Caffeine and shooting

[nhluke]

Does anyone have any experience with doing a before and after of caffeine/shooting vs no caffeine/shooting? I've read a bit about people opinions on the subject but it mainly sounded like those who think it's bad don't do it, and those who don't think it matters to the vast majority of shooters enjoy caffeine.
I've been known to drink the bull that is red.

[linksep]

I think it probably depends on your tolerance/addiction level. A Diet Coke or a Mtn Dew (or strong coffee) could probably settle you down if you're Jonesing like me, or if you drink 1 caffeinated drink per week then it'll probably knock you off by 10% (points in a scored event).

Chug-a-lug, or avoid it like the plague depending on your average intake level.

[andrewP]

The effects depend on the dosage and the individual's tolerance. I have occasionally noticed, in a non-shooting context, that significant quantities of caffeine can make my hands less steady. Given that, I usually avoid coffee before USPSA matches, but I wouldn't worry about drinking a can of Pepsi, as I don't believe that the lower dosage present there would have a significant negative effect. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Also, Red Bull is just nasty.

[Pat Cannon]

Yeah, what they said. I went to the range with a co-worker once and he said, "you're pretty good for somebody who drinks as much coffee as you do."

But it's really hard for me to imagine one's shooting being hurt by not enough caffeine unless it's a matter of falling asleep in the middle of a string because you've been up for days.

[Seismic Sam]

Back when I was a member of the Mpls pistol club shooting at the 2nd precinct Station on Broadway Ave., the station armorer competed at Camp Perry every year, and won ALL the bowling pin tournaments the Mpls club had. His opinion was that if you saw a guy drinking a coke, his score would go down about 5 points per target. Conversely, if you went to the beer tent, you could raise your score a few points. The other thing that says that it matters is the fact that in Olympic biatholons the drug Lopressor is a restricted substance, and you will get booted out of the games if they find it in your system. It reduces heart rate and blood pressure. I've been taking it for years, but obviously if you're an 800 pound reloading troll your time will be measured on a calendar rather than a stopwatch. Dunno if snipers use it or not, but it WILL reduce your heart rate.

[BigDog58]

For nearly 15 years I bowled in both amateur and professional matches. Until I left GA, I still had my PBA card. Many of the top bowlers found that drinking alcoholic drink, or some type of relaxant, would definitely improve their games. I as well, found this to be true. I also advised those that had me teach them through my Pro-Shop often asked how to calm their nerves, and if they were of age, I would suggest it. Not enough to get drunk, but enough to calm down, from the Adrenalin dump.

Later, I met a lady that taught me to FOCUS, it was in a similar fashion of meditation, but focus on every move you anticipated making in a given portion of whatever action you were to undertake.She taught me to visualize every move I would make and go through it over and over in my mind, before I even stepped up on the lane. Before I learned her techniques, I had a scratch average of 201. Within 6 months of perfecting the technique, my average had raised to 217 and during that time I rolled 3 300 games,and 2 800+ 3 Game Series, at 3 different alleys. All within a 3 week run at different alleys.

I say this because I am now trying to use these same techniques in long range shooting. Getting total focus on my objective, block out all unnecessary issues or data and, relax, most of all. For lack of a better term, I refer to it as "zoning in". I have yet to totally perfect in my long range shooting, but it is coming along.

I believe that caffeine can affect you as others have said. But each of us is different. I can drink a gallon of strong coffee and go right to sleep, if I'm tired. It doesn't appear to have any of the effects I've seen it have with friends and family. I guess I'm lucky, I don't drink coffee. If anything like this makes you jittery, stay away from it before shooting. Especially if it's in a competition. And whatever you do DO NOT DRINK AN Alcoholic Beverage prior to shooting! Try to learn the meditation, visualization method and use that to calm your nerves.

[MJY65]

I'd say if my hands are steady enough to practice dentistry with caffeine on board, they're sure as heck steady enough to shoot.

[LumberZach]

I don't know that I've seen a lot of affects from it, but when shooting I try to avoid it. I need all the help I can get and want to minimize negatives I can. Although whenever I got hunting I'm drinking coffee like a fish to stay warm and awake after not sleeping and have had reasonable success.


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[Erud]

Just do whatever you normally do. A change to your normal routine will be more likely to have a detrimental effect on your shooting than caffeine/no caffeine will.

[aprilian]

I've dropped my intake to 2 cups of green tea and what I've personally noticed is not all caffeine delivery methods have the same absorption timing. Sometimes I will drink my two cups in the morning (back to back) and about Noon, I can feel jittery and occasionally my heart will race. I have heard that caffeine delivered by black tea and coffee absorb quicker into the body. I don't know how much of this is verified science.

Also, I have found that caffeine improves my vision when driving at night, so it may be a helpful aid if you have trouble seeing a distant target.

[igofast]

Interesting stuff. Personally I don't drink coffee before a match because for me it triggers other bodily functions, and if I can keep from taking off all my equipment(you carry alot on your body for 3-gun) and staying away from the port-o-potty I consider it a 'win'. However, I normally drink 2 cups of coffee a day and I find if I skip more than a day of caffeine I get a wicked withdrawal headache.

[Rip Van Winkle]

An interesting article from the AMU on the subject.
https://www.usashooting.org/library/Instructional/Nutrition/july_aug_2007_effects_of_coffee_tobacco.pdf

[nhluke]

I appreciate the opinions, insight and humor.

[crbutler]

Any stimulant will cause some small amounts of increased tremor. The more you use, the more you will find. Everyone is different in how much reaction you get, but moderate use is probably less than the day to day stresses you face... Some jerk cut you off on your drive to the range likely has more effect than a cup of coffee to someone who normally drinks it.

Depressants (atenolol/tenormin are sympathetic nervous system depressants which is how they cut blood pressure) will lessen this tremor and lower your heart rate. The problem with these is that most have some other side effects that can be a problem. Alcohol is a no no due to mental impairment issues, but also it has short and long term effects. I have seen some guys try and see if a beer or two helped them, and it did, for about 30 minutes or so, then they started dehydrating a bit and scores got worse.

The other side of the coin is if you are habituated to something, withdrawal will cause a increase in your sympathetic nervous tone and make your tremor worse.

So while avoiding these substances altogether is probably best for optimal shooting, given how ubiquitous caffeine is in modern America, total abstinence is unlikely.

My opinion is, like Erud, just stick with your usual practice from day to day and you will probably have your best chance at good performance.

[nhluke]

Well I guess the world needs guys like erud who can be precise, and red bull junkies for "covering fire". My 600 yard targets help me remember my role.