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IIRC, (and this is from roughly 8 years ago) my coach said that the better short shooters were the ones who were brighter (read: smarter) and who were better students and athletes (he also said that he couldn't teach a student athlete who didn't want to learn.)

He and I still talk, and it helps that I went to school with one of his kids.

I loved the comraderie, the required mental discipline to exceed, and the demands physically.

See, I have an inherited condition, called familial tremors. Basically, my hands shake (more than most people) and you can imagine the struggle to hit bullseyes (with shaking hands.) My mom, who went to a couple of matches (which is quite funny, since she is pretty much anti-gun anything) said it was amazing to watch me online during a competition. The barrel of the gun would oscilate in a figure 8, slowing compacting to nothing (sitting still) when I would fire. If I didn't, it would pick back up again, and I'd have to reset.
This doesn't count having rigor mortis set in to make you a better standing shooter (as opposed to knealing or prone.)

Doing this at 10m with .177 pellets on targets was quite challenging.

Probably the best I'd say was my first trip to the Walsh Invitational, at Xavier U (the rifle range was in the second story of the basketball gym.)
I was shooting great that week, but my coach went with the experience over me (at the time) 'cause it was a big match. Lo and behold, The guy who started slightly melted below his normal scores (about +2 deviation) and I was +3 on mine. (~20 pt. difference) My coach was estatic, and was also p_____ that he didn't start me. (and the fact that he didn't tell me until afterwards, which p____ me off! He didn't realize I was a stress junkie, and also a showoff!)