INTERVIEW WITH WANG YIFU
Wang Yifu, World Champion, Olympic medallist in Free and Air, including Gold in 10m Air Pistol in 1992 and 2004), shares some of his secrets.
Interviewers note: Given the language barriers and the difficulty of translation, I was not as in depth as I would have liked to have been, but I think you will enjoy it.
How did you start to shoot?
By chance. They have try outs when we are young.
How old were you?
Sixteen.
In China how do you find a club or learn to shoot?
My family lived very close to the club, and I would often go to shoot.
How many people were in this club?
About thirty shooters.
Are there a lot of these clubs in China?
Yes.
What did you start out shooting with?
Rifle, smallbore rifle.
How long did you shoot that?
Only two days. After two days of rifle training the coaches thought I was more suitable for pistol shooting.
Why was that?
They thought I looked too smart to lay on my belly (laughs).
How old are you now?
Forty.
So you’ve been shooting 24 years.
How long did it take you to become competitive?
In 1982 I shot at the World Championship. In 1984 at the Olympic Games I was the bronze medalist.
What is your favorite practice drill?
Half and half, dry and live fire.
How do you alter your training during a competition season as opposed to the off season?
It depends on what the matches are. How important they are. If it’s the Olympic Games or World Championship it’s different a routine for me. The biggest difference is in the mental training.
What kind of mental training do you do?
When I am training I concentrate on one shot at a time.
Do you train differently for free than for air?
Free is much more difficult than air. So I spend more time for free.
Where is your aiming area?
About the three or four ring below the black.
What advice would you have for a junior shooter just starting out?
To focus on the basics of shooting, to develop a good hold. Sighting and trigger release. Just the basics.
Is it easy for somebody to become a shooter in China?
No. The police must issue a special permit so you can handle a gun. You have to be selected by a club to shoot. After you come to shoot, if you do well then you can continue to shoot. Also there’s a problem of having the money to shoot.
Can you take your guns home or do you leave them at the club?
We have to leave them at the club. It does not belong to us, it belongs to the club.
Why do you shoot Morini?
I like the latest technology, the electronic trigger.
I saw you today stopping in free to take your grip apart. What were you doing?
The grip wasn’t fitting my hand properly.
And you changed it in the match? How often do you do that?
It depends on the weather. If it’s hot your hand swells.
Is there something you’d like to tell the shooters in America?
I hope the American shooters do very well in air and free pistol. I hope we can benefit each other and share experiences and improve our results together.