Want to be cool, calm and collected on the stand? Be devastatingly accurate? Then develop a pre-shot routine, psychologist Jess Thom tells
James Simon
We’ve all seen them. Competitors who seem to be able to reach a state of almost other-worldly serenity before taking a shot. They’re calm yet completely focused on the task at hand. Undistracted by the chit-chat of their fellow shots, unperturbed by the sound of other guns going off around them and seemly unconcerned by the pressure of competition. Just totally in the moment, completed absorbed by the now.
The method these shots use to obtain this harmonious state is called a pre-shot routine. They’ll quite literally be taking themselves through a consistent, predetermined set of actions – a routine – before every shot. It you look carefully you may be able to observe some of the steps but others are so subtle they are impossible to detect.
So, what exactly is a pre-shot routine and should we all embrace one?
Accessible for all
Psychologist Jess Thom helps athletes on the British Shooting pathways develop and perfect their routines. “Every athlete at this level will use a pre-shot routine, often hand-in-hand with other routines. But it’s not just for athletes, club shots can also benefit tremendously from having a proper routine to follow before every shot.”
The purpose of a pre-shot routine is quite simple; it’s designed to enable the shot to put in a first-rate performance. But dive in a little deeper, and the water can muddy quite quickly. The pre-shot routine used by athletes is often confused with other routines, and in some cases even superstitious beliefs.
“We’re trying to get an individual to a place where they are psychologically and physically ready to perform at their best,” says Jess. “The pre-shot routine, which is the one we are concerned with here, comes immediately before the shot. There are pre-round routines and pre-competition routines too but the pre-shot routine is the most significant and the one you should master first.”
The cynics among you will be pleased to learn that all of these pre-performance routines, or PPRs, are rooted in psychology rather than superstition or luck.
“Athletes can become quite superstitious,” agrees Jess. “On the morning of a competition they may choose to put their left sock on before their right sock, or park in a certain parking bay at the ground. The problem with these behaviour
