wrist.

We will discuss a problem that, in my opinion, should be solved very differently from the way described in
most books. The problem is aiming and the action of the trigger. These two actions are impossible to separate
one from the other - they are, indeed, a single action, although many books deal with these two elements in
separate articles.

We can divide shooters into two groups who are aiming and activating the trigger in very different ways.
We'll call one group "passive" and the other "active". The passive ones are concentrating on searching for the
perfect aim, waiting for the sights to be in the ideal position for the shot. Many of them, with years of training
and good motor skills, can do this almost perfectly, but not in every shot. The active ones are concentrating on
the actions which they can influence - the movement of the index finger, the conservation of the muscle tone
of the wrist, and the position of the post in the groove of the rear sight. It would be good if the shooter would
only worry about "inner" problems, those happening within his body; these are much more important than
"outer" problems.

I am convinced that the main objective of the safe shot is not the shot itself, but the keeping stability and
muscle tone constant. In order to do this, the shooter must create a new shooting scheme; stop thinking about
aiming as an emotional process, putting everything on a mathematical footing, turn into a shooting operator.

For example: air pistol, 10 meters, initial speed of the pellet 150m/sec. The pellet will reach the target in
approximately 0.1 sec. If, when shooting, the tip of the barrel has a lateral speed of 0.2 - 0.3 m/sec., which can
be triggered only by the movement of the wrist, the pellet is diverted 2 - 3 cm from the shooting point, for
about an "8" or a "7".

The speed of the movement of the tip of the barrel caused by the movement of the wrist can be greater than
mentioned above and is always greater than that of the movement of the arm. We all know basic mathematics
examples on angular and parallel errors. These are true only for rifle shooting with an open sight and support,
that is, for a weapon that does not move, which is not the case of the pistol.

Certainly, these errors exist, but they are not the result of bad aim, but the product of bad stability that is not
controlled by the shooter. The pistol is always moving during a shot, the breadth depends on the level of the
shooter. The trajectory of these movements often crosses the ideal shooting point, and if the shooter is going
to try to shoot at this apparently less-than-ideal moment, the bullet always lands far from the center. Why?
Our sight works in such a way that we are always looking at what already happened, especially if it's a
moving target. When "hunting" for the ideal aim, the shooter is shooting at a duck that is already gone.

There are very tricky people who are capable of "hunting" this way successfully, but their results are not
consistent. I will try to

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explain my understanding of the safe shot, a way of shooting that can be dominated not only by tricky people.

First, forget aiming as an independent process, let the trigger action be your priority.

Some of the following exercises can help with this program:

FIXING THE WRIST - TRAINING WITHOUT A WEAPON

FIXING THE WRIST - TRAINING WITH A WEAPON

- Double shots with a standard pistol. The first shot is used to create the base, the muscle tone "after the shot".
When memorizing the muscle tone, the shooter is making a second shot.

- "Double" shots with an air or free pistol. The same exercise as above, but the first shot is imaginary. The
shooter must create the muscle tone "after the shot" with muscle memory and the force of his/her imagination.

KINDERGARTEN

I used this method for training for the first time in Portugal in 1995, where I coached not only shooters but
also modern

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The shooting scheme presented above contains nothing which is not already known. My proposal deals only
with the contents, without changing the form. I want to highlight, once again, the importance of the
preparation phase of the shot which some shooters are ignoring. Let's compare the shooting of a pistol with
rifle shooting while standing.

These two shots have a lot in common. In recent years, results in rifle shooting while standing are always
growing, while those for pistol shooting are descending. Let's see how rifle and pistol shooters are preparing
their shots. The best rifle shooters are using up to 60 seconds for the preparation phase, and about 3-5 for the
execution. Most pistol shooters start aiming without controlling posture, without fixing habitual muscle tone
at the most important points. When aiming, the shooter cannot fix the pistol at that position and the "active"
actions, such as pulling the trigger, almost always disturb this very fragile balance. What is the solution?

Second, trust your stability, which is always better than it seems. You can confirm this in SCATT, otherwise
you can take my word for it.

Third, when lowering the pistol to the Shooting zone, start the movement of the index finger, without
interrupting it until you release the shot, and then a little more.

Fourth, our objective is keeping the wrist as still as possible and not allowing any other movements to occur
other than the arc of movement.

This is the weakest point of all pistol shooter. The sooner the beginner, with the help of his/her coach, learns
to dominate this difficult action, the fewer problems he/she will have in the future.

This action is difficult for one reason: the muscles, responsible for fixing the wrist, are not controlled by the
central nervous system (CNS). This is why an untrained person cannot fix the wrist without putting pressure
on the fingers. Since the isolated fixation of the wrist is not necessary in everyday life, the nervous
connections between the CNS and the wrist are almost non-existent. It is only possible to recover them with
very specific, long-term training. This training is possible not only with weapons, but in any situation where
one's hands are free: while watching television, riding on a bus, talking to friends, etc. It is necessary to hold
something similar to a grip while trying to fix the wrist without putting too much pressure on the fingers or
controlling the degree of fixation with the opposite hand. Imagine we are holding a very heavy egg with a
very fragile shell - we cannot grip to hard or relax our fingers. At the same time, we must make the
movements of the index finger very slow, but very firm, making sure they are not changing the muscle tone of
the wrist.

