b. Let go. Sit down and let your head droop forward. Try to actually concentrate on relaxing the muscles. Make one arm relax completely; then the other. Now let your legs go completely limp; now your torso muscles. Stay in this posture for several minutes. Momentarily divorce the competition completely from your mind. This technique is aimed at relaxing the voluntary muscles. It is especially effective when you have had to maintain normal tension for several hours on end.
c. Stop and Think. When the tension-making job allows a respite, sit down and calmly review the things in your life that you value highly. Think of the long range purpose of your life, of the people you love, the things you really want. In a few minutes you may notice that you have involuntarily taken a deep breath. This is a sign that tension is dropping away rapidly. When you tense to face a difficult situation, you tend to exaggerate its importance. Judgment and reason can quickly change this mental state when it is time to relax again.
d. Take a Break. This is a ”Remote Control“ technique for dealing with normal tension. Simply take a break for ten full minutes every hour. You may find that this allows you to ease out of your working tension more quickly and easily.
e. Shift Into Low. Taper off at the end of the day by becoming involved in a diverting activity. If you like handiwork, pick a kind which is interesting but not too creative. Soap sculpture, finger painting, woodworking, and gardening all are excellent low-gear activities that will help you to ”simmer down“. This kind of tension-remover is aimed at changing your mental ”set“. It is helpful for those who have to operate at top capacity. After stimulation, a part of your mental capacity will continue to be aroused. To slow you down when you are in this state of mind, you require something which is engrossing but which demands nothing of you intellectually. Television entertainment and simple handicrafts are ideal.
f. These techniques are based on the fact that tension can be ended in two distinct ways: through the relaxation of your voluntary and involuntary muscles; and by changing your mental ”set“. If you achieve either, you modify the other and hasten the process of normal relaxation.
H. YOU CAN WIN!
1. Confidence furnishes the alloy to stiffen the will to win and not give up or compromise. Confidence is based on a full grasp of the complete technique of controlling employment of the fundamentals. Confidence combined with knowledge, good physical condition and a determination to win, will allow you to perform at your best. A chance at greatness lies in each man’s grasp. You must have confidence that you are capable of a performance exceeding any previous level of personal accomplishment. Know that you can win if that is what you set out to do.
2. Be a hungry shooter. The slashing onslaught of a voracious appetite for victory destroys the resolve of the lesser competitor.
COMPETITIVE PHYSICAL FITNESS
CHAPTER VIII. PHYSICAL CONDITIONING
A. GENERAL
1. The objective of physical training in a pistol marksmanship training program is to condition the shooter physically, to better withstand the rigors of match conditions. An individual in good physical condition has better developed reactions, better control of his muscles and better endurance; all of which promote consistency in performance.
2. It is important that physical training not be of haphazard nature, nor should it be timed immediately before a pistol match. A shooter should perform physical exercises regularly, both during the preparation period between shooting seasons and during the period when the shooter is training for tournament participation. Morning limbering up exercises are important in this connection, and they should become a part of a shooter’s daily routine. It has been found that a physical training program should be discontinued approximately 3 days prior to a match and resumed immediately thereafter.
3. Physical Conditioning must consist of exercises of a general nature directed toward strengthening the muscles, proper breathing, developing body flexibility and precision of movement. The requirements of marksmanship are such that drills must consist of exercises which develop the muscles and flexor of the arms and fingers, and the muscles of the shoulders and waist. A certain amount of static tension (dynamic) type exercise is valuable if it is not overdone.
4. Whenever the shooter exercises, he must put the maximum effort into the exercise. Merely going through the motions of an exercise is of no advantage. Physical conditioning is a gradual process and results will not be apparent immediately. As the shooter’s physical condition improves, the number of repetitions may be gradually increased. Heavy exercise such as serious weight lifting should be discouraged.
5. Any sport that encourages regular physical activity is beneficial to a shooter. It is recommended that each shooter cultivate an interest in a sport that will insure sufficient exercises for all around physical fitness.
6. A muscle builds more rapidly under tension applied vigorously.
7. The stronger the muscle structure is developed, the surer movement can be coordinated and positions held. Besides general conditioning practices, durable muscle tension exercises of the trunk, shoulder and arm muscles make the most sense. Resistance exercises and grip exercises are in order. Physical training should take place at least three times a week for 30 minutes to an hour.
8. Sleep: During the training period the shooter needs plenty of sleep to give all the organs a chance for sufficient rest. Eight hours should be the rest interval. Before matches, insomnia sometimes occurs due to excitement. Under such conditions no sleeping pills should be taken the night before a match for they work out unfavorably the next day. Short walks in the evening, warm showers or a small snack will sometimes induce sleep.
9. Detrimental habits: Nicotine, caffeine and alcohol reduce the performance ability of the body and effect the ability to concentrate. (See Chapter X, ”Effects of Alcohol, Coffee, Tobacco and Drugs.“)
10. Overall behavior: Before a match the shooter should avoid all types of excitement. For example, he should not drive fast and, if possible, arrive at the range one-half hour before the beginning of the match. That will give him plenty of time for his last preparations and he can prepare himself inwardly for the test ahead. The individual feeling of well being is the best measure of whether or not your living habits and daily routing is in the best interest of your shooting.
B. BASIS FOR A GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION
A physical training program should be progressive. It is not necessary or is it generally considered wise to strive for the peak condition sought by a track athlete or a professional football player. Violent and strenuous athletics which may result in injuries should be avoided.
The competition shooter must possess the following basic physical and physiological characteristics:
1. An adequately developed muscular system (this is especially true for the muscles of the abdomen, arms, and legs) and the endurance to fire many shots without perceptible worsening of results.