Posted on 01/04/2019 7:46:18 AM PST by JayCh
Breathing, as we all know, is vital for us – it’s the one thing that we know how to do, to perform, even since we are given birth. And, for our entire lives, we just breathe in, without putting much thought into it.
As a matter of fact, until someone describes to us how breathing actually works, we never fully realize that we are breathing in and out – it is just one of those innate actions that we do every single day.
However, breathing can serve many other purposes than just keeping us alive. For example, martial arts fighters must know when to exhale and when to inhale. If they inhale when taking a hit to the stomach, they will run out of air in a second.
On the other hand, if they strongly exhale when receiving that type of hit, they will feel little to nothing, besides the fact that their body’s air flow will remain constant.
In this respect, today, we’ll be talking about the importance of your breathing and the specific breathing techniques that one should know when shooting a gun.
Therefore, why does one need to pay attention to their breathing while shooting? Let’s find out. Gun Mechanics When talking about guns and gun shooting, we have to take into account the following things – the weapon sway, the recoil of the weapon, and the behavior of aiming or the weapon sights.
• Weapon Sway The weapon sway happens when the weapon is moving on its own while you are aiming down sight. This is mainly influenced by our bodies and the weight of the weapon, especially when it comes to high-powered weapons that come with a smaller version . For example, just by simply breathing, we influence the amount of sway the weapon has. In order to understand this, we’ll take a short look at breathing and how it influences a gun’s mechanics. When breathing, our heart lightly changes its size, and so does our ribcage. This, in turn, affects the movement of our arms.
With a natural breathing pattern, we can notice our chest, shoulders, and weapon sights going up and down. Naturally, this affect the already present weapon sway, making it harder for someone to hit their target.
• Weapon Recoil When it comes to the weapon’s recoil, there’s really not much to say – you can influence this only through the grip you have on the weapon. However, when shooting a semi-automatic or an automatic weapon in bursts, breathing can influence how fast you recover from the recoil.
For example, if you breathe normally when firing continuous shots, you’ll notice that the weapon sights tend to go upward – this is because we let our breathing decide where the gun is pointing, so to speak.
• Aiming/ Aiming Down Sights When aiming, all of the aforementioned aspects of a gun’s mechanics come into effect, including the way the shooter breathes. Most of the times, you won’t be using a tripod to have your sights stick to their target. Obviously, in such situations, you must know how to control the weapon sway, recoil, and – naturally – your breathing.
As an example, let’s say that you use a 4-time or greater scope for your weapon. This applies to weapon iron sights as well, especially when shooting targets that are quite far away. In such a scenario, the slightest movement of your sights can make a difference between hitting the target or missing it. Moreover, you must keep in mind that weapon sway is completely natural, and you can’t avoid it. However, if your breathing is on point, you can greatly reduce it. The Importance of Breathing while Shooting Many times, in movies, we hear the users of sniper rifles tell that they hold their breath while shooting, in order to improve their accuracy. That’s mostly a myth. Why?
Because holding your breath can – and, in most cases, will – make you go lightheaded, affecting your following shots or even the ability to aim down sights. Therefore, you can’t just hold your breath and expect to hit a target. Remember that holding your breath means that you stop the oxygen supply of your brain, which is clearly not a good thing.
In terms of guns and shooting, a proper breathing technique comes with great accuracy. This reduces the damage, so to say, caused by your normal breathing, and can improve your aiming and shooting skills. Therefore, let’s see some of the breathing techniques that professionals use to improve their aiming and shooting. Breathing Techniques In this part of our article, we’ll take a look at 4 basic breathing techniques, and we’ll also explain the 4-7-8 breathing technique. However, you can’t master these just be reading this information; instead, a lot of practice and patience are required.
• Exhale and Pause Method Before taking a deep breath prior to your shot, put your cheek against the gun’s stock, in order to further stabilize the weapon. Then, take a deep breath and, as you exhale, do so for just a portion of your breath – you should then pause, but briefly, just as long as you need to take the shot. While pausing your breath, you should be able to perfectly align the barrel and the sights of the gun, making the perfect shot. • Inhale and Pause Method This is the reverse way of the previous method. While normally breathing and when inhaling, pause when you think your lungs are half full. Then, you will take the same brief pause and pull the trigger. Similar to the previous method, the pause should allow you to align the sights and barrel with your target, resulting in an accurate shot the moment you fire the gun. • Full Exhale Method Before taking your shot, you should breathe to full relaxation and focus on your target. As you continue to breathe, pause when you exhale, and your lungs will be completely empty of air.
The pause should last just for a split of a second – just enough for you to pull the trigger when your breathing. The movement of your body caused by breathing will not affect your aim at all. • Natural Breathing This method is usually used to improve your shot timing – basically, you just breathe naturally and squeeze the trigger when the right moment comes. Of course, you do have to focus on your shooting position and on the target instead. The natural breathing method is considered to be less stressful for your heart, so to say. When using a controlled-breathing technique, your heart rate may increase, and your breathing patterns may change, due to focusing on your breathing. The main point of these shooting methods is that the shooter must only pause their breath, and not hold it. It’s just like when a song skips a beat in order to make room for another – you pause your breath, pull the trigger, and then return to breathing.
The 4-7-8 Breathing Method This technique is helpful not only when it comes to shooting with a gun. It is based on the principle that it slows your heart rate, reduces stress, relaxes your muscles, and makes you calmer during and after you shoot. The method can be done before actually shooting the gun, in order to prepare the body for when it has to fire the shot. After you’re done with it, you can rely on the improved Normal Breathing technique you’ve achieved, as you are more relaxed and can put more focus on your target. 4 – with your mouth closed, breathe in deeply through your nose for 4 seconds. 7 – hold your breath for as long as 7 seconds. 8 – exhale out completely, but slowly, deeply, and with a whooshing noise, through your mouth, for as long as 8 seconds.
While deep breathing, the oxygen flow to the brain will be increased. The 4, 7, and the 8 help you minimize your body’s movement when shooting as much as possible. You will get a relaxed heart, untightened muscles, a clear head, and the ability to focus on your target and on the moment that you fire your gun. As you can see, breathing properly while shooting is extremely important and can help you stay focused on your target. Take into consideration the techniques presented in this article and you’ll be able to improve your shooting if you work constantly on it.
You don't get to choose when you're struck; that's up to your attacker. The important thing is to NOT hold your breath.
When I bought my first half way decent revolver it was an H&R 49er. It came with instructions on shooting.
None of this complicated stuff. Just take a deep breath, let a bit of it out and then squeeze the trigger fairly quickly.
It stated that real pros knew when the gun would go off but it you were a beginner, it is probably best to let it be a surprise.
Those simple instructions improved my shooting dramatically. The H&R was pretty accurate but I traded it in on a Colt Woodsman and learned what an extremely accurate pistol could do.
The best way I teach new shooters is to have them hold a long gun in the shooting position then breathe normally.
They get to see the end of the barrel rise and fall.
Then they get it.
Great for them but what about those of us that close our eyes when we pull the trigger?
Way back when I shot on my high school rifle team you were told to make sure you pulse wasn’t too fast, no coffee or sodas. Of course back then my standing pulse was about 40 so I was exempt and I didn’t like being told not to do something.
Thanks, Jay! Looks good to me.
MAMA!: make America more accurate! Oh...that looks kinda squirrelly, doesn’t it. Never mind. ;-)
Every fighter I knew exhaled a little with each punch or kick—not fully but a little and somewhat forcefully through the mouthpiece vent. Inhaling was done through the nose, as long as it wasn’t swollen shut. That was a long time ago, though. ;-)
You do have a point there, though. Along with the eyes, one feel an opponent telegraphing by way of his breathing rhythms.
BRASS Breathe Relax Aim Slack Squeeze. That’s how it was taught in Marine Corps boot camp when I went through.
Interesting. bfl
I tried 10 meter targets at near max heart rate a few times.
A set of intervals to 100% heart rate. at the end of the last interval, run into the basement and take a few shots.
Sight picture? Where is the target?
It was WILD!
And it takes two minutes to drop from 165 to under 100.
About ONE-THIRD SECOND BETWEEN BEATS, for me, much less for younger XC skiers.
The biathlon guys just do it!
Just how the biathlon guys do it?
XC skiing is the heart max of maximums!
It is also easy to get in the habit of holding your breath when in a fighting situation. You need oxygen.
Oh, yeah. I’ve done many fire-and-maneuver exercises on different kinds of terrain. Done properly, they require endurance (including wind) that most people can’t imagine.
Um, duh. Part of the basics in any firearms training.
CC
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