- The 20-sec. series with a standard pistol. This exercise is very useful; it is the golden key to all pistol
disciplines. Twenty seconds is enough time, there is no need to rush; but it is not enough time to do a lot of
aiming. If one does not know how to fix the wrist, it is not possible to do this exercise correctly. It is better
not to use the shorter 10-second series, at least during the initial training phase. Shooting with a greater time
limit does not help the shooter improve his/her technique, but can give him/her time to acquire bad habits
(movements of the wrist).

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pentathlon athletes who were like a blank sheet - none of them had ever fired a shot before.

Currently, his training method has been modified a bit, but the content is practically the same. The name was
applied in El Salvador, where these German words are used.

RAPID SHOOTING IN WOMEN'S SPORTS PISTOL AND CENTRAL FIRE PISTOL

Of course, psychological preparation is also very important, but who can doubt the psychological stability of
Tao Luna?

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It is necessary to do a lot of individual work, but, as always, we had no time. When I was working with one,
the rest were on their own.

I decided to use a tape recorder - I taped the successive performance during a series of 10 shots. Now the
shooters could follow my voice and, at the same time, I could control and assist any of them without
interrupting the process.

After three months of training, the kids won at the European Modern Pentathlon Championship. Soon
afterwards, at the World Championship, the Portuguese athletes won individual second places in shooting,
both men and women.

I am using a 90-minute tape with a recording of the series of 11-12 shots at a pace of 1 shot - 1 minute, after a
rest of 3 minutes. In the initial training phase with the Kindergarten method, one uses the recording with the
20-second preparation stage of the shot and the 10-second execution stage (5 seconds - the shot and 5 seconds
- the conservation of the same state). For 30 seconds of rest between shots, one hear classical music, such as
that of Richard Claydermann, for example.
Once the rhythm has been dominated, the shooters can go on to the next level, where both the preparation and
executions stages last 15 seconds each, but the shooting time is the same - 5 seconds, and only the time after
the shot is longer.

Using the Kindergarten method, the shooters with years of experience can stabilize and even improve their
results, as well as solve the problem of lack of time in competitions, but this method is very efficient for
beginning shooters.

One shooter from El Salvador, L.M., who in May 2002 had been training for only 3 1/2 years, but always
used the Kindergarten method, has shot twice in World Cup finals. This example is, let's say, extreme, but I
have proof that shooters who train with this method are improving their results, almost automatically, and
supposedly without any effort on their part.

Some shooters with experience and successes in their career are sometimes afraid, in my rightly so, of
changing their training habits because they can lose what they've gained, without any guarantee of gaining
anything better. It's worth a try to start and the first two or three training sessions will dispel any such doubts.

Last of all, I would like to point out that the main weapon of any shooter who is dreaming of international-
level results is patience. Experienced shooters must be aware that they will have more problems than
beginners because changing the habitual succession of their actions and the succession and content of their
thoughts is more difficult than learning something new.

You can be sure that once you've learned this technique, that is, if your objective during a shot is the
conservation of maximum stability, of muscle tone and attitude, you will understand more clearly what a shot
it and you will never lose this quality.

Any shooter and coach knows that in this disciplines, the ones who win are those who know how to shoot
better in the second part - rapid shooting. The case of Tao Luna in Sydney is a good example. She had 299
points in the first part of the competition and did not win because in the rapid stage she shot only 291 points,
she even got a "7" in the last series. After Sydney, the importance of rapid shooting grew because currently
the final series is fast. Another example from a World Championship is from Lahti 2002, where Dorjsuren
Munkhbayar was in sixth place after the first part of the competition, along with three other shooters, 4 points
away from first place, but in rapid shooting she lost only 3 points and went into the final first with a 2-point
advantage and won the Championship.

We know that there are shooters who are better at rapid fire shooting, and others who feel more secure
shooting without a time limit. There are very few know how to do both equally well. We also know that
training can change and improve athletes' natural talents.

Below you will read a description of the technique of rapid shooting as I understand it. I am not going to
discuss positions or grips - these are not important now. Shooting without a time limit is done by almost every
shooter in the out breath, although in some books it is possible to find recommendations for doing it at the
beginning of the in breath. I am sure that the authors of these books are speaking theoretically and do not
know the actual practice of shooting, also considering that these recommendations are 30 to 40 years old.

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We are doing the shooting without a time limit during the out breath stage. What about the rapid fire
shooting?

The following happens in rapid fire shooting: by habit you raise the arms to breathe in, also raising the pistol
as a logical consequence. But muscle tone after breathing in is very different here from shooting without a
time limit. This is why I am recommending breathing in the opposite fashion - raising the pistol when
breathing out (conditional reflex - calmness).

The movement that I recommend is broader, which is easier to do than narrower movements. Try it and you
will quickly become convinced of the efficacy of this technique for pulling the trigger.

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This change is learned very quickly during training. In the "ready" position, 1-1.5 seconds before the target
appears, breathe deeply and, when the target appears, start raising the pistol and breathing out. In the intervals
between the appearances of the target, breathe twice normally, then a deeper breath and wait for the
movement of the target. Raise the arm calmly, with steady speed, no accelerations at the start or decelerations
at the end.

