CHAPTER NINE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANDING SHOOTING POSITION
STANDING/OFFHAND:
(a) Place the spotting scope between the firing
line and the right shoulder position while in firing position. This will allow the athlete to view the
target while charging the rifle.
(b) Place the ammo block to the offhand stand and
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 left of the shooting position but not in such a manner as to
disrupt the athlete next to your position.
NOTE
RULE: Do not place any items of
equipment on or forward of the firing line during live competitions.
GENERAL It is said this is the most difficult of all the shooting positions. Because of a very small floor area and a very high center of gravity, both the body and the rifle are subjected to considerable movement. The standing position requires a highly perfected firing technique, a properly balanced body, perfect rifle positioning, and unconscious mental control over the neuromuscular systems. The standing athlete must be able to use the unconscious mind to stabilize the standing position. Above all the standing position must be balanced and serenely quiet with bone-to-bone contact. The position or body has a natural sway in its attempt to become stable. It is never without movement or perfectly quiet. However, it is possible for the athlete to stop body sway during ¾ of a second. period by using the QZ~. During this QZ~ period the body stops all movement and is as stable as the prone position. This is accomplished by the unconscious mental entities direct control over the neuromuscular system. It is very easy to accomplish and useable in every position including prone, for this reason the competitive athlete can be a Champion without peer.
BUILDING
THE POSITION (for a right handed
shooting athlete) The standing position will be established in the following
manner. Feet pointing to the right of
a reference line commencing from the target to the firing point. The upper body turning to the right about
85 degrees of the target line and the rifle firing across the athletes chest
and pointing approximately 2 to 5 degrees away from the chest. The degrees specified are dependent upon
the structure or build of the shooting athlete. Rifle and rifle stock forward of the pistol grip may not rest
against the chest. Care is taken to
keep the trigger hand away from the body during the firing sequence.
BODY
POSITION The athlete leans the body slightly (1 to 3
degrees) backwards and to the right, in order to balance the weight of the
rifle if necessary. The athlete does not have to lean backwards as long as the
even distribution of weight on the legs is accomplished with the purpose of
ensuring a balanced stance. In many
cases, an upright position with just a slight counter balancing is all that is
necessary for stabilizing the position.
The feet will only be the width of the shooter shoulders. Not wider than the shoulders. Bone-to-bone
structure is required in the construction of the position and during the firing
sequence; the lungs exhaust all air from the lungs until a balance is
achieved. During this lung balance phase,
the spine is compressed to finalize the body shooting structure. For building a stable position, a shooting
athlete faces approximately 85 degrees to the right or left of the target
firing line. And, the athlete should stand on the firmest surface possible and
not on a shooting mat or springy surface.
Upon the bend and twist is properly maintained, the weight of the rifle
will be resting on the chest through the arm structure. When the lungs are balanced, (lungs being
empted or exhausted) the spine will compress the full length and add additional
stability to the overall position. The
work required by the muscles in the standing position is to maintain the body
in a standing posture, and to assist eliminating position sway as controlled by
the autonomic systems. Note that when
the lungs again inhale, the shooting position will again commence sway because
the spine will decompress.
HIPS As the body is leaning slightly backward, the hip must not be
thrust forward, or serving as a support for the left elbow. The last statement is always held as a
truth, but in actual practice, the hip is never used in support of the left
elbow. The left elbow in fact makes
contact with the rib cage and rest on not less than three of the ribs. The amount by which the body is moved
backwards will depend on the build of the athlete. An athletic person (wide shoulders, medium hips) will move
further back for example than a person with very slim hips will. The hips are always level and never moved or
thrust forward. The hips face at 85
degrees, concurrently with the body.
The most important aspect is
that the lower body (legs, hips, and hips) forms the central balance of the
standing position. Without the central
balance achieved by correct foot placement and the upper body mass positioned
directly over the hips, The standing position will become unbalanced and will
waver as the autonomic system attempts to achieve renewed balance of the total
body. The body balancing procedure is automatic and can be activated automatically
by the autonomic system. Even during the shooting procedure and technique. The shooting athlete can preclude or
prevent this movement by meticulous and precision construction of the shooting
position with the use of the mental shooting technique.
