Most people will tell you not to hold your breath but it seems to help me stabalize. Just one of those things that you have to find what works.
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Horrible flinching before shot
- Thread starter SimpleGuy
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I tend to have better luck either holding my breath after a partial exhale, or squeezing off the shot during a slow, steady exhale. I try to disregard heartbeat, too much to think about.
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Are you hunching and flinching because of anticipating the shot? If so you have target panic. Fairly common with archers. I have never seen it addressed in gun circles but it might be a thing? If it is there is surely some remedy for it.
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That's a fine line. The anxiety of anticipating the shot can stem from recoil. I expect the recommended fixes would be the same. I've seen trap shooters who had it so bad they would shoot the trap house, or not shoot at all. The last resort for some was a release trigger, a dangerous thing itself. But I digress, sorry. I think practice on trigger and breathing control will get you there.
Trigger follow through is important, and it can be hard to understand. Basically, concentrate on watching the bullet/pellet hit the target. To do that, you need to release the shot smoothly, and maintain your hold and sight picture well after the shot is gone. This is important in air rifles, since the pellet is in the barrel a relatively long time.
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Sometimes it's the report of gun and recoil. Try some of the above breathing techniques and use some ear muffs or ear protection.
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Most likely a result of stress and shot anticipation. Try aiming, and then pulling the trigger without cocking the gun. Make sure you are a relaxed, no muscle hold; adjust till you get there. Pull the trigger about ten times paying attention to your aim, pull away, reset and repeat till you find improvement. Then shoot.
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Lets say recoil is not a factor, even though it may be, but keep it out for now.
When instructing new powder burner people, I show and tell them that if they yank the trigger when they get a perfect sight picture, the shot will be worse than if they understand that nature disallows total rock solid zero movement. It is something you have to accept. The result will be better if you keep the gun as steady as your body will allow and get the shot off without even knowing when it is going to break. A steady increasing pressure on the trigger is the key.
You may not be dead on target, but the results will be better than a yanked trigger
Try that and see what develops.
When instructing new powder burner people, I show and tell them that if they yank the trigger when they get a perfect sight picture, the shot will be worse than if they understand that nature disallows total rock solid zero movement. It is something you have to accept. The result will be better if you keep the gun as steady as your body will allow and get the shot off without even knowing when it is going to break. A steady increasing pressure on the trigger is the key.
You may not be dead on target, but the results will be better than a yanked trigger
Try that and see what develops.
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A uncomfortable to sholder gun dont help for sure.. heres a thing on da fun de men tales
www.ssusa.org
An NRA Shooting Sports Journal | Rifle Fundamentals: Shooting and Follow-Through
Follow-through is when you maintain aim, breath control, hold control and trigger control until after the shot has been fired and the gun has settled back into position
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Try to just have fun first. Put a laser on your gun, fire from your hip at cans concentrating on keeping the Dot on the target. After a while you won't be thinking about the gun "going off" you'll just be hitting. Move the gun up after a while. Works great with kids that have been scared to death about guns by people who know nothing about them. Anyways, once you are having fun with it your serious shooting will improve.
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Lol.. anticipation is my thing shooting different guns with all there different trigger pulls and all. That and follow through is somthing good to work on ..
Got to keep your concentration throughout the shot not distracted by anything like trigger breakpoint. Or holding on target too long ..ect. you mind starts to wander or 2ed guess / thinking too hard. ,well ...
Got to keep your concentration throughout the shot not distracted by anything like trigger breakpoint. Or holding on target too long ..ect. you mind starts to wander or 2ed guess / thinking too hard. ,well ...
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Ask your friend to stand over you with a fly swatter. Every time you flinch, WHAP. . You'll come out of it.
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OK, try this process. I try and do this for every shot. I find it very calming and zen-like. Taking deep breaths really helps. I do this with all my weapons. Visualization is very important. See the pellet / bullet / arrow hitting the mark before the shot.
1. Make sure you are comfortably seated and both feet planted firmly.
2. Have a light grip and the rifle balanced on bag(s) with no cant.
3. Look at the target. Now aim at the very center of the target. I picture a very small dot. Aim small miss small.
4. Visualize the pellet hitting the dot.
5. Take a deep breath and slowly exhale visualizing the pellet hitting the dot.
6. As you exhale take up the first stage on the trigger and hit the wall.
7. At the bottom of the exhale, exert more force. I try and use the very tip of my finger at the lowest point on the trigger.
