: There is more good news for budding shooters in the city. It was as part of the recently concluded National Games that the city got its first proper shooting range, located at Vattiyurkavu. Now, a shooting academy too is soon to be opened at Pattom, giving them access to training facilities without travelling far.
Center Point Sports Shooting Academy, which boasts a modern 10-m shooting range where air rifle and air pistol shooting can be practised, will be opened on March 8. The academy will open its door to both the serious shooter aiming to participate in international sporting events as well as fun shooters who wants to perfect their skill.
According to Roshin Mathew, promoter and chief coach of the Academy, one of the highlights of the training will be the focus on psychology, physiotherapy and health care, which are crucial in the bringing up of a shooter.
“Success in shooting is not just about aim, it involves a lot of minute things. For example, most people tend to have a problem with balancing as they tend to put more pressure on one leg, instead of equally distributing it. To get over such things, one needs individual attention from a trainer. We have, in addition to the trainers, physiotherapists and sports psychologists who will take care of these aspects,” says Mr. Roshin.
The academy will provide the air rifles and air pistols as well as the shooting kit, including shooting attire. The academy has a health centre that will monitor and analyse the health parameters of the shooters, their vitamin levels, hormone levels and core muscle strengths to excel in shooting. A multimedia classroom provides the theory behind the shooting sports and also has a collection of videos of old world cups and Olympics.
He says the idea of a shooting academy germinated about three years back when a temporary range was set up at Technopark and competitions were held.
“In recent times, there has been a lot of interest in shooting among the people in Kerala. With Elizabeth Susan Koshy winning the first gold for the State in National Games this year, it is set to increase. Till now, the shooters in Kerala depended on the various shooting clubs for practice. For intense training, they used to travel to places like Delhi. So, there was a need for an academy here,” says Mr. Roshin. Contact- 7736610686.
