Sponsored Content SportsEngine, a brand from NBC Sports Next is the leading provider of Sport Relationship Management (SRM) software, empowering athletes, parents, coaches, and sports organization administrators with tools and services to manage their organizations and sports lives. Read SportsEngine stories Learn More About Shooting September 18, 2019 | 1 minute, 22 seconds read What is the history of shooting? The game of shooting can be traced back hundreds of years to European countries. There are German shooting clubs that date back 500 years. The popularity of the sport grew with the formation of the National Rifle Association in 1959. The national association met in Wimbledon, London, and the USA and competitions began to take place. Historically, marksmen have trained themselves on stress-reduction techniques to steady themselves when shooting. Most players are able to use these relaxation techniques to drastically lower their heart rate. Successful players are able to drop their heartbeat and fire between beats, increasing their target precision. Shooting at the Olympic Games Shooting has been a part of the Olympic Games since the inaugural Games in 1896. There are 15 shooting events in the Olympics and they are divided by weapon: rifle, pistol, and shotgun. In the rifle and pistol events, players shoot at set targets, whereas in the shotgun events, players shoot at moving clay targets. What are the current Olympic shooting events? There are currently 15 shooting events in the Olympic Games. Men’s events: 10m air pistol men 10m air rifle men 25m rapid fire pistol men 50m pistol men 50m rifle 3 positions men 50m rifle prone men Double trap men Skeet trap men Trap men Women’s events: 10m air pistol women 10m air rifle women 25m pistol women 50m rifle 3 positions women Skeet women Trap women Visit USA Shooting to learn more sports in this article Shooting tags in this article Athlete New to Sports SportsEngine