Every time reporters try to look into the minds of a competitor, trying to recreate match-eve emotions, preparatory solutions and the thought-train during the competition, they come up short. There are elements of cut-throat competition that cannot be recreated in third person, cannot be elucidated through observation.

When The Indian Express’ Navneet Singh decided to take part in the 51st national shooting championships in Ahmedabad (from December 28, 2007 to January 7, 2008), we decided to collect his experience for a first-persona account: the nearest to the real thing.

Over to Navneet Singh:

The warm-ups

• The first thing I needed was tips. Plenty of tips.

Tips from top shooters came in handy. Melbourne Commonwealth Games best athlete Samresh Jung of Delhi is always ready to help. Then there was Harveen Srao.

They eventually helped in improving my score by more than 11 points. That’s how I broke the 560 ‘barrier’ in the men’s air pistol category.

The tips

• Match-eve, ace pistol shooter Jung, explains the fundamentals. I have been shooting for two years now, but talking to Jung made all the difference.

“A shooter must prepare himself properly (mentally and physically) before releasing the shot. Follow the procedure throughout the 60-shot match.”

That is scary, and exhausting. He said more: “Preparation includes proper stance, triggering and follow-through. All the points are vital for a good card.”

I go to Srao, women’s air pistol star. “Focus on scoring a 10,” she says. Easier said that done, for me. Want if I can’t? “Take a break after a bad shot, helps in coming back to scoring a good shot.”

... contd.