Now, let's discuss the index finger. In the "ready" position, the index finger must be in contact with the trigger
without exerting any pressure on it. Once you begin raising the pistol, the index finger also begins to move,
and this movement stops with the exhalation, when the pistol stops. The shot must be made at the moment
when the pistol stops or few instants later. No matter where you are at the time, in the center or outside. The
shooter cannot look for the center of the target; this works with long-distance shots, because when a shooter
wastes time looking for the center, he/she must speed up the shot, which almost always makes the wrist move.
In order to avoid this waste, you must train a lot in raising the pistol. Lack of precision in raising, even in mid-
level shooters, almost never produce anything outside the "9" circle, but moving the wrist can produce a "0".

The work of the index finger, which I recommend, is learned more easily and safely than that which is made
with difficulty prior to raising. The authors of some books speak of the necessity to get rid of 70 to 80% of the
weight of the trigger in the "ready" position. In this case, after raising the pistol, the index finger is blocked by
the shooter's fear of shooting prematurely. Starting the movement of the blocked finger is very difficult,
almost impossible without losing the stability and fixation of the wrist.

A historic anecdote before I sign off: Niels Bohr, the Nobel Laureate, was walking with his students in the
country one day. A young man raised a stone, threw it and hit a post at about 40 meters. Niels Bohr, being the
genius that he was, generalized this particular case. He said: "Aiming at such a distant object and hitting it is,
of course, impossible. But if we throw the stone in the right direction, imagining the absurd possibility of
hitting the object, we will probably succeed. In this case, the certainty that this can happen is more important
than training and good intentions."

I would like to read the opinions of my colleagues on the methods and techniques I explained in my article,
but not before 2 or 3 months, agreed?

The Vital Problems of Pistol Shooting Part 2

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AN INTRODUCTORY NOTE:Those who read my previous article (ISSF news 1/2003) may find a few
repetitions in this article. The reason is that the first was written with a the clear objective of defining, to my
understanding, the most important moment in pistol shooting, that is , the end of the process of aiming and
trigger action. But after the article was published I saw that the content might only be comprehensible to
specialists. I also received letters from my coaching colleagues and shooters with questions regarding the
other aspects of shooting. So I decided to write this follow-up in order to discuss all the elements of the pistol
shooting technique.

