The Effect of Hand Grip Strength on Firearm Shooting Performance in Tactical Athletes

Öz

Aim: This study aims to investigate the effect of hand grip strength on firearm shooting performance in tactical athletes. Methods: Thirty male tactical athletes with a mean age of 33,36 ± 6,47 years and a mean sports age of 4,00 ± 1,39 years volunteered to participate in the study. Hand grip strength of the participants was measured and recorded with a dynamometer before shooting. Shooting performance measurements were performed by firing 10 shots with a firearm from a distance of 9,14 m and a height of 1,52 m on the International Defence Weapons Association target paper. In order to evaluate the shooting performances, CED 7000 NON-RF electronic pulse meter device was used and the target scores were recorded together with the shooting times. Since the data were normally distributed, the relationship between hand grip strength and shooting performance was evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis test and significance level was accepted as p<0.05. Results: The results of the study, a negative correlation was found between right hand grip strength and shooting performance (p=0.022). No significant correlation was found between left hand grip strength and shooting performance (p>0.05). Conclusions: This study shows that dominant hand grip strength has a significant effect on firearm shooting performance. As the hand grip strength increases; the firing time shortens and this leads to an improvement in rapid firing performance. The findings indicate the importance of hand grip strength training for tactical athletes and individuals working in similar occupational groups in terms of task success.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Hand Grip Strength
• Rapid Fire
• Pistol Shooting Performance
• Tactical Athlete

Taktik Atletlerde El Kavrama Kuvvetinin Ateşli Tabanca Atış Performansına Etkisi

Öz

Amaç: Bu çalışma, taktik atletlerde el kavrama kuvvetinin ateşli tabanca atış performansına etkisini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmaya yaşları ortalaması 33,36 ± 6,47 yıl ve spor yaşları ortalaması 4,00 ± 1,39 yıl olan 30 erkek taktik atlet gönüllü olarak katılmıştır. Katlımıcıların atış öncesinde el kavrama kuvvetleri dinamometre ile ölçülerek kaydedilmiştir. Atış performans ölçümleri ise Uluslararası Savunma Silahları Birliği hedef kağıdına 9,14 metre uzaklıktan ve 1,52 metre yükseklikten ateşli tabanca ile 10 atış şeklinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Atış performanslarını değerlendirebilmek için CED 7000 NON-RF elektronik atım ölçer cihazı kullanılarak atış süreleri ile birlikte hedef puanları kaydedilmiştir. Veriler normal dağılım gösterdiğinden el kavrama kuvveti ve atış performansı arasındaki ilişki Pearson korelasyon analizi testi ile değerlendirilmiş, anlamlılık düzeti p<0.05 olarak kabul edilmiştir. Bulgular: Çalışma sonuçlarına göre, sağ el kavrama kuvveti ile atış performansı arasında negatif bir korelasyon bulunmuştur (p=0.022). Sol el kavrama kuvveti ile atış performansı arasında ise anlamlı bir ilişki bulunamamıştır (p>0.05). Sonuçlar: Yapılan bu çalışmada, baskın el kavrama kuvvetinin ateşli tabanca atış performansına önemli bir etkisi olduğunu göstermektedir. El kavrama kuvveti arttıkça; atış süresi kısalmakta ve bu da seri atış performansında iyileşmeye yol açmaktadır. Elde edilen bulgular, taktik atletler ve benzeri meslek gruplarında görev yapan bireylerin görev başarısı açısından el kavrama kuvveti antrenmanlarının önemine işaret etmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• El Kavrama Kuvveti
• Seri Atış
• Tabanca Atış Performansı
• Taktik Atlet

Kaynakça

1. Alpha Academy. (2024). Ced7000 shot timer. https://www.cedhk.com/. Erişim Tarihi: 04.07.2024.
2. Alvar, A. B., Sell, K., ve Deuster, A. P. (2017). NSCA’s essentials of tactical strength and conditioning. Human Kinetics.
3. Arinci Incel, N., Ceceli, E., Durukan, P. B., Erdem, H. R., ve Yorgancioglu, Z. R. (2002). Grip strength: Effect of hand dominance. Singapore Medical Journal, 43(5), 234-237.
4. Beck, A. Q., Clasey, J. L., Yates, J. W., Koebke, N. C., Palmer, T. G., ve Abel, M. G. (2015). Relationship of physical fitness measures vs. occupational physical ability in campus law enforcement officers. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(9), 2340–2350.
5. Biggs, A. T., Hamilton, J. A., Jensen, A. E., Huffman, G. H., Suss, J., Dunn, T. L., Sherwood, S., Hirsch, D. A., Rhoton, J., Kelly, K. R., ve Markwald, R. R. (2021). Perception during use of force and the likelihood of firing upon an unarmed person. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 13313.
6. Brown, A., Baldwin, S., Blaskovits, B., ve Bennell, C. (2021). Examining the impact of grip strength and officer gender on shooting performance. Applied Ergonomics.
7. Can, İ. (2018). Analysis on the relation between velocity and power values during the propulsive phase of bench throw exercise and upper-body strength characteristics in professional handball players. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science, 4(1), 10-27.
8. Carlton, S. D., ve Orr, M. R. (2014). The impact of occupational load carriage on carrier mobility: A critical review of the literature. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 20(1), 3–11.

