Breathing in TF/RF

I'm having a difficult time with breath control in TF and especially in RF.  In high power, I had a cadence, but also more time in rapid.  I could clearly see my front sight settle back at my natural pause.  Obviously in BE, one would be hyperventilating using the same method in rapid.  But also pausing during the entire 10 seconds doesn't seem like a good idea either.  It's natural for me to pause breathing while applying pressure to the trigger, is this a habit I need to break in RF?  I'm looking for thoughts and advise.

I too shot HP rifle.  I mention that to note that pistol is different.  I hold my breath during the entire sustained fire string, both TF and RF.  RF is easier because it is shorter.  From a long period of training I could hold my breath for 2 min or so.  I say that to note for sustained fire, I can only go about 14 sec comfortably.  The retina uses much more oxygen than other tissues, and therefore vision fades fast.  So I finish TF in 12-14 sec.  RF in 9, or so.  During prep, I breathe deeply, but not hyperventilating.  It also serves to calm, relax and focus. One has to work out timing to commands, but I take a final deep breath, exhale slowly as sights center on target - probably 3/4 lung vol capacity at target turn.  If something goes wrong and I get to 16 sec or so, I might take a quick breath, but that is rare.  That is my process in a nutshell- others are likely to do it differently.

Good shooting.

The problem with breathing in pistol sustained fire like you’d do in HP is that it tends to force you to take the shot wherever it is rather than when the sights are where they need to be.  You can sneak a short breath (in-out) in the middle if you need to, especially in timed fire.

You’re supposed to breath?  

lablover wrote:You’re supposed to breath?  

Only on the “5’s”

It does change your pointing up and down.

You can breathe but not near the release point

A little pressure release from tight pursed lips can help firm the torso and maybe help the focus.  Takes practice.  I learned it from Coach Miller 50 years ago.

Some pointers:

- You should hold near the natural exhaling pause.  Holding your breath on an inhale causes unnatural stress.
- CO2 buildup is the breathe trigger. Cleansing breaths should be deep exhales.
- The breath hold point should be consistent so that the expansion of the chest is consistent so that the arm position is consistent.
- You will have to adjust to the calling cadence to achieve best success.

My routine is to breathe normally up to the first command, then a full in/exhale at each of the first three commands ("Ready?"... "Ready!"... "Right?")  On the, "Ready on the left?" command I inhale fully as I bring the gun up above the target and then as the last command, "Ready on the firing line" is called I exhale as I lower the sighting system to the area where the bull will appear..  I stop and hold when I reach that area.

This routine takes some training and it needs to be flexible enough to be adaptable to varying call cadences.  Some adjustment can be made by considering whether to use the start or other portion of the commands to signal each step.  The smoother it can be performed, the better.

As a bonus, once you have a good breathing routine, you can work toward consistency between Slow and Sustained Fire breathing and target approach to find even more consistency.  This is why I prefer ranges where the commands used to start Slow Fire are basically the same ones as used during Sustained Fire.  That way there is at least a little bit of familiarity with the first Timed Fire string of the NMC.

Belly breathe?

I deep breathe during commands and have noticed my eyesight becoming a little sharper as I do that.  Then I exhale slightly and hold just before shooting as I lower into target and start the trigger squeeze.  I've found that works better for me than holding on the inhale cycle.  When I hold breath on the inhale, it's uncomfortable and feels tight in the chest.  I hold one breath during RF...and usually don't need another breath during TF either.