Effects of a 12-week T10 Exercise Program on Shooting Performance, Upper Extremity Function, Balance and Reaction Time in Competitive Air Pistol Athletes (Air pistol T10)

June 26, 2026 updated by: Nazli Cigercioglu, Hacettepe University

The Effects of a 12-Week T10 Exercise Program on Shooting Performance, Upper Extremity Function, Balance, and Reaction Time in Air Pistol Athletes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Air pistol shooting requires a high level of postural stability, upper extremity neuromuscular control, and concentration to achieve optimal performance. Prolonged maintenance of the shooting position may lead to shoulder muscle fatigue, reduced joint stability, and impaired shooting accuracy. Although sport-specific exercise programs have been recommended to improve physical performance in shooters, the effectiveness of the T10 exercise program has not yet been investigated in this population. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effects of a 12-week T10 exercise program, in addition to routine training, on shooting performance in competitive air pistol athletes. Secondary outcomes include upper and lower extremity functional performance, balance, muscular endurance, upper extremity stability, grip strength, medicine ball throw performance, and visual and auditory reaction time. Participants will be randomly allocated to either an intervention group receiving the T10 exercise program plus routine training or a control group continuing routine training alone. Assessments will be performed at baseline and after the 12-week intervention. The findings of this study may provide evidence for the effectiveness of a sport-specific neuromuscular exercise program in enhancing shooting performance and physical function in competitive air pistol athletes.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Air pistol shooting is a precision sport that requires a high level of postural stability, upper extremity neuromuscular control, and sustained concentration to achieve accurate shooting performance. During competition, athletes maintain the shoulder in an elevated position for prolonged periods, which may result in muscle fatigue, impaired scapular stability, altered shoulder mechanics, and reduced shooting accuracy. In addition, deficiencies in balance, upper extremity stability, muscular endurance, and reaction time may negatively influence shooting performance.

Previous studies have suggested that physical conditioning and sport-specific exercise programs may improve athletic performance in shooting sports. The T10 exercise program is a comprehensive upper extremity training protocol consisting of ten exercises designed to improve neuromuscular control, dynamic stabilization, co-contraction, muscle strength, endurance, coordination, and movement quality. Despite its potential benefits, the effectiveness of the T10 exercise program has not been investigated in competitive air pistol athletes.

The primary objective of this randomized controlled trial is to determine the effects of a 12-week T10 exercise program on shooting performance in competitive air pistol athletes. Secondary objectives are to evaluate the effects of the intervention on upper extremity functional performance, upper extremity stability, dynamic balance, static balance, muscular endurance, grip strength, medicine ball throw performance, agility, lower extremity explosive performance, and visual and auditory reaction time.

A minimum of 24 competitive air pistol athletes aged 18 to 40 years will be recruited and randomly allocated to either an intervention group or a control group using simple randomization. Participants in the intervention group will perform the T10 exercise program three times per week for 12 weeks in addition to their routine shooting training, whereas participants in the control group will continue their routine training without additional exercises.

Outcome assessments will be performed at baseline and after the 12-week intervention. The primary outcome will be shooting performance. Secondary outcomes will include Upper Quarter Y Balance Test, Y Balance Test, Flamingo Balance Test, grip strength, medicine ball throw test, Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test, push-up and sit-up performance, T-test, standing long jump, and visual and auditory reaction time. The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of a sport-specific neuromuscular exercise program for improving shooting performance and physical function in competitive air pistol athletes and may contribute to the development of evidence-based training strategies for precision shooting sports.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

