The Future of GR&PTed

Ted George investigates a new course aimed
to help clubs train their own GR&P instructors

Image-shootersA lot of gallery rifle and pistol clubs are insular in their  thinking and do nothing to encourage members to enter  competition. They are in their comfort zone, have ‘old Harry’  to look after new members, the books balance at the end of the  year – why do more? There is talent around the country but it is not  developed – it has no direction and goes to waste. We hear comments such as, “I’m not good enough,“ “I don’t know  anything about the competitions,” “I don’t know what to do if I  enter,” “The club I shoot at only ‘plink’ at precision targets,” “No one  at the club seems interested,” “We have no one at the club to show us  how to enter competitions or improve,” and “I’d have to go to Bisley  for ‘x’ number of weekends and I can’t afford the time and cost.”

We have considered these, and agree. For clubs  in the north and east it is time-consuming and costly to send people  to Bisley to do an instructors’ course. There are no technique courses  – it’s like being lost in a maze. None of this is good for the sport. We have put together a group of instructor-run courses around  the country for clubs and groups. The courses will be run as cheaply  as possible just to cover expenses – all we need is a venue capable of  setting up a screen and projector, seating for those taking part, and  a range to put theory into practice. This should make it economical  for clubs to get some quality basic instructors. In time we plan on  running technique courses for pistol and gallery rifle – it is now 17  years since we lost pistols and with national teams running once  more, we need to teach shooters the skills of shooting these again.

The basic course will cover the following:

Day 1

Gallery rifle – safety and firearms handling; basic techniques with  a .22 sporting rifle; stance with rifle standing; grip/hand position;  trigger; sights and aiming; breathing; firing the shot; follow-through;  faults in technique; different disciplines; use of underlever

Day 2

Revolver & Pistol Techniques – stance; grip; sights; aiming; trigger  release; breathing; follow through.

Black powder; Techniques for different disciplines.

Day 3

How people learn. Instruction techniques – Involve the person/ people; break the section down into small segments with practical  sessions; teach, don’t indoctrinate, think of a course you have been  on that you enjoyed; tell them how you want the task carried out and  not how not to do it, give positive feedback to build confidence. What affects how a person performs – A bad journey to the  session, problems at work, problems at home, alcohol, eating before  the session (blood is then used to digest food and robs the brain of oxygen). The person needs to concentrate on the shot being fired,  not what has gone or what is to come.

The course will also promote physical relaxation; mental  relaxation; visualisation; mental rehearsal; keeping positive shooting  records; and a positive attitude. The course can be tailored to suit individual needs. If you have  any questions ask, we want to get more people involved in the sport.

Comments welcome – please contact us

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