GST transfer to fine motor skills?

Just wanted to start a subject for general debate, following an experience I had yesterday.

My boys and myself joined a shooting club, and went through an intro course to be allowed to shoot .22 lr pistol.

Yesterday was our first session; it was the first time in 17 years or so that I had fired a pistol, 4th time in my life ever. I was pretty amazed to find that I could freehand (with both hands) a 10 shot 3 inch group at 25 meters (27 yards). Of the 50 shots fired, all were in the black, ie. within an 8 inch diameter group.

My question is of course how GST relates to learning fine motor skills like shooting. I would imagine that the sPL-work has direct carry-over to being able to stabilise the gun with straight arms, giving more available time to gently squeeze the trigger, before the gun starts travelling all over the place. The handstand work help create awareness of scapular position.

In what ways could GST be argued to contribute to having a good stance, steady hands, hand-eye coordination etc.?

I think that you had the correct idea. I think that the shooting involves a lot the stabilization and the anterior strength of the shoulders. all the exercises of foundations are a very good general preparation for that. of course a specific work for posture should be done for the shooting activity.

25 minutes ago, Zach Armijo said:

As some of you know, I am an avid shooter to say the least ('Murca!), and there is something to be said with learning core control, body tightness, and recoil absorption. 

Shooting has it's own intricacies when it comes to recoil management. Like everything we do here, muscle memory will be your biggest factor as well as mastering the basics. Controlled breathing. Not too much finger tip on the trigger, just right in the middle. Smooth pull straight back. Even squeezing on all sides of the firearm, not a death grip,etc... 

@Jeff Serven knows better than any. 22lr is just a scratch on the surface. Consider that your elevated push up   

Honestly my ONLY goal for a one arm handstand is to be able to shoot in it. I do not joke about this  

Reminds me of this this, but surely one-arm handstand gunning must be more badass. 

Although posture and stabilization plays a big part I believe the most important contribution that GST offers to other fine motor "sports" events is the continuous exposure to fine motor control learning in A LOT of different positions. The active brain is simply used to make new neural patterns and do that faster than in inactive persons' brains. There is also the possibility of neural overlap from separate previous experiences which could be used in new movements to learn faster. But I have to ask my physiology professor about that one, although I am fairly sure that this is also what some studies suggest.

Alexander is spot on.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

and then there is combat shooting... I'm sure there are massive benefits (core, bent arm strength/endurance, straight arm strength/endurance, leg strength... and of course overall mobility).

- Callum