I:INTRODUCTION I started to write this article as a daily log. Almost all my active life in sports I was a
shooter and coach at the same time, a coach who was a shooter. My experience as a coach may be very
different from that of others since I worked in six different countries, each with very different levels of
development in shooting and with distinct mentalities both as cultures and shooters. The main objective of
this article is to encourage the coaches and shooters to seek new methods and means of training. This search
is indispensable because the most modern methods are losing their efficacy with time and must be modified.
Something that happened at a Shooting Seminar of the Institute of Higher Physical Education of Moscow
served as a boost to start systematizing my notes. I was there with the other coaches of the National Team of
the Soviet Union as a guest of the School of Coaches. The teachers at the Shooting Seminar, headed by Yefim
Haidurov, designer of the famous TOZ-35 pistol, have worked very hard on the publication of the shooting
manual for the students specialized in this event. We once witnessed a discussion among the supporters of
certain formulas on posture. What’s so complicated about it? Well, all the parties involved defended their
opinions with an eagerness that could be channeled in a more productive direction. At the height of the
argument, Gueorguiy Krylov, the normally a quiet coach of the Women’s Rifle team and chemical engineer,
unexpectedly chimed in:“Colleagues, please excuse me. Listen carefully: the voluntary exit through an orifice
of the products of the dry transformation of wood under the influence of extremely high temperatures,
normally of a quadrangular shape... for those who have not understood, I will repeat: smoke goes out the
chimney.” The discussion ended immediately. But the authors of the manual (editor Dr. Arkadiy Korh), do
not seem to have learned this lesson very well. When the manual was issued for sale I bought one and was
convinced that Krylov’s lesson was in vain, the manual turned out to be too “scientific”. This manual, like
other books on pistol shooting, indicates that “the posture must be energy-efficient in physical and psychic
terms. ” Why not discuss the need for energy efficiency in pistol shooting? In order to minimize energy
expenditure one must employ only those muscles and sense organs that are participating directly in the
shooting proces.At this time, the muscles must assume a “balanced” posture, with equal angles of stability, in
other words, the projection of the center of gravity of the “shooter-pistol” system must cross the center of the
support surface. In practice, the best shooters show us that the balanced posture (pictures 1 and 1a) allows one
to produce many “10s”, but there are also the shots that are too long. The “reinforced” posture (pictures 2 and
2a) makes sure there are no long shots, which enhances the shooter’s confidence in his probabilities. A typical
example of the reinforced posture was Mexican Olympic free pistol champion, Grigoriy Kosyh. He could
make up to 200 shots without a single 8, so that he was able to win important competitions with few 10s.
Training in the reinforced posture with a rigid stabilization of the wrist, Kosyh shot for a whole season with a
modernized Margolin semi-automatic pistol resembling a Free Pistol. The Sports Committee of the Soviet
Union even gave him a special dispensation allowing him to participate in the National Championship with
the pistol. Almost all throughout his training he shot without lowering his hand, training his wrist to work
with a great deal of energy expenditure. The result of his work is well known: Olympic gold. The need for
economy in terms of energy is clearly indicated in all the books on shooting, but let’s see what’s really
happening in practical terms. When it comes to Free Pistol or Air Pistol, these recommendations are not
unarguable. The best shooters (some still active), like Mahmud Umarov, Anton Yasinskiy, Alexey Gushchin,
Grigoriy Kosyh, Vladimir Stolypin, Jósef Zapedzki, Ragnar Skanaker, Alexandr Melentiev, Serguey
Pyzhianov and the representatives of the youngest generation, like Roberto Di Donna, Igor Bassinskiy, Mihail
Nestruev, Joao Costa, Taniu Kiriakov, Frank Dumoulin and other less famous cannot boastthat they are very
economical. In my opinion, the typical examples of the economical style are Marlen Papava, Harald Volmar,
Uve Potteck, Boris Kokorev, Wang Yifu and Vladimir Goncharov. Their achievements are well known, but in
the world elite most are not economical shooters. The expression “reinforced posture” was used by the Team
of the Soviet Union about 25 years ago, but what kind of economy can be applied in active work? How can
one attain perfection by saving energy? Success in shooting is not attained through muscular strength but
through organized mental work. Comparisons among shooters, World and Olympic champions, is showing
that their physical traits are very different. They are tall and strong like
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Ragnar Skanaker, Harald Stenvaag, Igor Bassinskiy, Miroslava Sagun and Yasna Sekaric, but they are also
short and delicate like Vladimir Goncharov, Serguey Alifirenko, Svetlana Smirnova, Renata Mauer-Rózanska
and Artem Hadzhibekov. What they may have in common is only their mental capacity. For this reason, one
must work on the ability to think of energy saving. Only intensive mental work can shape in our subconscious
the scheme for a safe shot that will serve as an “automatic pilot” in any stressful situation. The best results are
almost always obtained in circumstances where the athlete is shooting without thinking, when he is working
from his subconscious and is not affected by stress. Even a very experienced shooter isn’t always able to
concentrate during the complete shot. Then, why should we expect beginners with a very deep “TV
Syndrome”, which enables them to drink soda, listen to rap music, chat with friends and half-watch what’s
happening on TV, to be able to concentrate? A disperse attention span, a lack of concentration is the result of
watching a screen without the need for any mental effort. Young shooters who like to read books practically
never have this problem. During intensive training the TV Syndrome becomes less intense, but always
provided that the training is aimed at organizing the mental processes during a shot. I believe it is better to
stick to the opinion that posture must guarantee a 10 and that saving energy during the process is not
important. I will close this long introduction by discussing a few ideas on the grip of the pistol. I like Yefim
Haidurov’s idea (he is not only a pistol designer but also a very good shooter and World Championship
medalist). Yefim compared gripping a pistol with holding an egg with a very fragile shell – one cannot hold it
too tightly nor relax one’s fingers too much. I prefer the reinforced grip, where the pinky finger is exerting
greater force than the ring finger and the latter more than the middle finger. The thumb is pressing the grip
only in the middle, with the tips of the fingers exertingno effort at all on the surface of the pistol. I am here
reminded of something that happened in 1961 at the Soviet Union Championship. I was training with the
Russian Olympic free pistol champion, Alexey Gushchin. Many people would come up to congratulate him.
One young man congratulated him and asked: “Alexey Petrovich, how are you holding the grip? Very
firmly?” Gushchin replied,“Of course, very firmly.” Almost immediately, another person came up and asked
“How are you holding the grip, loosely?” Guschchin answered, “Of course, loosely.” This time I asked:
“Alexey, who of those two did you lie to?” Alexey said, “Neither. The force of my grip depends on conditions
and those of the competition. Sometimes I hold it firmly and sometimes loosely, but this is not important. Did
you notice how they asked? The boys were looking for confirmation of their own theories and I gave them
what they were looking for. If I started to explain the problem to them just before a competition, no good
would come of it.” What a great shooter and what an intelligent man Akexey Gushchin was. Now, after this
long introduction, let’s talk about some of the main elements of the technical preparation of pistol shooters.

II:TECHNICAL PREPARATION #1 The Position The evolution of sport shooting and the research of the
coaches have changed and will continue to change shooting techniques and posture, among other things. This
problem has received, in my opinion, too much attention.The opinions are sometimes quite different and even
contradictory. Currently there is an integral posture that is being used – we know it as the active posture
(pictures 1 and 1a). Shooters and coaches are convinced that good stability is possible in any posture and the
shooter, with or without the help of his coach, find his variation of the position. The experience of the coach is
very useful in this case in order to help the shooter use his anatomical traits more efficiently and to avoid the
desire to blindly copy the postures of the champions. After the victory of Moris Minder in the 1978 World
Championship, with a new world record, he had a lot of followers of his original posture,but nobody obtained
any good results. Minder held his hand almost at 90° to the right. Some shooters have obtained good results
with different postures and the best example is the evolution of posture in the double world champion,
Vladimir Stolypin, who belonged to the Soviet Union’s team for 20 years. In the beginning he shot with his
side towards the target and the upper part of his torso leaning very much towards the left. At the end of his
activities in sports he was using the frontal posture, with his chest facing the target and without any
inclination at all. The Olympic champion from Mexico, Grigoriy Kosych used to shoot in a posture almost
identical to Stolypin’s first. I believe that these two examples suffice in order to understand that posture can
only be an individual matter. For example, normally in books on shooting it is recommended that the line of
the shoulders has to go over the line of the feet by 10-15° to the right, but Serguey Pyzhianov is moving his
shoulders to the left and he is a multiple world record holder and current holder of the air pistol record. We
can conclude that the model for posture is not fundamental in attaining good results. The important thing is
the shooter’s ability to attain good stability in the chosen posture, with optimal muscular tension. Optimal, in
this case, does not mean economical in the sense of energy consumption. Muscular tone must guarantee firm
stability. For most shooters, this problem can be solved only with significant muscular tension. For the firm
stabilization of the ankles, legs and waist, in other words, to create a basis for stability, I can recommend a
very simple but effective method: when you start to raise the pistol, raise yourself slightly on your toes and
then lower yourself without leaning back. This way you are creating the necessary muscular tension in your
feet, legs and waist. It is better to keep the feet parallel. Conclusion: Posture must guarantee maximum
stability, based on the firm stabilization of the feet, legs and waist, but each shooter must decide how much
energy he is willing to expend in order to attain this stability. #2 The Order of the Actions During a Shot
The experience of many years of working with the best shooters in the Soviet Union and in other countries
have allowed me to draw certain conclusions on the need to formalize changes in the order of the actions
carried out during a shot; these changes are a reality in practical terms, but found them only partially reflected
in a book by German coach Elfe Stauch: Sport Pistol Shooting, (Eigenferlag Elfe Stauch, Hans-Braun-Str. 57,
85375 Neufahrn, Deutschland, 1997, I. Aufgabe, 4000). I am deeply convinced that the shooting process,
which begins a few seconds before raising one’s arm and ends after it is lowered, must be

