Pathways

Athlete Pathways

We support a number of different pathways for athletes to get involved in Olympic and Paralympic target shooting. We encourage you to reach out about pursuing your goals whether it is simply involvement as a hobby, or striving for gold on the international stages.

High performance

TSI has supported athletes attending high level competitions since its inception. Irish athletes compete at European and World level frequently. We strive to continue supporting athletes in attending international competition, while improving our high performance support structures to maximise their potential.

Athletes who are identified or express an interest in high performance competition will work with TSI to produce a high-performance programme for their development. TSI will advise on resources available such as coaching, training camps and facilities to maximise their potential for success at major competitions.

Youth

Target Shooting has many opportunities for youth involvement in the sport with a very active junior cycle of international competitions (eligible up until the age of 21). We welcome all ages and have equipment available to help support rifles and pistols as you get used to the sport, and plenty of laser equipment for our youngest athletes. Don’t hesitate to reach out about getting involved. This is a great sport for all ages.

Paralympic

Shooting Para Sport allows for athletes with physical impairments compete in events at 10m, 25m and 50m.Target Shooting Ireland have supported Paralympic athletes who have subsequently represented at the London, Rio and Tokyo Paralympic games. We have extensive experience and equipment available to help Paralympic hopefuls reach their goals, including a national classifier who can provide a preliminary assessment of your Paralympic classification. Sport should have no barriers.

Supported

Supported Shooting is a more recently established discipline that that provides a format and set up for older athletes. Heavily encouraging of a lifelong involvement in the sport, the format matches other ISSF disciplines but allows for the athlete to rest on a table.

Technical Pathways:

Sport can’t function without the team behind the team and the individuals running the events. We don’t just offer opportunities to get involved as an athlete, we have a number of other pathways for people including judging, coaching, and helping to manage a range or competition.

Judging

The ISSF have a set of judging courses at different levels which train individuals to appropriately manage competitions and ensure athletes, coaches and officials are following the technical rules. Individuals can complete regional judging courses and progress to higher levels, giving them the opportunity to help run the show on the international stage.

Coaching

Effective coaching is a vital part of success for any athlete on their journey. We run formal coaching course in Ireland and support individuals who wish to pursue international coaching qualifications with the ISSF. Some of these can be completed online while the higher level qualifications can involve intense multi-day workshops typically held by a national governing body in a world class international range.

Range Officer

Range Officers manage the running and safety of range. We run range officer courses to train individual’s in the highest level of safety standards and ensure we can run events, training sessions and competitions appropriately. These are held in-person with lectures and practical sessions.

Competition Officials

The ISSF have a strict format for the running of competitions including qualification and finals for all disciplines. We offer training for individuals to learn these formats and understand the key rules so they may oversee or assist in the appropriate running of ISSF format events. Events can not be run without the input of voliunteers here in Ireland and we encourage anyone who wants to help out to go through this workshop so we can share the responsibility.