Centering and Relaxation Techniques

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  • LR1955
    Super Moderator
    • Mar 2011
    • 3355

    Centering and Relaxation Techniques

    On the Arnold thread, Klem said he was interested in hearing more about the notion of Centering and Relaxation techniques.

    Here is my shot at it.

    Lets take the situation where one of the guys here drove a hundred miles to a range and only has two hours to test out some loads and group. He rushes through set up, gets behind his blaster, and shoots a shot -- dead center in his target. Excited about not having to deal with zero issues, he shoots again and the holes are touching. Focused in on his third shot, the clover leafs.

    Thoughts start entering his mind like "man, this seems like a great load! Maybe I got something here! Let me put this next shot right in the middle of the group." As he readies himself to shoot again, he notices a bit more tension in his shoulders and arm but looking through the optic, he notes that it really is a decent hold so he shoots again and the hole is just a bit outside of the others but maybe good enough.

    So he thinks to himself "one final shot and if this one goes into the middle, I know I have something. I just need to get this shot off dead center or I will end up having to head home without knowing if this load was good or not. And the next time I can get here is in three weeks when the conditions may not be as ideal as today." He gets ready to shoot but things don't feel right. His legs are very tense, shoulders and arms are also very tense. He feels sweat rolling down his face and it bothers him. He gets behind his rifle and it seems the position is collapsing so he frantically adjusts things until he thinks he has something stable. His sight picture is a bit fuzzy and the reticle is moving but not that much. "Not sure if this is a good load or not and this shot will tell. Got to take a good shot." So he shoots but the optic jumps so he can't really call his shot. He thought it was centered but wasn't really sure.

    The shot is about and inch outside the others. Not so far out he blames himself but not what he wanted either. And he doesn't have time to do it again. So he leaves trying to figure out if his load was good or not.

    The first thing he screwed up was not taking all five shots in a rapid fire sequence where he would simply focus on sight picture and trigger as LRRP52 and myself normally recommend. He looked after each shot and the better the group got, the more his focus changed from shooting good shots to a demand for a perfect result. And he then let outside stressors get involved such as once a month range sessions, only two hours to figure out if his loads were good, etc. Physically, his muscles tensed which probably isn't good for precision shooting. His focus shifted from process to result, and he slowly left his ideal performance zone until he failed.

    A person can look at 'centering' as balance between mind, body, spirit. Sounds familiar I bet. And yes, center of the body is considered the lower abdomin as you martial artist guys understand. That said, when people say 'stay centered' what they normally mean is to stay focused. This implies an ideal (for that person) state of being where he can focus on performing a specific task perfectly. It allows a person to shed stressors and refine his focus on performing the task. People who have practiced centering techniques can center themselves extremely quickly. Some use a breath with a cue word, others a breath with some sort of ritual. Either way, what they are doing is shedding what ever distractor is there and focusing on what they know is the right series of actions to take to succeed. It does not concern the past or future but only the present. You do not have to be laying down in a quiet room to 'center' yourself. You can center while doing about anything. It does take practice.

    Here is a understandable link to centering. https://www.verywell.com/how-to-keep...e-game-3120691

    Centering normally entails deep and controlled breathing. Normally inhale through nose and exhale through mouth. The breathing is controlled and most people use a count for inhale, hold (sometimes) and exhale. I think a SEAL is pushing a decent breathing technique to center which is a four count inhale, four count hold, and four count exhale. Some do two count inhale and four count exhale. OK -- do what ever you want because the whole intent is for you to shift your attention away from stressors and this can be done by counting as you breath, hold, or exhale. If your are counting, your attention is on counting. That simple. Plus you are oxygenating your entire body which means better vision, more strength, etc.

    Once you do a couple iterations of your controlled breathing and you feel better from it, you can shift attention to muscular relaxation if that is appropriate. For shooters who are shooting standing or from a bench, let me suggest as you inhale your four count, shrug your shoulders upward, hold with tension at the top for your hold, then as you exhale you slowly relax your shoulders until they no longer feel tension. For shooters who are prone, when you get your shoulders relaxed, shift to your legs.

    Once relaxed, your mind is clear and you can put the right types of images or thoughts into it for success.

    So, what you are actually doing is clearing the mind, oxygenating the body, relaxing muscles so that you can focus your attention on doing the right actions to accomplish your task.

    It won't happen in an instant. You need to practice it to find what works but it will entail controlled deep breathing -- that much I will say is required. Practice it when you are doing some informal shooting to learn your technique and use it when ever you need it.

