N/A Olympic Form

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sjs

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Apr 9, 2019
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Looking at photos of the Olympic air pistol shooters I notice their position is different than that I see in NRA Bullseye shooting. Olympic shooters are at 90 degrees to the target, looking directly over their arm at the sights and target. Bullseye shooters are more like 45 degrees or less with the pistol more out in front of the body. Perhaps it is because there is recoil in Bullseye, but not much with the 22lr events.

Anyone know why this is?
 
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Good question.

I was always taught the combat position. Square to the target (or almost), knees bent and the gun brought up to center close to the body and then pushed out with both hands. Always moving rearward and at an angle. Never standing still. Always moving toward cover. It makes sense from an offensive/defensive standpoint.

One handed holds are a something you just don't do or someone will take your gun away. Standing tall with one hand stretched out is mighty vulnerable no matter what angle you are to the target.

Target positions are dictated by the rules of the game rather than practicality. How they arrived at their form was a matter of training for sure. But the reasons behind that form have always been a mystery to me.
 
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I used to shoot PB pistols a lot. Had a dozen 1911s, a couple of dozen Glocks and an uncountable number of revolvers and other handguns. Carried one for a paycheck for nearly 3 decades. Even knew high level competitive one handed shooters but never really bothered to watch them much or ask questions. I got old, picked up a Daisy 717 and P17. Then got an IZH/AV 46M, now a pair of pristine Daisy 717s. Then I got a copy of "Pistol Shooting: The Olympic Disciplines" from Champions Choice."

I am shocked how little I know about shooting a handgun. Sure I can shoot off my back one handed off hand into the A zone but to truly shoot a precision gun at 33ft at a tiny target I have no clue. Where I live this book is the only link I will have to this world.

If you don't have this book you should get it, just to shame yourself into getting better:)
 
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Weaver and Isosceles are two handed combat forms. Totally different than Olympic forms. Different games for different ends, one not better than the other, just different. I learned to shoot off hand one handed due to an injury to my strong hand. But now I find hitting a tiny target at 33' with a pellet pistol pretty darn hard with either hand one handed. Sort of like shooting a compound bow vs a flat or long bow. Different games.
 
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graycrait said:
I used to shoot PB pistols a lot. Had a dozen 1911s, a couple of dozen Glocks and an uncountable number of revolvers and other handguns. Carried one for a paycheck for nearly 3 decades. Even knew high level competitive one handed shooters but never really bothered to watch them much or ask questions. I got old, picked up a Daisy 717 and P17. Then got an IZH/AV 46M, now a pair of pristine Daisy 717s. Then I got a copy of "Pistol Shooting: The Olympic Disciplines" from Champions Choice."

I am shocked how little I know about shooting a handgun. Sure I can shoot off my back one handed off hand into the A zone but to truly shoot a precision gun at 33ft at a tiny target I have no clue. Where I live this book is the only link I will have to this world.

If you don't have this book you should get it, just to shame yourself into getting better:)
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Yep it’s a whole different world and applies to 10M rifle just the same. The book you referenced is a must if you want to learn more about real pistol shooting.
 
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@BrazosbyNemo , Every time I pick up that book, Pistol Shooting the Olympic Disciplines, I find another thing that fascinates me. I wish I could have lived in an area where that sort of shooting was a "thing" when I was young. If I was truly serious I would have a Steyr Evo 10E and a SCATT training system. Combined they are still cheaper than a bass boat or an Unlimited Benchrest .22 with a one piece rest and scope. However, my AV/IZH 46M in my 9.3M basement range is more than enough of a challenge. Heck, in terms of rifle my CMP M853 is a challenge. When I get frustrated I get either my tuned FX Streamline or the tuned AA S200 and put a couple in the 10 ring just to make myself feel good - and deluded:)
 
