SHOOTING STANDING

Posted by Coach Excellence on January 9, 2025 in Position | ∞

Fact: you achieve stability through balance, conscious relaxation and through the use of well fitting shooting clothing.

Fact: A stable shooting position is steadier and offers greater resistance to the shot resulting in a greater degree of accuracy.

What happens when one or more of these factors breaks down. Should, for example, and for whatever reason, a mild panic take hold during a competition, the mind will often produce negative pictures and fears rise to the surface. As with a stubborn child, a diversionary trick can often help to release this fixation.

The knack lies in captivating the mind and thoughts with a different topic – something more positive and useful. Luckily enough in the shooting sports, there are subject matters that benefit the shooting action – such as focus on breathing , or technical details.

The shooter who tries to concentrate on the balance and statics of his shooting position tends to forget everything negative. Try this in your next training session…..as it will not work in competition unless it is a practiced option.

Simply think of the mechanics of your next shot, the feel from within, the balance of your body, and potential bad thoughts will disappear, as of their own accord.

STANDING SHOOTING POSITION – STABILITY

The stability of your standing shooting position only affects the steadiness of your stance and hold. Remembering that this has a considerable influence on the gun’s deflection when a shot is tired. When your stance is firm and your body parts are braced together, your smallbore rifle will not jump nearly as much, upon releasing a shot, as when your stance is too relaxed.

With an air rifle, this difference is not so noticeable, but it has an equally strong effect on your shooting accuracy. A solid shooting position “absorbs” minor mistakes, when a shot is released, because the position’s stability offers greater resistance to such impulses.

A vital factor in the stabilization of the shooting position is the shooting attire. Jackets and trousers made of stiff canvas envelope the body like a casing and thus absorb many disturbances resulting from your swaying, mistakes with the release and the recoil of the gun.

Consequently, your movements increase considerably when you shoot without a jacket, and the deflection of your rifle is far greater when you fire a shot.

TEST AND TRAINING

Shooting without a jacket or even without trousers and shoes is an excellent way to improve the stability of your shooting position. Before beginning your normal shooting, you should fire ten to 20 shots without your usual shooting garb in order to enhance your sturdiness. It is hard, yet rewarding.

Increased sturdiness is achieved through various measures, that are taken one after another so that the rifle is ultimately steady and stable.

STEPS FOR SUCCESS

Balance: Make sure that your weight is equally distributed over your heels and toes.
Statics: Ensure the weight is placed on your bones and joints. Muscular tension is to be reduced as much as possible.
Breathing: Breathe deeply from the stomach and let yourself “sink together”. While you sink several millimeters in yourself, your stability increases perceptibly.
Inward rotation: When you turn your shoulders toward the target, the muscles and tendons of your upper body stiffen. Find the right extent here which must always be the same. When you breathe out and relax, your torso stabilizes even more.
Feel the shot: Concentrate on the impulse upon releasing a shot and observe the deflection of the barrel (maintain your hold!). Try to increase resistance by modifying your shooting position and muscular tension intuitively.
Release: Your stability is right when nothing more occurs with the shot release than a small jump which is caused by the system. After the shot, the front sight should exactly return to the centre.

Following this routine, you should put on your shooting jacket. You will be amazed how much stability your shooting position now gains. Since you practically shot “undressed” before, you had to work more carefully on the physical elements. This training experience will improve the precision of your preparation.

DURING COMPETITION

Holding practice without a jacket is also naturally allowed during the preparation time before a match. It draws your attention to the primary technique and gives you additional confidence after you put on your jacket.

Now it is up to you!