Correct breathing

I follow what c.j. stated and it works well for me. I picked it up at an Appleseed course too.

Two months ago, I attended a 4 day precision rifle shooting course.....the instructor, a sniper by trade, taught us using the same method. I was glad to see the consistency. In fact, he was all about consistency....shot to shot to shot.

As to using your breathing to set elevation, I find that a failure for me. For those that use natural point of aim, how could you possibly obtain NPOA with your eyes closed (yes, it is a great way to verify you got it) when you are relying on stopping some place, mid-exhale, to have a perfect sight alignment and sight picture. Want to practice it? Achieve NPOA....close your eyes, go through a breathing cycle...(eyes still closed), pause....break the shot.....breath, pause....break the shot....repeat until you have fired 5 rounds. Open your eyes, check your target. If you have NPOA, you will have a nice tight group. It works....they teach it at Appleseed. If you can do the above while stopping part way through the exhale cycle for each shot and get a tight 5 shot group, you are awesome....and I mean that.

If consistency is key to good shooting, and I believe it is....the only consistent point I can repeatedly find in my breathing cycle is at the bottom of the exhale cycle. I can't breath out X% and pause to shoot....how do I find X% each and every time? Where is the consistency?

Obviously different folks have different styles.....and one size panty hose doesn't fit all. I find it easier to coach a new shooter using the basic techniques taught at an Appleseed shoot. It works for me and those I've helped. :) YMMV
 
Download a copy of the Olympic shooter's guide from their website (if its still there)...
of course, it helps to have excellent physical condition first...as the average guy isn't going to benefit quite as much from all the techniques
as someone who is in Lance Armstrong kinda shape.

If you weren't already in a martial art that taught proper breathing techniques to you when you were pre-18...
it'll be more difficult to pick up...the older you are, the harder your head ;)

But it sure doesn't hurt to try to learn it anyway :D
Every little bit helps!!
 
So, breathe deep a few times, then hold your breath and finally take up the slack in the trigger and squeeze slowly until it goes off
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This goes against everything I've ever read (or done) as to correct breathing technique.

Respiratory pause- between breaths when the lungs are empty- not holding your breath with lungs full of air.

Controlling your breathing goes along with trigger press. The breathing cycle includes inhaling and exhaling, with a natural pause after the lungs are emptied. Break the shot during that pause, when your body is still. The amount of time you have to accomplish this task depends on your level of physical fitness and can range anywhere from a couple of seconds to as many as 8 or 10. If you try to hold your breath for too long, your body will start to become starved for oxygen, your vision will deteriorate and your stability will wane. The pause in breathing should be natural, not forced.
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http://www.shootingillustrated.com/index.php/16339/precision-rifle-work/
 
tobnpr says this about my comment: "So, breathe deep a few times, then hold your breath and finally take up the slack in the trigger and squeeze slowly until it goes off"
This goes against everything I've ever read (or done) as to correct breathing technique.
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Ask a bunch of competitors classified at the top of their shooting discipline who win the matches and sometimes set the records.

For heaven's sake; don't listen to me just because I'm one of them.

And now you've read it; shouldn't say you've never read it hereafter.
 
To the OPs question---I'd say it certainly matters less when shooting a pistol; mostly due to the short distances. But, for me, when I'm shooting long range controling my breathing seems to help.
 
While I see the point in not putting a whole bunch of thought into it I'm not gonna say how you are breathing is not a factor. The body is steadiest when its muscles are not limp but not stressed either. That's why you don't suck in a huge amount of air and then hold it and its why you don't exhale completely and hold there. Either is a very unnatural position. As stated taking in a few breaths and letting some out works. Generally it's only worried about in slow fire shooting.

I can also see where Kraigwy is coming from for hunting. I've never once thought about breathing as a deer or rabbit runs on by or a pheasant flushes. Sight, fur, bang. I can just see myself begging a critter to not run away why I count to 8 to get to that perfect point.

LK
 
When I have made my decision to shoot I don't think the entire process is more than one breath. That's from the disengagement of the safety to the bullet exiting the barrel.

There are high stress occasions, for example, the dreaded buck fever that you have to go back to basics to make a proper shot.

Just like any sport, there are different techniques that you must employ.

Or would you wanna go to a magic show where the guy pulls the same rabbit out of the same hat for two hours.
 
Depends on the situation. When hunting in brush or woods it is all instinct and reaction. For beanfield deer can usually take you time just like target or vamint. It all depends on the situation and every one in hunting is different.

For precision shooting breath control is a must. A few deep breaths will slow the heart rate. All LR shooters learn to time their shots with their heartbeats. Get on a 25 or 32 power scope and you can watch the point of aim jump up and down a half mil or so. Not important at 100 yards, but at 800 or 1000 that is half a foot.

In F class I prefer a bipod and a hard shoulder hold so when setting up for a shot I do 4 or 5 deep breaths, line up my shot or a string. I close my eyes for a breath, open them and see if my aim has changed. If it has I readjust my body, do the eye close again until the point of aim has not changed. Read the wind and if everything is satisfactory I do 1 or 2 breaths partial exhale and squeeze off. Hopefully the shot breaks between heartbeats, otherwise I will be off vertically. This takes a lot longer to explain than to do.

When I am attempting to shoot IDPA its all I can do to remember the stage instructions and try not to miss or fumble a reload.
 
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hounddawg claims:
All LR shooters learn to time their shots with their heartbeats. Get on a 25 or 32 power scope and you can watch the point of aim jump up and down a half mil or so. Not important at 100 yards, but at 800 or 1000 that is half a foot.
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Don't bet much on that. Go to a long range high power match and find out who those classified High Master are (top few percent of all LR HP shooters), then ask them about that. You'll learn that very, very few of them do that. I was a High Master and talked with others classified the same about this. None of them did it. We all just held as still as possible (3/4ths MOA slung up in prone) getting off surprize shots inside our holding area.

The high scoring X ring's 1 MOA. Reduced targets for used at 100 or 200 yards have X rings subtending smaller angles. And folks hold the same area in MOA on the target regardless of range.

At 100 yards, half a mil is about 1.8 inches (1.8 MOA). Half a foot at 1000 yards is 6 inches (0.6 MOA). Half a mil at 1000 yards is about 18 inches; 10 times as much as at 100 yards.
 
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I think the whole thing should be as natural as possible. The grip, body position and breathing. I some sort of neutral body is very important.
 
Frankly, Bart B, I don't care how good you profess to be, "at the top of your discipline" or how many "records you have"...

When you're done with your self-congratulations, you might realize that just because something works FOR YOU, does not mean that it is conformance with what are widely held guidelines.

Every beginning shooter needs to know where they should start to develop proper technique.

So, instead of patting yourself on the back, post up at least a half-dozen articles from known and respected publications stating that the proper breathing technique for long range shooting is trigger squeeze while holding your breath with lungs full.

I can come up with at least twice that many recommending it be done during the natural respiratory pause.

But hey, if Bart B. sez it, it must be so...

Nothing further to add here, I'm done...
 
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