Abstract
Psychological aspects like anxiety, injuries’ effects, professional psychological support (PPS), psychological training (PT), or athlete-coach relationships could influence shooters’ performance. This study tried to determine which aspects were critical from the shooters’ perspective. Eight elite shooters were interviewed. After using qualitative methods, the following categories were obtained: importance of PT; anxiety and competition relationship; mental preparation; PPS; stress during training; injuries’ psychological effects and coach’s influence. PT is important for shooter’s performance, being PPS a key aspect. Moreover, anxiety levels are critical, raising during the pre-competitive period and oscillating during competition. Furthermore, shooters considered more effective the stress placed on training by the coach than by themselves. Accordingly, the coach plays a key role. Surprisingly, injuries did not affect shooters psychologically, nor in their competitive performance. We conclude that the combination of PPS, shooter competitive experience and the optimal coach’s work can promote a greater performance in Olympic shooting.
Highlights
Are shooters aware of the most appropriate psychological training (PT) for sport shooting? How does anxiety influence performance and which is the optimal level? How injuries affect performance? Can the coach replace the psychologist? Which are the characteristics to be expected in a beloved coach? the main objective of the study was to determine which psychological aspects affect the shooting performance from the shooter perspective themselves
The results of the present study were divided into seven different categories related to PT in shooting sports
All shooters agreed that PT contributes to the development of sports shooting performance and can regulate anxiety levels, help deal with pressure, perform the technique better and increase or have more regular performance
Summary
In main sport shooting events, such as the Olympic Games, World Cups or World and European Championships, a difference of 1.1 points per 60 shots can lead to being a finalist or not [2]. A perfect technique of different elements such as grip stability, postural balance, trigger control and aiming accuracy [3] and the ability to handle stress, pressure and anxiety seem to be decisive. This aspect makes shooting a very psychological sport, that demands levels of precision and perseverance close to perfection to win medals internationally [4]. Mental training could be essential due to the attention, control, and precision need in shooting sport
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