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divided into two parts that are related to each other and of equal importance. The first part, preparation,
consists of one’s thoughts on the coming actions, checking one’s position and deciding to shoot. Before
raising the pistol, the shooter is inwardly “watching a film” of his future actions and only carried them out
after the film. When he raises the pistol a little above the target, he is inwardly going through the most
important points regarding posture: ankles, knees, waist, shoulders and wrist. Then he’s done with the first
part of the shot: preparation. It is very important to separate the preparation phase from the execution – the
shot. For example,after thinking “I’m ready”, one can inhale as one raises the pistol and after thinking “Go”,
at the same time that one exhales, one brings down one’s arm. This is the first “signpost” and it signals the
beginning of the shot itself.In the preparation stage it is very important not to be afraid of wasting time on
controlling the position. After the “I’m ready. Go!”, with a decisive and calm movement, the shooter lowers
the pistol towards the shooting zone and at the same time starts to move his index finger. All these actions
must be controlled with one’s peripheral vision and onlyafter the start of the movement of the index finger
should one focus one’s eyes on the sights with maximum attention. One must aim during the movement of the
index finger, with maximum attention on controlling the aiming mechanisms. Aiming and the action of the
trigger, stability and movement are antagonists. Our objective is to look for a compromise. The beginning of
the movement of the index finger during this delicate aiming process almost always disturbs the stability. The
time within the shooting zone is greater, the width of the movements of the sights is greater and we fall into a
vicious circle at the end of which a bad shot is waiting to happen. But if we aim when the index finger is
already activated, everything is different and it’s just a matter of not being afraid of losing a little precision in
the beginning. The time for the shot does not depend on aim but on the speed of the movement of the index
finger. Conlusion: The preparation stage of the shot is an autonomous element that is no less important than
the shot itself; the preparation stage must be marked and it is better to do so with a natural movement. One
must also mark the termination of the shot. #3 Gripping the Pistol During the Shot The concept of gripping,
in the case of the free pistol, loses its traditional meaning because the anatomical grip guarantees a permanent
positioning of the hand. During the shooting process with any pistol the degree of muscular tension in the
hand is not important, but rather the continuity of the muscle tone. The firm stabilization of the wrist, without
excessive tension in the muscles of the fingers is a solid base for the delicate construction of a shot. When the
base is firm, the shooter shoots with more confidence, without fear that one of the muscles will fail at the time
of the shot. The autonomous stabilization of the wrist is a very complicated process that demands special
training. Unfortunately, many coaches are not aware of this and when young shooters begin to train they do
not pay much attention to this issue. After some time, a young and talented shooter reaches a certain level and
suddenly his results begin to slip. Usually, it happens in critical moments such as an invitation to participate
in the national team. This change in the quality of one’s shooting places an additional load on the novice
which may be heavier than he can bear. (There is a wide field of work for the coach and the psychologist to
cooperate at this point!). Where he used to shoot naturally, now he has to demonstrate that he’s still capable of
shooting at a high level of performance. His fear of failure, his drive and the need to win create a state of
stress and the most fragile element can break. Frequently, this element is the stabilization of the wrist. I can
name 11 shooters who used to be junior European champions but who never became elite shooters. I am not
suggesting that the reason for their inability to succeed further in their careers is just the faulty stabilization of
the wrist, there are obviously other reasons, but in many cases this detail is decisive. I am sure that four of
these eleven shooters, with whom I participated in competitions and trained in the Soviet and Ukrainian
teams, have not attained a higher level of performance due to a lack of basic preparation from the start. This is
why I would like to recommend to all shooters and coaches that they value this element of the technique and
give it the attention it deserves in their training. Some advice on training can be found in the section titled
“Shooting in a Seated Position with Support”. The basic problem in the stabilization of the wrist is that the
muscles of the wrist are not controlled by the central nervous system but by the peripheral nervous system. An
inexperienced shooter cannot stabilize his wrist without tensing his fingers. Since the isolated stabilization is
not practiced in daily life, the connections of the nerves between the wrist and the central nervous system
have almost faded. Only specific long term training can help one recover these connections. The result of this
training is the possibility of keeping the pistol within the shooting zone and moving the index finger
independently. What else do we need in order to make a sure shot? The shooter has to know how to create
muscular tone before the shot that is equal to that after the shot. The following are a few training methods:
Double shots with a semi-automatic pistol. After the first shot, the shooter has to stabilize his new muscular
tone, “record” it in his memory and, based on this tone, make his second shot. This method was used 35 years
ago by Victor I. Mihailov in his training with Grigoriy Kosych, but it was never publicized. I have been using
this method with great success for more than 30 years. Making double shots with air and free pistols. The first
shot is made in one’s mind, creating the muscle tone after the “shot” and then shooting for real. Shooting in
series of 20 seconds in standard pistol. The success of this type of shooting depends a great deal on the first
shot, since the rest will come out automatically. This automatic process is the result of the creation of
muscular tone in the first shot. Twenty seconds for the 5 shots is the ideal time for this type of training, as the
intervals between shots are sufficient to avoid haste and they are brief enough to avoid aiming too much, in
other words, the conditions are optimal for creating an “automatic pilot” system. Without a doubt, this
exercise is the key for pistol shooters. All my students can tell you that, despite my age, I can make two or
three series (I cannot do more due to a lack of resistance) better than they can and without any training
whatsoever. The reason is that my right wrist has remained firm after all these years. My best results in the
last competitions are: air pistol 578, standard pistol 568, central fire 584, and I was over 60 years old back
then.

