TargetTalk

I have a target rifle, 22LR, and intend (I hope!) to shoot 3-position 50M competitions, eventually. So knowing that the standing position is the most demanding, I've set up a small 10M range indoors in my basement to try to train my form.

No, I'm NOT going to shoot! I'm just trying to get a comfortable, moderately stable, standing position with a palm rest and butt hook on my Anschutz Match 64. I might even dry-fire (with all due precautions) if I can get that far.

I've set up a black dot on a piece of paper, measuring 22.4mm in diameter, and 1470mm off the floor. That, AFAIK, gives me the same picture that a 50M ISSF target, at the regulation height of 750mm, will give at 50M, given my eye height of 1650mm.

I'm taking up the position, and am lucky enough to be able to rest my left elbow on my hip. Lean back, twist left, rest the left elbow, acquire the target, and hold.

Not. The damn thing wanders all over the place. I'm striving for bone-on-bone as much as possible, and trying to relax these irrelevant muscles, but it's HARD!

Please tell me it gets easier! Otherwise it's prone-only for me.

It gets easier!

BUT, it takes proper training. Look for a coach you can work with, even if only on an occasional basis. Coaching online is very hard, as we can't see your position.

First thing I'll suggest it to get rid of the paper with the black dot. At this point all it is doing is causing you to focus on it instead of a good solid position. Just get into position and relax, letting the rifle point wherever it wants to (do this with your eyes closed). Open your eyes and, allowing the rifle to continue to point where it was, watch the front sight to see how small your "wobble area" is. Repeat, many times. You are trying to build muscle memory.

(An aside here, I would not teach the back bend and twist method you are using, as it can lead to real lower back problems. A better idea is to just shift your upper body away from the target at the waist, without "tilting" your shoulders. Start without the rifle by putting both arms out to the side at shoulder height, then keeping shoulders level shift right then left. Looks and feels kinda like a belly-dancing move. You might wear a long sleeved shirt and have someone help you by pulling on the cuff. You still get a place to put your upper arm, but with less stress to the lower back.)

once you can see the sight setting mostly still, adjust your feet to get roughly to the area you used to hang the target. Feet together a little (3/8"0 to go lower, apart a little to go higher. Use front foot as an anchor, ans slide right foot forward or back to change your left/right orientation. Get used to doing this, as you will have to do it for every shot. On a ten bull target every bull is in a slightly different place, and on single bull or electronic targets your muscles will loosen then tighten as the session goes on.

Once you have this under control put your target back up, and do it some more, only getting the black dot in the center of the front aperture. When that starts to settle down you van begin to dry fire, and build up the automatic let-off (a whole 'nother letter). Hope this helps.

Nobody said it was easy, or fast. A lifetime of fun ahead of you.

I have sort of the same problem, except that i am left hand and left eye dominant. My problem is that i am more flexible leaning to the left but not as flexible leaning to the right. Is there anything i can do?

Having a stretching routine for before you shoot isn't a bad idea. Just make sure you do the same thing every time.

But if you're having trouble with flexibility in your standing position, then you're probably contorting your body a lot more than you should. It's great if you can get your elbow to your hip, unless you have to bend in half to do it.

When coaching standing, I have my kids concentrate on shot selection and trigger control. Shot selection is recognizing what your good shots look like. Once you know when shots will be good before they go off, then you have to learn to put the gun down if you see something different.

With trigger control, you just have to learn to let the shot go off. At first, you'll get some way off shots, but it won't take long before you notice those shots getting much closer to the center. You'll eventually get to the point where you see a good hold and that triggers your subconscious to pull the trigger.

What would be a good stretching routine?

Stretch out like you would for any other sport:

Arms
Legs
Shoulders
Back
Chest
Abs

You might also consider adding a progressive relaxation routine for right after you settle in position during prep. This will relieve tension and allow you to relax in position. For this, progressively flex and relax your muscles from your toes to your head, one by one. You'll know you've found a tense muscle when you relax and notice a very different feeling than before.

Thanks!

Soupy44 wrote:Stretch out like you would for any other sport:

Arms
Legs
Shoulders
Back
Chest
Abs

And I would add head and neck. Just be very careful how you stretch those, and as for the above, warm things up properly for 5 minutes or more beforehand, you do not want to stretch cold muscles / tendons.

Rob.

First things first. Change your mental approach from " this is hard " to " This is Fun " Enjoy your shooting. Bill Horton

Thanks Pat. That was very helpful. Actually I was only using the black dot as an indication of how I needed to adjust the palm rest for height. I'm building my position, making adjuastments to the rifle and also of course trying to get a stable platform.

One of the problems will be that as my form stabilises, I'll need to re-adjust the rifle! Swings and roundabouts.

But I didn't think about choosing a position for my body which gave the most stable sight. I've been trying to move whatever needs to be moved so that the rifle weight is taken on the hip with as little left arm muscle used as possible.

I'm in for the long haul here, so I'll takle it one step at a time as you suggest. Thanks again.

Pat McCoy wrote:It gets easier!

BUT, it takes proper training. Look for a coach you can work with, even if only on an occasional basis. Coaching online is very hard, as we can't see your position.

First thing I'll suggest it to get rid of the paper with the black dot. At this point all it is doing is causing you to focus on it instead of a good solid position. Just get into position and relax, letting the rifle point wherever it wants to (do this with your eyes closed). Open your eyes and, allowing the rifle to continue to point where it was, watch the front sight to see how small your "wobble area" is. Repeat, many times. You are trying to build muscle memory.

(An aside here, I would not teach the back bend and twist method you are using, as it can lead to real lower back problems. A better idea is to just shift your upper body away from the target at the waist, without "tilting" your shoulders. Start without the rifle by putting both arms out to the side at shoulder height, then keeping shoulders level shift right then left. Looks and feels kinda like a belly-dancing move. You might wear a long sleeved shirt and have someone help you by pulling on the cuff. You still get a place to put your upper arm, but with less stress to the lower back.)

once you can see the sight setting mostly still, adjust your feet to get roughly to the area you used to hang the target. Feet together a little (3/8"0 to go lower, apart a little to go higher. Use front foot as an anchor, ans slide right foot forward or back to change your left/right orientation. Get used to doing this, as you will have to do it for every shot. On a ten bull target every bull is in a slightly different place, and on single bull or electronic targets your muscles will loosen then tighten as the session goes on.

Once you have this under control put your target back up, and do it some more, only getting the black dot in the center of the front aperture. When that starts to settle down you van begin to dry fire, and build up the automatic let-off (a whole 'nother letter). Hope this helps.

Nobody said it was easy, or fast. A lifetime of fun ahead of you.