MARKSMANSHIP BASICS - Breathing

[LoneTraveler]

The old army way was two breaths on the 3 rd. breath let half out and then take up the 2 stage military trigger and fire. The one problem with this technique is holding air in good clean healthy lungs, The oxygen level in the blood starts raising. Then add adrenalin into the mix of excitement makes the body not want to be still, It wants to go into overdrive.

In police officer training where you may have to shoot 10 to 20 rounds quickly in qualification sections, some instructors teach, breath out a normal breath, hold breath, quickly shoot a few rounds, Breath, Let out normal, Hold breath and fire again.

It is not bad controlling breathing for firing the shot at elevation a person is used to. Then go to 10,000 feet or above hunting it is a whole different game for many flat landers. When hunting at high altitude, You as the shooter must control the hunt and speed of travel.

I have heard many stories of guides setting a walking pace that when game is spotted the hunter is huffing and puffing till they can not do justice to the shot. I learned High Country hunting alone. Set your own walking pace keeping yourself in shape to shoot when the time arrives for a shot.

 

[Clever]

Great input, all true. Just practice as much as possible, you will come in to your own. We are not built the same way, you might need to tweak these fundamentals to work for you.
Good Luck.

 

[LISBON]

My heartbeat has me moving around the target.
Worse on shooting sticks.
Help

 

[Tim Box]

I was taught to focus on the target and the "clarity" of the target using double aperture sights. You breathe normally until you have the correct sight picture and them you hold your breath and squeeze the trigger. If you are slow squeezing the trigger your sight picture clarity will deteriorate and you will need to breathe until you have clarity again and then begin your squeeze again.

The way I was taught by my father and later by my coach was that total absolute concentration on the sight picture is necessary and nothing less will do. When I place the crosshairs on an animal I pretty much go into a controlled trance and everything is on automatic pilot except for the crosshairs. Every last ounce of energy and concentration goes to keeping the crosshairs on target while the trigger is squeezed. Somehow I cannot summons up the same level of desire when the target is paper, so I often just pull the trigger when things are sloppy and halfassed.



Stay physically fit. The reason you are breathing hard is your body wants oxygen and you have not been getting enough exercise to have the lung capacity you need. If you don't give it oxygen your sight picture clarity will be bad so you are up the creek anyway. Best thing is to breathe as deeply as you can like you were going to dive under water for a few minutes and then at the last few seconds hold your breath and fire. This will give you maximum oxygen for your blood system and to the brain in the shortest time and give the best sight picture and the least problem from your lungs.

Good advise

 

[kdstitt]

Yes what they have been saying.