SPINE The spine generally holds the body torso
together and forms a support structure for the torso. Within the athletic position, the athlete will find increased
stability by compressing the spine during the optimum firing time. The spine is compressed by exhausting the
lungs to achieve lung balance and of course, the spine will again expand upon
the inhaling of new air into the lungs. Excessive twist or back bending for
achieving balance will cause the shooting athlete trouble in that the athletes
endurance will be shortened during the stress and strain of the excessive twist
and muscle restriction.
LEFT ARM
The left arm is tucked forward firmly against
the left ribs and directly below the rifle.
This means the weight of the rifle is supported by the bone structure of
the left arm and is not supported by muscular effort. It is very important for a stable stance with the rifle, that the
muscles of the left hand and left arm are completely relaxed, and the rifle
rest on the thumb ball joint. The left
arm forms a pedestal in support of the bone rifle system. The rifle is further stabilized by firmly
holding the rifle stock between the pistol grip and butt assembly against the
chest and shoulder or hook under the arm. The left leg supports equally with
the right leg, the total weight of the left arm and rifle. The upper and lower parts of the leg are straight
and the knee is in a normal position.
This position must not be forced, otherwise the stable bone-to-bone
structure from forearm to the foot will be broken, and the position will become
unstable. The knees will be subject to
considerable stress if they are flexed.
Note: The total position is poorly constructed if the spine is not
compressed upon its self through the balancing of the lungs.
FOOT
POSITIONING The feet will be in normal position with the
feet not wider than the athlete’s shoulders.
A wider foot position will produce stress and is unstable for the
athlete. The feet moved closer together
would increase body vibrations and make it difficult to correct the overall
balance. The athlete moves the weight
mass forward on the balls of the feet in this manner and yet allows some of the
weight to remain on the heels in the position.. The weight distribution should be 60% on the front of the foot
and 40 % on the heel portion of the foot. The shooter should wear footwear with
flat soles to heal as they are firmer soles and will provide some foot/ankle
support and comply with ISSF regulations or rules. The body mass of weight will
be placed on the footpad area just behind the toe joints. This means that the weight is slightly
forward on the foot but not on the toes.
The toes will not feel pressure of weight or balance
Sixty percent of the body weight is positioned on
the ball of the foot and the remaining forty percent on the athlete’s heel.
ANKLES The ankles
are the most vulnerable part of the standing position. For this reason, they must be supported by
suitable footwear. Leather uppers of
the shoes must support the foot and restrict the amount of movement of the
ankle. The weight is distributed evenly
on both legs. The ankles are the most
overlooked portions of the standing position in that the athlete seldom uses
shoes that will support the athlete’s ankle and the position. Tension in the ankles can be eliminated by
placing the body and shooting position in perf3ct balance. In a perfect balance position the ankles
muscles may remain relaxed during the construction and use of the shooting
position.
POSITIONING
OF THE HEAD It is a well known the body balance is
detected by the ears (hammer and anvil transducer). This means that the head must be erect for body balance
maintenance. The balance as we know it
is not the balance required by a competitive athlete. The competitive balance required by the athlete is controlled by
the unconscious mind and last ½ to ¾ of a second. The athlete must time the shot to occur in a two second or less
one-shot match in each match shooting position during a competition.
THE PALM REST
The palm rest is used for moving the rifle stock
up to the level of the head. Some shooters can accomplish
this without the use of a palm rest. They simply
support the rifle with the hand. Others use a small block
of wood. A most important point is that the
correct positioning of the body is assumed, and then the rifle is
fitted to the body, not the body to the rifle.
The palm rest is positioned
in the heel of the hand, and the wrist is reviewed for its correctness of position and shooting athlete comfort.
Note: The beginning shooter will find that
correctly adjusting the palm rest and butt hook can be a very
Bewildering task. Part of the difficulty is caused
by being unfamiliar with the standing position specifics by the
individual.
The athlete has not yet experienced enough to sense minor changes in body
posture. As a result, it
will sometimes appear that it is the rifle that is
not correctly adjusted. Only practice will solve this problem. In
mental technique the incorrect position or balance
will be detected during the mental checklist phase. A palm
rest should not be used without a butt hook.
NOTE
FUNCTION: The athlete does not therefore lower the head onto the rifle but
bring the rifle to the athlete’s head.
The saying is bringing the rifle to the head, never the head to the
rifle. The rifle may have to be canted
one to two degrees and this is no problem as long as it is accomplished the
same way each shot..
