For years, Goa has been synonymous with stunning beaches, swaying palm trees, and a laid-back vibe. While these aspects remain a core part of its charm, Goa is diversifying its offerings to cater to a wider range of tourists. One exciting addition is the growing popularity of shooting sport.
The Yash Shooting Academy, launched in 2009 by national medalist in big bore, Yogesh Padloskar, recently introduced a new concept of fun shooting. Yogesh and his team have three professional shooting ranges spread across North Goa in Mapusa, Mandrem and Pernem, and it’s at Pernem that you can enjoy this shooting fun.
At the Pernem hub, a person can experience the thrill and adventure of shooting a real gun. This concept is called fun shooting, and you have the chance to get your hands on either a rifle, pistol, revolver, big bore or a shotgun.
Yash Padloskar, son of Yogesh Padloskar, explained that after he got into shooting in 2007, he had to travel to neighbouring states like Maharashtra for training, as there was no professional training centre in Goa. That, and there being few professionals in Goa to make a team, led Yogesh to launch the shooting academy.
Yogesh launched The Yash Shooting Academy and its other ranges – Yash Shooting Hub and Yash Shooting Shotgun – simultaneously.
All three ranges are currently looked after by his wife Bhageshri Padloskar, herself a coach of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) and National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). She is also a judge for NRAI.
The academy has three coaches, one from Goa, and one each from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. They also have a visiting international trainer who comes to Goa when required. Yash says that all the coaches at the Academy are trained and certified from ISSF and NRAI.
Shooting as a sport has mainly developed in rifle, pistol and shotgun, and further classified into 10mts, 25mts, 50mts, trap and skeet. The weapons and rules differ for each.
The focus area for training at the Yash Shooting Academy is professional shooting for international and national championships. However, they also conduct simple courses for those looking to learn basic shooting which are of a month’s duration where the required training is imparted.
Yash says, “Shooting is a sport that brings a perfect balance of adrenaline rush and calmness, it also teaches us discipline.”
He adds, “There is a myth that if you have bad eyesight you cannot get into shooting. That’s a complete myth because if you look at Abhinav Bindra, even after having an eyesight issue, see what he has done in the field of shooting.”
So if you are either looking to take up shooting professionally or simply want to experience the thrill of shooting with a real gun, then you know where to go.
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