1 day ago
How India’s shooters trained their bodies for Asian Games pressure
Indian shooters are learning how to stay calm when taking an important shot.
Special belts and sensors showed them their heartbeat, breathing and body temperature.
Coaches taught them to breathe more slowly and reduce movements caused by breathing or a fast heartbeat.
Some shooters lowered their breathing from about 10 times a minute to four or six times.
Their heart rates also sometimes dropped as they prepared to shoot.
The goal is not simply to have the slowest heartbeat, but to repeat the right body rhythm for every shot.
Coaches also created noisy practice finals so the athletes could learn to concentrate.
At the Asian Games, the shooters will have to use these skills without any sensors or screens.
India hopes shooting will help it win many medals again.
India’s shooters used heart-rate, breathing and skin-temperature monitoring at a Bhopal training camp.
Coaches taught athletes to slow their breathing and synchronize heart-rate changes with aiming and triggering.
Some shooters reduced breathing from about 10 breaths per minute toward four to six.
Training included simulated finals, crowd noise and other distractions to recreate competition pressure.
India won 22 shooting medals at the previous Asian Games and expects the sport to contribute heavily again.
- Who
- India’s rifle and pistol shooters, coaches and sport psychologists, including Sonam Maskar.
- What
- The team trained to regulate breathing, heart rate and stress while shooting under pressure.
- Where
- At a training camp in Bhopal and in competition in Nagoya.
- When
- During preparations at a Bhopal camp before the Asian Games; Maskar’s 10m event was scheduled for Sunday.
- Why
- To improve shooting stability, handle distractions and help India win medals at the Asian Games.
Key facts
- Asian Games venue
- Nagoya
- Training location
- Bhopal
- Debutants
- 10 of India’s 18 rifle and pistol shooters are Asian Games debutants
- Breathing target
- Some shooters worked toward four to six breaths per minute
- Heart-rate example
- One shooter’s heart rate fell from about 80 to 60 beats per minute
- Previous shooting medals
- India won 22 medals, including seven gold, at the previous Asian Games
- Training methods
- Chest straps, finger sensors, an app and simulated crowd noise were used
Quotes
Sonam Maskar
Indian rifle shooter preparing for her Asian Games debut in the 10m event
“Breathing affects movement. So does the heartbeat. So when you are trying to hit a target from a distance, even movements that are invisible to the naked eye can matter.”
indianexpress.com
“If the heart rate is 100 or more, then the task is to bring it lower and shoot only after that”
indianexpress.com
Thomas Farnik
India’s rifle coach
“We are trying to gather more information about the shooters. Some shooters react a little bit too much. All these biofeedback systems that we have, we are trying to make them learn to use their body to react in situations when it is necessary.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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