Shooting rhythm in biathlon: how you build an even sequence over five shots, what 118,300 analysed shots show and why a degree of chance remains.
The honest answer: The shooting rhythm is the even sequence of breathing, aiming and shot across all five targets. You make every shot the same so that pulse and stress do not break up the sequence. The rhythm is a routine that you call up automatically when you lie or stand on the mat.
What the data say: an analysis of 118,300 shots from four seasons showed that the hit rate was lower in sprint and pursuit than in individual and mass start, lower in standing than in prone, and that the first prone and the fifth standing shot were hit somewhat worse than the others [1]. The most important predictor of future shots was the athlete's previous hit rate in the respective position. A high degree of randomness remained [1]. That means: the rhythm is no guarantee, but it is the only thing you have in your hands.
The time pressure is real: the average shooting time of the ten best men in the 20-kilometre individual fell from 33.5 seconds (1997) to 27.9 seconds (2017) [2]. In a simulated competition study a shooting stop lasted 38.9 seconds on average [3]. And in a study with 32 biathletes they perceived time as shorter in prone than in standing, and pulse rise, fatigue and negative mood distorted their time perception [4].
And here is the part almost nobody tells you up front: there is no study that supports a particular shooting rhythm as the best. Two strategies also occur: holding and waiting, or letting the shot come as the aiming point passes the centre [5]. All concrete moves below are coaching practice and carry no source number.
Realistically: this is an intermediate skill. You build it over many series, first without, then with load.
Write down what happens at every shot: breathing, sight picture, trigger, follow-through, reloading. Decide on a strategy for the timing of the trigger and stick to it [5].
Milestone: You can recite the sequence for one shot in five keywords.
Shoot five without load and try to give each shot the same sequence. The coach watches for equal intervals and equal posture.
Milestone: Five shots in a row with a nearly identical sequence.
The data show that the first prone and the fifth standing shot miss somewhat more often [1]. Plan deliberately more calm for these two shots, for example with an extra breathing phase before the first.
Milestone: You hit the first shot as calmly as the third.
Practise with the stopwatch: how long does your series take? How long does it feel? Biathletes estimate time in a distorted way under load [4]. A comparison with the clock helps.
Milestone: You estimate your series time to within a few seconds.
Shoot after a load block. Pulse rise and fatigue disturb time perception [4], and a higher breathing and heart rate can impair performance when standing [3]. The sequence stays the same, only repetition under load shows whether it holds.
Milestone: The rhythm stays the same under load, the hit rate does not drop.
Keep a shot log with two columns: "Sequence the same?" and "Hit?". After a few weeks you see whether misses are linked to deviations from the sequence. That is coaching practice. The analysis of 118,300 shots calls for composure: a high degree of randomness remains even with a good sequence [1].
A fixed sequence of breathing, aiming and shot across all five targets. Every shot runs the same so that pulse and stress do not break up the sequence.
In an analysis of 118,300 shots the hit rate at the first prone and the fifth standing shot was somewhat lower than at the others [1]. The differences are small.
The ten best men in the 20-kilometre individual needed 27.9 seconds on average at the 2017 World Championships [2]. For beginners there is no fixed value.
Hardly. Past hit rate was the best predictor, but a high degree of randomness remained [1].
Both strategies exist: hold and wait, or let the shot come as the aiming point passes the centre [5]. Which one suits you, you clarify with the coach and then stick to it.