Why Do Olympic Shooters Put Their Hands In Their Pockets?

I expected to see a lot of excitement around gymnastics, swimming, diving, water polo, and even rugby during the Olympics. I didn’t expect my social media feeds to be taken over by news of Olympic shooting, an event that can sometimes inspire some mixed emotions, especially among those of us in the US who are fighting for stricter gun control laws. But this year, Olympic shooting — or, rather, two shooting competitors — went unexpectedly viral.

First was the Turkey’s Yusuf Dikeç, who snagged the Olympic silver medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event while looking like he took the wrong turn on his way to the grocery store, ended up in the shooting center, and decided, “Hey, I might as well give it a shot.” (Pun intended.)

Then, South Korea’s Kim Yeji snagged our hearts — and the gold medal in the 10m air pistol women’s event — by looking ridiculously cool in a white cap and futuristic glasses during her shooting competition.

One thing the two shooters had in common: they both placed a hand on their pocket (or in Dikeç’s case, in his pocket), which only added to the calm, cool, and collected look that made the internet go crazy.

But a quick search of shooting competitions reveal that many professionals hold their hand near their pocket when they’re shooting. Why? We tried to find out.

Why Do Olympic Shooters Put a Hand In Their Pocket?

Dikeç actually gave his reasoning for putting his hand in his pocket during competition. According to a CNN translation of an interview the shooter gave with Turkish radio station Radyo Gol, he said: “Shooting with my hand in my pocket has nothing to do with artistry. I am more motivated and feel more comfortable while shooting.” He added that his stance, “is actually about bringing the body to equilibrium and focusing and concentrating.”

But again, he’s not the only shooter who sticks a hand in or over their pocket while taking aim. In a YouTube video about competitive shooting tips, sport shooter Doug Koenig says he too prefers sticking his unused hand in his pocket because it feels “more balanced.” But he notes that shooters may hold their unused arm across their chest or dangle it down at their side too.

So the bottom line is, it seems to be a matter of personal preference. But there’s no denying that the pocket stance definitely has a certain panache.

Mirel Zaman is the health and fitness director at PS. She has 15 years of experience working in the health and wellness space, writing and editing articles about fitness, general health, mental health, relationships and sex, food and nutrition, astrology, spirituality, family and parenting, culture, and news.