Many people out there in the reading audience are likely not only tremendous advocates of firearms, but also great shooters. This is not by chance or from getting lucky. More times than not certain skills, dedication, and practice are required to hone and maintain good shooting skills. Whether we train for defense, hunting, or recreation the ability to shoot well is a perishable skill that we must continually work to improve on and preserve.
If we view shooters from the perspective of an athlete and approach their training regimen from the mindset of an athlete as well, one thing you do not see many shooters participate in is cross-training. What do I mean by that? Well, if a seasoned football player wants to improve his cardio in the off-season he might do something outside his normal training protocols to stretch his limits and boundaries. An example might be swimming or cycling for cardio when neither act is directly done in a football game yet we could understand how those strenuous training sessions could help in the long run.
So, what would be some examples of cross-training when it comes to shooting? We are not talking about shooting shotguns when you are a pistol guy, or shooting rifles when you are a woman who normally shoots muzzleloaders. A good form of cross-training for firearm enthusiasts though would be shooting archery. Many of us early on in life might have started out shooting archery to only graduate on to bigger and better things with firearms, but archery teaches us some great principles of marksmanship. In order to be a good shooter in archery you need to be able to maintain a steady hand and follow-through on your shots; otherwise, your mistakes will be greatly exaggerated on paper and you will be inaccurate. Also, you need to make sure you are always square to your target. Similar to shooting guns, you do not want to contort and twist your body in odd positions to shoot because you will not be able to hold steady or replicate sound shooting mechanics over and over. Archery is a common path for people to take if they want to break up the monotony of their shooting routine with something different that could still transfer some skills back over into their shooting repertoire.
Another way you could cross-train that is becoming increasingly popular across the US with locations popping up everywhere is axe throwing! It might sound like a lumberjack novelty, but it does have some utility to it and is extremely fun. What could be more gratifying than chucking a huge axe into a wooden bullseye as all your friends cheer you on? On a serious note though, axe throwing can help teach us timing, rhythm, and to work in straight lines. When throwing an axe your wind up and follow-through should be as straight as an arrow (no pun intended). This ensures what you are aiming and gazing at will be what you hit. You will also need to time your release (similar to the good timing required on the trigger press of shooting a firearm). So, something as social, odd, and fun as even axe throwing can lend itself to a lot of your shooting skills. So, if you are getting bored with always going to the range by yourself and need to switch up your routine with some cross-training you might want to give archery or axe throwing a try. As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below. We love it when you participate in our articles and keep the conversation going!
