Abstract
Background: Many aspects affect precision sports like shooting. Skills such as strength and balance are related to shooting performance and therefore, they should be trained. Thus, planned physical workouts can help to improve Olympic Shooting performance. The main objective of this study was to determine elite shooters’ perspective about fitness trainings. Methods: Eight elite international shooters were interviewed using a semi-structured script validated by an expert shooting committee. Their responses were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative methods. The following categories were obtained: fitness training importance on performance, fitness professional support, precompetitive fitness exercises’ orientation and intensity, main motor abilities, recovery process, fitness evaluation and test and physical training influence on the psychological state. Results: The results suggest that athletes consider physical training as a key factor in their performance. Shooters mainly train strength and endurance exercises, depending on the competitions schedule. However, no consensus exists regarding the professional in charge of fitness trainings, nor the recovery methods to minimize performance losses. In addition, general balance trainings or physical condition tests to evaluate the training progress do not seem to be used. Conclusion: We conclude that there should be greater control of fitness training and recovery processes in Olympic shooting.
Highlights
Olympic shooting demands a high level of precision, constancy and stability from the shooter [1].the precision levels are so high that angular errors higher than 0.016◦ in rifle [2] or 0.066◦degrees in pistol [3] can lead to not achieving the score of 10 points
It seems logical to think that the fitness training importance on performance could be a critical aspect of shooting [4,6,7]
The results of the present study were divided into seven different categories related with shooting fitness training
Summary
Olympic shooting demands a high level of precision, constancy and stability from the shooter [1].the precision levels are so high that angular errors higher than 0.016◦ in rifle [2] or 0.066◦degrees in pistol [3] can lead to not achieving the score of 10 points. Previous studies have suggested the importance of supporting psychological training [4] and fitness training [5] to improve performance and for shooters to reach their maximum level. Many aspects affect precision sports like shooting Skills such as strength and balance are related to shooting performance and they should be trained. Methods: Eight elite international shooters were interviewed using a semi-structured script validated by an expert shooting committee. Their responses were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative methods. The following categories were obtained: fitness training importance on performance, fitness professional support, precompetitive fitness exercises’ orientation and intensity, main motor abilities, recovery process, fitness evaluation and test and physical training influence on the psychological state. Conclusion: We conclude that there should be greater control of fitness training and recovery processes in Olympic shooting
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