Sports Psychology

Building Mental Resilience in Shooting Sports

Success in shooting is often viewed as a combination of sound technique, quality equipment, and consistent practice. While these factors are undoubtedly important, experienced shooters soon discover that performance is just as dependent on what happens between the ears as what happens on the firing point. Managing pressure, coping with nerves, maintaining concentration, and recovering from mistakes are all essential skills for competitive shooting.

One psychological approach that has gained significant attention within sport is Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT). ACT provides practical tools that help athletes perform effectively even when they are experiencing anxiety, doubt, frustration, or pressure. Rather than attempting to eliminate these experiences, ACT teaches athletes how to work with them.

For shooters ranging from club level to international competition, ACT offers a valuable framework for building mental resilience while maintaining a healthy relationship with sport.

ACT in Elite Sport

Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) is not simply a clinical psychology tool. It has become an increasingly popular approach within high-performance sport and is taught as part of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) sports psychology and athlete development programmes.

The appeal of ACT is that it reflects the realities of competition. Elite athletes rarely perform in the absence of pressure, nerves, or self-doubt. Instead, they learn how to acknowledge these experiences whilst continuing to execute the skills and processes required for success.

Beyond shooting, ACT and related psychological skills training methods are now widely used across elite sport. Athletes and performance teams involved in Formula One, professional football, rugby, Olympic programmes, and other high-performance environments increasingly use approaches based on mindfulness, acceptance, attentional control, and values-based performance. The focus is not on eliminating pressure, but on performing effectively when pressure is present.

This aligns particularly well with shooting sports, where success often depends on the ability to remain committed to a carefully developed shot process despite nerves, expectations, changing conditions, or the significance of the occasion.

Understanding ACT

Acceptance and Commitment Training is based on a simple idea: difficult thoughts and emotions are a normal part of human experience.

Many athletes fall into the trap of believing they must feel confident, calm, and positive before they can perform well. In reality, some of the world's best performers regularly compete whilst experiencing nerves, self-doubt, and uncertainty.

ACT teaches athletes to:

• Accept uncomfortable thoughts and emotions rather than fighting them.

• Focus attention on the present moment.

• Separate themselves from unhelpful thoughts.

• Identify what truly matters to them.

• Commit to actions that support their goals and values.

For a shooter, this may mean recognising that competition nerves are present, accepting them, and still executing a well-practised shot process.

The goal is not to "feel better" before competing. The goal is to perform effective actions regardless of how you feel.

The Reality of Competition Pressure

Every shooter has experienced pressure.

It may be:

• A county championship.

• A selection shoot.

• A school competition.

• A first open meeting.

• The final detail needed for a classification score.

• The last shot of a close match.

Under pressure, the body naturally reacts. Heart rate increases. Breathing changes. The mind starts predicting outcomes.

Thoughts such as:

• "Don't mess this up."

• "Everyone is watching."

• "I need a ten."

• "What if I throw this away?"

are entirely normal.

Many competitors spend enormous amounts of energy trying to suppress these thoughts. Unfortunately, the harder we try not to think something, the more attention we often give it.

ACT teaches an alternative approach.

Instead of trying to remove the thought, acknowledge its presence and redirect attention back to the process:

"There's the 'don't mess this up' thought again. Thank you mind. Now back to my stance, breathing, sight picture, and trigger release."

This allows the athlete to stay engaged with the task that matters.

Why ACT Works Well in Shooting

Shooting is a precision sport that demands concentration over extended periods.

Unlike many sports, success often depends on remaining calm and committed whilst very little appears to be happening physically. Small fluctuations in attention can significantly affect performance.

ACT helps shooters by encouraging them to:

Stay Present

Good shooting happens in the current shot, not in the previous shot or the final result.

ACT encourages athletes to repeatedly bring their attention back to what they can control right now.

Accept Nerves

Nerves do not necessarily damage performance.

Many successful athletes report feeling nervous before important competitions.

ACT reframes nerves as a normal sign that something is important rather than evidence that something is wrong.

Focus on Process

A shooter cannot directly control winning a competition.

They can control:

• Position.

• Breathing.

• Sight alignment.

• Trigger control.

• Follow through.

• Shot routine.

ACT encourages athletes to invest energy in controllable actions rather than outcomes.

Recover Quickly

Every shooter drops points.

The difference between a good and bad match is often how quickly a competitor recovers from mistakes.

ACT helps athletes avoid becoming trapped by previous shots and instead return their attention to the next one.

ACT Does Not Replace Good Coaching

One of the biggest misconceptions in sports psychology is that mental training somehow replaces technical training.

It does not.

ACT is not a substitute for:

• Technical coaching.

• Shot process development.

• Dry firing.

• Match practice.

• Physical conditioning.

• Equipment setup.

• Competition experience.

Instead, ACT helps athletes make better use of the skills they already possess.

A technically strong shooter who cannot manage pressure may underperform.

Likewise, a mentally resilient athlete with poor technique is unlikely to achieve consistent success.

The best results occur when psychological skills and technical skills develop together.