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graycrait said:
@BrazosbyNemo , Every time I pick up that book, Pistol Shooting the Olympic Disciplines, I find another thing that fascinates me. I wish I could have lived in an area where that sort of shooting was a "thing" when I was young. If I was truly serious I would have a Steyr Evo 10E and a SCATT training system. Combined they are still cheaper than a bass boat or an Unlimited Benchrest .22 with a one piece rest and scope. However, my AV/IZH 46M in my 9.3M basement range is more than enough of a challenge. Heck, in terms of rifle my CMP M853 is a challenge. When I get frustrated I get either my tuned FX Streamline or the tuned AA S200 and put a couple in the 10 ring just to make myself feel good - and deluded:)
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That’s the sad part. Wishing you could live in an area that offered these types of shooting disciplines. I have shot my whole life, and though I kinda of knew it existed, I was not exposed to it. My daughter on the other hand happened to go to a HS that had a very good MCJROTC rifle team. She tried out and made the team. I got to experience this whole world of Olympic discipline of shooting sports. It’s out there and it’s big. Just flying under the radar. Unfortunately you need to live around where it’s offered and know it even exists in your area. Most all if not all is focused on young shooters in school. Hardly any opportunity for adults, though 10M pistol being the exception. Olympic/ISSF shooting sports (rifle & pistol) are such a pure and elegant realm of shooting but most are doing it on their own in the garage or basement and don’t have a local club option. Really sad.
 
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BrazosbyNemo said:
That’s the sad part. Wishing you could live in an area that offered these types of shooting disciplines. I have shot my whole life, and though I kinda of knew it existed, I was not exposed to it. My daughter on the other hand happened to go to a HS that had a very good MCJROTC rifle team. She tried out and made the team. I got to experience this whole world of Olympic discipline of shooting sports. It’s out there and it’s big. Just flying under the radar. Unfortunately you need to live around where it’s offered and know it even exists in your area. Most all if not all is focused on young shooters in school. Hardly any opportunity for adults, though 10M pistol being the exception. Olympic/ISSF shooting sports (rifle & pistol) are such a pure and elegant realm of shooting but most are doing it on their own in the garage or basement and don’t have a local club option. Really sad.
Click to expand...
 
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BrazosbyNemo said:
That’s the sad part. Wishing you could live in an area that offered these types of shooting disciplines. I have shot my whole life, and though I kinda of knew it existed, I was not exposed to it. My daughter on the other hand happened to go to a HS that had a very good MCJROTC rifle team. She tried out and made the team. I got to experience this whole world of Olympic discipline of shooting sports. It’s out there and it’s big. Just flying under the radar. Unfortunately you need to live around where it’s offered and know it even exists in your area. Most all if not all is focused on young shooters in school. Hardly any opportunity for adults, though 10M pistol being the exception. Olympic/ISSF shooting sports (rifle & pistol) are such a pure and elegant realm of shooting bud t most are doing it on their own in the garage or basement and don’t have a local club option. Really sad.
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Where are there ISSF related shooting clubs in the US? I was an ROTC university instructor in the late 80s for a short while in MN before I was pulled out to go to Desert Storm. I did ROTC as a prior service cadet in Iowa in the late 70s. I never heard of a rifle or pistol team at either place. Maybe the pool of prospective youth shooters exposed to the sport is pretty small compared to what the Euro and Asian countries have at hand.
 
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graycrait said:
Where are there ISSF related shooting clubs in the US? I was an ROTC university instructor in the late 80s for a short while in MN before I was pulled out to go to Desert Storm. I did ROTC as a prior service cadet in Iowa in the late 70s. I never heard of a rifle or pistol team at either place. Maybe the pool of prospective youth shooters exposed to the sport is pretty small compared to what the Euro and Asian countries have at hand.
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There are about 8000-10,000 kids that shoot competitive in HS. Most are a part of a JROTC program. Others thru a private club. The CMP is a big part of this and do a lot to support it. USA Shooting Sports supports it to some extent (Jr Olympics, etc). There really is a big underworld of ISSF shooting sports going on under the radar. If my daughter hadn’t been in the right school at the right time I wouldn’t have know it existed. It does exist but gets no publicity unless you belong to the CMP or USA Shooting and get emails of the latest news. CMP has done a terrific job of promoting and growing the sport. It’s mainly focused on HS and college kids. For example my daughter shoots NCAA rifle in college. There are a number of big name colleges that have a NCAA rifle team. Did you know that? Almost nobody knows that unless their kid is on the team. The TCU Women‘s Rifle Team won the NCAA Championship last year. Most shooters had no clue. No publicity. Sad because we have some amazing kids doing some amazing shooting and nobody knows about it.
 
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