    OK Klem -- that is my part for the month.

    LR55
  • schrödinger's cat
    Bloodstained
    • Dec 2015
    • 84

    #2
    Thanks '55 ! I love reading your articles ! I wish I'd be able to take a class by you someday.

    Comment

    • Klem
      Chieftain
      • Aug 2013
      • 3506

      #3
      Interesting vignette.

      My take on relaxing tense muscles is to tense each limb individually as much as I can, hold it for a few seconds and relax. Then on to the next limb, and so on. Finally, the whole body tense as much as possible and relax. Inhale, close the eyes, count to ten and exhale. I heard this on the radio once, something about meditation and it has stuck with me.

      I don't do that for shooting however. Two deep breaths to oxygenate the system and exhale the last two thirds, hold it, and take the shot before CO2 build-up causes stress. If I am not ready to shoot start the sequence again. This for shooting where I have control over the shot release.

      Comment

      • JASmith
        Chieftain
        • Sep 2014
        • 1620

        #4
        My own experience in competitive shooting is absolutely in line with LR1955's comments.

        I have too many unhappy memories of watching a good score develop only to be thinking about that as the last shot or next to last shot broke and went enough out to send me down several places. Oh, yes, there was also that time when the shooter to my left hung the current playmate centerfold on his pistol box. Things would have been OK except that her picture reminded me of someone I knew very well...

        Interestingly, if one follows his and LRRPF52's advice and shoots the group in rapid sequence focusing only on centering, relaxing, sight picture, and trigger pull something else happens. The wind conditions are likely to change much less than taking a half hour to get the same set of shots into the target.

        Another benefit is that you won't need the whole two hours for shooting and can focus on getting set up and shooting.
        Last edited by JASmith; 08-11-2016, 03:05 PM.
        shootersnotes.com

        "To those who have fought and almost died for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know."
        -- Author Unknown

        "If at first you do succeed, try not to look astonished!" -- Milton Berle

        Comment

        • Klem
          Chieftain
          • Aug 2013
          • 3506

          #5
          Talking about shooting rapid strings of shots I once saw a young girl win an F Class match by shooting as fast as she could crank the bolt. The results were being displayed on a monitor next to her so she was essentially 'driving' the shots around the target as the wind slowly changed. Meanwhile the rest of us were taking the full 15 minutes allocated for 2 sighters and 10 shots to score, roughly one per minute. We would watch the wind flags and when they were the all similar to the previous shot take the shot. Trouble is the wind had changed so much in 60 seconds that 'chasing the spotter' (using the previous shot to inform the next shot) was impossible.

          This girl didn't know any fancy wind judging techniques and had little experience in shooting. She just cranked off all 12 shots in less than a minute and chased the spotter to win the match. You can't do this when the targets are being pulled up and down by a butts party, the feedback is too slow. But with electronic targets, fall of shot feedback is about 1 second to seeing it on the screen. That was an epiphany for everyone that day. From then on everyone started to speed up their strings and paid less attention to flags. Pity really because reading wind from trees, flags and mirage is a cool skill. Nowadays it's Kestrel wind-captures and TV screens.

          Comment

          • rwh
            Warrior
            • Jun 2014
            • 188

            #6
            My idea of relaxing is to remember that I have no idea what I am doing and treat every shot as if it is my first. I check that the sights are on target, check that the front sight is centered in the rear, check that my cheek is resting in the place where it needs to be, remind myself to breathe, check that the sights are on the target again, take up the first stage on the trigger, check the sights again, take a breath and let half of it out, and then wait a pause between my heartbeats and squeeze off the round. I do that same routine for every shot. It seems to help. Then I throw it all out the window and jerk the trigger when the sight picture looks good once the match is under way.

            What kind of match lets you take a kestrel to the firing line?

            Comment

            • LR1955
              Super Moderator
              • Mar 2011
              • 3355

              #7
              Originally posted by Klem View Post
              Interesting vignette.

              My take on relaxing tense muscles is to tense each limb individually as much as I can, hold it for a few seconds and relax. Then on to the next limb, and so on. Finally, the whole body tense as much as possible and relax. Inhale, close the eyes, count to ten and exhale. I heard this on the radio once, something about meditation and it has stuck with me.

