CHAPTER EIGHT
CONSTRUCTION OF THE PRONE SHOOTING POSITION
1. Preparation: The prone
position is thought to be the easiest position of the three. Placing the mat on the firing position or
point starts the prone position, the mat is placed at an angle facing or
pointing 10-20 degrees to the right of the target. The upper left corner of the mat will then be pointing to the
target center.
(a) Place the spotting scope between the firing
line and the left shoulder position while in firing and position. This will allow the athlete to view the
target while charging the rifle.
(b) Place the ammo block to the right of the
firing position between the right shoulder and hips at a comfortable position.
(c) All other items required by the athlete can be
placed to the right of the shooting position but not in such a manner as to
disrupt the athlete next to you.
NOTE
RULE: Do not place items of equipment on or
forward of the firing line during live fire or competitions.
2.
Taking the position: PRONE
GENERAL: The body is in contact with the
ground, and the low center of gravity of the body produces a very stable
position. For the athlete who will enter precision competitive shooting
(International competition) in the rifle discipline, many hours of study and
training is involved. However, such labor should not deter those who have the
aspirations and the overpowering desire to succeed in becoming a World Class
Shooting Champion. However, how
difficult precision shooting is will be realized in a matter of time. At first, the many different kinds of
mistakes that can be made are often underestimated. A major amount of patience and concentration will be required
before observable results and consistent scores are achieved. The athlete must acknowledge the fact that
shooting positions are dependent upon the physical structure of the human body
and concurrently we are all constructed differently during our growth. Therefore, a perfect shooting position does
not exist, but a general compromise of basic position procedures or tenets of
construction do exist for the shooting athlete. The prone position is not hard to develop however; care must be
taken as to the placement of the mass of weight. For this position, the majority of the weight must be found on
the left side for right-handed shooters and on the right for left handed
shooters.
The placement of the weight mass on the left or
right side will take pressure off the stomach and chest areas. On the side away from the weight mass, the
right side becomes an outrigger so to speak and will be used for stabilizing
the overall position during the shooting technique. By placing the weight mass
on the left or right side the heart will not impart a heartbeat to the position
during the firing sequences.
BODY The
body stretched out at an angle of about 5 to 10 degrees alignment direction of
the right of the target and the right knee is slightly bent.
If the shoulders, backbone, and hips are awkwardly
positioned, cramps will occur or muscles will be overly stressed causing a snap
release upon the firing of the rifle, and resulting in flipping the rifle off
the sighted target bull. The backbone
or spine and the shoulders must be at right angles. The body weight lies on the left side of the body. This makes breathing easier and prevents
the pulse transmission from the abdominal area to the bone structure.
Note: By drawing the right leg up, the body is
turned toward the left side, freeing the chest and stomach from the ground.
This makes it unnecessary for the body to raise and lower during the breathing
cycle. Basically, the body weight is on the left side, and the aorta, the main
artery from the heart, is moved from the spine so internal pulse beat is not
transmitted directly to the bony portions of the body. This results in less
movement of the body and the rifle.
Also: If the knee is brought up too far (90 degrees), too much pressure will
be placed on the left elbow.
LEGS The legs should spread loosely and without
tension. The left leg will be straight
but the right leg will be bent and drawn up 35 degree in order to ease the
pressure on the stomach and stabilize the position. The inside of the right knee is placed upon or against the mat. The right leg is drawn up and both feet are
pointed toward the right. The shooter lies to the left of the line of fire with
the body forming a 5 to 15 degree angle from the line of fire. The body is not twisted, but is stretched
out and relaxed; the spine is straight.
FEET The position
of the feet is determined by the position of the body. The left foot must turn inward with the
outside of the foot resting on the floor or mat. The right foot should rest
with the instep pressing lightly against the floor. It is immaterial whether the heel is on the ground,
LEFT ARM
The weight of the rifle is supported
by the left forearm, which is placed directly below and slightly to the left of
the rifle. The left elbow is pushed
forward, giving a flat, extended, and therefore stable body position. The angle of the forearm must not be less
than 30 degrees. The central load
bearing point is below and slightly to its left of the rifle. This produces a well-balanced, triangular
position in a natural and relaxed position.
