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Athletes
Shooting is an individual sport, but like any activity it is more enjoyable when you practice and compete with like mined people. For that reason getting involved with your local club and their coaches will add to your enjoyment and skill development. Most clubs have regular weekly programs and that may be the best way for a new athlete to get started. There is a handy list of BC and international clubs and websites on our Links page.
As an athlete we expect you to follow our Code of Conduct when you are practicing or competing.
Athlete Development
The BCTSA programs have been developed around the nationally recognised Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model. The LTAD identifies a set of common benchmarks around which an athlete progresses in their sport, from youth to adulthood. The LTAD is based on the athlete's time in the sport, rather than chronological age. in the case of target sports young children are not normally formally introduced to target sports (unlike an activity like soccer or gymnastics) because of the maturity required to participate.
INTRODUCTION TO SHOOTING (1 – 3 Yrs)
This stage is meant to expose the new shooter to the spectrum of different types of shooting. Specialization begins to move the individual towards their favourite type of shooting. General firearms safety, range safety, types of firearms and types of shooting are the focus here. This is not a training time… it is introductory.
Key terms: safe… positive… fun
TRAINING TO TRAIN: (2 – 5 Yrs)
First introduction to competition. Main focus is still on fun in the sport, while beginning to focus on developing excellence.
Training time: 2 – 4 times a week … 1 – 1.5 hours Key terms: fun … practice … excellence
TRAINING TO COMPETE (4 – 9 Yrs)
The target shooter is introduced to training standards: technical skills for specific shooting discipline, specialized physical activities, and scheduled practices. Training time: 3 – 5 times a week… one full practice match per session
Key terms: focus… specialization … performance
TRAINING TO WIN (8 – 10 Yrs)
This stage is the focus on the podium stage. The focus is to maximize performance at multiple peaks.
Training time: 6 days a week, one full match per day. Key terms: performance … performance … excellence
SPORT FOR LIFE
This level reflects either the recreational shooter or the high performance athlete that has moved past peak performance but remains involved in the sport. We can observe these target shooters on all of our ranges as they remain active in our sport… for life.