              I don't do that for shooting however. Two deep breaths to oxygenate the system and exhale the last two thirds, hold it, and take the shot before CO2 build-up causes stress. If I am not ready to shoot start the sequence again. This for shooting where I have control over the shot release.
              Klem:

              What you describe is known as 'Progressive Muscle Relaxation'. Done using deep and controlled breathing, centering as I described, then tension and relaxation of muscles. Normally done from the extremities to the 'center' (lower abdomin). For reasons I am not sure of, the process starts with the toes on one foot then the calf, thighs, then the other foot, then each hand and arm, and finally neck, traps, chest.

              Very difficult for a person to stop and start over once they are in their shooting sequence. Takes a bunch of discipline but it is worth it. Particularly if you have to do a penalty loop for every target you miss. Or if you end up going from 1st to 5th place because you shot a 9 when others shot 10 or X.

              LR55

              Comment

              • LR1955
                Super Moderator
                • Mar 2011
                • 3355

                #8
                I see some of you guys talk about individual breaths per shot. Here is a way I train myself to shoot under stress when I can't exercise on a range. Get into position, breath, hold, fire five on one breath. Yes, even when standing. It really teaches you to have a very good position, to focus on staying calm, and having a smooth trigger pull. Try it sometime when you are messing around with the standing position. It is pretty fun and you would be surprised at how well you may just do providing you stay calm and focused.

                That said, I have also shot rapids in High Power with three or more shots on one breath. With AR's firing light recoiling cartridges, you don't get knocked out of position very much if any and sometimes breathing between shots gets in the way. Cant do it with a bolt rifle or M-14 but with a 12 pound AR match rifle, it is sometimes easier.

                LR55

                Comment

                • Klem
                  Chieftain
                  • Aug 2013
                  • 3506

                  #9
                  Originally posted by rwh View Post

                  What kind of match lets you take a kestrel to the firing line?
                  F Class 300-1,000yds matches.

                  Comment

                  • BluntForceTrauma
                    Administrator
                    • Feb 2011
                    • 3897

                    #10
                    Thanks, LR, good stuff.
                    :: 6.5 GRENDEL Deer and Targets :: 6mmARC Targets and Varmints and Deer :: 22 ARC Varmints and Targets

                    :: I Drank the Water :: Revelation 21:6 ::

                    Comment

                    • Drift
                      Warrior
                      • Nov 2014
                      • 509

                      #11
                      Plan B if you are lazy. Take a beta blocker. They are heart/Blood pressure medicine. (wont lower your B/P if it is normal) They suppresses your bodies stress hormones like adrenlin and gets rid of those fine tremors that ruin your sight picture. And also slows the heart rate some, so its easier to shoot between heart beats. I do believe that they are forbidden by the Olympics-because they give you a chemical advantage.

                      Comment

                      • Rickc
                        Warrior
                        • Aug 2016
                        • 311

                        #12
                        Originally posted by LR1955 View Post
                        On the Arnold thread, Klem said he was interested in hearing more about the notion of Centering and Relaxation techniques.

                        Here is my shot at it.

                        Lets take the situation where one of the guys here drove a hundred miles to a range and only has two hours to test out some loads and group. He rushes through set up, gets behind his blaster, and shoots a shot -- dead center in his target. Excited about not having to deal with zero issues, he shoots again and the holes are touching. Focused in on his third shot, the clover leafs.

                        Thoughts start entering his mind like "man, this seems like a great load! Maybe I got something here! Let me put this next shot right in the middle of the group." As he readies himself to shoot again, he notices a bit more tension in his shoulders and arm but looking through the optic, he notes that it really is a decent hold so he shoots again and the hole is just a bit outside of the others but maybe good enough.

                        So he thinks to himself "one final shot and if this one goes into the middle, I know I have something. I just need to get this shot off dead center or I will end up having to head home without knowing if this load was good or not. And the next time I can get here is in three weeks when the conditions may not be as ideal as today." He gets ready to shoot but things don't feel right. His legs are very tense, shoulders and arms are also very tense. He feels sweat rolling down his face and it bothers him. He gets behind his rifle and it seems the position is collapsing so he frantically adjusts things until he thinks he has something stable. His sight picture is a bit fuzzy and the reticle is moving but not that much. "Not sure if this is a good load or not and this shot will tell. Got to take a good shot." So he shoots but the optic jumps so he can't really call his shot. He thought it was centered but wasn't really sure.

                        The shot is about and inch outside the others. Not so far out he blames himself but not what he wanted either. And he doesn't have time to do it again. So he leaves trying to figure out if his load was good or not.

