We had our first practice for the winter indoor .22rf season. We use the A-36 target at 50 feet for a slow prone league.
I started with irons and my shots were spread pretty bad, after a couple targets I put the scope on, and my pulse was throwing the rifle rediculusly. I have a sweatshirt under the jacket, I moved the sling up, down, reversed it on the arm, and it was still jumping wildly. I have been shooting a few years, and have always saw some pulse, but nothing like this year.
Any suggestions?
Pulse
Moderators: pilkguns, Marcus, m1963, David Levene, Spencer
Is your sling tight around your arm? If you have a sling keeper on your jacket, make sure to keep the sling loose around your arm so it doesn't clamp down on it. Also make sure you have your right knee up (assuming you're a righty). This gets your chest off the ground keeping your heart from beating against the ground.
Last thing is to check your resting pulse rate. I used to run cross country in high school and would have a heart rate in the 40 BPM range when shooting. Now I've had to get used to something around 60 since I don't run 40mi per week anymore. Something as a little as a 20min walk 3 times a week could be enough to lower your heart rate to help you out.
Hope this helps.
Last thing is to check your resting pulse rate. I used to run cross country in high school and would have a heart rate in the 40 BPM range when shooting. Now I've had to get used to something around 60 since I don't run 40mi per week anymore. Something as a little as a 20min walk 3 times a week could be enough to lower your heart rate to help you out.
Hope this helps.
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Telecomtodd
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:15 pm
- Location: Saint Charles, MO
Ken - Soupy's advice is good - he's a great coach and a super shooter.
Not sure how old you are (and I assume you are not a youth from your profile), but here's some advice from me, and I'm in my mid 40s. I had the same problem you described. While I had shot fairly well in previous years, '08 was a turning point. At the start of the year with my scope I could routinely clean at least three sequential A-23 targets, or at least drop one shot. I honestly wasn't as good with iron sights. However, as the months clicked on towards Perry in July, I wasn't getting the same results. I was really tired and my shots were scattering. I couldn't keep the sights on the bull, and I knew it was pulse related. It just kept getting worse.
The week following Perry I went for a checkup with my cardiologist and found I had tachycardia (fast heartbeat), strong uptake (heavy heartbeat), high blood pressure, and to top it off, an enlarged heart, but no blockages. Without my new medication, my resting heartrate was 108. Shooting at Perry made me feel more like a biathalon athlete - try shooting for four days, with wind, with a 150 bpm heart rate! Of course my shots were all over the paper, and I think that my scores were darned good considering what I was up against.
If I were you (and to others out there), I'd see a good doctor and have a physical done. EKGs can pick up irregular heartbeats and tachycardia. A treadmill stress test can help find blockages and blood pressure issues. Electronic imaging can see the rest.
My dad (in his mid 60s), another smallbore shooter, wasn't feeling well a couple of weeks ago and checked himself in at the local hospital. Two stents, an overnight stay, and a bottle of Plavix and he's good for more 1600 matches.
Like any athletic sport, please consider seeing a heath professional on a regular basis. Your family, fellow shooters and your scores will appreciate it!
Not sure how old you are (and I assume you are not a youth from your profile), but here's some advice from me, and I'm in my mid 40s. I had the same problem you described. While I had shot fairly well in previous years, '08 was a turning point. At the start of the year with my scope I could routinely clean at least three sequential A-23 targets, or at least drop one shot. I honestly wasn't as good with iron sights. However, as the months clicked on towards Perry in July, I wasn't getting the same results. I was really tired and my shots were scattering. I couldn't keep the sights on the bull, and I knew it was pulse related. It just kept getting worse.
The week following Perry I went for a checkup with my cardiologist and found I had tachycardia (fast heartbeat), strong uptake (heavy heartbeat), high blood pressure, and to top it off, an enlarged heart, but no blockages. Without my new medication, my resting heartrate was 108. Shooting at Perry made me feel more like a biathalon athlete - try shooting for four days, with wind, with a 150 bpm heart rate! Of course my shots were all over the paper, and I think that my scores were darned good considering what I was up against.
If I were you (and to others out there), I'd see a good doctor and have a physical done. EKGs can pick up irregular heartbeats and tachycardia. A treadmill stress test can help find blockages and blood pressure issues. Electronic imaging can see the rest.
