Fitness is important in the shooting sports: Improve endurance, fun and health
Dale Gerlich, a trap shooter, asks Bob Palmer, CEO and high-performance trainer for SportExcel:
Is fitness important to great trap shooting?
In this video, Bob answers Dale's question.
Written version: Fitness is important for any sport because of the impact it has on vision, endurance, and overall feeling. It also affects your longevity and enjoyment in your sport. Lack of fitness eventually catches up with you in terms health problems.
Fitness in the clay target sports is a touchy subject as these sports require very little movement. So, theoretically, one could be very much out of shape and still turn in a very good score. As a matter of fact, some very good shooters are heavy people.
However, I am going to suggest that the more fit you are, the easier time you'll have shooting, especially on very hot or demanding days. As well, fitness and stamina go hand in hand, especially as you grow older. Most of my clients have regular walking and exercise routines or hit the gym a couple of times a week.
Usually, young shooters such as yourself, play high school sports and very little thought is given to cross-training. However when high school ends it is different. I took up karate at that time in my life and a regular trip to the gym kept me sharp and feeling good.
So my vote goes to being fit, having great stamina and staying healthy. I think you'll find it is a wise policy.
Author
Bob Palmer
SportExcel CEO and High-Performance Trainer
SportExcel Founder and CEO Bob Palmer is a high-performance expert and author. Bob founded SportExcel 30 years ago because he discovered a better way to help athletes create more mental consistency, resiliency and fun in their sport. And, after working with thousands of athletes in more than 50 different sports, at all levels of expertise, their success in competition is the proof that the SportExcel Zone formula works. Bob’s athletes have achieved podium success in the Olympics, Commonwealth, Pan Am, and X Games, as well as in many developmental, collegiate and recreational sports.
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