Optoelectronic analysis of technical factors and performance of elite-level air pistol shooting.

Technical elements are related to shooting performance; however, the importance of each factor regarding performance, especially in elite-level pistol shooters, remains controversial. The objective of this study was to determine the technical factors that influence pistol performance. One elite-level shooter was analysed during the season before the Olympic classification European championship through a total of six competitions (n = 360 shots). Aiming point trajectories were measured with the SCATT optoelectronic system. Variables were classified into six categories: performance; aiming time; stability of hold; aiming accuracy; cleanness of triggering and shooting delta. Principal component analysis, multiple regressions, Pearson correlations and ANOVAs were used to analyse the data. The results showed that five components (aiming time, stability of hold, aiming accuracy, cleanness of triggering and shooting delta) determined a total of 79.68% of the shooting variance. Specifically, aiming accuracy and cleanness of triggering explained up to 25% of the shooting score, with cleanness of triggering serving as the determining factor. Correlations were found among the performance and stability of hold, aiming accuracy, cleanness of triggering and shooting delta. Last, significant differences were found among 8-score, 9-score and 10-score shots. We conclude that while aiming accuracy seems to be related to the performance, cleanness of triggering could be the most critical technical element; furthermore, while stability of hold does not seem to be a determining factor of the score, it could be a general prerequisite to achieve high levels of performance in elite-level air pistol shooters.