Biathlon

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  • Here's a question: in the relays last week, the shooting was all over the place, even from some of the top teams.  Was this because there were some less-experienced people (maybe not used to being right at the sharp end of a race) who felt the pressure of not wanting to let the team down, or was it because they rushed it a bit as with 3 extra shots available the penalty for a miss or two was so much less?

  • The penalty for missing a single target can only be the time it takes to re-load and use one of the 3 spare rounds. That can take around 15 seconds, so it can be worth taking a risk and shooting quicker to get the targets down faster. Also the time can be made up on the tracks so it is worth skiing a bit faster and coming in to shoot with a higher pulse rate and risking more misses. Each team may have it's own tactics but as the race changes the tactics can change. If a team needs to quick shoot to be in contention for a medal they may take a risk and ski and shoot faster to give themselves a chance.

    Of course there is also the pressure of going head to head with other athletes and the difference between gold and nothing can be missing a target by a millimetre and letting the whole team down. If you are German or Russian that pressure can be like taking a penalty at the cup final.
  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    The targets are pretty small, 40mm and 110mm diameter at 50m depending if prone or standing.

    Where several shots go astray is where the biathlete starts thinking about how fast they need to ski before they have finished shooting.

    I've always been puzzed why the biathletes come charging into the range and are in such of a hurry to get shooting. They are so out of breath that the first couple of shots are often missed.

    You'll never see any of them stop and take a few deep breaths before raising the rifle.

    🙂

  • But if you watch carefully you'll see that most don't charge into the range, they slow a bit to start recovery and bring the heart rate down before they actually lift the rifle.

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

     I meant that they never actually stop moving before trying to hit a target.

    Their HR might be coming down but not half as much as it would were it not for lifting a few kg of gun to shoulder height the moment they arrive on the mat.

    I've done run and shoot biathlon and could out shoot anyone. My main tactic was to stand stock still for several seconds taking deep breaths. That's all it took to change a 2 or 3 into in 9 or 10.

     

    🙂

  • But they don't need to shoot 9s & 10s, they just need to get it in the black (for the standing shoot, anyway - it's tighter for the prone obviously).  The fact that the targets are so enormous compared with what a regular shooter would be expected to hit just emphasises how hard it really is at that level.

    I don't know what the stats are for which shots are missed most often, but I always thought the last one seemed to be as likely missed as the first.  Hardly surprising when you've just noticed the bloke next to you hit the last to a big cheer from the crowd and head off. 

  • Tactics which might have been successful in your run and shoot biathlon(RikF) will not work at the level of Svendsen, Fourcade etc. You have to be able to have a range of tactics to win in Biathlon. Slow controlled shooting can win in the Individual but there is now only 3 of these in a World Cup season. In the sprint there can be a few seconds between first and fifth so those extra breaths can keep you out the medals.



    Where did you do your run/shoot biathlon RikF? I would love to have a go.
  • You'd be OK if you could run faster than him DF3.  Just don't hide in his bathroom.

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    /members/images/493151/Gallery/gun2_0.png

     Used to do them at the Kodak sports ground. 

    It was a while back. Probably wouldn't be allowed now. Shame, it was a right laugh.

    When that picture was taken, I could run 34 minutes for 10k, my average score was 85% plus.

     

     

    🙂

  • Can you imagine health & safety on that these days?!  You should make that your avatar.

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭
    Cheerful Dave wrote (see)

    Can you imagine health & safety on that these days?!  You should make that your avatar.

    Good idea.

    I'll do that right nowimage

    Done!

     

    🙂

  • I saw what Graf did live, I almost had a heart attack. What a plonker!

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    From the video of John Darling "The Hunter" he makes a couple of relevant points as regards the shooting of guns.

    The first was "Beware where the pellet (or bullet) ends up." (or might end up)

    The second was "A breach of common sense is a breach of safety".

    Graf broke both of those rules.

    🙂

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