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FIT FOR LIFE HITTING THE TARGET The Olympic sport of shooting could help you concentrate, get fitter and deal with stress. NOT MANY PEOPLE give the sport of shooting much thought until the Olympic Games comes around and precious gold, silver and bronze medals are up for grabs. But this tense and demanding sport is popular all over the world with a committed following at both elite and grassroots levels. Shooting, of course, has been practiced competitively for centuries. It was part of the first Olympic Games of the modern era in 1896 when seven countries competed in three pistol and two high-power rifle events. It was men-only competition right up until 1968 when three countries (Mexico, Poland and Peru) each entered a female shooter in the Games. In 1984, separate shooting events for women were introduced and today, Olympic competition features 15 events (nine for men and six for women), in the disciplines of rifle, pistol and shotgun. London 2012 showed just how international and inclusive the sport really is with medals won by 19 countries. Among them was Qatar’s’ Nasser Al Attiyah, who was 41-years-old when he won Olympic bronze in the skeet event this year and he’s already eyeing more medal success at Rio 2016. This illustrates another side of shooting - Olympic shooting appeals to people of all ages. American Kim Rhode, for example, won the women’s double trap Olympic gold aged 17 in 1996 - and her fifth shooting gold in London 2012, aged 33. But she still has some way to go to beat the oldest competitor and medalist at the Games - a Swede called Oscar Swahn, who won a gold aged 64 in 1912 and a silver aged 72 in 1920. Could the sport of shooting be for you? To help you decide, here’s everything you need to know about shooting from the different competition categories, to the skills required and most importantly, where to go in Qatar to get involved. RIFLE Rifle shooting was a staple of shooting competitions well before the Olympic Games. The National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom, for example, was founded in 1860 and its more famous US counterpart, the National Rifle Association, in 1871. At Olympic level, competitors aim at a 10-ring stationary target from a set distance of 10m, 25m or 50m. Depending on the event, athletes are required to shoot from standing, kneeling or prone (lying down) positions. The rifles designated for Olympic competition cost between $2,000 and $2,5000 and are shot from the shoulder using compressed air or carbon dioxide to discharge lead pellets. PISTOL All pistol events involve shooting at a paper or electronic target with ten scoring rings – the most points going to those that hit the bull’s eye. The number of shots and the time allowed varies between contests, but all shots have to be taken from a standing position, with the pistol held in one hand only. The pistol is the only Olympic firearm to be shot with one hand and has a discipline all of it own - the 25m Rapid Fire. SHOTGUN In shotgun events, competitors shoot at moving clay targets launched above and in front of them to simulate the action of bird hunting. There are three shot gun events: trap, double trap and skeet. Trap, named after the device used for launching clay targets (or clay pigeons) into the air, requires shooters to engage a single moving target while Double Trap releases two targets simultaneously. Then there is skeet shooting. In Olympic skeet, there is a random delay of between zero to three seconds after the shooter has called for the target. The shooter must also hold his gun so that the gun butt is at mid-torso level until the target appears. SKILLS The key to successful shooting is the ability to be as steady as possible to be accurate. In order to achieve this, shooters use relaxation techniques to drop their heartbeat to half its normal rate, fire between heartbeats and use blinkers to hit a bull’s-eye, which can appear as no more than a tiny dot in the distance. As Qatar Olympic medalist Nasser Al Attiyah explained after London 2012, training for elite competition is all about controlling the mind – “steadily activating the innumerable signals in our brain with the right thoughts.” A good shooter also needs to be 24 | Issue 19 | Qatar Sport
Cartridges are released from a shotgun during the Olympic shooting competition in London. “Shooting is also considered something of a stress-buster because of the energy release generated by the act of shooting.” fit in order to maintain body control and channel his or her concentration so that all exterior stimulation is shut out. In skeet shooting, for example, the focus is on core strength as it is essential to maintain stability when shooting. It is not all about sheer will and muscle power however. Some practicioners liken the concentration required for shooting to the more gentle art of meditation: they are similar in that you must focus intently, draw slow measured breaths, concentrate heavily on small muscles, and repeat a series of physical actions. But there is one big difference. Shooting is also considered something of a stressbuster because of the energy release generated by the act of shooting. WHERE TO GO The accessibility of a shooting range will depend greatly on where you are in the world and the regulations operating in that country. Pistol shooting, for example, is banned in the Olympic host country, Great Britain. In Qatar, the Qatar Shooting and Archery Federation (QSAA) is attached to the state-of-the-art Lusail Shooting Club, which opens its clay target ranges to the general public for half the week from Saturday through Wednesday at a cost of QR75. Annual membership costs QR15,000. Situated 18km from Doha, north of Doha Golf Club and besides the motor racing international circuit, the state-of-the art facility was built for the 2006 Asian Games and was upgraded for the 12th Asian Shooting Championships earlier this year. The six combined trap, double trap and skeet layouts are equipped with Laporte throwing machines and electronic scoreboards – and there is an international class indoor arena with spectator seating for rifle and pistol competitions. The QSAA also welcomes international federations to organise shooting training camps between November and April at the facility when temperatures are very pleasant, ranging between 15° and 32°C. Entry visas and firearm permits will be arranged by the QSAA. Qatar Sport | Issue 19 | 25
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