However, if the full left elbow is forced directly below the rifle,
excess tension will occur in the upper arm and shoulder. Any changes in the elbow position during
shooting will mean changes in the point of impact have occurred. The athlete will find that the elbow will
move during the shooting process and will destroy the sighting process and
cause the position to become unstable during the shooting procedure. The left elbow is not directly under the
rifle. It is slightly to the left of the rifle. When viewed from above, the
left leg, left side, shoulder, elbow and wrist, all appear to be a straight
line.
NOTE
RULE: The Prone position requires the left forearm to angle at not less than 30
degrees from sling hand stop and continuing to a point on the floor where the
elbow make contact with the floor
LEFT HAND The front of the rifle stock rest on the ball of the
thumb of the left hand. The fingers are
completely relaxed and should not grip the weapon. Even the smallest irregular pressure from the fingers on the
stock or barrel can produce a change in the point of impact.
The left hand is pushed forward
as far as the rifle hand stop. This
means the stock is securely held and will not slip during the shooting
process. In both prone and kneeling
positions, the left hand is pushed against the hand stop. The fingers must never grip the fore stock.
Note:
1. If hand is placed too far forward the arm
muscles will be called upon to support the rifle while in an extended posture.
This will induce fatigue and pain.
2. If the hand is too far to the rear, the shoulders
and chest will be raised with an uneven weight on the elbows.
The rifle must be supported by the bone structure
and sling. In actual fact the rifle is totally supported by the sling.
The rifle is placed across the heel of the hand
and the base of the thumb ball, to take advantage of and originate bone-to-bone
support.
RIFLE
SLING
Without a sling the left arm supports 92% of the weight of the
rifle. Without additional sling
support, and despite the support provided by the forearm, the rifle could only
be maintained in the firing position by sheer muscular strength.
The rifle sling forms a stable
triangle as it joins the left arm, the forearm and the stock, thereby imparting
the required degree of stability to the shooting position. When putting on the
sling, the athlete must make sure the pulse effect from the upper arm is not
transmitted through the sling to the rifle.
The athlete will fit the sling loop above the upper arm muscle. For the sling to fit properly above the
upper arm muscle, the athlete must wear a proper fitting-shooting jacket with a
suitable sling-retaining loop.
The supporting effect makes the
position stable and the sling will ease the muscle fatigue while supporting the
rifle and position. It also ensures the
head is upright increasing the stability of the position and sighting
system. If the rifle sling slips lower
on the arm during competition, it may press on a main artery and the pulse will
be transmitted through the sling to the rifle.
Upon the sling slipping, the sling
assumes the lower sling position and this arrangement reduces the angle of the
position, often becoming close in and
violating the rule of 30-degree angle of the left arm in the prone
position.
The athlete tries to make up for
the increase in stability with renewed muscular effort, which is just bad
shooting procedure. The length of the
athlete’s arms will determine the point on front of the stock at which the
rifle sling and hand stop will be located and attached. The hand stop must not be allowed to move
during shooting or competition. The
sling passes around the left forearm. This means there is no transfer of pulse
effect to the upper arm and the tension is exerted directly backwards rather
than to the side.
The sling length is adjusted in
such a way the rifle is held securely and effortlessly in the firing
position. If the sling is too long, the
firing position will be too low and too limp. If it is too short, it will press
the shoulder backwards and affect the circulation of blood. This will result in an increased pulse and
pain in the left hand, arm, and shoulder.
RIGHT
SHOULDER
A few athletes neglect the importance of the rifle and right shoulder
position relationship. This is wrong, as any variations of location or of
pressure on the butt, plate will inevitably result in changes in the point of
impact. As described above, the ideal
position is the shoulder placed at right angles to the spine. The rifle butt
must be positioned at the same point each and every shot as its relationship to
the shoulder is in fact the fulcrum of the rifle in relation to muzzle jump or
other recoil movements.
RIGHT
ARM The
elbow is slightly to one side and the position is flat and stable. The shoulder is behind the weapon. The right elbow is relaxed and pushed
forward, but slightly to the right in a comfortable position. The actual distance from the body is
determined by the position of the body.
The athlete will not allow the arm to move back towards the body;
otherwise, the shoulder will be at an unnatural angle and will be cramped.
