15 min Shortcut to a Successful Shooting Session
What is it?
The importance of a good and effective warm up is often overlooked by many amature athletes, including shooters. If we look at the routine of any professional shooter we will be sure to find an allotted time for warm ups before they start their shooting practice or match. So what is a proper warm up and why do we need them? A warm up is a combination of different types of exercises that is essential for anyone who is about to do any physically demanding activity. A warm up not only helps you relax your muscles but is also for the betterment of your ligaments and tendons.
These exercises can be tailored according to the activity they proceed with. For example, if you are about to go for a climb, a good low-key cardiovascular activity like a short jog paired with a couple of stretching exercises would be ideal. Doing yoga at the start of your day to open up all of your joints and muscles so that you are ready to take on all that may come your way is also a form of warming up.
How it helps?
So now that we have established what warm ups are, let’s talk about why they are so important and what role they play. Warm up exercises basically help get your mind and body ready for a physically strenuous activity. There are many benefits of having a good warm up routine and so in this article we will be mentioning some of the top benefits that shooters can experience.
The first is the reduction of muscle stiffness. When we warm our body up, we increase our blood circulation, basically waking our muscles up. A warm up helps open up our knotted muscles and so we end up with muscles that are no longer stiff and thus they are less prone to tense up during matches and practice sessions.
The second benefit of a warm up is that they are excellent for injury prevention. The last thing you need is an injury which will put a damper on your practice plans or ruin your match. Warming up improves muscle elasticity and this allows for efficient cooling which means that when you are shooting the chances of accidentally injuring yourself or overheating your body are less.
While warming up your body you are physically preparing your body to do more as well as mentally preparing yourself. This is the next benefit of warm ups, they help you mentally prepare for the next task. All of us know that we cannot jump right into our shooting without any preparation and so by doing warm ups we are also helping our minds get into our shooting zones. Using the time you take to warm up, to think about and prepare during your practice or match session will help you focus on the tasks assigned to you and motivate you to successfully complete them.
Are there different types of warm ups?
Now that you know how important warm ups are, all of you must have already decided to include it in your shooting routine. However, the next question that most of you must be having is what types of warm up exercises are best for shooters. We suggest that a combination of general warmup exercises should be chosen to completely activate and open up your body before shooting.
Another tip that we suggest is to be sure to avoid stretching exercises before shooting because stretching cold muscles can have adverse effects and is a mistake many shooters make. There is a difference between warming up and stretching and it is best explained with the following example; if you tilt your neck to one side, extend it and hold it by applying pressure you are stretching it. However if you are rotating your neck in a circular motion you are not stretching it but performing a warm up exercise.
Since some sports and workouts require aggressive warm ups that increase your heart rate and heat up their bodies, shooters should avoid aggressive warm ups and stick to non-aggressive warmups so as to not increase our blood rate and pressure. Another tip that should be taken into consideration is that most warm ups be done at least 30 to 60 minutes before shooting sessions. By doing so even if we overwork ourselves during our warm ups we still have the time to cool down to our normal self physically.
Some may still say that shooting is not a very physically active sport so we do not need to warm up. This is a big mistake a lot of shooters make because they do not realise that our body needs to be activated for any form of strenuous activity and standing in a particular position for hours should definitely be considered one such activity. It is also important to note that a body filled with stiff muscles will increase the possibility of injuries. This is because when we get into our shooting position without relaxing our muscles and joints our shooting position will be stiff, further causing our joints and muscles to lock in unwanted and uncomfortable positions as they do not have the ability or range to get into a proper position.
An excellent warm up exercise for shooters is performing Surya Namaskar at least one hour prior to your shooting session. This completely opens up and activates the body, specifically your back, knees and shoulders which are highly engaged in shooting. All warm ups should be done in a slow and steady manner keeping in mind not to increase your heart rate. Shooters should aim to open up all of their joints before sessions so that they are able to get into a proper shooting position and not get stuck in painful or uncomfortable positions.
Your warm ups can take up to 15-20 minutes but they should cater to all the aspects mentioned above. Warm ups should be tailored according to every individual, focusing on their weakness and strengths and most importantly they should be planned with as much care as you would your shooting session. However if warm up exercises are important to do before shooting sessions, cool down exercises are just as important and should be done after every session for proper recovery. So, to find out more about Cool Down Exercises stay tuned for our next article.