Analysis of the efficacy of Futur K6AM buttstock in terms of recoil reduction and performance improvement

Introduction: In the sport of clay pigeon shooting, shooters are required to fire numerous shotgun rounds both in train- ing and competition, which may lead to chest discomfort and a potential decline in sports performance. To address this issue, through the use of thermography and sports performance analysis, we examined the effectiveness of the Futur K6AM buttstock, comparing it with traditional wooden stocks commonly used in clay pigeon shooting. Methods: A simulated TRAP competition was conducted using an over-and-under shotgun (Sporting model, Franchi). Six male and female subjects were recruited (age 28.4±3.2 years; BMI 21.7±1.8 kg/m2) with a minimum of 4 years of shooting experience. Each shooter fired with the same shotgun and cartridges in the first and second trials, with the only modification being the buttstock. Shooting sessions were separated by 60 days of rest. As injuries are related to variations in blood flow reflected on the skin [1], infrared thermographic technique was used to analyze the upper trunk, comparing temperature changes before and after four shooting series (100 clay pigeons, 25 pigeons/series). Performance was assessed as the percentage of hits on the clay pigeon, using the ISSF Trap scheme 1. One-way ANOVA was used to com- pare temperature variations within the region of interest (the area of interface between the shotgun and the shooter was previously identified in the infrared images). Results: The use of the Futur K6AM buttstock resulted in a significantly lower temperature increase (0.63±0.26°C, p<0.01) compared to the standard buttstock (1.17±0.6°C). Performance showed a statistically significant result (p<0.04) during the fourth shooting series, where shooters achieved a higher score (23±1.1) using the Futur K6AM buttstock, compared to the standard buttstock (21.5±1.05). Conclusion: The Futur K6AM buttstock reduces the temperature increase in the anatomical area in contact with the buttplate and improves performance, especially in the latter part of the competition

Assessment of effort and pain after compak sporting competition using three different over&under shotguns

The recoil of a shotgun can result in both an increase in perceived exertion and pain by the shooter and the occurrence of muscle fatigue phenomena. This represents a critical aspect of the disciplines of clay pigeon shooting where it is expected to hit a large number of targets by means of a rearm, which is typically the over/under shotgun. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the e ects of the recoil on the shooter and how the use of di erent weapons can modify these e ects. Both qualitative and quantitative tests allowed to assess e ort and pain perceived by the shooter (Rate of Perceived Exertion, RPE, and Visual Analog Scale, VAS) and his muscular force variation (Hand Grip Test, HGT, and Isometric Maximum Voluntary Contraction, IMVC) between rest condition and after the competition. 8 shooters (age 26.8±4.6 years; BMI 22.9±1.5 kg/m2) with at least 4 years of shooting experience were recruited. Each shooter has red with three di erent shotguns having di erent technical characteristics (balance and ergonomics) during three Compak Sporting competition. The reproducibility of rest conditions during the three competition days was assessed by Intraclass Correlation Coe cient (ICC). Subsequently, Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the results of each test before and after the shooting session. Moreover, to determine any dependence on the technical features of the shotgun on the shooter’s fatigue, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to highlight any di erences between the three tested weapons. Signi cance was set a priori at p<0.05 for all tests. Thanks to the proposed experimental protocol, signi cant di erences were observed between rest condition and after Compak Sporting competition on HGT (p=0.036) and ET (p=4.5·10-5) for muscle fatigue and VAS (p=1.5·10-5) and RPE (p=1.4·10-3) for self- perceived fatigue. Signi cant di erences in muscle fatigue levels were found when comparing the three types of gun, especially with regard to the upper part of the non- dominant shooter’s body

Comfort assessment in the use of shotgun for skeet shooting: an EMG based approach

In the last decades the improvements of sportive performance are due to the consistent innovation in equipment, clothing and training. Hence for what regards the equipment, comfort is becoming everyday more interesting as it strongly influences the performance and the risks of injuries. Is therefore, proposed in this research a methodology for an assessment of the comfort using frequency domain indexes, that are fatigue dependent, extrapolated from the surface electromyographic signal. The use of mean and median frequency of the surface electromyography were found to be useful indicators of fatigue in dynamic condition hence fatigue can be used as one of the variables concurring in the assessment of comfort. The methodology proposed could be used for both improvement of the performances of the athlete and either for quantifying the comfort in the interaction between the athlete and his sport equipment