Lazer Run Competition Training

Earlier this year some students had the opportunity to try some lazer pistol shooting and it proved to be a real hit, so much so that there has been a real demand for more. We have entered a team competition later this year and in order to prepare students for the rigours of the event the group received some pre-competition training on Friday 5 May.

The event might sound simple but the reality could not be more different and the competition is extremely demanding both mentally and physically. Students were put through their paces in more than one way and quickly found out that lazer run events are not for the faint-hearted.

The competition has four stages:

• Stage 1 – a 7 metre lazer shoot where students have to register an initial hit on the target which then begins a 50 second countdown. Students then have to score 5 subsequent hits where all their lights flash green or failing that, shoot for 50 seconds until all their lights flash red. They can only leave when their lights are flashing (red or green).
• Stage 2- a 400 metre run which is without a doubt the most unpleasant of athletics events!
• Stage 3 – a second 7-metre shoot as before – only this time your heart is racing, your legs are burning with lactate and you are feeling far from your best
• Stage 4 – a final 400 metre run – as if the first wasn’t bad enough!

400 metres is just about the most unpleasant of athletics event that there is and when you combine that with a shoot that requires the steadiest of hands and highest levels of accuracy the challenge becomes immense. Students grappled with their heart rates when coming back in for their second shoot and then fought on for their last run as every fibre in their bodies tells them to stop!

I was immensely proud of the grit and sheer determination that the girls and boys in this group demonstrated during their training. There is no better sight than to see students really pushing themselves and working at intensity well beyond what many people are used to. They really dug their heels in and refused to let the demands of the event get to them as they continued to make progress and learn about the competition during the session. Resilience in the face of overwhelming physical and mental challenge!

Huge thanks to Pete for the quality of his training and the insights that he has given our students into this most brutal of competitions! I wish them the very best of luck when they travel into Bristol for their competition next week.

The PE Faculty