30/05/2017
Visit to Headley Court
The session was run by Sarah Daly (Shotgun Coach) with Julie and Alec Sperling from the Disabled Shooters Group (DSG), supported by Headley Court staff and therapists on 18th May 2017. The purpose being to give another dimension to the ‘clinical rehabilitation, training and personnel for the operational role and research in order to achieve optimal levels of health and fitness.’
There is a wide range of injured personnel undergoing rehabilitation at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court (DMRC). Our aim during our first visit was to discuss, demonstrate and give hands on experience that shotgun shooting remains an attainable goal for new comers and reintroduction to those who were sport shooters.
There is no limit to achievement and by introducing and reintroducing them to handling a shotgun including those with prosthetics to limb and brain damage. This was a shotgun handling exercise with no live fire, but we are working on that for the future!
Some positive feedback:
- Being able to get hands on a shotgun
- Gaining further knowledge of shotguns in terms of future career (game keeping) or sporting interests
- Another good avenue to explore competitive sport
- Having professional shooters and coaches on hand to answer any questions - Ability to explore shooting positional differences for those new to wheelchairs under guidance of professional coaches and first hand advice from a Shooter in a wheelchair
- Beneficial to move away from a ‘clinical side of life’ while undergoing rehab and go back towards weapons handling
And from a therapist point of view: “it was good to see the patients trying something different outside of normal therapy and being re-acquainted with weapons. Having some of them refreshing their memory and explaining the firing system with the mechanisms was good to see. Also, encouraged some of the patients taking on a leadership role in explaining those to other patients who were less familiar with the shotgun system.”
We are looking forward to our continued work with Headley Court.
18th May 2017
The session was run by Sarah Daly (Shotgun Coach) with Julie and Alec Sperling from the Disabled Shooters Group (DSG), supported by Headley Court staff and therapists. The purpose being to give another dimension to the ‘clinical rehabilitation, training and personnel for the operational role and research in order to achieve optimal levels of health and fitness.’
There is a wide range of injured personnel undergoing rehabilitation at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court (DMRC). Our aim during our first visit was to discuss, demonstrate and give hands on experience that shotgun shooting remains an attainable goal for new comers and reintroduction to those who were sport shooters.
There is no limit to achievement and by introducing and reintroducing them to handling a shotgun including those with prosthetics to limb and brain damage. This was a shotgun handling exercise with no live fire, but we are working on that for the future!
Some positive feedback:
- Being able to get hands on a shotgun
- Gaining further knowledge of shotguns in terms of future career (game keeping) or sporting interests
- Another good avenue to explore competitive sport
- Having professional shooters and coaches on hand to answer any questions - Ability to explore shooting positional differences for those new to wheelchairs under guidance of professional coaches and first hand advice from a Shooter in a wheelchair
- Beneficial to move away from a ‘clinical side of life’ while undergoing rehab and go back towards weapons handling
And from a therapist point of view: “it was good to see the patients trying something different outside of normal therapy and being re-acquainted with weapons. Having some of them refreshing their memory and explaining the firing system with the mechanisms was good to see. Also, encouraged some of the patients taking on a leadership role in explaining those to other patients who were less familiar with the shotgun system.”
We are looking forward to our continued work with Headley Court.
