The Effect Of A Rotator Cuff Strengthening Program On Shooting Accuracy

Lewinski and colleagues (2015) examined the level of shooting accuracy demonstrated by law enforcement recruits upon completion of their law enforcement firearms training in comparison with novice shooters. The authors found that the officers had no advantage over intermediate shooters, and a small advantage over novices. It is important that officers perform at their highest level when shooting, and rotator cuff (RC) strength may play a role in that performance; however, there is limited research in that area. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an 8-week RC strengthening program on shooting accuracy. METHODS: Twenty-one healthy officer recruits (19 males and 2 females; age = 22 ± 0.63 yrs; pre-test weight = 85.1 ± 13.78 kg; height = 179.64 ± 7.92 cm) participated in the study and were randomly assigned to the control or RC exercise group (RCEG) upon completion of their pre-test shooting assessment. The pre-test shooting assessment allowed the researchers to classify the recruits as novice, intermediate, or experienced. Both groups participated in daily academy PT sessions, and the RCEG was given an additional 8-week RC strengthening program. Exercises for this program were completed 3x per week. Pre- and post-test scores for shooting accuracy, and measurements of RC strength using a hand-held dynamometer (MicroFET2; kgf), and handgrip strength (kg) were completed. RESULTS: A two-way ANOVA with repeated measures showed significant differences (p > .05) between pre-test shooting accuracy (213.77 ± 42.02) and post-test shooting accuracy (230.62 ± 28.39) values for both groups; however no significant (p < .05) differences were found between the control and RCEG. No significant (p < .05) differences in post-test grip strength and RC strength were found between the control group and RCEG. CONCLUSIONS: While the 8-week RC strengthening program did not improve shooting accuracy, the findings suggest that some component of training over the 8- weeks improved shooting accuracy in both the control and the RCEG. One plausible rationale is that the academy PT sessions had a positive influence on shooting accuracy; however, more research is needed to determine the cause of increased accuracy. FSU Special Projects Grant 2021