Shooting Pointers

The Magic of Follow-Through

Živa Dvoršak

Mar 7, 2025

As our juniors compete at the 10m European Championships in Osijek, Croatia, I reflect on the most common instructions coaches tend to give the moment a shooter first enters the shooting range. One of the most frequently heard exclamations is undoubtedly: “Follow through!”

Every sport has a follow-through phase. In tennis, the racket continues its motion after hitting the ball to ensure precision. In basketball, the athlete’s arm remains extended after releasing the ball for better accuracy. In golf, the swing follows through to control trajectory. These movements are obvious and easy to explain. While they might be more straightforward for shotgun shooters and rapid-fire pistol disciplines, where the shooters continue with the movement even after the (last) shot is fired, in static shooting, follow-through is subtle—more complex to see and perfect, yet just as essential.

So what is the magic behind follow-through, and why do coaches insist on perfecting this skill?

The Importance of Active Follow-Through

Many beginners underestimate the significance of follow-through, believing that their job is done once the shot is fired. We often see them quickly turning their heads and shifting their gaze to the screen, rushing to see the result. When the coach reminds them for the hundredth time to “follow through”, they might try to trick the system—keeping their head in place but letting their eyes dart toward the monitor—not realizing that by doing so, they miss the crucial moment of feedback.

This is why it’s essential to explain to shooters that the eyes and gaze must remain on the target for 1–2 seconds after firing so that, over time, they develop a strong understanding of where their shots land. In Shooting Notes, we describe follow-through as an active process:

Active follow-through involves continuous, intentional aiming at your target even after the shot is released, stopping only after your rifle or pistol returns to the middle of your target and comes to a complete stop. That is when your aiming process is actually over.

Not Just the Gaze but the Whole Body

Many errors occur not because of a retreating gaze but because of relaxing the body too soon! If we consider shooting with small- or large-calibre firearms, we can easily agree that these produce a recoil after firing. Since this effect is more noticeable, holding the body steady in response feels natural. However, air rifles and pistols also recoil, albeit an a smaller scale, which is why maintaining the shooting position is so important. The whole point of a follow-through is that during that fraction of a second, the body absorbs this recoil without disturbing the overall balance.

In other words, our task is to cushion the shot with our body, allowing the movement of the rifle travel through it. Relaxing too soon can disrupt precision, while holding the body too rigid and tense (trying to counter recoil) is just as harmful: it can result in forced shots and misleading feedback about the actual direction. A well-executed follow-through ensures that the body remains engaged, stable, and receptive to the subtle cues that determine shot consistency and accuracy.

Turn Your Attention Inward

By now, you’re well aware that follow-through is not just a passive waiting period—it’s an active process of maintaining control, awareness, and discipline. To do so, you’ll have to turn your attention inward. Inner position is not something you see but something you feel and are aware of. It’s about muscle sensation and coordination as well as your mental state. One affects the other and vice versa. On days when you feel relaxed and have no expectations, your body feels calm and can hold the position effortlessly. However, when competition pressure kicks in, your mind starts racing, and you quickly get lost, forgetting about your body.

Do you remember one of our previous Practical Pointers, where we introduced power poses? Just as standing in a power pose for two minutes before a competition—standing tall, arms wide or resting on your hips, chest out—boosts confidence by increasing testosterone and lowering cortisol to reduce stress, the same principle applies while you’re already on the shooting line. Turning your attention inward means practising presence: scanning your body in a shooting position and seeing yourself standing firm and heavy will also quiet your mind and direct your focus to the shot at hand.

Like boxers at the start of a fight, who take on a strong defensive stance while staying fluid enough to absorb their opponent’s strike, shooters must also find their inner position. This deeply personal experience is hard to describe because it’s also influenced by individual character. The key is observing yourself, determining at what level of intensity you’re able to hold your body throughout the whole shot process and deciding on the exact moment where you’ll commit to do so and focus on the shot at hand. In other words, the point of commitment means choosing the final point on the target where you check your balance, visualize standing firm and heavy, and proceed with this feeling of firmness, maintaining stability throughout and even until after the shot when your rifle or pistol comes to a complete stop.

This is where I leave you—with the challenge to start observing your inner sensations while shooting and deciding on your point of commitment. Think of follow-through as finishing or completing the shot. Don’t focus on the length of follow-through but rather on the body intensity with which you do it.

Let us know how this goes. Do you remember your coach’s instructions about follow-through? How did they explain you the process and how do you experience follow-through now?

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