                        The first thing he screwed up was not taking all five shots in a rapid fire sequence where he would simply focus on sight picture and trigger as LRRP52 and myself normally recommend. He looked after each shot and the better the group got, the more his focus changed from shooting good shots to a demand for a perfect result. And he then let outside stressors get involved such as once a month range sessions, only two hours to figure out if his loads were good, etc. Physically, his muscles tensed which probably isn't good for precision shooting. His focus shifted from process to result, and he slowly left his ideal performance zone until he failed.

                        A person can look at 'centering' as balance between mind, body, spirit. Sounds familiar I bet. And yes, center of the body is considered the lower abdomin as you martial artist guys understand. That said, when people say 'stay centered' what they normally mean is to stay focused. This implies an ideal (for that person) state of being where he can focus on performing a specific task perfectly. It allows a person to shed stressors and refine his focus on performing the task. People who have practiced centering techniques can center themselves extremely quickly. Some use a breath with a cue word, others a breath with some sort of ritual. Either way, what they are doing is shedding what ever distractor is there and focusing on what they know is the right series of actions to take to succeed. It does not concern the past or future but only the present. You do not have to be laying down in a quiet room to 'center' yourself. You can center while doing about anything. It does take practice.

                        Here is a understandable link to centering. https://www.verywell.com/how-to-keep...e-game-3120691

                        Centering normally entails deep and controlled breathing. Normally inhale through nose and exhale through mouth. The breathing is controlled and most people use a count for inhale, hold (sometimes) and exhale. I think a SEAL is pushing a decent breathing technique to center which is a four count inhale, four count hold, and four count exhale. Some do two count inhale and four count exhale. OK -- do what ever you want because the whole intent is for you to shift your attention away from stressors and this can be done by counting as you breath, hold, or exhale. If your are counting, your attention is on counting. That simple. Plus you are oxygenating your entire body which means better vision, more strength, etc.

                        Once you do a couple iterations of your controlled breathing and you feel better from it, you can shift attention to muscular relaxation if that is appropriate. For shooters who are shooting standing or from a bench, let me suggest as you inhale your four count, shrug your shoulders upward, hold with tension at the top for your hold, then as you exhale you slowly relax your shoulders until they no longer feel tension. For shooters who are prone, when you get your shoulders relaxed, shift to your legs.

                        Once relaxed, your mind is clear and you can put the right types of images or thoughts into it for success.

                        So, what you are actually doing is clearing the mind, oxygenating the body, relaxing muscles so that you can focus your attention on doing the right actions to accomplish your task.

                        It won't happen in an instant. You need to practice it to find what works but it will entail controlled deep breathing -- that much I will say is required. Practice it when you are doing some informal shooting to learn your technique and use it when ever you need it.

                        OK Klem -- that is my part for the month.

                        LR55
                        Yep

                        We all have seen that.great group developing and really tightened up on the.last 1 or 2 and.watched the.group go to pieces. You probably tightened your grip or held your breath too long or changed something. It happens to all of us.

                        I try not to even look at the group. I usually move my group away from my aiming point anyway not.to destroy the aiming point.

                        But if I feel myself tightening up. I get up from the.bench and stretch and even walk around a minute or two.then I can usually just shoot those last two relaxed.

                        I just.might try that deep breathing too!

                        Comment

                        • Jakal
                          Warrior
                          • May 2014
                          • 376

                          #13
                          I usually think of an experience that happened at The Red Dog Saloon in Oklahoma City, OK back in '92. Pretty freaking relaxed after that!

                          ""Come taste my Shillelagh you goat-eatin bastard!""

                          Comment

                          • LR1955
                            Super Moderator
                            • Mar 2011
                            • 3355

                            #14
                            Originally posted by Jakal View Post
                            I usually think of an experience that happened at The Red Dog Saloon in Oklahoma City, OK back in '92. Pretty freaking relaxed after that!

                            http://s3-media2.fl.yelpcdn.com/bpho...zY6Fv0mQ/o.jpg
                            Jakal:

                            Stay on topic, please.

                            And understand that this forum is more family oriented than most firearms forums on the internet.

                            LR55

                            Comment

                            • Klem
                              Chieftain
                              • Aug 2013
                              • 3506

                              #15
                              I have got to say that I am often a victim of last round nerves especially with a good developing group. But am reluctant to get up off the bench for fear of breaking the unique hold on the rifle that contributed to the group so far. Also worried about the barrel cooling down too much. I don't know what the answer is and compounding this was the last time I went out...

                              Several slow, measured and recorded groups. The last group was just for fun, as fast as I could reacquire the target BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, holey-moley it was the tightest group of the day. Go figure!

                              Comment

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