The Effects of Innovative Shotgun Shooting Methods on Collegiate Shotgun Shooters

Abstract

Sporting activities are classified according to movement demands and can be categorized as either dynamic or static actions. Many events exist within the discipline of “shooting sports”, and dynamic and static demands vary drastically among those events. However, consideration for differences in movement demands is frequently disregarded in shooting sports; common practice protocol encourages sh ooters to utilize static shooting techniques for all shooting sport events. In particular, shooting techniques for shotgun shooting, a dynamic sporting event, regularly align with rifle shooting (static activity) methods. Innovative dynamic shotgun shoot ing techniques have recently been developed, however, no previous studies have examined the outcomes of employing these dynamic techniques. Therefore, the current research investigated the effects of innovative shotgun shooting methods on collegiate shotg un shooters (n=38). Pre and post trap and skeet scores were collected at a certified International Shooting Sport Federation and USA Shooting competition field. Upon completion of pre-test shooting, subjects participated in an Optimum Shooting Performance (OSP) intervention that outlined innovative dynamic shooting and practice techniques. Post-test shooting scores were collected after2-weeks of OSP practice. A paired sample t test identified statistically significant improvements for trap shootingscores (t[32] = 2.82, p = .008, 95% CI [0.431, 2.660], d = .49),skeet shooting scores (t[32] = 2.59, p = .01, 95% CI[0.436, 3.625], d = .45), and total shooting (sum score of trap and skeet tests) scores (t[32] = 3.37, p = .002, 95%CI [1.417, 5.734], d = .59). These results suggest that learning and utilizing the OSP methods significantly increased the shooting performance of college shotgun shooters.