24

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 18 and 40 years.
  • Competitive air pistol athletes with at least 2 years of regular shooting experience.
  • Participating in shooting training for at least 6 hours per week.
  • Being in the preseason training period.
  • Willing to participate and able to provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Current upper extremity musculoskeletal injury or pain.
  • History of upper extremity orthopedic surgery.
  • Neurological or cognitive disorders affecting participation.
  • Visual or hearing impairments that may interfere with testing or shooting performance.
  • Inflammatory joint disease involving the lower extremities.
  • History of lower extremity orthopedic surgery or musculoskeletal deformity affecting performance.
  • Rheumatologic, metabolic, or cardiovascular disease.
  • Body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m².
  • Current use of psychiatric medication.
  • Failure to attend two consecutive intervention sessions during the study period.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention Group
Participants will receive the T10 exercise program three times per week for 12 weeks in addition to their routine shooting training.
Behavioral: Exercise
Participants in the control group will continue their regular shooting training throughout the 12-week study period without receiving the T10 exercise program or any additional physiotherapist-supervised exercise intervention. Routine training will be conducted according to the athletes' usual training schedule under the supervision of their shooting coaches and will include technical shooting practice, aiming exercises, competition-specific drills, and standard warm-up activities. Participants will be instructed to maintain their usual training habits and refrain from initiating any additional upper extremity strengthening or neuromuscular exercise programs during the study period.
Experimental: Control Group
Participants will continue their routine shooting training without any additional exercise intervention.
Other: Exercise
Participants in the control group will continue their regular shooting training throughout the 12-week study period without receiving the T10 exercise program or any additional physiotherapist-supervised exercise intervention. Routine training will be conducted according to the athletes' usual training schedule under the supervision of their shooting coaches and will include technical shooting practice, aiming exercises, competition-specific drills, and standard warm-up activities. Participants will be instructed to maintain their usual training habits and refrain from initiating any additional upper extremity strengthening or neuromuscular exercise programs during the study period.
Other Names:
  • routine shooting training

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Shooting Performance Score
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Shooting performance will be assessed according to the official International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) rules using the athletes' total shooting score obtained during a standardized air pistol shooting test. Higher scores indicate better shooting performance.
Baseline and 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
1. Upper Quarter Y Balance Test
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Upper extremity dynamic balance and stability will be assessed using the Upper Quarter Y Balance Test. Reach distances in the medial, superolateral, and inferolateral directions will be recorded and normalized to upper limb length.
Baseline and 12 weeks
2. Y Balance Test
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Dynamic balance of the lower extremity will be evaluated using the Y Balance Test. Reach distances in the anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions will be recorded and normalized to leg length.
Baseline and 12 weeks
3. Flamingo Balance Test
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Static balance performance will be assessed by recording the duration participants maintain balance on a narrow beam.
Baseline and 12 weeks
4. Grip Strength
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Maximal isometric handgrip strength will be measured using a Jamar hand dynamometer. The mean of three trials will be recorded in kilograms (kg).
Baseline and 12 weeks
5. Medicine Ball Throw Test
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Upper extremity explosive performance will be evaluated using a 3-kg medicine ball throw. Throwing distance will be recorded in centimeters (cm).
Baseline and 12 weeks
6. Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test (CKCUEST)
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Upper extremity stability and functional performance will be assessed using the number of touches completed within 15 seconds.
Baseline and 12 weeks
7. Push-up Test
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Upper extremity muscular endurance will be assessed by recording the maximum number of push-ups completed within one minute.
Baseline and 12 weeks
8. Sit-up Test
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Core muscular endurance will be assessed by recording the maximum number of sit-ups completed within one minute.
Baseline and 12 weeks
9. T-Test
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Agility performance will be assessed using the T-Test, with completion time recorded in seconds. Lower values indicate better agility performance.
Baseline and 12 weeks
10. Standing Long Jump Test
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Lower extremity explosive power will be evaluated by measuring jump distance in centimeters (cm).
Baseline and 12 weeks
11. Visual Reaction Time
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Visual reaction time will be measured using the Newtest 1000 reaction timer. The average response time will be recorded in milliseconds (ms).
Baseline and 12 weeks
12. Auditory Reaction TimeAuditory
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
reaction time will be measured using the Newtest 1000 reaction timer. The average response time will be recorded in milliseconds (ms).
Baseline and 12 weeks
13. Ruler Drop Test
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Reaction time will also be assessed using the ruler drop test. The catching distance will be recorded in centimeters (cm).
Baseline and 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Hacettepe University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

July 10, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

November 15, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 15, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 26, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 26, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Air pistol T10

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be made publicly available because the study includes a small sample size of competitive athletes, which may increase the risk of participant identification despite de-identification. Only aggregate, anonymized study results will be reported in publications and presentations.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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