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Conclusion: The most important element of the pistol shooting technique is the firm stabilization of the wrist.
Once this technique has been mastered, the shooter is rid of a lot of problems. #4 Aiming and Trigger
Action We have found in many books mistaken ideas on the pistol shooting technique. Books tell us that we
have to aim after starting the action of the trigger, but these two elements of the final part of the shot must
really be carried out at the same time. I am completely convinced that talking about a precise shot in the case
of pistol shooting is a mistake because this type of shot always entails a compromise. The compromise
consists of the need to make a sure shot even with the impossibility of keeping the weapon perfectly still,
because a shooter is not a vise and the weapon always moves. What is more important, the precision of the
aim or the firmness of the stabilization of the pistol in the shooting zone? Is the stabilization of the wrist
important or not? In one’s daily life, the most important information we receive is often visual. This is true
also in shooting, but we have to decide whether perfect aim is indispensable in pistol shooting and whether we
can use it in case we are able to attain it. Our best accessory is the SCATT electronic system for training,
designed in the Soviet Union and currently made in Russia. While researching the SCATT files, I came across
documented confirmation of many of my suppositions. For example, that stability by itself does not guarantee
good results. Vladimir Goncharov can keep the pistol in the 10 zone for 5-6 seconds; Mihail Nestruev has
very brief windows of opportunity, of up to one second, but he takes full and effective advantage of that time.
Thanks to his ability to “seize the ideal moment” he was voted World’s Best Shooter of 2001. The SCATT is
also demonstrating that every shooter has his own arc of movements (AM) in the last second before the shot
in the 9.5 circle (most have a smaller, higher quality AM). This means that if at the time of the shot there is no
movement that does not belong to the AM, the shot remains within that circle. From personal experience I
know that stability within the 9.5 circle is not a trait exclusive of elite shooters but also of midlevel shooters (a
majority). All shooters are familiar with the phenomenon when the shots come out almost automatically – the
sights enter the shooting zone and the finger goes into action effortlessly – he is working on automatic pilot,
subconsciously. Let’s try an experiment in which we will try to separate out subconscious and conscious
actions. The shooter, taking on the conscious role, has to carry out all his actions as he usually does, and the
coach, as the subconscious, activates the trigger without looking at the aiming image. It would be more
comfortable to do it with the aid of a simple mechanism (figure Dis. 1) or using the method picture in
Photograph 3. In 100% of the cases, the shots subconscious shots are better than the usual shots, clearly
confirming that aiming plays a secondary role in the shootingprocess. The main thing is the immobility of the
weapon in the moment when the shot is made, regardless of the precision of the shooting. Our stability is
always better than we imagine it. To sumup: if after the sights enter the shooting zone the shooter moves his
index finger without concerning himself about aiming, the shot will come out within his AM, that is, the
shooter will realize his potential. I carried out this experiment for the first time 40 years ago with a rifle.I was
training together with Vladimir Lukianchuk,a perfect rife shooter. Suddenly, he told me he had lost his
confidence when he shot standing. I stood by his left side and, observing that his rifle was more or less
stable,I hit the trigger with my pistol. The result in the first 10 shots was surprising – 95points! We shot a few
more series with similar results. One week later, Vladimir set a new record in 3x20 free rifle 300 meters. The
result, 590 points (200+193+197) is still good today. This record was never broken and people simply stopped
competing in this event. It is possible to try this experiment without any mechanism, using air and
sports(standard) pistols. The coach grips the hand of the shooter with his own hand, placing his index finger
on top of the shooter’s index finger and, after the stabilization of the arm, calmly but decisively moves his
index finger until the shot is made (picture 3). Those who are still unconvinced can consult the SCATT results
again. In the graph time shift we can see that if the shooter were to shoot 0.1-0.3seconds earlier, the result
could be better.But this is not entirely true because, by shooting earlier, the shooter will make the same
mistake, only earlier. This mistake is due to a loss of stability in the last instant of the shot.The conclusion is
the same: immobility when making the shot is the main condition for making a sure shot. The pistol shooting
process does not depend on the modality, it is always the same. In any event one must keep the sights aligned,
and not concern oneself with their position in relation to the target. Avery old saying among Russian shooters
is right: “Calm pulling, no breathing, controlling the sights” - this saying clearly indicates the order of our
actions: pull first, aim second. I know it is difficult to control only the sights and to distance oneself from the
target, but this is basic. In order to adapt to aiming “without a target” one can make use of a mechanism
invented by a shooter and doctor of the Ukrainian team, Serguey Kolesnik. A square piece of transparent
plastic with a circle to cover the image of the target isplaced over the rear sight. When the shooter is aiming
he cannot see the target. This will help him lower the psychological pressure. All shooters are familiar with
the situation where the finger becomes “blocked”. The voluntary activation of the finger can alter the stability
and this usually happens when the shooter cannot afford to make any mistakes. The fear of making a bad shot
is making one concentrate too early on the aim, which in turn blocks the movement of the index finger. We
have to do some dry firing with control on the activation of the finger before aiming in order to recover the
coordination of one’s movements. Under these circumstances, the most important factor is the shooters
confidence in the firmness of his posture and in his attitude. This element of the shot is so psychological that
it should not be treated as a purely
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technical element. The security and confidence of the shooter in his own capabilities are more important than
his technical preparation. Anyone can learn the shooting technique, but applying it under the time for the shot
does not depend on aim but on the speed of the movement of the index finger. One must aim during the
movement of the index finger, with maximum attention on controlling the aiming mechanisms. Dis.13
stressful conditions can only be pulled off by those who worry less about the results, those who have
confidence in their technique and whose main concern is the application of this technique in every shot. I
think that, at this point, the Biels Bohr anecdote bears repeating because it can explain this problem. The
Nobel Laureate was taking a stroll one day with some students in the country. A young man threw a stone and
hit a post about 40 meters distance. Niels Bohr, being the genius that he was, drew a general idea from the
action and said: “Aiming at a distant object and hitting it – that, of course is impossible. But if we throw a
stone in the right direction, imagining the absurd possibility of hitting the object will make success more
probable. In this case the certainty that this can happen is more important than training and will.” We should
apply this thinking in every shooting range – psychological preparation condensed into a few words.
Conclusion: I can state without fear of being deemed orthodox that the main condition for a perfect shot is the
immobility of the weapon in the last instant of the trigger action, regardless of the position of the sights within
the arc of movement. #5 The Actions of the Shooter After the shot, the shooter must maintain not only his
posture but also his internal state, for 3 to 5 seconds – the muscular tone must be kept the same, the index
finger must continue to press, the sights must remain aligned in the shooting zone. It would be use less at this
point to think “In the next shot I’m going to try it with the sights like this...”.Then, with an inhalation, you
raise your arm and then lower it along with an exhalation. This is our second “signpost”, indicating the end of
the shot. When lowering the pistol,the shooter relaxes his muscles and analyzes the shot he made. If the real
impact does not match his theory but the shooter is certain that the sights were aligned correctly, he will have
to make the necessary sight corrections. When the impacts match the theories it is better to shoot keeping a
fast pace (1 shot at 1 minute or faster). In case of a bad shot, it is important to pause – not to look for errors,
but to recover the habitual pattern of the shot by dryfiring once or twice. An example of how one can under
estimate this rule occurred in the Sydney 2000 Olympics. While shooting free pistol, after four series,
Guatemalan Sergio Sánchez, a talented and experienced shooter who had already shot twice in world
competition finals, was among the leaders. Suddenly, in the fifth series, he shot an 8 which probably didnot
match Sergio’s theory. He got angry and immediately made another shot, another 8, along with an explosion
of uncontrolled anger.Only after having shot yet another 8 and even a 7 was he able to stop. But the point she
had lost were gone forever, taking with them the hope of going on to the final, for which four 9s sufficed
(only shooting within the AM!). Conclusion: One must recover one’s before the-shot position, maintain it for
a few seconds,imagining the next shot, and lower the arm to a special “signpost”. If one’s supposition does
not match the impact it is better to keep shooting fast. If the impact does not match our supposition, looking
for the error is not worth the effort, one has to do some dryfiring in order to recover the scheme of the shot.

