Introduction

Do you wear tweed? Like the smell of rubber galoshes? Hate pheasants? Then shooting may just be the sport for you. Of course, you won't actually get to kill anything, because the Olympic Games and indeed real life are not similar to The Hunger Games. Instead you'll be aiming at non-living targets, both moving and stationary.

The basics

It's not hard to grasp the basics of shooting. You have a gun and you point, aim and fire it at a target. Sometimes the target is moving. At the Games, shooting events fall into three disciplines: rifle, pistol and shotgun. Depending on the event, athletes are required to shoot from standing, kneeling or lying down. As a non-Olympian, you'll probably start at a clay pigeon shooting club, standing up.

Health benefits

You're not going to gain too much muscle tone from shooting, but co-ordination, stamina and the ability to lower your heartbeat is essential if you are to consistently hit the target.

Equipment, costs and practicalities

Many clubs offer taster sessions, so you can see if shooting is for you without the danger of having to approach your local arch-criminal to see if he/she can give you a go on their sawn-off shotgun. There are also beginners' courses that go through the basics, including all the safety aspects, to help get you started. You can find a local club on the
Clay Pigeon Shooting Association website.

Trendiness rating: 7/10

It's got guns – hi-tech guns at that. If you watch the video on the Olympic website, you'll see competitors wearing futuristic clobber and looking like James Bond circa 2020. It's pretty trendy. However, we're deducting points because men and women competed against each other until 1992, when China's Zhang Shan became the first woman to win gold in a mixed-gender event. After these Games, the ISSF stopped men and women competing against each other. Sexist.

Inside line

Phil Scanlan, Team GB shooting coach: "Shooting covers many different disciplines that can be enjoyed by people of all types, regardless of social background, age, shape, size and gender. Young and old can compete side by side, and it's probably one of the few sports that a beginner can compete in directly alongside an Olympian. It teaches self-control, and depending on the discipline can be enjoyed summer and winter, indoors and out!"

Find out more

britishshooting.org.uk - find a club near you through the Great British Target Shooting Association.

nra.org.uk - the National Rifle Association.

cpsa.co.uk - Clay Pigeon Shooting Association.

stsf.org.uk - Scottish Target Shooting.

nra.org.uk and nsra.org.uk - rifle and pistol shooting.

You may also like

Fencing, archery.

You might hate

Clay pigeons, mountain biking.

Over to you

Do you shoot? Help us build up this resource by sharing tips, videos, links to clubs and anything else that beginners might find useful.