Rifle Shooting Accuracy During Recovery from Fatiguing Exercise
Abstract
The effect of aerobic exercise on rifle shooting accuracy was studied in a repeated measures design. Nine men (22.5 +/5.7 yrs.) and 3 women (21.0 +/4.4 yrs.) active duty soldiers were tested. The volunteers were randomly subjected to 2 types of exercise until voluntary exhaustion: marching with backpack loads and running on a treadmill. Each exercise type had 3 randomly assigned exercise levels for a total of 6 exercise conditions (running at 70%, 80%, and 90% of VO2max, and marching with a 23.3kg, 35.2kg, and 48.8kg backpack load). Pre and post-exercise shooting accuracy was assessed by means of the Rapid Firing Test (RFT) conducted on a Weaponeer Ml6 Marksmanship Simulator using a standing, sandbag supported firing position. The RFT consists of shooting at a series of 6 sets of 12 pop-up targets randomly introduced for 2 seconds each at simulated distances of 175m and 300m. Each RFT series started immediately after exercise and ended within 13 minutes post exercise. Running and load carriage exercises each had a significant effect on shooting accuracy immediately following exercise. The number of hits dropped from 7.3 +/1.43 to 5.4 +/1.27 for running F(5,55)=4.7, p<0.05, and from 8.5 +/l.68 to 6.8 +/ 2.09 for load carriage F(5,55)=4.6, p<0.05. Shooting accuracy returned to pre-exercise levels by the 2nd set of RFT (at 1.5 minutes post exercise). Conclusion: The results demonstrate that fit soldiers can rapidly recover shooting accuracy following intense exercise. Human performance researchers should consider the quick post exercise (or work activity) recovery response when assessing exercise- induced changes in psychomotor performance, such as rifle shooting.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA414374
Entities
People
- D. J. Merullo
- M. A. Ito
- M. A. Sharp
- R. F. Johnson
- R. P. Mello
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine