SHORT ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 1999 September;39(3):259-66

Copyright © 2000 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Cardiovascular adaptation during action pistol shooting

Fenici R., Ruggieri M. P., Brisinda D., Fenici P.

Law Enforcement and Criminalistics Research Unit, Clinical Physiology, Catholic University, Rome, Italy

Background. Action Pistol Shooting, ­implies ­high ­degree of phys­i­cal and psy­cho­log­i­cal ­stress, how­ev­er car­di­o­vas­cu­lar adap­ta­tion dur­ing com­pe­ti­tion has not ­been stud­ied so far.
Methods. We stud­ied six ­healthy ­males ath­letes, dur­ing the Italian National Dynamic Pistol Shooting Championship. ECG was mon­i­tored and ­blood pres­sure (BP) man­u­al­ly meas­ured ­along the ­match.
Results. Mean ­heart ­rate (HR) was ­close to 100 bpm per min­ute in all but one shoot­ers. Marked tach­y­car­dia, ­above 180 ­beats per min­ute was record­ed in ­four shoot­ers, dur­ing “­field ­course” stag­es. In two cas­es the ­heart ­rate ­under ­stress ­reached ­about 200 bpm, for the occur­rence of par­ox­ys­mal atri­al arrhyth­mi­as. BP behav­ior was dif­fer­ent ­among the six shoot­ers ­with ­mean sys­tol­ic val­ues rang­ing ­between 140 and 170 mmHg and max­i­mal sys­tol­ic val­ues ­between 160 e 240 mmHg.
Conclusions. Action Pistol Shooting induc­es ­acute ele­va­tion of HR and BP, ­which may ­reach abnor­mal val­ues and can be asso­ciat­ed ­with ­impaired per­for­mance and ­score. Further ­study is war­rant­ed in shoot­ers under­go­ing com­bat-­like tour­na­ments to eval­u­ate unper­ceived car­di­o­vas­cu­lar ­stress and ­their cop­ing capa­bil­ity.