Olympic Shooting: the calm and collected athlete

The Olympics has the main events that we all know and love. Everyone likes track, swimming, cycling, rowing, etc. But recently, a much more unknown sport has been getting a lot of attention… shooting.

Shooting recently took the internet by storm with performances from the likes of Kim Ye-ji. She represented South Korea in the women’s 10 metre air pistol and got a silver medal in the games. Another big name in the sport is Yusuf Dikec. He has been representing Turkey in shooting for over 20 years and recently won a silver medal in Paris.

The blend of their high performances on the main stage and their cool calm demeanours has grabbed everyone’s attention for all the right reasons. Kim Ye-ji performed with a level of emotional control that had ‘main character energy’, being deemed the ‘coolest’ markswomen on the main stage.

Dikec also showed a similar attitude, it looked like he had veins of ice taking the shots. He was as cool as you like. What made the performance more impressive was the lack of equipment. He didn’t care to have all the extra fancy stuff that you saw other athletes use. He was comfortable shooting with just ear plugs. He showed that the anti-glare and ear protection equipment wasn’t necessary for an Olympic medal.

A Sport Psychology Lesson

We can learn a lot from different performances. Here’s a lesson I’d like for people to take away for their elite athlete mentality.

Both athletes showed the importance of staying calm, collected and focused, particularly in the big moments. These athletes will have spent a lot of time learning their trade, including how to keep in control of their emotions and where to place their focus when shooting.

They manage external distractions with eye equipment to reduce light glaring in their eyes, and ear defenders to manage sounds that interfere with their concentration. Furthermore, they manage their internal distractions through different interventions, this can include:

·      Meditation/mindfulness before competing

·      A pre-performance routine

·      Practicing different match scenarios

·      Controlled breathing

·      Purposeful relaxation periods

There are loads of different ways an athlete will manage their attention and emotional control. You can learn more about managing attention and concentration here.

These recent Olympic stars have highlighted the importance of staying calm and keeping focused when competing on the main stage. I hope you take inspiration to develop your own emotional control and focus skills for your development.

“Preparation is everything and focus is the key. It’s easy to say you gave it your all out on the pitch. But the point is if you’d prepared, you’d have had more to give and you’ve played better”

Eric Cantona

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