Meditation is a huge part of mental health and it is very important for shooters as well. A stable mind is a huge asset to have and meditation is how one can attain a stable mind. Despite its many benefits some shooters may still have doubts about why we should meditate and what positive effects it can have on their shooting. This is why we have compiled a list of the most common effects of meditation and how they may affect one’s shooting in a positive manner
- Stress Reduction: – This is the most common effect of meditation. When you are in physical and mental stress your body produces increased levels of a hormone known as cortisol. This disrupts sleep, promotes anxiety, increases blood pressure, contributes to fatigue and clouds your thinking and all of these affect ones shooting directly. If you have any of these symptomes it is probably due to stress and it will definitely have a negative effect on your shooting. Therefore to improve your shooting you must reduce your stress levels and this can be done through meditation.
- Controls Anxiety: – As mentioned above less stress translates to less anxiety. High levels of anxiety can also result in panic attacks which can affect a shooter in a very big way. It is very common for shooters to have anxiety before and during a competition, even the best of the best have pre-competition jitters. It is how they handle and manage their anxiety that makes or breaks them. A top shooter will know how to control their anxiety and this is why they are able to perform well even in the most high pressure matches. Meditation is the most direct way of reducing your anxiety and will have a very clear and positive effect on your shooting. If one learns to handle stress and anxiety on a daily basis they will also be able to do it during match situations.
- Promotes Emotional Health: – Meditation helps in developing and maintaining a more positive self image as well as a better outlook on life. One is also less inclined towards depression if they meditate regularly. One may think, “How will a positive self-image or a good outlook on life help me shoot better?” The answer to this question is in the fact that if you have a positive self-image you will have an optimistic outlook on your shooting as well. You will have a positive mind. Having a fit body will bring you no good results if you have a negative attitude towards yourself or your life. The negativity in your mind will seep into your shooting and this will create unfavorable results. If you have a positive mindset it will help you deal with your match results as well. For example – if you do not perform well in an important match, having a positive mindset will help you learn from the mistakes you made during the match. On the other hand if you have a negative mindset you’ll only look at the bad and therefore lose the opportunity to improve and grow as a shooter.
- Lengthens Attention Span: – As we all know the attention span of a shooter can make or break his match score. If you have a short attention span you will not be able to maintain focus throughout your match and this can cost you precious points. Meditation can be the solution to this problem. Those forms of meditation that cater to increasing your attention span and focus are like weight lifting exercises for your brain. They help increase the strength and endurance of your attention. If you have good attention you will also have a tendency to be more focused and pay more attention to detail. This is a feather every shooter would love to have on their cap. This will help shooters avoid their worrying tendencies and impulsive mind-wandering and help them grow and improve their skills.
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