III:SPECIAL TRAINING In this section we will discuss non-tradition altraining methods. We’ve already
seen one of them (double shooting). All of these methods are very individual and require an enthusiastic
coach and a great deal of energy, but I can assure you that it’s worth it. A// “Double” Shooting This training
method is more effective for beginners, but it can also be useful for experienced shooters, especially when
they’ve begun to lose some self-confidence. Junior shooters get the chance to taste the feeling of a good shot,
to gain self-confidence in their abilities. Most of the young shooters go to the range to learn how to shoot a 10
and not to make a technically perfect shot. The“double” will undoubtedly help a young shooter overcome
disappointment, which is basic after the first few bad experiences. The coach who is determined to use the
contact training methods has to provide himself with plenty of patience and drive because these methods are
pretty exhausting.The coach stands to the left of the shooter and with his right hand holds the shooter’s hand
that is gripping the pistol. The thumb touches the grip, the rest of the fingers come into contact with the wrist
and the hand of the shooter (pictures 4 and 5). The coach remains passive, only offering support. This contact
is delicate, enhances the stability ofthe shooter and enables the coach to give the shooter real information on
the stabilization and function of the wrist of the student. If the problem of the shooter is the“blocking” of the
index finger, the coach canuse another contact training method. In this“double” the coach stands on the right
side of the shooter and inserts his thumb a bit ahead of the articulation of the wrist and the rest of the fingers
on top of the student’s fingers(picture 3). When he observes that the movements are calm, he moves his index
fingertogether with that of the shooter, concerning himself only with the stability of the wrist. It is usual for
young shooters to think that the reason for their bad results is their lack of stability. This is true to a certain
point, but stability, even in beginners, is usually sufficient to hit the black circle. The main reason for long
shots is the young shooters’(an sometimes experienced shooters’) lack of ability in keeping the stable tone of
the muscles of the wrist during the shot. To demonstrateto shooters that stability is not our number 1 priority,
the coach can

