V2 Video

Special thanks to my brother Parker, who was my driver/technique coach/strength coach for today's workout.

My brother is also quite the musician, check out his YouTube channel HERE.

So Raleigh... How do you shoot when your heart rate is so high?

Shooting without physical load 5 shots in prone shooting 

Shooting at a heart rate of 190 beats per minute, 10 shots prone position 

As a biathlete I field this question a lot. The short answer is: Practice, shooting under a heavy physical load is like anything else, the more you practice the better you get. Through controlled breathing, stable shooting positions, specially adapted rifles, and other means top biathletes consistently post 90% shooting scores, taking as little as 25 seconds per shooting bout. Just like training to ski fast, training to shoot well is a process.   

The general yearly progression for rifle training is:

Early Spring: Rifle adaptation, shooting position, precision shooting. 

Summer: Precision shooting, range procedure drills, low intensity combination (shooting under physical stress) training, and some high intensity combination work

Fall: High intensity combination training, easy combination training.

Winter: Competition, maintenance high intensity combination training, and easy combination training for recovery.     

Right now I am focusing my rifle training on precision shooting, and range procedure. I have just begun to throw in some combination training, and I am enjoying the benefits of my precision work this spring.  

The road to world class biathlon shooting is long and frustrating, however consistent shooting is absolutely critical to success on today's ultra competitive international level. My next few posts will focus on different tests and drills I use to prepare my shooting for competition. 

More Press

Fasterskier has published another interesting story about biathlon in the USA, with a focus on yours truly. Check it out  HERE.

Rolling Right Along

 The spring has flown by, and I am very happy with the progress I have made in the first two months of the training year. I have been focusing on building a solid base of strength and aerobic fitness by spending lots of time on my road bike and in the weight room. My rifle training has also been going very well. After making some changes to my rifle stock, rifle sights, and tweaking my shooting position, I have posted my best scores yet in standardized shooting tests.

For the next few weeks of training the focus will remain on building base fitness and accuracy shooting, but high intensity interval sessions and combination training workouts will become more and more prevalent as the summer goes on.

The next month training will be challenging, with around 70 hours of planned training featuring a rollerski time trail, some loooong Level 3 intervals, and hard work in the weight room. I can’t wait to test out my fitness. Also of interest the weather machine in Southern Maine has switched from “Depressing Monsoon Spring” to “Full On Summer” so between long hours outside running, biking, rollerskiing and shooting, and my time in the weight room I should be all set for beach season.   

A bit of Press

Check out this story on American junior biathletes on Fasterskier.com  HERE. Along with the other articles in the series it provides a great insight into biathlon in the USA.