I.  STANCE 
 

A.  FEET 

    As a result of a very small floor area covered, rifle shooting requires a properly balanced body and weapon positioning.  It is very important to find the right body position  such that the rifle would point naturally to the target.  Therefore, the feet should be parallel to each other and perpendicular to the receiver string.  The distance between them approximately corresponds to the width of the shoulders. 
 

B.  TRUNK POSITION 

    The shooter leans his body slightly backwards to the right, assuming a right-handed shooter, in order to balance the weight of the weapon.  As the body is leaned back slightly, the hip is thrust forward a little, serving as a support for the elbow.  The amount by which the hip is moved forward and the body moved backward would depend on the build of the shooter.  An athletic person with wide shoulders and narrow hips would move further back than a person with very slim shoulders and equally slim hips(e.g. a girl) whose different bone structure makes an upright posture in this position much easier. 
    The left elbow is placed on the hip bone.  This means that the weight of the gun is supported by the bone structure of the left leg and does not need to be supported with muscular effort.  The total weight of the weapon is supported by the left leg.  In the stance, at least 60% of the body weight is on the left while the remaining 40% is on the right side. 
 

C.  ARMS, SHOULDERS AND HANDS 

    The right shoulder is not raised consciously and it should be replaced so as not to produce a reaction when the shot is fired.  The right hand holds the gunstock securely from one shot to the next.  The grip should be firm but not too tense. 
    The success of the entire position depends principally upon the position of the left arm.  Only when the weapon's weight is directly supported by the bone structure without any muscles or tendons being flexed, will the required stability be attained in this position.  The muscles of the arm must not be used to hold or support the weapon.  There is no point in trying to lift or carry the rifle because this would just cause your shots to be either too low or too high.  Lifting also tires the arm more easily. 
    There are different styles of holding the rifle.  one of the easiest is the first position wherein the gun would rest at the back of the fingers.  The  nails should not be digging into the palm for this would cause tension in the left arm.  The gun can also be rested on the section of the palm just below the index and middle finger while the gun is placed under the trigger guard to balance it.  The index and middle finger will support the rifle from the side. 
 

D. HEAD 

    The head should be as comfortable as possible.  It is advisable that a downward motion be applied when positioning the head on the cheekpiece.  Too much pressure to the right would cause the rifle to jerk leftward when the shot is released. 
 
 

II.  MOTION OF SHOOTING 

A. TAKING UP THE RIFLE 

There are 5 contact points between the rifle and the body. 

    1.    The first is the butt plate and the shoulder joint.  Make sure it does not slip off. 
    2.    The right hand and the grip would be the second contact point.  Make sure it is firm. 
    3.    The left arm would make contact with the gun as it is lifted up.  As the left elbow falls  into place on the hip, take note of the balance and weight distribution on the feet. 
    4.    The fourth contact point is between the cheek and the cheekpeice. 

    The above four points must be checked before the fifth.  Relax  the all body parts that are supposed to be relaxed, to see whether there is something that needs adjustment. 

    5.  The fifth contact point is between the trigger finger and the trigger blade.  Premature placement of the finger on the trigger might cause an accidental firing of the gun so one must always remember to do this last. 
 
 
 

B.  BREATHING 

    The movements of the diaphragm, ribcage and shoulders during inhalation cause the the shooter to move.  Therefore breathing must cease during the aiming and firing processes.  Before raising the rifle to the aiming position, breathe in and out a number of times normally.  Enforced breathing will cause the pulse rate to increase.  Slowly exhale while lowering the rifle to the aiming position.  Once most of the air is release from the lungs the position must be held without any more ex- or inhalatory movements.  If the shot has not fired in 8 seconds lower the weapon and start the process again. 

C.  AIMING 

    As you peep through your sights, you would see three circles:  The rear sight, the front sight mount 
    and the front sight.  Align these circles concentrically with the target in the middle.  Don't expect 
    the gun to stop moving completely.  The point is to minimize it's movement.  The ideal motion of 
    the gun is circular.  The sights will just play around the target.  unlike pistol it is very important to 
    have a clear picture of the sights and the target. 
 

D.  SQEEZING AND FOLLOW-THROUGH 

    Once the sights have stabilized, pressure must be applied to the trigger to release the shot. The trigger actuation be slow and even and the distance traveled by the trigger upon release must be almost imperceptible.  This is to insure that the squeeze does not jolt the sight picture sending the pellet away from the center.  If one is unable to squeeze in 8 seconds abort the shot, 
once a shot is fired it cannot be recalled... better to make several efforts on one shot than to force  a poor one.  Once the shot occurs, the shooter must maintain the sight picture for a few seconds.  This follow-through is needed to be able to see what possible errors occurred during the release of the shot. 
 

III.  EXCERCISES 

    It is very helpful to limber up and loosen the muscles before starting to shoot.  Each suggested exercise must be maintained at least 10 seconds. 

1.  neck rotation 
2.  arms stretching 
3.  arm rotation 
4.  side bends 
5.  reaching for the toes. 
6.  ankle rotation 
 

    Another type of exercise for rifle shooting is dry-firing.  one goes through the motions of shooting from the stance until the follow-through.  The only difference would be the absence of a pellet in the firing chamber.  For starters it would be advisable to dry-fire for about 10 minutes just before shooting. 
 

ATTIRE AND EQUIPMENT 

Beginning rifle shooters are advised to wear comfortable flat soled shoes, preferably sneakers or rubber shoes.  One should wear jeans, a shirt and possibly a sweatshirt.  These articles of clothing provide padding between the shoulder and the buttplate.  A small hand towel would be very useful to pad the contact between the fist and the bottom of the rifle, not to mention the more obvious use of wiping off sweat during a day's training.  The "experienced" shooters and more advanced rifle shooters wear more specific and specialized clothing but these are not recommended for beginners.  A blinder would also be helpful for covering the non-aiming eye. 

As rifle shooters become more advanced in the art, there is a need to use specialized equipment.  The followinf equipment is used by world-classs shooters.. 
 

	Shooting jacket    The most important piece of clothing for it keeps the gun from slipping and makes the  hold steadier.
	Shooting pants    Provides support for the hips
	Shooting boots    Specifically designed to support the ankles and stabilize the feet.
	Shooting gloves    Heavily padded to protect the left hand; topped with a non- slip material to insure that the gun does not move out of place
	Undergarments    Usually jogging pants and sweatshirt are  used to prevent the skin from making contact with the leather jacket and pants. This lessens the transmission of the heart beat to the gun. Specialized undergarments hug the contour of the body providing optimum comfort and performance.
	Shooting Glasses    Used instead of a blinder to cover the  non-sighting eye.  Shooting glasses  are more flexible in that a corrective lens may be mounted to provide the clearest  sight picture to the shooter.
	Shooting Cap    Blocks peripheral vision to improve concentration and prevent distraction.

 
 

Equipment such as these are produced by many different companies around the world such as Kurt Thune, Sauer, Marksman House, etc.