1. Nutrition for the Shooting Athlete
SFC Mark Mebes

2. Nutrition
Why is nutrition important for a shooter?

3. Nutrition Competitive shooters must be at the top of their game
Name some factors that physically affect your sport

4. Nutrition 1. Eyesight 2. Upper Body Strength 3. Muscular Control
4. Breathing Control
5. Pro-position
6. Concentration
7. Blood Flow/pulse
8. Rest
9. Balance
*how are each of these things affected by your diet?

5. Nutrition Eyesight Good nutrition is good ocular nutrition
Your eyes are the fastest healing part of your body
Ever notice that your vision is “sharper” some days than others?
Diet can account for changes in visual clarity
Your Pre-Match diet should include proteins and fats as well as vitamins for ocular repair
Hydration is key for reducing target “retina burn”

6. Nutrition Upper Body Strength
Proteins are primarily responsible for muscular repair
Smaller, frequent meals packed with protein coupled with muscular training increase strength
Muscle development in delayed without proper hydration

7. Nutrition Factors affecting Muscular Control Food intake (lack)
Muscle Strength
Caffeine Intake
Sugar Intake
Tobacco Intake
Medication
Rest/Sleep
Familiarity with an activity
Hydration

8. Nutrition Factors affecting breathing control Cardiovascular shape
Recent exercise
Excitement over last shot (good or bad)
Competition anxiety
Tobacco Intake
Medication

9. Nutrition Pro-Position Awareness of how your body occupies space
Other athletic competition
Hand-eye coordination

10. Nutrition Factors affecting concentration Did you skip a meal?
What did you eat?
High in sugar?
Caffeine?
Your brain needs proteins, fats and minerals to repair
Concentrating on a ½ match is like taking a 2 hour exam
Caffeine
Tobacco
Medication

11. Nutrition Factors affecting blood flow/pulse Caffeine Tobacco
Medication
Skipping a meal
Cardiovascular conditioning
Emotions
Restrictive clothing
Hydration

12. Nutrition How Rest/Sleep affects your shooting Sleep Cycles
Mostly 2.5 – 3 hrs
First 30 minutes repairs your eye fatigue
1 sleep cycle repairs 80% of your brain
2 sleep cycles or more for competition

13. Nutrition How balance is affected Balance is a cognitive function
If your brain does not work properly, your balance will be off
Diet balanced with proteins, fats and vitamins affects brain repair
Sleep is vital for brain repair
Hydration affects cognitive function

14. Nutrition
At this point in your shooting, you should have realized that your performance on any given day can be greatly affected by small things
Health and nutrition is something that teenagers commonly neglect
If you want to shoot better, paying attention to what you intake, managing your intake in moderation, and getting proper rest WILL improve your shooting performance over time

15. QUESTIONS?