PREVIEW PAGES Clay Shooting Success Sports Science Handbook Written by Phil Coley MSc Š2011
Visualisation or Mental Imagery Imagery is the use of your mind to imagine being in a situation. For clay shooting this is a key area for preparation, training and success. So why is imagery so important? The simple explanation is that imagining a situation can reinforce, and improve, the same real-life situation. Let’s look at this in more detail for clay shooting. There are two types of ways to imagine yourself in a clay shooting perspective – the first is internal imagery, and the second is external imagery. To explain this more – Imagine you are shooting, think of yourself now doing it – what do you see? Are you seeing yourself as if watching yourself on TV, or are you seeing targets on a range as if you were holding your gun? If you see yourself as if watching on a TV, then that is external; if you see targets as if you are holding your gun then this is internal. Both are effective, but internal imagery is widely regarded as the most successful.
www.clayshootingsuccess.co.uk ©2011 No part of this handbook to be reproduced without prior consent of the author, Phil Coley.
Below is an exercise to help you see the effectiveness of Imagery. 1. Think of a ground you shoot at.
2. Pick a target or what you are going to shoot (for Sporting pick a target, for Skeet pick a stand, for Trap think of a target).
3. Now think how it feels to shoot it. a. When you think about it, what do you see?
b. What do you feel?
c. Did you actually move when you were thinking about it?
4. What do you think?
The reason we have done this is so that you can experience - mentally - what it is like to shoot a target. But for this to be effective it needs to be the right thought process. You should have felt your body twitch (or you may have even been moving your arms anyway), you should have seen the ground, maybe even seen others shooting too. But when you actually shot the target you should have gone through a routine that you normally do: called for the target and shot it. www.clayshootingsuccess.co.uk Š2011 No part of this handbook to be reproduced without prior consent of the author, Phil Coley.
Imagery helps you in so many ways, especially when using ‘dry mounting’. If you are not able to shoot every day, as many are not, then dry mounting is a great way to use both imagery and technical ways. The best form of dry mounting is to do this in a dark room – the reason for this is so it has some element of realism - if you imagine a target, stand up and dry mount, then you don’t see anything you don’t need to see, so you can then imagine the targets you want to. Imagery is a huge part of psychology. It is used to improve techniques, and to help enhance your performance through developing a strong mental focus. Elements such as dealing with anxiety, relaxation and many other aspects begin with imagery. In the ‘Forms’ section of this handbook are some working forms for you to use.
www.clayshootingsuccess.co.uk ©2011 No part of this handbook to be reproduced without prior consent of the author, Phil Coley.
Anxiety Control Feeling nervous is a feeling of anxiousness or getting stressed and is common for any sportsperson - most experience ‘butterflies’ or sweaty palms, but how to cope with them can make the difference between coming first or last. Most people experience a rise in heart rate -research that has been conducted across all sports, and the specific research we have done in clay shooting, shows certain patterns or traits across all subjects used. Let’s look at some background into this. When someone is to take part in a sport at any level of competition then there is a rise in their heart rate, even in a static sport. The rise in heart rate is caused by anticipation as the individual subconsciously prepares the body for an appropriate response. Example Think of your favourite food. What is it? Can you imagine it? What does it taste like? - You should have experienced increased salivation – a bodily response to your thoughts. So what about nerves or anxiety in practice for you? Example Think about a situation in your clay shooting (use a bit of imagery) – you are on a straight and hitting the next 2 targets mean you beat a widely renowned top shot, or even someone you have never beaten before. These two targets are not your favoured target – how do you feel? Is your heart rate up just thinking about it? Your heart rate will have increased almost definitely in this exercise and that is good – it shows you are able to imagine correctly. The key is controlling your heart rate through controlling your mind. To explain this we need to be technical to help you understand what is really going on. The mind controls everything we do; it computes information in milliseconds, makes split-second decisions and can act without conscious human thought. It is truly amazing. TO READ MORE THEN GET YOUR FREE HANDBOOK TODAY [CLICK HERE]
www.clayshootingsuccess.co.uk ©2011 No part of this handbook to be reproduced without prior consent of the author, Phil Coley.