Since 2010 and in collaboration with Swiss Shooting, we have been investigating the mechanisms that lead to good and bad shots in competitive air rifle shooting. Our main explanatory structure for shooting performance is based on a functional chain of effects. Our research has shown that (1) contact forces on the rifle that cause movement are a key factor that has yet to be considered, (2) effects in chain links closer to the shooting result’s link should be more strongly associated with the result than those earlier on, and (3) compensatory effects can be expected along the chain to sustain performance. For empirical testing, we developed a training measurement set-up including contact force measurement (see video). With this set-up, we determined that force production patterns explain inter-individual performance differences while intra-individual patterns remain relatively stable over time (Kredel & Tartaruga, 2016). Currently, we are investigating whether differences in performance-relevant force production patterns can also be identified at an intra-individual level and whether optimal patterns can be trained to improve competitive performance. If successful, this validated methodology for monitored training stations and diagnostics would offer an international competitive advantage.
