Having recently been one of the many who suffer from a bad back and have regular visits to the osteopaths, i have noticed how none or very few people you see warm up before going out to shoot. You can very often see our golfing counterparts with a club across there shoulders doing some gentle exercises prior to the tee off, so why is it the shooters don't seem to bother???
As mentioned i am a sufferer of back pain in my lower back which when "Locks out" results in days in agony, laid up and visits to the Osteopaths to get fixed. Let's look at a typical shoot day and hopefully you will see why it is a good idea to prepare properly like many other sportsmen and women.
The day usually starts early in the morning, we get up get ready in a warm house then outside in the cold into our vehicle where the heater is put on to get us warm and relaxed for the drive to the shoot. At arrival we will possibly go into a warm house or shooting lodge for breakfast. Then off outside again into the cold to get ready before departing in a shoot vehicle or walk to the first drive for a fun day of shooting......
As you will note we will be going from warm to cold environments 2 or 3 times which will have an effect on the muscles particularly the back especially when we start shooting. Shooting driven birds are usually taken in at height with you bent over backwards and with the recoil of the gun forcing downwards putting even greater forces on our shoulders and back, even worse it is concentrated on one side of the body.
So how can we all minimise these effects??
Well firstly start with some gentle stretching of the back and legs when you first get up and again when you arrive at the shoot, especially if you have had a long drive, no matter how comfortable you consider your vehicle. After breakfast, when you are getting your gun ready do the same again. By now your back will be in a far better way to absorb the rough road to the first drive and be more flexible when you start to shoot.
Is it worth it?
Yes definitely, you will be able to move around better and enjoy your shooting so much more, who knows you may just be able to get a few more left & rights due to being more relaxed, flexible and comfortable. Also these days are not cheap so make the most of them and enjoy them more.
In addition to making your day better one of the other areas which can cause great fatigue is having to stand holding your gun all day, so why not invest in our New Shooting product Stock Aid, this will take the full weight if the gun in a upright position, so being safe, and in the correct position to bring the gun into your shoulder to shoot thus making your last shot of the day as fresh as your first.
Stock Aid is made from high quality leather here in the UK and will give you many years of service. See our website www.fieldandmoor.co.uk for more information and the review form Shooting Times.
Thank you for reading this and feel free to leave your comments.
Phil
Field and Moor
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