In
some cases, the rifle cant indicates that the rifle stock is not correctly
positioned in the shoulder pocket or the rifle stock is not correctly adjusted
or sized for the body measurements in the standing position. Generally you will not Cant the rifle in the
standing position.
RIGHT
SHOULDER The standing shooting position, the
shoulders must be relaxed and at right angles to the spine including parallel
to a line between the target to firing point.
The spine must be compressed in order to achieve bone-to-bone contact
and stabilize the standing position.
This requires compression of the spine when the lungs have expelled the
air to a point when the lungs become balanced and failing in its attempt to
inhale or exhale.
RIGHT
ARM The standing position, a good shoulder or upper arm contact is
important. However, it is not always easy when the shoulders are almost
parallel to the rifle stock for the hook assembly to be held securely under the
arm or against the biceps and rib cage.
The only solution is for the right arm to be slightly raised allowing
physical contact and achieving rifle control during the optimum firing period
in standard rifle and the arm down when using the hook under the arm. This resistance is necessary in order to
reduce or eliminate rearward movement of the rifle during trigger pull or the
breaking of the shot.
RIGHT
HAND The right hand holds the rifle stock securely from one-shot
match to the next one-shot match. The
fingers must remain in their natural, curved position all the time. If the finger muscles are flexed, a `hook’
is formed. The grip is firm, as the
outstretched muscles of the open hand do not tire as easily as in the clenched
hand. Furthermore, when the hand is
clenched, the muscles of the lower arm are flexed and must be avoided at all
costs. The `hook’ formed by the fingers
holding the handgrip of the stock, and depending on the type of rifle, pull the
rifle stock firmly into the shoulder or upper arm using the middle two fingers
of the right hand. The thumb lies
loosely against the stock. As in the
kneeling and prone positions, the wrist is extended in a natural position. The right index finger should not press
against the stock. The slight movements
caused by the trigger pull could easily be transmitted to the stock thereby
causing lateral movements. This could
cause or result in complete misses.
LEFT HAND The success of the entire
position depends principally on the position of the left hand. It is the left hand that determines the
steadiness of the rifle position, final height of the position and final stance
of the athlete. There are many
different possible combinations of hand an finger positions.
NOTE:
Possible left-hand grips during a match.
a.
The palm of the left hand is turned forwards, the lower arm muscles are
relaxed, and the weapon is supported. This
is not recommended as it places excessive strain upon the muscles and therewith
restricts the abilities of the left arm during position construction and
functional work.
b.
The rifle is held with its weight directly supported by
the forearm, palm facing toward the body and upturned with the rifle resting on
the thumb ball joint. Arm muscles are
again relaxed.
As the rifle rest on the ball joint of the up
turned palm, the shooters fingers are curved in contour of the stock without
direct contact or griping by the fingers on the rifle stock. Preferred method and currently used by World
Class Shooters.
c. The weight of the rifle rests securely on the
back of the hand, and thereby on the forearm. Palm is facing the body and the
rifle is resting on the knuckles with the fingers pointing to the rear parallel
to the rifle stock. This method is also
not recommended to the shooting athlete.
A
problem arises in rifle presentation during the construction of the standing
position. The big question by many
shooting athletes is what is the rifle doing in relation to the body. We will review the possible methods used in
placement of the rifle in the position.
1. The rifle is presented while using the shoulder pocket (at the
joining of the pectoral and deltoid muscles) of the right shoulder. Such a use of the shoulder will make the
rifle presentation point 10 to 15 degrees away from the chest and requires the
body to twist excessively to the left in compensation for the rifle
presentation of 15 degrees during position usage. The left arm will position itself along the left center of the
ribcage. At recoil, time the rifle will
rotate up and around the right shoulder. Therefore, the alignment of the
shoulders in relation to the position and rifle is very critical during the
shooting performance period.
2.
The rifle is presented while lying across the chest while
insuring the trigger hand and finger will not touch the body. This presentation of the rifle requires the
rifle stock butt to be placed at the upper arm (between the pectorals and the
biceps brachia muscles) instead of the right shoulder pocket (between the or at
the joining of the pectorals and deltoid muscles).
3.