RIGHT HAND The right hand must not exert lateral
pressure on the rifle stock. The degree
of firmness used will depend upon the manner of firing, the trigger resistance
the individual firing technique. If
trigger pull resistance is high, the athlete will grip the rifle firmly and if
the trigger pull resistance is low, the athlete will grip the rifle
lightly.
Always use identical pressure during
competition. The wrist is extended as a
natural extension of the forearm; the trigger finger must not be in contact
with the rifle stock. The thumb must
not be uncomfortable or obstruct the shooting sequences. In order to obtain good shoulder contact,
the right elbow may be drawn in a little.
However, if this is done, the position must be
completely steady and well balanced. It
is wrong for the arm to be drawn in for balancing the shooting position. The right hand must grasp the rifle stock
grip in such a manner that the movements of the trigger finger is directly to
the rear. A key point here is that the
two inter fingers are firmly pulled against the grip in order to lock the wrist
during the firing sequence. The locking
of the wrist will firm the right hand and arm system. A good way to test and learn this function is to shake hands
with a friend and pulling firmly with the two inner fingers, the athlete will
note the wrist will firm or lock solid depending upon the pressure
applied. While this is normally used
in pistol shooting, it equally applies to the rifle athlete as well.
HEAD POSITION The head position is obtained quite
naturally if the position is correctly adopted. The height and inclination of the rifle stock must match the head
position in such a way that the athlete can see through the middle of the rear
sight and the head maintains it straight up and down balance without
difficulty. If necessary, a slight
misalignment of the rifle (canted) may have to be accepted. The position of the cheek and its pressure
on the rifle stock must be constant from each one-shot match to the next.
NOTE FUNCTION: THE RIFLE STOCK AND CHEEK PIECE IS MOVED TO
THE HEAD AND NOT THE HEAD TO THE RIFLE
EYE RELIEF The distance of the eye from the rear
sight is generally somewhere between two to six inches. However, what ever the distance is for a
given athlete, the distance must always be the same for each one-shot match
thereafter. Eye relief of necessity
change from position to position. In
the Prone, a relatively short eye relief will be used; in kneeling and standing
a relatively longer eye, relief is used.
Eye relief distance is a function of the spot weld referred to in other
chapters. Eye relief of a given
position is determined by the precise location of the spot weld upon the rifle
stock.
LENGTH OF STOCK It has been stated the spine and shoulder
must be at right angle to each other and is used to determine the stock
length. Mainly the body dimensions of
the athlete and mounting of the rifle sling on the front of the rifle stock
determine it. The length of the stock
is important, if too short the shoulder has to be pushed forward by muscular
effort in order to make a good contact with the rifle. If the stock is too long, the shoulder is
pushed back into an unnatural position causing a cramped position that is out
of balance. Each shooting position requires a different stock length and in
free rifle, this is not much of a problem, however, if the competition is in
standard rifle prone only, the stock must be fitted for that shooting position.
BEHAVIOR OF WEAPON DURING SHOOTING In a steady relaxed position, the muzzle
of the rifle will jump a fraction with the shot and then return immediately to
its original position if quality competition cartridges are used. If this happens after every match shot, the
shooting position can be regarded as the perfect shooting position and is well
balanced.
SLING Attach sling to rifle forehand stop. Twist the sling one-half turn to the
left. Slip the sling onto the arm and
place it at the joining of the triceps and deltoid muscles. The sling will then pass over the top of
the biceps muscle. Insure the sling is tightened preventing slippage but not so
tight as to cause pulse beat being transmitted through the sling. Adjust sling length until it supports the
rifle completely.
COMMENTS ON MOUNTING AND PRESENTATION OF THE RIFLE
IN THE PRONE POSITION
Suggested additional guidelines for
construction of the shooting position.
Every muscle of the body uses a very slight degree
of muscle tension to help the body structure remain in a balanced position.
This also allows you to make finer adjustments in your unconscious and
neuromuscle control. By over-tensing or locking your muscles, you will tire
quickly and start to tremble, reducing your hold. As such, muscle tension is
slight and very close to relaxed. On
the other hand muscle tensions prevents the unconscious mental entity from
making the necessary changes for sight alignment and achievement if the perfect
Bull’s-eye. Note that muscular tension is not used to force your rifle on to
the target. Your position should be constructed in such a manner that will
allow the natural point of aim arrive directly on target sight alignment for a
perfect bull-eye.