8. Ideally the trigger goes off with a little surprise and then continue to look through the scope and verify your accuracy.
9. Follow through is important. Keep looking through the scope and see where you hit. Rinse and repeat and aim small miss small!
1. Make sure you are comfortably seated and both feet planted firmly.
2. Have a light grip and the rifle balanced on bag(s) with no cant.
3. Look at the target. Now aim at the very center of the target. I picture a very small dot. Aim small miss small.
4. Visualize the pellet hitting the dot.
5. Take a deep breath and slowly exhale visualizing the pellet hitting the dot.
6. As you exhale take up the first stage on the trigger and hit the wall.
7. At the bottom of the exhale, exert more force. I try and use the very tip of my finger at the lowest point on the trigger.
8. Ideally the trigger goes off with a little surprise and then continue to look through the scope and verify your accuracy.
9. Follow through is important. Keep looking through the scope and see where you hit. Rinse and repeat and aim small miss small!
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I would add that after the shot is taken, hold the trigger back as part of the follow through, give it a 1 or 2 second count. I have trained Jr Rifle, it is tough to make it all work at once. Just keep practicing, thing of all the steps, and take your time.
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Been shooting high powered rifles my entire life.
If I flinch with those it hurts my shoulder so I’ve had to learn not to.
I haven’t shot airguns enough to find one that would make me flinch yet.
This works for me.
So lock into your rifle and shooting position
Breathe out and hold then wait between heart beats to fire.
A crisp trigger break helps the most since it predictably will break and fire the same every time.
(Consistency is a major key to accuracy.)
Concentrating on the basics focuses the mind on the task at hand.
Since you’re thinking about the shot you won’t worry about the recoil. (And it will be mitigated by holding the firearm properly.)
Proper weapon handling helps ease recoil fears IMO.
If you are holding the weapon firmly your fear (and flinching) should be eliminated with just a bit of confidence building practice.
And or….
Fire a large caliber powder burning boom boom a few times and no airgun will make you flinch.
I regularly shoot a single-action Ruger Blackhawk in 41 magnum with a 4 5/8ths inch barrel using some hot hand loads.
I admit the first couple rounds I might flinch….but everyone around me flinches every time it goes off!
If I flinch with those it hurts my shoulder so I’ve had to learn not to.
I haven’t shot airguns enough to find one that would make me flinch yet.
This works for me.
So lock into your rifle and shooting position
Breathe out and hold then wait between heart beats to fire.
A crisp trigger break helps the most since it predictably will break and fire the same every time.
(Consistency is a major key to accuracy.)
Concentrating on the basics focuses the mind on the task at hand.
Since you’re thinking about the shot you won’t worry about the recoil. (And it will be mitigated by holding the firearm properly.)
Proper weapon handling helps ease recoil fears IMO.
If you are holding the weapon firmly your fear (and flinching) should be eliminated with just a bit of confidence building practice.
And or….
Fire a large caliber powder burning boom boom a few times and no airgun will make you flinch.
I regularly shoot a single-action Ruger Blackhawk in 41 magnum with a 4 5/8ths inch barrel using some hot hand loads.
I admit the first couple rounds I might flinch….but everyone around me flinches every time it goes off!
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Practice dry firing. At home and even between shots at the range if necessary (a little tune up). Simple and effective fix. It's very difficult for an an athlete (shooting is a sport) to implement change during execution. Change is accomplished by retraining your mind and muscle memory during practice.
"All practice doesn't make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect" GSP
"All practice doesn't make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect" GSP
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Another thing to understand. Don't always try to "win" practice. Leave room in in your mental capacity to develop your technique. Take competition out of the practice session so you feel comfortable initiating change to your execution. Now an athlete can develop. You have to reserve a portion of your mental capacity for learning. This is why an athlete often can't remember what he did during competition and can't implement change then. Full attention was on execution.
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Just pretend you are in a passion session. Nice and easy. No rough stuff. Follow thur and 
.
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