The flexibility (movement) of
joints in the body are controlled by several factors:-
bone structure, muscle bulk, tendons and ligaments. All
these control the range of movement the joints are
capable of.
To increase this range of movement, the following
stretching exercises are recommended.Stretching
Exercises
The following exercises
are for stretching and warming up the muscles before
shooting and for stretching and cooling down the muscles
after shooting. These exercises will help prevent damage
to muscles, tendons and joints and also increase
flexibility.
When performing these exercises, do not hold your
breath at any stage, as it may cause dizziness.
As you do each exercise the muscles will require more
oxygen, so your breathing and heart rate will increase.
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To loosen upper arm and
chest muscles.
Interlock the
fingers with palms out. Extend arms above head,
keeping fingers locked. Stretch upwards and hold
for 10 seconds.
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To loosen
back muscles.
Cross arms in
front of chest and place hands around shoulders.
Slowly stretch hands towards middle of back as
far as possible. Hold for 10 seconds.
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To loosen chest, top of
shoulder and lower arm muscles.
Bend one arm
over head and down back, bend other arm around
and up back. Grasp finger tips and hold for 10
seconds, then reverse arm positions and hold for
10 seconds. Keep backbone vertical during this
exercise.
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To loosen shoulders and
back muscles.
Lock fingers
together, extend arms and twist slowly as far as
possible to the right and hold for 10 seconds.
Then twist slowly to the left and hold for 10
seconds.
Do not twist
suddenly as it may damage backbone joints.
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To loosen neck and upper
shoulder muscles.
From a normal
standing position with arms at sides, raise up
both shoulders towards neck as high as possible,
then move shoulders forward, then move shoulders
back. Do this for about 10 seconds.
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