Preferred method and one that is used successfully by
current World Class Athletes. Care
must be exercised when placing the left arm down outside the rib cage. The arm can slip during the firing
procedure upsetting the rifle presentation including point of aim. In this case, the butt hook is placed under
the arm but not in the armpit. The trigger arm can be dropped to the side as a
test to determine if the hook is positioned correctly without changing the
rifle position or aiming point.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
Item 1 has the ADVANTAGE of placing the left arm into a fixed position which has
a buttress of muscles for preventing the arm from sliding to the side or otherwise
moving during the firing sequences.
This method locks the left arm into location.
The DISADVANTAGE is the rifle
must point out and away of the shooting position causing stress and tensions on
the shooting position. The procedure
also increases the twist of the spine causing additional uncomfortable stress
during shooting sequences.
Item
2. Has
the ADVANTAGE of placing the left arm in one of two places on the rib cage,
left center, and left side rib cage.
Additionally, the rifle is moved closer to the body thereby reducing the
3 to 5 degree rifle position away from the body and reducing the amount of
spine twist required during the shooting sequences. The DISADVANTAGE is the
rifle is closer to the body and the shooter must be careful not to violate the
rules by allowing the rifle to touch the body in front of the trigger hand grip
and the forward portion of the rifle.
This also includes the trigger hand touching or being supported by any
part of the body during the shooting competition. Otherwise, this is the preferred shooting position of world
class shooting athletes.
COMMENTS ON MOUNTING AND PRESENTATION OF THE RIFLE
IN THE STANDING POSITION
Follow these additional guidelines for
finishing off your position:
Every
muscle of the body, has a very slight degree of muscle tension to help maintain
the position. This also allows finer adjustment by your neuromuscle control. By
over-tensing or locking your muscles, you will tire quickly and start to
tremble, reducing your shooting position stability. As such, muscle tension is
slight and very close to relaxed.
The
muscular tension is not used to force your rifle on to the target. Your
position should be set so that your natural point of aim is directly on target
and perfect bull-eye. Here’s how you check natural point of aim: get into your
position and get completely relaxed. Close your eyes; breathe deeply 2 or 3
times and then exhaust your lungs until you reach perfect balance. Perfect lung balance is reached when you no
longer feel the need to inhale or exhale further. When you re-open your eyes,
you should still be exactly on target and viewing the perfect bull’s-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 will be erect as possible. To do so, bring the rifle to the face/cheek 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 on the same
level. Never move the head away from the erect or straight up and down position
or towards the rifle; always bring the rifle to the head.
Note:
One important factor 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 deviate all over the target. Also, remember to take into account that
canting your rifle will have an impact on sight adjustments. For instance, when
adjusting windage, you will also adjust elevation along with your windage
adjustments. One item that may help assist you in duplicating your cant is the
purchase and the use of a bubble level to measure or align the angle.
However,
generally you will not cant your rifle in any shooting position.
Eye
relief is the distance from the eye to the rear aperture. This distance will be
approximately 5-10 cm (2-6 inches.) Resting the eye against the sight will
result in wear rubber extender of the sight, and or cause damage to the eye upon
an occurrence of recoil, or in developing a flinch in response to recoil.
Regardless of the result: never rest your eye against the rear sight.
Changing
the position of the butt plate against the shoulder or changing the cheek
pressure on the stock can result in a major changes in zero (natural point of
aim or point of impact). These changes also affect recoil, which will determine
the amount and direction of the rifle’s jump. With the recoil jump moving to the right or left tells the
shooter that the position is not yet correct and some analysis must be
accomplished to determine where the error of technique lies. You must place the rifle in exactly the same
way each time you shoot, in order to generate the correct up and down recoil
pattern. Furthermore, by ensuring a
solid follow through on each shot, you do not consciously move before the shot
actually breaks. In the case of the mental shooters, the follow through occurs
during the ¾ of a second after automatic trigger release. In this case the bullet or pellet has
departed the barrel before the end of the ¾ of a second.
Set
up your spotting telescope such that it does not interfere with your shooting
AND when you look through it, your position should not change. That is to say,
once you have set yourself up to fire and have adopted the correct position,
scoping your target should not undo your work. You should be able to simply
tilt your head towards the telescope and look through it to the target. For mental shooting athletes, the scope is
unnecessary as you use the pictorial representation of the perfect bull-eye and
use the associated procedures attached in 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.