My dad (in his mid 60s), another smallbore shooter, wasn't feeling well a couple of weeks ago and checked himself in at the local hospital. Two stents, an overnight stay, and a bottle of Plavix and he's good for more 1600 matches.
Like any athletic sport, please consider seeing a heath professional on a regular basis. Your family, fellow shooters and your scores will appreciate it!
Thanks Guys, I have a sling keeper on my jacket, I will loosen the sling noose and see if that helps.
I'm 61, and admit I'm not in the shape I was in a couple years ago. I have always been a jock, weight trained, and joged a couple miles a day. I got a physical foot problem that gave me the choice of surgery or quit jogging. I took the latter, when I quit the running I lost the ambition to wieght train.
Even with all the workouts, I have always had high blood pressure and take medication to keep it under control, it also keeps my pulse rate down. I moniter it every day and the rate is in the low 60s.
I think it might be a position problem, I will re-check getting the knee up. I shoot long range HP rifle (600-1200 yards) mostly and my scores are diving there also, so I am hoping I can figure it out with the .22rf where I can see more whats going on with out the recoil masking it.
Thanks again, Ken
I'm 61, and admit I'm not in the shape I was in a couple years ago. I have always been a jock, weight trained, and joged a couple miles a day. I got a physical foot problem that gave me the choice of surgery or quit jogging. I took the latter, when I quit the running I lost the ambition to wieght train.
Even with all the workouts, I have always had high blood pressure and take medication to keep it under control, it also keeps my pulse rate down. I moniter it every day and the rate is in the low 60s.
I think it might be a position problem, I will re-check getting the knee up. I shoot long range HP rifle (600-1200 yards) mostly and my scores are diving there also, so I am hoping I can figure it out with the .22rf where I can see more whats going on with out the recoil masking it.
Thanks again, Ken
I graduated high school at 6'2", 140lbs, a figure I kept through my Freshman year (take that freshman 15). I took full advantage of the athletic trainers my Sophomore year and packed on 30lbs in about 2 months. That was followed by massive amounts of progress in my shooting. I'm a super senior now and not quite in that same shape and I know I'm suffering from it. I was beat at Perry this summer after picking the rifle up 100 times for each standing target. I used to do that all the time and not feel a thing.
I'm a student assistant coach for my college team now and I'm largely in charge of the team's workouts. We require 2 hours of workouts per week. The rough breakdown for each 1 hour workout is 15min cardio and 45min weights, mainly concentrating on the abs, shoulders, and back. Dead-lifts I think are one of the best exercises for shooting.
Even if you aren't able to jog, there's swimming and biking. Anything that can get you a few hours of exercise a week, it'll do wonders for your shooting.
Good Luck.
I'm a student assistant coach for my college team now and I'm largely in charge of the team's workouts. We require 2 hours of workouts per week. The rough breakdown for each 1 hour workout is 15min cardio and 45min weights, mainly concentrating on the abs, shoulders, and back. Dead-lifts I think are one of the best exercises for shooting.
Even if you aren't able to jog, there's swimming and biking. Anything that can get you a few hours of exercise a week, it'll do wonders for your shooting.
Good Luck.
Some good comments here.
I live in a log cabin back in the woods. We have had over 10 feet of snow in the last two months, and after a couple meltdowns we bave a little over two feet now, so the biking and swimming arn't an option here now. I would have to say I got lazy, I could do some snowshoeing or something. I do feel guilty about not getting more exercise in, and my jeans are getting tighter (damn dryer!). As I age, the ambition to get the exercise wanes.
My BP is down, pulse rate is down, I got to work on the position. The coffee is another good sugestion, at the club we always have the coffee on, and its strong. Most guys don't touch it...
I live in a log cabin back in the woods. We have had over 10 feet of snow in the last two months, and after a couple meltdowns we bave a little over two feet now, so the biking and swimming arn't an option here now. I would have to say I got lazy, I could do some snowshoeing or something. I do feel guilty about not getting more exercise in, and my jeans are getting tighter (damn dryer!). As I age, the ambition to get the exercise wanes.
My BP is down, pulse rate is down, I got to work on the position. The coffee is another good sugestion, at the club we always have the coffee on, and its strong. Most guys don't touch it...