Our ageing bodies remain keen to keep doing what we love, but they need a little TLC as we get older to regain or retain their more youthful oomph…Shooting requires fitness, strength and flexibility; fluid, relaxed, coordinated movement of the shoulders, torso and gun is pivotal to a good shot. Ageing bodies, and a lifetime spent seated at desks and driving, in poor postures, aren’t conducive to this needed flexibility.
Driven game or clay pigeon shooting fitness can be helped by stretching before your day starts, to help reduce the risk of injury and maybe improve your performance!
Stretching exercises to help warm the body up prior to activity, increasing muscle flexibility and range of motion enabling your muscles to work more effectively. Stretching also helps relieve tension and decreases the risk of injury and muscle soreness. They can be done quickly on arrival at your shoot, whether in the field, at the clay pigeon shooting ground or at the ranges before taking up position. They are designed to help you achieve a relaxed neck and shoulder posture alongside flexibility in the upper back to help ensure a coordinated controlled shot.
Each exercise requires the same starting posture; feet should be hip distance apart, toes pointing forward, shoulders back and down, head looking straight ahead. Ease into each stretch and move slowly until you feel the targeted muscle or muscles gently relax and lengthen
Place 2 fingers at the bottom of your chin and gently tuck your chin in and retract your head backwards. Use your fingers to keep the chin tucked in the entire time. Hold the end position for 5 seconds. Relax your neck for a moment and let the neck come forwards again. Repeat 5 times. Your eyes should stay level and you should feel like the back of your neck is lengthening during the stretch.
Tilt your head down so your chin touches your chest.
Hold this position for 5 seconds. Return to the starting position and tilt your head back, looking up, hold for 5 seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat five times.
Relax your shoulders and keep them down as you lean away. From the original starting position, tilt your ear down towards your shoulder, whilst keeping your shoulders down and back. Hold for 5 seconds and then return to the starting position. Do this five times on each side.
Look straight ahead, then turn your head to one side, keeping your eyes level hold for a count of 10.
Do this five times on each side.
Keep your neck and jaw relaxed and your chin tucked in, whilst you rotate your shoulders forwards in a circular motion. Complete five rotations and then rotate backwards in the opposite direction also, repeat five times.
Keep your chin tucked back and jaw relaxed, and shrug your shoulders up towards your ears and relax. Repeat 10 times. (you can add a weight to make it a little harder)
While standing, squeeze your shoulder blades together. Do not raise your shoulders up as you are squeezing. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
Cross your arms at shoulder height. Twist your torso from the hips to the right, opening your right arm to swing round and stretch back behind you.
Allow your head to follow the direction of the open arm looking over your shoulder along the extended arm.
Rotate back to the starting position and twist to the left, opening your left arm. Repeat to each side five times.
Tuck your chin back and in, and engage your core, whilst you correct your posture, relax your breathing, then reach both arms right up as high as you can towards the sky, to really feel an elongation and lengthening throughout your body. Hold the position for a count of 10, relax and repeat 5 times.
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