Pistol and rifle shooters who have resumed training at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi, after a forced four-month break, have had an emotional reunion of sorts with their training ground. Ace pistol shooter Manu Bhaker was practising at her parental village Goria in Haryana during the COVID-19 lockdown, but did not wait to avail the opportunity of shooting at the SAI range once it reopened. She has spent the last two weeks travelling to the range, just a stone's throw away from her base in Faridabad. And she has loved every moment of time spent on the range.
Unable to practise 25m pistol at home because the event requires shooting with live cartridges unlike 10m air pistol which she has been regularly practising during the break, Bhaker devoted time to it under the watchful eyes of pistol coach Pavel Smirnov. Also, training with her while maintaining mandatory social distance, were other national team probables Divyansh Singh Panwar and Anish Bhanwala.
"It felt so good. I experienced such positive vibes coming back to the range after so long... a place where you have participated in competitions, camps. It felt different, peaceful. I was practicing 25m pistol after so long," said Bhaker to THE WEEK.
How were the results? "They weren't disastrous," said the 18-year-old. "Initially, the shoulder muscles felt a bit sore; I shot 100-150 rounds. I would shoot 25m for 2.5-3 hours and 10m for 2-2.5 hours daily at the range."
Shooting at home was a relief but not completely satisfying for the shooting star. "It didn't feel great; shooting at home felt more like a responsibility. When I shoot at the range, it feels more like I am doing what I love the most. Moreover, the range at home is in the open, all can see from the balcony!"
However, time spent at her village was a different experience as she spent time with her family, got a new pet dog to play with and even learnt farm chores.
Back at the range, coach Pavel kept a close watch for any errors that might have crept into Bhaker's shooting drill while practicing at home. The teenager also said that at the range, much to her relief and joy, all COVID-19-related SOPs were in place and she could shoot without any worries. The lanes and targets were sanitised and there were no other persons on the range other than Bhaker, her coach and fellow pistol shooters—each one's shooting bay five lanes apart.
A few metres away from the 25m pistol hall, is the 50m rifle shooting range, where Sanjeev Rajput has been making the most of the reopening of the range. Like Bhaker, he too stays nearby, in Faridabad The seasoned Rajput is the 50m rifle 3 position expert and has the range to himself, literally, but under the supervision of rifle shooting coach Oleg Mikhailov. For Rajput, training at home has been impossible as his is an outdoor event. All he could do was practise holding and the three positions at home but, as he found out at the range, that was hardly enough.
Asked about his first day of shooting at the range after the long break, Rajput's response is candid. “It was horrible! Before lockdown, I could stay in a position, say, kneeling for 45 minutes. Now, I was unable to do so even for 15 minutes. The first day of shooting at the range felt like I was back in 2001 when I first started shooting. As for the score, the less said the better! But, I am not looking at scores right now. I shot 60 rounds. I found that I was less stable in standing and kneeling, and felt tired after half-an-hour of holding. This was despite the physical conditioning lessons we followed at home via Zoom sessions with the trainer."
But 10 days of practice has seen Rajput vastly improving his basics, and he believes he is halfway to attaining pre-lockdown levels. " After 10 days or so of practice, I am able to hold for 30-35 minutes, shoot 40-50 shots in one go. Another 10-15 days, and I think I will feel normal." The aim is to remain in fine shape shooting-wise till November when competitions are expected to start. "Right now, the focus is on building stamina and endurance, and improving technically."
Both Bhaker and Rajput say they are set to attend the national camp, starting on August 1, as announced by the National Rifle Association of India. But the duo, like rest of the shooters, do have reservations regarding fellow shooters who will be travelling long distances from COVID-19 hotspots and whether it will be possible or feasible for all campers to train and stay together in a bio-secure environment.
Until then, they are happy to continue their training individually, under the watchful eyes of their coaches at the range.