In this issue: Re: Lowering natural POA in kneeling Breath Control and Vision Enhancement Problems with kneeling and need opinions on clothing Sight blocks? Champion Shooter's Supply ************************************************** > There are five approaches to the lowering of the natural point of aim > in the kneeling position. > > > 1. Move the butt of the rifle higher in the shoulder. It may be > necessary to lower the cheekpiece. This is likely to cause a > problem with the sight picture. This approach is usually not > satisfactory. Bad thought as the sighting arrangements are now counter productive for the shooter. > 2. Use a more upright body position. This means adjusting the position > so that the shoulders are farther back toward a location above the > kneeling roll. The left elbow (for a right-handed shooter) will be > farther back on the left knee or thigh. > > A higher body position may be less stable than a low body position. Very unstable for the shooter, the basic position ballance is destroyed prior to the shooters ability to fire on the target. > 3. Use a bigger kneeling roll. Consult the rule book first. > > 4. With no other changes to the position, lengthen the sling and move > the hand stop forward on the rifle. The hand stop is a good prospect, however, there are limits to this action. Movement of the hand stop is good until the position ballance is destroyed. The shooter may experience muscle tension as well and of course have a tension release at firing time. > > 5. Move the left foot (for a right-handed shooter) farther forward, with > no other changes to the position, so that the left thigh is no longer > vertical as seen from the side. > Never acceptable as the position integrity is destroyed and the bone-to bone position construction becomes in doubt. This move in fact gives the shooter no position. > This may require good traction between the left foot and the ground, > or between the left foot and the shooting mat, in extreme cases. > > Howard Moody has indicated that this is not a correct shooting > position in the extreme cases. > HQ Moody is correct in that the proposed adjustments are for the most part those moves you hope your competitor will use as not one is of any use to the shooting position. Bad form allaround. > > Perhaps these approaches will help you to find a solution which will > work for you. > > > - Raoul B. Salem There is only one accepted way to adjust your shooting position in the kneeling and that is the movement of the knee and elbow contact points. This is the movement of the elbow forward or backward in the accomplishment of the POA. All other position elements are not to move but remain stable and in balance during the shooting and position. Chet Skinner ***************************************************** Breath Control Chet Skinner suggests a 2 second period of breath hold for the actual shot. That seems awfully fast to me. I think I tend towards 10 seconds and know this may be too long. What are others opinions? [Ed note - when I get time (yeah, right), I'll be posting a couple chapters of Chet's book on my web page. As I'm sure he will tell you, 2 seconds is more than enough time mentally.] Vision Enhancement I've read a reference to top shooters training including Vision Enhancement. Can anyone expand on this? [Ed. note - I noted this also in a USOC brochure. I asked the USST physician and he wasn't aware of anything special they did for vision and hasn't gotten back to me on anything new.] ***************************************************** Mike, I have a Custom Leather Wear coat and pants and have been happy with them. I don't know of another place. For the letter: I have a couple of questions. I recently fired a 50m 3p match and was having a rough time in kneeling. I don't seem to have trouble with the balance of the position and finally the rifle no longer jumps to the right during recoil. Now I have a new (or at least more recent) problem. My concern is with the left elbow/knee contact point. My position is not high (far back on the knee), nor is it really low (in front of the knee). I try to rest the backside flat part of the elbow on the flat part of the knee (just behind he cap). Sometimes, the recoil coming back the arm causes the "reflex", much like when a doctor hits your knee during a physical. This is obviously not good. I'm still looking for a comfortable stable place to rest the elbow. Has anyone else run into this? I'm still working on building the position with consistency, but I'm also trying to solve problems along the way. [Ed note - I'd suggest moving elbow forward or backward a bit and adjust sling accordingly to get back to original POA. Or "retrain" yourself to ignore that reflex. I did this with an eye twitch I found I had.] My other question has to do with clothing. I have heard the the UIT is meeting this winter and that I should hold off until after the meeting before I purchase a new set of clothes (in case of rule changes). I have been looking a couple of different brands and would like to know people's experiences and opinions of them. I was looking a Sauer and Thune. I know that Thune is worn by most "top level" shooters. Is this because 1) they really are that good 2) Thune pays them or 3) Its the thing to wear. I really like to plan the Gunsmithing Inc has set up where if they measure you the clothes are guaranteed to fit. The clothes are also very expensive. Are they really worth the extra cost? I also noticed quite a few people on the line in Atlanta wearing Sauer clothing. I still need to contact the Sauer dealer and see if they could offer the same guarantee on the fit. Anyway, I'd like to hear your thoughts and experiences on this. Thanks & Good Shooting, Mark [Ed note - they all offer this guarantee if you are measured by an approved source.] ******************************************************** thanks for the info. on kneeling. I formerly went to Canisuis College and now go to Norwich University, and have shot competitively at bothe schools. i value your insight an the fact that you have this network set up! I am having a problem with my offhand targets, i was wondering about buying riser block for my sights. Would you recoment this since we both shoot 2013's and if so should i put them on my FWB 602 aswell. [Ed. note - perhaps you're thinking of Mark Gould. I only shoot a 2002L. Anyway, yes, by all means use some sight blocks if it will give you a more upright and natural head position.] ******************************************************** Hello Shooters and Coaches! As I plan to take a break from this busy work schedule of mine, I find that I may have a bit of free time in Ohio. Has anybody visited the Ohio store of Champions Shooting Supply? What's it like - is it worth stopping at? And was it easy to get to / find? Thanks, Paula FERMILAB Opinions mine only. [Ed. note - have not personally been there, but a former coach travelled there to buy some used jackets and boots for our team so it can't be that hard to find knowing him. Prices are in line with CC on some items. Selection and price of used stuff is obviously very variable. BTW, I'll be at the Walsh 11/16 at 8pm.] ******************************************************** End of UIT Mailing List #7 Michael Ray - Systems Engineer Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. Rifle Coach The Olympic Shooting Page - http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1190/ Michael Ray - Systems Engineer Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. Rifle Coach The Olympic Shooting Page - http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1190/