Competition Hardening Remains Important

For decades coaches have used a principle often described as competition hardening.

The concept is straightforward.

If athletes are gradually exposed to challenging situations, they learn that they can cope with those challenges.

Examples include:

• Entering local competitions.

• Shooting away from the home range.

• Participating in county and regional events.

• Competing against stronger opponents.

• Experiencing selection matches.

These experiences help athletes become more comfortable with pressure.

Competition hardening remains a valuable development tool.

However, ACT can strengthen the process even further.

Instead of simply experiencing pressure, ACT teaches athletes how to respond constructively when pressure arises.

The shooter learns:

• To recognise nerves.

• To accept discomfort.

• To stay engaged with the process.

• To continue performing effectively despite uncertainty.

The combination of competition experience and ACT skills can be particularly powerful.

The Risk of Excessive Hardening

While competition hardening is beneficial, more is not always better.

Athletes who are constantly pushed into high-pressure situations can eventually experience:

• Mental fatigue.

• Reduced motivation.

• Anxiety.

• Burnout.

• Loss of enjoyment.

• Withdrawal from the sport.

This is especially relevant for younger athletes.

Junior shooters often enter the sport because they enjoy the challenge, the social environment, and the sense of achievement. If the focus becomes solely about scores, selections, rankings, and results, that enjoyment can disappear.

Coaches, parents, and clubs should therefore take a long-term view.

Questions worth asking include:

• Is the athlete still enjoying their shooting?

• Are they getting sufficient recovery time?

• Is progress being recognised beyond scores?

• Are expectations realistic?

• Are we developing the person as well as the competitor?

Retaining a young shooter in the sport for ten years is generally far more valuable than achieving a single outstanding result and then watching them leave because they have become burned out.

Sustainable development should always be the goal.

Mental Health Matters

The shooting community has an additional responsibility that many sports do not.

Firearms Certificate (FAC) holders are entrusted with the safe and responsible possession of firearms. Looking after our mental wellbeing is therefore important not only for sporting performance but also for responsible and continued firearms ownership.

Good mental health should be viewed in the same way as physical health.

There is no weakness in:

• Talking about stress.

• Seeking support.

• Managing anxiety.

• Learning coping skills.

• Taking time to recover.

• Looking after personal wellbeing.

Mental resilience is not about pretending problems do not exist. It is about recognising challenges and responding to them effectively.

ACT and similar approaches can play a valuable role in helping individuals develop healthy ways of dealing with life's inevitable difficulties.

Strong mental health supports safer, happier, and more resilient shooters.

Practical ACT Techniques for Shooters

1. Acceptance of Nerves

Before a match, simply acknowledge:

"I'm nervous because this competition matters to me."

Allow the feeling to exist rather than fighting it.

2. Defusion from Thoughts

When a negative thought appears, label it:

"I'm having the thought that I might fail."

This creates distance between the athlete and the thought.

3. Present-Moment Awareness

Focus attention on current physical sensations:

• Feet on the floor.

• Breathing.

• Rifle contact points.

• Trigger pressure.

This helps anchor attention to the present.

4. Process Goals

Instead of focusing exclusively on scores, set goals such as:

• Follow my shot routine every shot.

• Maintain good follow through.

• Reset effectively after mistakes.

5. Values-Based Motivation

Ask yourself:

"Why do I shoot?"

Possible answers might include:

• Personal improvement.

• Friendship.

• Discipline.

• Excellence.

• Enjoyment.

Values provide stability when results fluctuate.

Further Resources

One of the most widely respected ACT educators is Dr Russ Harris, whose work has introduced thousands of people to ACT principles.

His website, courses, books, and resources provide an excellent starting point for anyone interested in learning more.

https://thehappinesstrap.com/

His book, The Happiness Trap, is often regarded as one of the most accessible introductions to ACT available and is highly recommended for athletes, coaches, and parents alike.

Shooters interested in applying ACT techniques to their shooting should also consider discussing these concepts with experienced coaches. Many ACT principles can be incorporated directly into training sessions, match preparation, and performance routines on the range.

Mental training is not a replacement for technical skill, good coaching, or competition experience. However, it is a vital part of becoming a complete shooter.

Acceptance and Commitment Training is now recognised across a wide range of elite sports, including Olympic disciplines, Formula One, and professional football. Its growing adoption reflects a simple truth: high performers do not succeed because they never experience pressure, but because they learn how to respond effectively when pressure arrives.

When combined with sound technical coaching, sensible competition hardening, effective training routines, and a commitment to mental wellbeing, ACT can help create athletes who are not only more successful, but also healthier, happier, and more resilient.

For the DCSRA and its affiliated clubs, developing both the shooter and the person should remain the ultimate goal. Success on the scorecard is important, but long-term participation, enjoyment, wellbeing, and responsible firearms ownership are even more important foundations for the future of our sport.

This article was produced by Dan Truscott, a NSRA County Coach and ISSF Rifle Coach. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the DCSRA. The content is informed by current ISSF and NSRA coaching doctrine.