You may your check natural point of aim upon
assuming your position and achieving completely relaxed position. Close your
eyes; breathe 2 or 3 times and then exhaust your lungs until you reach perfect
balance. Perfect lung balance is
reached upon your receipt by kinesthetic response acknowledging the lungs are
perfectly balanced. i.e. lack of need
to inhale or exhale further. When you re-open your eyes, you should have
remained exactly on target while viewing the perfect bull-eye through the
sights. If you have to use muscular tension to "muscle" the rifle on
to the target, you are susceptible to muscle spasms or tremors affecting your
shots. This is the value of a natural point of aim always resulting in the
achievement of the Perfect Bull-Eye (PBE).
Your head should be erect as possible. To do so,
bring the rifle to the face by placing the rifle butt high on the shoulder.
Raise the top of the stock above the shoulder and neck to a height where the
eye and rear sight are exactly at the same level. Never move the head away from
the erect or straight up and down position, towards the rifle: always bring the
rifle to the head.
Note:
One important fact is if you cant the rifle; make the identical angle of
cant each time you take up your position. By varying the cant's angle, your
shots will randomly deviate all over the target. Also, remember to take into
account that canting your rifle will have an impact on sight adjustment. For
instance, when adjusting windage, you will also adjust elevation and vice
versa. To assist you in duplicating your cant, you might want to consider using
a bubble spirit level to measure the angle. But, generally you will not cant
your rifle in any shooting position.
NOTE: DO
NOT CANT YOUR RIFLE, as this will cause a lot of problems for all shooters
attempting to do it. Will admit that it
is required at times depending upon type of rifle and stock you may be
using. This is usually standard rife.
Eye relief is the distance from the eye to the
rear aperture. This distance will be approximately 5-15 cm (2-6 inches.)
Resting the eye against the sight may result in wear of the sight or concurrent
damage to the eye because of recoil, or in developing a flinch in response to
recoil. Regardless, never rest your eye against the rear sight or the rubber
extender.
Changing the position of the butt plate or hook
against the shoulder or changing the cheek pressure on the stock can result in
a large change in zero (point of impact or natural point of aim.) Typically
such changes affect recoil, which will determine the amount and direction of
the rifle's jump. You must place and hold the rifle in exactly the same way
each time you shoot, in order to duplicate your position's recoil
pattern. What does the recoil tell
you…? The front sight jumping straight
up and down will inform you if any incorrect position misplacement or tensions
exist during the shooting technique.
If the sight jumps to the right or left at recoil it is informing you
that some aspect of the position is incorrect and you have to break the circuit
and restart again from scratch.
Follow through on each shot. This is to say,
maintain your position and concentration after the shot is released, such that
you do not shift prior to the bullet exiting the barrel. For very slow pellet
or bullet velocity and with a shooting athlete working in the conscious mode,
this statement is true but for the shooting athlete that uses the mental
technique, the timing is so fast that the bullet or pellet is out of the barrel
and gone before you can take up the follow through positioning.
Furthermore, for those that use unconscious mental
technique on each shot, they do not consciously move before the shot actually
breaks. In the case of the mental shooters, the follow through occurs in the ¾
of a second commencing at automatic trigger release. In this case the bullet or pellet has departed the barrel prior
to expiration of the ¾ of a second timing.
For mental shooting athletes, the spotting scope
is unnecessary as you use the mental pictorial representation of the perfect
bull-eye. Included with the pictorial
representation is found the associated procedures attached and used by the
unconscious mental entity for all sighting and shooting sequences. The goal is to shoot the perfect one-shot
match, which always results in the perfect bull-eye.
NOTE: All shooting athletes Goal is: Every one-shot-match is accomplished with meticulous perfection and always ending or resulting with the perfect bull’s-eye….!
To win the gold,
the shooting athlete will eliminate all personal errors in shooting
technique! The winning of any
competition is accomplished solely on which competitor has committed the least
amount of errors of technique…!
COMPETITIVE
SHOOTING IS 98% MENTAL, 2 % PHYSICAL AND 100% SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE.
The One-Shot match was won not by a superior score,
but by the athlete’s own superior mental performance.
RANGE PICTORIALS.
STANDING POSITION - RIFLE.
KNEELING POSITION - RIFLE.
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