2013 WC #4 Granada – Women

Siling Yi is back at the top of the podium! After a fantastic final with a new WRF (finals world record) and a qualification score close to the previous WR. That record belongs now to Liuxi Wu after a great score of 421.0 which equals to an average of 10.53 p! Scores were in general really high in the women’s event, to reach the final you had to shoot 417.9 p, the highest score so far in a world cup. Even to be within the top-20 you had to score at least 415.1 p which would have almost got you a final spot in both Fort Benning and Cangwon (9th place).

2013 WC #4 Granada – Men

We have now reached the fourth and final regular world cup of the season, Granada. It is also the testing round for next year’s world championship in the same city. The competition opened yesterday with trap to move on to air rifle, men’s event, today and women’s tomorrow. There was a good turn-up with 90 starting athletes and another 13 shooters in the MQS section. Compared to last time in Munich, scores were lower, around 4 p in average. Leader after the qualification round was Tao Wang after scoring 627.6

Blog Update

I know the blog has been quiet lately, and I apologize for that. I have relatively recently started a new job and am working more hours than before. Add to this all the learning that takes place and I am quite tired in general. I have not forgotten about the blog and will definitely continue writing posts (I have many more ideas and subjects to explore), I just have to get over this tired phase of switching jobs.

2013 WC #3 Munich – Women

The dominance from China continues. Out of a total of five competitor, four would have ended up in the final if MQS scores were allowed. But since that isn’t the case, two Chinese women moved on after qualifying in first and second place. Overall, scores were less than expected and far behind that of the men’s competition. Both final scores and qualification scores left more to desire. Instead of high scores we saw a tight competition. To enter the final you needed at least 416.0 p (ranging up to 418.9 p and even a 421.6 in the MQS section of the WC) which is an average of only 10.4.

2013 WC #3 Munich – Men

As we reach the third competition, we’ve seen 2 different champions and a many new faces in the final. Some great scores but at least I am still waiting for that competition with several shooters fighting for the win. As we move to Munich, a classically high-end competition where we every year see a large number of participants and high scores. This year we have the addition of having the clothing rules in full effect after the initiation period is finished. Interesting to see whether this will affect the competition in any way.

Competition Drills – 10 – 10

Ok, friendly competitions with fellow shooters can not really be called drills, but since I want to collect different kind of shooting drills under the same head line, I’ll start here.

10 – 10 is a kind of competition that involves two or more participants. I wouldn’t go more than four (except for the last variant where more participants ups the interest) since the length it’s going on for increases a lot with any additional shooter. The idea is that the shooter who first reaches 10 p wins, either a price or the glory.

2013 WC #2 Fort Benning– Women

The women’s competition concludes the AR portion of the WC. Once again, we see a smaller number of participants, only 44 finishers after one disqualification. Interesting to see is the number of high scores coming out of China. All three participating in the competition moved on to the final. On top of this there were two more in the MQS portion of the WC, both scoring well enough to have been in the final in case they’ve had a chance. Yue Zhang even scored above the current world record!

2013 WC #2 Fort Benning– Men

A month after Changwon, we reach the second World Cup of the season; Fort Benning.

Interesting to see this time is the number of participants were quite low (only 47 came to start) but scores were up slightly compared with the previous competition. We saw a new World Record by the veteran Peter Sidi of 631.9 p, 0.7 ahead of Niccolo Campriani’s previous record. We also saw a new Junior World Record set by Haoran Yang, a new name on the scene. A 17 year old who competed in his first World Cup and qualified in second place with the WR of 627.5 and finished with the victory!

Final Scores and Changes in the Ranking List

With the WC season under go and the switch to a new competition format, discussions whether the right shooter wins or not have surfaced. The change in format hasn’t just brought on new competitions but also how athletes approaches the final and what skills are required to win them. In the past there was a possibility to survive a final by posting excellent qualification scores and then live off them, now that’s impossible. You still have to be a good qualifier, but as long as you end up in the final, higher scores are not necessary. Instead, final scores becomes that much more important.

What is Training?

Have you ever thought about the question “What is training?”. If not, maybe it’s time to do so (or continue reading!). Ask a novice shooter and they will most likely answer something on the line of firing pellets at a target. Of course, this has to happen for you to become better at shooting. But training doesn’t stop here. Any conscious act with the purpose of increasing ones skill, is training. If that means standing on a wobble board for five minutes while watching TV to train balance, then that’s training.

The Standing Shooting Position – The Head

This is the final post for now about the shooting position which deals with head position.

There is much more to be said about the subject in the future. Many details not coming through in introductory posts like these ones which requires an entire post by themselves. I have a few ideas on subjects to add onto where it went by fast this time around (like more details on NPA changes, the support column, grip and left hand).

2013 WC #1 Changwon – Women

The women’s competition has now finished and was, not surprisingly, dominated by Asian shooters. Half of top 20 came from Asia and of those, three made it to the final. Scores were good in the top but dropped off relatively fast. Going into the final, a score of 415.2 p was required, which is an average of 10.38 p over all 40 shots. The leader came in with 419.7 (10.49), almost two points ahead of the second finalist. Opposite of the men’s competition, we find some good full ring scores this time: from 400 down to 396 with the majority at 399 p.