An Introduction to Shooting
Shooting developed as a sport from hunting. The rules and competition structure of modern shooting were developed in Europe and USA, spreading worldwide in the late 19th century. From just three shooting events at the 1896 Olympic Games, the sport has grown to 15 events today. This leap can be attributed to advances in the technology of firearms and equipment and the growing popularity of each event category.
Competition:
Shooting is made up of Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun competitions. In Pistol and Rifle events, competitors fire bullets at a target from a set distance.
They score points according to the accuracy of their shots. The targets consist of 10 rings, with a ‘bullseye’ at the centre. Scores range from one point for hitting the outside zone, to 10 for a hit in the 10 ring (’bullseye’). If a shot hits the line between two zones, the higher score is awarded. This scoring method is used in the qualifying round. In the final, the 10 rings on the target are sub-divided into 10 score zones ranging from 10.0 to 10.9. The final round and qualifying scores are added together to determine the winner.
Pistol targets are either fixed at 50m and 10m, or turn to set time sequences at 25m.
In the Shotgun event, competitors fire lead pellets (‘shot’) at moving clay targets. These are launched from different directions, and in sequences originally designed to look like birds in flight.
List of Events:
- 10m air pistol (60 shots) Men
- 10m air rifle (60 shots) Men
- 25m rapid fire pistol (60 shots) Men
- 50m pistol (60 shots) Men
- 50m rifle 3 positions (3×40 shots) Men
- 50m rifle prone (60 shots) Men
- double trap (150 targets) Men
- skeet (125 targets) Men
- trap (125 targets) Men
- 10m air pistol (40 shots) Women
- 10m air rifle (40 shots) Women
- 25m pistol (30+30 shots) Women
- 50m rifle 3 positions (3×20 shots) Women
- skeet (75 targets) Women
- trap (75 targets) Women
Jargon Buster:
- Firing line: The line where competitors position themselves to shoot their targets.
- Clay shooting: The sport of shooting at clay targets thrown into the air by a trap machine.
- String: A series of shots - usually five or ten.
- Lost: A shotgun target that has not been hit.
- Three positions: Rifle events that require competitors to shoot in the prone, standing and kneeling positions at a distance of 50m.
Related Websites:
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)
Wikipedia: Shooting at the Summer Olympics
This is cool. I have been thinking about trying Rifle Shooting for sometime now. This introduction was a start.
Vinisha, it isn’t a bad idea at all. I have a friend whose dad got him a rifle from Russia. Now since his dad had a rifle, he hit the shooting range. And less than a year later, he was shooting National-level. So do give it a shot. Also, there’s no better way to vent your frustration (if at all you need a channel) than shooting.