RAHUL GOPAL
Pistol Shooter & ISSF Coach · Chennai
First shot: 2023.
Nationals: 14 months later.
National-level competitive pistol shooter. ISSF D-Licence coach. Certified strength coach and sports nutritionist. I bring everything I know about the human body to the shooting range — and now I coach other shooters to do the same.
20
+
State, Zonal & India Open
medals in 2 years
5
Pistol events
competed
14
MO
First shot to
67th Nationals
5
Days a week
training
ISSF D-Licence Pistol Coach • National-Level Competitive Athlete • Renowned Shooter • Sports Nutritionist • Strength & Conditioning Coach • 10m · 25m · 50m • Online & Chennai In-Person •
WHO THIS IS FOR
IF ANY OF THIS SOUNDS
LIKE YOU, keep reading.
01
You're improving slowly and don't know why
You're putting in the range time but scores aren't moving. Technique is only part of the answer. Your body's readiness, stability, and fuel are the rest.
02
You fall apart under competition pressure
Your practice scores don't show up on match day. Heart rate, arousal, nutrition timing, and physical conditioning all play a role — and they're all trainable.
03
You want a coach who shoots what they teach
I don't coach from a textbook. Every principle I teach, I've applied — and validated — in national-level competition. Two Nationals appearances. 20+ state, zonal & India Open medals. Still competing.
WORK WITH ME · shooting
Choose the path
that fits your goals.
Two coaching tiers. Both built on ISSF-standard technique, sports science, and the experience of a coach who competes at national level.
Coming Soon
25m Standard Pistol Course
A complete training programme — technique, dry-fire, live-fire, S&C, competition prep, nutrition. Launching in ~1 month. Join the waitlist.
Join waitlist →
COMING SOON · IN-PERSON · CHENNAI
RANGE COACHING
Face-to-face coaching at the range — real-time technique correction, dry-fire programming, and live-fire sessions. The fastest way to improve.
ONLINE · 1:1 · INDIA-WIDE
TECHNIQUE
Whether you are just starting out or shooting for fun, this gives you the structure to improve without the expensive trial and error. 2 Zoom sessions per week, video analysis, personalised training plan.
₹8,999
PER MONTH · SINGLE EVENT · CANCEL ANYTIME
see full details →
AS SEEN IN
PUBLICATION ONE
PUBLICATION TWO
PUBLICATION THREE
See all coverage →
MY STORY · shooting
On holiday abroad.
A shooting range.
A WHIM.
In late 2023, while on holiday abroad, I walked into a shooting range on a whim. The last time I'd held a firearm was 1990 — as a teenager in my school's NCC regiment.
Five months later — March 2024 — I was winning gold and silver at Citywide Inter Club Championships. By July, 6 golds, a silver and a bronze at the Tamil Nadu State Championships. By August, triple gold at the All-India Open in Goa. By December 2024, I had qualified for four events at the 67th National Shooting Championships — in Year 1.
In Year 2, I achieved Renowned Shooter status at the 68th Nationals, qualified for India Team Trials in Standard Pistol, and cleared qualification for Rapid Fire — an Olympic event — at the 69th Nationals.
None of this happened by accident. I applied everything I know as a certified strength coach and sports nutritionist — training load, nutrition, arousal control, recovery — to my shooting from day one. I'm now doing the same for the shooters I coach.
I currently train 5 days a week, 3–4 hours a session. I turn 50 in December 2026 and am targeting the international circuit.
—
ISSF D-Licence Pistol Coach · C-Licence in progress
—
Renowned Shooter — National Classification
—
India Team Trials Qualifier — 25m Standard Pistol
—
67th & 68th National Shooting Championships competitor
"Most coaches give you technique. I give you the complete picture — body, fuel, and mind — because that's what actually moves the needle on your scores."
COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS
68th Nationals (Dec 2025)
Renowned Shooter × 3 events · Team Trials qualifier · Rapid Fire qualified
All-India Open Dehradun (Feb 2025)
Gold — 25m Standard Pistol
GV Mavlankar All-India (Nov 2024)
Gold · Silver · Bronze
All-India Open Goa (Aug 2024)
Triple Gold — Master Men
TN State Championship (Jul 2024)
Gold × 6 · Silver · Bronze
My Approach
Technique is just
the beginning.
Most shooting coaches focus exclusively on technique. I coach the whole athlete — because your body, your nutrition, and your mental state determine whether your technique shows up on match day.
01
Sport-specific conditioning
Isometric hold strength, postural endurance, grip stability — the physical qualities that separate consistent shooters from inconsistent ones. Trained deliberately, not accidentally.
02
Precision nutrition
Pre-match fuelling, hydration, arousal management, and the psychology of eating under competitive pressure. Every detail that your scores depend on beyond technique.
03
ISSF-standard technique
Stance, grip, trigger discipline, mental process — built around your events and your competition calendar. Coached by someone who competes at national level in five events.