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Dan Durben, 43, was a member of
the 1988 Olypmic Team and served as a coach for the 2000 Olympic Team. He
has been coaching junior shooters for over 20 years. |
"We talk real early
about being a champion. What we're trying to do here is to develop them
into champions, which is much more than just shooting at a target and getting
a good score." |
Strategies
for Improvement: What Can I Do to Become a Better Shooter
The CMP Three Position Air Rifle Camps cover a range of shooting related
topics. Perhaps one of the most important of the instructional sessions--the
one class that defines and places into perspective the entire camp--is the
discussion of strategies for improvement. On Saturday of the 5 day junior
camp, Olympic coach Dan Durben outlined these strategies with his young
charges. According to Durben, the most important element for improvement
is practice--the amount of practice, the number of days of training, and
the quality of the practice sessions. This includes times when a local range
may not be available for shooting. "For developing that shot plan, developing
the routine that you need, you don't necessarily have to be on a real range."
Durben suggested competitors could even pick a spot on a wall and do aiming
and dry firing exercises at home. He said they should also have a good physical
training program. The quality of the time spent training is also an issue,
especially in the limited time shooters may have on a range. Durben said,
"I see this even at the highest levels...there's a tendency to talk and
chat. Really look at the time spent doing true shooting and training." Interestingly,
Durben also suggested practicing at times in less than ideal conditions.
"Another thing you can do to improve your shooting is to actually train
in more difficult conditions. This is basically to 'get tougher' because
most of your competitors won't be." The idea is to develop techniques "to
handle anything that might come up in a competition." Durben expressed that
a lot of top shooters spend time focusing on areas where they are having
difficulties. "Don't ignore the things that you're struggling with, which
can be a tendency, because it's fun to shoot well." The greatest opportunity
for improvement lies in finding solutions that overcome weaknesses.
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