It is with deep sorrow that we announce the untimely death of James Daemon in June 2008. James was a friend to the shooting sports. James will be missed by those in the shooting and fitness industry. We are grateful for the time and knowledge that James shared with us, here is a record of that time.

An Interview with James Daemon

During my last visit to England, I had a chance to sit down with UK fitness guru, James Daemon. Mr. Daemon also happens to be a shotgun shooter, and writes monthly for fitness and shooting publications overseas. The following is a discussion that I had with James, and the important ideas that he has on fitness and shooting and how they relate to each other.

TB: How important is physical fitness to shooting?

JD: It’s critical! In athletics they say that “physical preparedness forms the basis of technique”, and it’s just as true in our sport. Your shortcomings in one area will form the limit to your abilities, and will become the ceiling of you technique. Many view work-outs as useless unless you want to lift weights. Whilst its certainly true that “specificity” governs all training we do, there are a host of other positive changes that’s training and fitness induce, ranging from ageing better, retaining muscular qualities, and the small things, like being able to breathe efficiently! Also there’s better bone density, and hormonal changes, which allow you just plain feel better. Who’s your money on, the guy who’s relaxed and focused when he steps onto the station, his only concern in the world is his next target, or the edgy guy who shuffles up with difficulty breathing?

TB: How should a shooter begin a program or enhance an existing one?

JD: First step is to take stock of where you are now, and where you want to be in a time frame you set. Its very easy to remember how fast you could run a mile, or how much you could lift when you were in college, but the rule of thumb is if it happened six months ago, you need to start back at zero.

Anything we do with structure stands a greater chance of success. So between you and your coach, or partner, start asking questions that will govern what you do. What do I feel I could do better? What is coming between me and my best scores? If it’s mental focus, don’t forget the mind depends on the body for energy, so general improvements in fitness pay dividends to your mental game.

Enhancing an existing program can very often be done by varying the routine a little. The body has to be forced to adapt and change, so after 6-12 weeks, give it something new to adapt to.

TB: What muscle groups should be targeted for shooters?

JD: All muscles should be targeted as part of an overall program, certainly at the beginning, to ensure good overall development, before specializing. Your first training venture shouldn’t be too specific, aim to bring everything up to speed at the same rate. What will likely happen then is you can start to target your problem areas, where does it ache after a days shooting for you? There’s a good place to start.

Good consistent technique comes from the lower body, so it makes sense to get some good work in on the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and the calves. Also, don’t forget to work in some lower back work as the amount of forward lean your individual technique has will govern how strong you need to be. Then, we can start to directly mimic the motions we use on the skeet field in the gym. This is where this “Specificity” idea comes into play. Not all training pays dividends for all sports. So the closer the action you do in the gym looks to your sporting movement, the more it will pay you to do it. In shooting, we have weight over the front leg, and some rotation. We have a lot of isometric force coming from the lower back and abdominal areas, as well as from the biceps holding the gun into the shoulder.

These are exercises in the gym that can benefit shooters:

Shooter’s Split Squat
Lateral Lunges
Good Mornings
Concentration Curls
Reverse Curls
Squats
Standing calf raise
Shooters Raise
Bicep Cable Curl with isometric hold at end

“Shooters Split Squat”

To give you power to stay stable whilst generating a smooth turn after turn, try this exercise. Start with one repetition per leg just to be sure of the movement, and build up to 12 each leg over the course of 6 weeks. When you get really confident, try holding bottles of water in each hand to add some resistance. The front foot should be turned to 2 o’clock as if addressing a target, this does mean that you must be extra steady when performing it. Don’t bounce – Keep it steady and keep your chin up!

“Reverse Curls”

As you can see, body stays completely motionless, and rotation occurs just around elbow joint. Strengthens lower bicep, upper forearm. This motion is neglected by many sports-people. Use light weights and aim for 10-12 repetitions for 3 sets.

“Bicep Curls”

Bicep work performed slowly to simulate holding the gun into the shoulder shot after shot after shot. Raise one arm at a time by flexing at the elbow joint, whilst keeping the other relaxed, extend the fingers to flatten the hand at the top of the movement. Perform 3 sets, 10-12 repetitions.

“Concentration Curls”

Concentration curls are of use to the shooter, as the strength gains are joint angle specific. We can see the resemblance between the position of the right arm, and the position we would be as if we were pulling the trigger. When you’re comfortable with this exercise, increase the weight slightly and perform it standing up. Hold at the top of the movement by the shoulder for 6 seconds, then slowly lower under control. Aim for a steady 10-12 reps, 3 sets.

“Seated Row”

This movement is for a strong upper back, increases control and reduces fatigue for shooting. Control this motion from the rhomboids! Pinch and hold at the end. 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions.

“Lateral Raises”

Start this movement in the shoulder blades, raise to arms length and hold for six seconds maintaining a lowered trapezoid. Hold the stomach in and don’t flex the spine to the side! Build up to 3 sets, 1-12 reps each.

“Good Mornings”

For the Lower back, and thus all lower body shooters! Keep looking up the whole time to keep the spine straight!

“Squat”

Crucial for leg strength and stamina! Keep the back straight and flex from the hips and knees – do not lean forward to pick up and put down the weights. Slowly extend knees and hips, then lower. 3 sets, 10-12 repetitions.

“Wrist Curls”

Strong wrists never hurt anyones averages! Get a full range of motion for this one!

TB: How important is stretching before or after shooting?

JD: The jury’s out on this one. My advice would be to stretch for a specific goal, which is to increase the range of motion around a joint, therefore to stretch at the end of the shoot, as stretching cold risks injury and reduces force production. The main thing about stretching after training is that it returns muscles to their resting length, which means your posture can return to normal after being hunched up over the gun all day, and that recovery will be faster. Some recommend stretching as a separate session, but I would always recommend after training. Pre-shooting, take the joints through the range of motion you will be using, but no further!

