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Commonly Discussed Topics

Wobble Area

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  • Defined as the area being swept by your gun as you aim at the target

  • Wobble area is a "variable". it changes from day to day-from hour to hour-and most importantly from second to second

  • The size of your wobble area at any given time is affected by many different things.  Some of the most obvious:
            1. What you've been doing physically in the last few hours- if you've just finished a tough game of football, you wobble area will be bigger than normal
            2. What you've been eating and drinking-caffeine, nicotine, drugs, ect will make your wobble area much bigger
            3. How nervous you are at the moment-if the "butterflies" are attacking in force your wobble area will be much bigger

  • As a general rule, your wobble area will be at its smallest between 4 and 8 seconds after you really start trying to hold the gun still

  • As you aim the gun, you initially get several big wobbles, followed by several smaller and slower wobbles, which then gradually start getting bigger and more erratic

  • You need to let the gun fire while your looking at those "smaller and slower" wobbles.  This means that you must be able to recognize them when you see them.  Failing to recognize them will result in over holding.

  • Whatever your wobble are is when your trying to shoot, you've got to live with it

  • If you let the gun fire while you're holding you best wobble area, then all your shots will go inside that area.  If you try to pick off a ten as your sights go by, you'll cause the gun to move and the shot will be far outside your wobble area.

  • Don't fight your wobble area- it will just get worse.  Accept it-live with it- and you'll be surprised how good you'll do

  • When you aim the rifle at a target, the rifle is always moving....wobbling around in the general area of the target.  This movement is called your wobble area.  Some shooters refer to it as "hold".

  • Wobble area is not constant....it's changing all the time.

  • New shooters see a much bigger wobble area than experienced shooters

  • If you've had a lot of physical exertion within a few hours of shooters, you'll see a much bigger wobble area than normal (like a tough game of football, or splitting wood all day)

  • If you've been using any drugs, like nicotine, caffeine, or any cold medicines before shooting, you'll see a much bigger wobble area

  • If you're having any emotional problems like a fight with your parents of a girlfriend or poor school grades or anything like that, it will make your wobble area bigger than normal

  • Regardless of what wobble area you see when you start shooting, that's what you've got for right now. You can fight it or work with it.

  • Fighting it--you tighten your muscles in an attempt to reduce the wobble (that's bad), and when that doesn't work (and it won't), then you try picking off tens (as the target flashes by your front sight, you snatch at the trigger).  This won't work either, and as your score goes down, you'll get more frustrated, tighten up more, snatch harder, and generally not have a pleasant day!

  • Working with it--you understand sometimes your wobble area is not as good as you would like-you understand that it's generally not as bad as it looks.  You understand that if you stay calm, squeeze the trigger when the wobble area is as small as it's gonna get, and use lots of follow-through, that your score won't be too bad-and generally its better than you would expect.  Following this method is always the best choice, and generally when you see a few "acceptable" shots, you'll relax a little more, and your wobble area will get a little better.

  • help your wobble area by getting lots of regular exercise.  Get a good night's sleep the night before the match-avoid any kind of drugs before you shoot-eat a good meal with lots of complex carbohydrates.

  • Go to the match with the intention of having fun-whatever your wobble are is don't fight it just work with it.

Thanks to Coach Boykin for all the info (originally in the handouts)

 

heather tillson 1/11/03