9. Copay, A. G. Ve Charles, M. T. (2001). The influence of grip strength on handgun marksmanship in basic law enforcement training. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 24(1), 32–39.
10. Crawley, A. A., Sherman, R. A., Crawley, W. R., ve Cosio-Lima, L. M. (2016). Physical fitness of police academy cadets: Baseline characteristics and changes during a 16-week academy. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(5), 1416–1424.
11. Cronin, J., Lawton, T., Harris, N., Kilding, A., ve McMaster, D. T. (2017). A brief review of handgrip strength and sport performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(11), 3187–3217.
12. Dennis, E. S., ve Joseph, R. K. (2015). The tactical athlete: A product of 21st-century strength and conditioning. National Strength and Conditioning Association, 37, 2-7.
13. Erdoğan, M., Sağıroğlu, İ., Şenduran, F., Ada, M., ve Ateş, O. (2016). Elit atıcıların el kavrama kuvveti ile atış performansları arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi. İstanbul Üniversitesi Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 6, 22-30.
14. Gulbinskienė, V., ve Skarbalius, A. (2009). Peculiarities of investigated characteristics of Lithuanian pistol and rifle shooters' training and sport performance. Baltic Journal of Sport and Health Sciences, 2(73).
15. Isoaho, J. (2023). Benefits of dry firing and feedback in biathlon standing shooting practice. Master’s thesis, University of Jyväskylä, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, Spring.
16. Joseph, E., Ajeet, Rajpurohit, V. S., Sharma, M. R., Jadiya, M. K., ve Choudhary, A. (2021). Evaluation of maximal isometric hand grip strength in different sports. Indian Journal of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy - An International Journal, 15(1), 25-30.
17. Kayihan, G., Ersöz, G., Özkan, A., & Koz, M. (2013). Relationship between efficiency of pistol shooting and selected physical-physiological parameters of police. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 36(4), 819–832.
18. Loveless, A. M., Games, K. E., Shea, M. E., Thews, K. N., ve Winkelmann, Z. K. (2023). Experiences of athletic trainers in tactical athlete settings when managing patients with mental health conditions. Journal of Athletic Training, 58(10), 865–875
19. Mon, D., Zakynthinaki, M. S., Cordente, C. A., Monroy Antón, A. J., Rodríguez Rodríguez, B., ve López Jiménez, D. (2015). Finger flexor force influences performance in senior male air pistol olympic shooting. PLoS ONE 10(6), e0129862.
20. Mon-López, D., Zakynthinaki, M. S., Cordente, C. A., ve García-González, J. (2019). The relationship between pistol Olympic shooting performance, handgrip and shoulder abduction strength. Journal of Human Kinetics, 69, 39-46
21. Muirhead, H., Orr, R., Schram, B., Kornhauser, C., Holmes, R., ve Dawes, J. J. (2019). The relationship between fitness and marksmanship in police officers. Safety, 5(54), 1-10.
22. Nestler, K., Rohde, U., Witzki, A., Waldeck, S., Becker, B., ve Leyk, D. (2019). Index finger muscle fatigue and pistol firing failure. Human Factors, 1-11.
23. O’Neill, J., O’Neill, D.A., ve Lewinski, W.J. (2017). Toward a taxonomy of the unintentional discharge of firearm in law enforcement. Applied Ergonomics, 59, 283-292.
24. Ocak, Y., ve Balamut, Y. (2022). Does shooting performance increase with exercises? Kinesiologia Slovenica, (28), 62-78.
25. Öcal Kaplan, D. (2016). Evaluating the relation between dominant and non-dominant hand perimeters and handgrip strength of basketball, volleyball, badminton and handball athletes. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 11(10), 3297-3309.
26. Orr, R. M., Rofe, A., Hinton, B., ve Dawes, J. (2021). Effect of grip size and grip strength on pistol marksmanship in police officers: A pilot study. NBP: Nauka.
27. Orr, R., Pope, R., Stierli, M., ve Hinton, B. (2017). Grip strength and its relationship to police recruit task performance and injury risk: A retrospective cohort study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(8), 941
28. Peljha, Z., Michaelides, M., ve Collins, D. (2021). Assessment of physical fitness parameters in Olympic clay target shooters and their relationship with shooting performance. Journal of Physical, 2021.
29. Petersen, P., Petrick, M., Connor, H., ve Conklin, D. (1989). Grip strength and hand dominance: Challenging the 10% rule. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 43(7), 444-47
30. Pizzigalli, L., Micheletti Cremasco, M., La Torre, A., Rainoldi, A., ve Benis, R. (2016). Hand grip strength and anthropometric characteristics in Italian female national basketball teams. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 56(3), 328-334
31. Rasteiro, A., Santos, V., ve Massuça, L. M. (2023). Physical training programs for tactical populations: Brief systematic review. Healthcare, 11(7), 967.
32. Simas, V., Schram, B., Canetti, E. F. D., Maupin, D., ve Orr, R. (2022). Factors influencing marksmanship in police officers: A narrative review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 14236.
33. Suazo, N., ve DeBeliso, M. (2021). The relationship between powerlifting performance and hand grip strength among female athletes. Turkish Journal of Kinesiology, 7(4), 112-122.
34. Tabachnick, B. G., ve Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). Pearson Education.
35. Woodford, K. M. (2021). Marksmanship accuracy and precision after tactical exercises among Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team operators. Master's thesis, Texas AveM University-Corpus Christi.