TB: What about cardiovascular training as a part of a routine program, and is it important in preparation for a day’s event?

JD: Cardiovascular training is another vital component of a well-balanced program. And it is important to make sure again, that what we do in the gym is going to be relevant to what we do on the field. Going hell for leather on the treadmill won’t help you much, so back to the idea of ‘modeling’. Your training should resemble your sport. What do you suppose your heart rate is during competition? And for how long must you maintain this? That’s how you should work. Being able to keep up a brisk pace with a slight incline will not only make your legs stronger, but will help keep weight down, and will help you recover from your other exertions. Cardio means better transport of oxygen, which will improve the function of everything, from the eyes, to your mental ability to focus

In preparation for the day’s event many find that some light cardio, literally a warm-up can help them prepare mentally for the day. Others will not want even want to do this. The key, with so many aspects of your game is to see which you feel more comfortable with, and have the most success with.

TB: What activities should be limited during a tournament?

JD: Shooting badly! I’d like to say smoking and drinking lots of coffee, but if these are things you do normally, not doing them will throw you off. Definitely avoid alcohol like the plague and remember it will still be with you the next day. Avoid anything that will cause you to lose fluid. Just be completely self-centered and think about you.

TB: What about nutrition during the day of an event?

JD: You could write a whole section just on this vital subject! But we’ll just cover a few key points here. The last thing you want to be thinking about is what you’ve just eaten, so no greasy clubhouse sandwiches that will sit in your stomach for hours whilst you shoot.

Anything high in sugar is off the menu too, as it will provoke an insulin response, which will affect the eyes, and make you tired and sluggish. You need a good stable stream of energy being delivered throughout the day with no peaks. So rice, pasta, potatoes, salads and fluids are all priority. Learn to stick with a portion size and don’t exceed it!

As a point of trivia, some have hypothesized that as the first part of target flight is picked up is the saccade (peripheral vision), which is a survival reflex. This can be focused on more acutely if the shooter is borderline hungry. If you had to opt for being nearer stuffed, or nearer hungry, opt for hungry!

Avoid high protein foods during the shoot, as these will be an effort to digest and absorb. Try not to eat 2 hours before and event and just bear in mind that it can drain the energy you need to shoot to digest bad foods. In future articles, we can look at combining foodstuffs to achieve optimum performance.

TB: Shoot-offs decide championships, but they are held at the end of the day. How can a shooter maximize energy levels at that time of day?

JD: Of course, nutrition is the foundation. But again with intelligent “Training/Modeling”, make sure you practice shooting at night. A lot of people’s circadian rhythms means they are ‘day’ people, and will feel odd trying to focus and perform at this time of the day. Get used to it before the event. Food wise, a complex carbohydrate meal every 4 hours or so, with constant fluid intake is the best foundation.

TB: A little is better that nothing at all. If a shooter doesn’t have time or access to gym facilities or equipment, what can they do in a hotel room to increase strength and endurance for shooting?

JD: Everyone can benefit a few back to basics sessions: Good on the road exercises include:

Push Ups
Sit-ups
Isometric Towel Work for the biceps and triceps
Body Weight Squats
Body Weight Good Morning
Lateral Lunges
Abdominal Plank

Alternate upper/lower body exercises with no rest intervals but keep momentum going and you’ll get some cardio work done at the same time. It’s like a circuit- training program, which is great for keeping you from going stale.

How to train Isometrically:

Isometric exercises, so called because you provide the resistance! You can do Bicep, tricep, and rotator cuff work with the common bathroom towel. Keep your limbs still whilst generating tension. If you try work the shoulders and arms in the same position you hold the gun in- this will ensure you get maximum benefit from this training. To be sure, do two parts to each exercise. Contract once at the bottom, and once at the top.

Make sure you have a FIRM grip on the towel. Squeeze the muscle and hold for about 6 seconds. Repeat 5 times. Aim to contract and squeeze in a smooth consistent fashion. Keep breathing in a controlled fashion. Repeat around 5 times.
TB: Correct breathing is important to weight lifting. Can better breathing improve shooting performance?

JD: Yes, in any sport, breathing makes the difference. We must appreciate there is a mental and physical aspect to our game, and its all so precise, we can’t just swing fast and do the job. Of course there are physical benefits to allowing regular passage of oxygen around the body, but for my money, the main edge here is mental. It’s that second of absolute stillness before you step onto the station, that means the target spins lazily in front of you almost in slow motion and you unfold with pinpoint accuracy with no rushing or jerking. A few deep breaths is one of the oldest adages in the sporting world, but next time you compete, you just watch how many people do it before every shot as part of their program. Do it in practice, do it in competition. No excuses.
For a tip to try in practice, when you take your few deep breaths, concentrate on the exhalation, most athletes have to be trained to exhale enough to allow the lungs to fill up with fresh oxygen to capacity. You’ll know when you’ve got it right!

TB: My guess is that shooter’s water intake is less than desirable in hot or cool weather. What effect and benefit does proper water intake have on an activity that involves, coordination and endurance?

JD: Good point, I’d have to agree. So much research has been done on the subject of performance and fluid intake, The main concern to the shooter is that it makes breathing increasingly more difficult from as little as a 1% fluid loss. The worry is, as events last all day, and sweating isn’t usually profuse, few recognize the need to keep fluids topped up.

Drink smart and use a drink with some electrolytes, as this is the important stuff we lose when we sweat. But be wary! Lost of energy drinks come loaded with glucose, which we don’t need! Often the high levels of carbohydrates in certain sports drinks can cause blood glucose fluctuations, which can affect the eyes ability to function as we need them to.

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