A Little Bit of Nerve Control

Posted On: 04-21-2026

No matter how calm and cool one thinks they might be in tough sporting situations, one must have some sense of anxiety to perform.  It seems odd I know, but there is plenty of research to support the fact that being a little anxious improves performance, but only to a degree.  Unfortunately, some of us prepare to perform and find ourselves with some stomach discomfort, a cold sweat, and perhaps a feeling of dissonance.      

There are many ways to control these feelings, but the bottom line is one must remove their thoughts from the issue at hand and pass their thoughts to another place that is peaceful and comfortable.  If one spends the entire round thinking about the pressure of hitting the next target it becomes impossible to be competitive.  Instead, one must direct their thoughts toward the processes to hit a target.  But let’s talk about how to calm yourself.

One of the first things one can do is control breathing.  Simply breath in for a count of your choosing and then breath out using a different longer count.  Be deliberate and conscious of the breathing and the count and no matter who you are, no matter how distracted one might be, if you breathe and count nothing else can go in in your mind.  Yes, research tells us we cannot multitask and therefore we cannot think of multiple processes at the same time.  Take your time and breathe with a count in and out and your mind becomes clear.  Just try it.

Next up is take your index finger and middle finger on both hands and simply tap on both temples, then move to your chest, then to your forehead, then to your chin and once again you will begin to only think about those actions rather than anything else that might be compromising your competitive skill set.  This is a little harder to do while holding your firearm, but before a match it works great. 

One last thing I would recommend is to stop focusing on the outcome.   In other words, stay in the moment and don’t look ahead.  As one shoots, they start to think about how many targets they have hit, or why they missed the last target but instead only think about the now and nothing more.  I can tell you this is very difficult.  One’s mind is partitioned to make you situationally aware and boy oh boy is it hard to be focused.  Everyone has thought how many targets they have hit and what the streak looks like.  Avoid the count, even to the degree you don’t care how many shells you have left to shoot. 

Next up don’t rush, stay focused on the routine you have replicated over and over.  That simple routine is so important so get it figured out and stick to it until it becomes an unconscious moment in time.  Slow down take a breath.  One more way to calm yourself is to realize your confidence in what you are doing – don’t over think the process.  In addition to the pre-shot routine, consider your routine from the time you finish a shot until it is your time to begin your pre-shot routine.  Foot placement, balance, rotation, eyes, soft focus.  Stay busy with this too so you don’t have time to think about anything else. 

Try these simple ways to remain calm, cool and collected.