Trigger force and pistol motion of air pistol shooters of different skill levels

Trigger technique is crucial in air pistol shooting, but its link to pistol motion is unstudied. This study aimed to assess trigger skills in elite and sub-elite groups and its relation to pistol motion. Twelve elite and 14 sub-elite air pistol shooters each fired 10 shots, with trigger pull force recorded by a sensor and pistol motion tracked by a 3D system before and after firing. Stability and variability were represented by total displacement and the standard deviation respectively of translational motion of pistol endpoint in the mediolateral, anteroposterior, and vertical directions. Independent t-tests compared trigger pull force and motion characteristics between groups, while Pearson's correlation assessed their relationship. Sub-elite shooters showed a significant drop in Normalized Trigger Pull Force 0.15s after firing, while elite shooters maintained their force level, indicating follow-through of the trigger pull as a high-level technique. Total Normalized Trigger Pull Force Variation was moderately to highly correlated with pistol stability in the three directions (r = 0.56 ~ 0.70) and vertical variability (r = 0.72) during the total-shot period. We suggest that a proper trigger pull technique, involving continuous and progressive force before firing and maintaining trigger pull after firing, is associated with higher pistol stability and lower variability.