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do the following: first, make a series of shots with bad stability. Careful! One has to train before hand in order
to avoid a negative effect. Second, one shoots a series using the Dis. 1 mechanism of the technique we see in
picture 3.The former method is more “pure”, but the latter can be done at any given moment. B// Shooting in
a Seated Position with Support This training method is useful for any trainer, from beginners to champions.
The support can be made of a sponge or wood and a sponge (pictures 6 and 7). The use of a support for
beginners is simple and does not require a lot of explanations. As we know, learning to shoot with a rifle
almost always starts with shooting with a support and this phase lasts for a few months, only to go on to
shooting with a strap. We also know that holding the rifle with a strap is easier than holding a pistol withone
hand. For many beginners, the difficulties of holding a pistol, stabilizing the wrist and activating the trigger,
all with the same hand, seem great and cause a certain lack of confidence in one’s ability to overcome them,
the end result being that many quit shooting altogether. The use of a support can actually keep people
interested in the sport. The procedure is as follows: the shooter touches the slanted part of the support with
only his fingers and not with the pistol (picture6). This is enough to stabilize the position of the hand with the
pistol, but at the same time the support is not actually sustaining the weight of the weapon. When shooting
while seated, one must keep the position of the upper torso as one would while standing. The preparatory
phase of the shot is carried out by raising the pistol a bit above the support. After thinking “I’mready. Go!”,
one lowers one’s hand until one makes contact with the support, at the same time pulling the trigger. The
action of the trigger must be carried out with a continuous and decisive movement. The soft support does not
allow one to relax the arm’s muscles, but it creates almost perfect stability, which is maintained for a long
time. The use of a support can be very effective when training the ability to stabilize the wrist. The difference
between this training method and the previous method is in the point of contact with the support. In this case,
the shooter is touching the support with his forearm a little below the wrist (picture7). What is the purpose of
this method? When we shoot while standing, the “shooter-weapon” system has oscillations, each part of the
body moves in relation to the rest.While seated with the forearm supported we eliminate the movements of
the arm and body and retain control of the stabilization of the wrist. If someone out there is thinking that
shooting with a support is easy, the first shots will take this idea out of his head. Let me tell you how a perfect
shooter, Anatoliy Yegrishchin, who is currently the coach of the Russian team, made his first shots with a
support. In early 1986, at the shooting camp of the Soviet Armed Forces in Lvov, the shooting capital of the
Ukraine, as I was explaining to the shooters in my group the essential nature of training with a support, I
asked them to reach a consensus on the matter, to either accept or reject my theory, with their personal
coaches. All 10 shooters confirmed their acceptance of my proposal. On the third day of training Yegrishchin
arrived and when he saw his colleagues shooting while seated, Siemionych (as his friends called him) asked
me, “What are you doing?”When he heard my explanations he said,“Now I’m going to make 600. ”Imagine
what he felt when his first shot was a high 6 and then a low 6. Siemionych learned this training method very
fast, faster than any of the young shooters, but he was one of the best shooters in the world, with 581 points in
free pistol when he was shooting actively. Military shooters used this method in 1986, 1987 and 1988. The
first competition we had was only after 2 months of training and we won seven national competitions in a row
in free pistol and air pistol, leaping ahead of the “dynamo” team, which had beaten the military in the
previous seven years. I do not believe that this success was only due to this training, but its positive effect
seems certain. The main obstacle in the spread of this training method is the conservative spirit, if not
laziness, of coaches and shooters, as well as a lack of confidence in the effectiveness of something new. The
positive effect is not immediately revealed and it is different in each shooter. Some, especially those hunting
for the ideal moment, can even see their results worsen temporarily. Those who are capable of applying this
method with tenacity and work on this exercise for 40 to 60 minutes aday, are never going to regret the time
they invest in this work. It is necessary to mention something inrelation to this type of training: one has to
begin as one would in any other type oftraining, by warming up for 10 to 15 minutes and the maximum
number of shots for this exercise is 50, a load which only a well-trained shooter can bear. At the end of the
training while seated, one must rest for 10 minutes,warm up again while standing in order to prepare the
muscles of the lower body. Without this warm-up, long shots may occur and these may cause a negative
reaction towards training with a support.