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Illinois newest NRA Certified Level 1 Airrifle/Smallbore Coach

Started by OutaAmmo, January 12, 2015, 09:23:04 AM

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OutaAmmo

Congratulation to Shooter 30-06 for completing his requirements yesterday.  We now have 4 Appleseed instructors in Illinois that have achieved this goal

TheEditor

John N.
Author of "50 Things You Didn't Learn in School - But Should Have"
www.heuristicbooks.com

2 clicks low

Congrats.
Wanted to go also, just couldn't work out the dates. Next time.
2cl
"Semper Fritos" 1st. Chicago Chairborne

ThePoet

Congratulations, Shooter 30-06!  I'm an NRA Air Rifle/Smallbore Coach as well.  I coach the Charlotte Rifle & Pistol Club Junior Rifle Team here in NC.  Maybe I'll see you at Camp Perry or Anniston one of these days.

Oz

Congrats!  The syllabus looks good and I have in my head to go next January, when Zazzles is old enough to take the class too.  (And to share the driving!) 

How do you folks who have taken the class find it has been valuable, in practice?

Oz
"You don't know they're all Riflemen.  They might just be people with rifles." - Zazzles, 9/22/12

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not."
― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

"There are no accidents in my philosophy. Every effect must have its cause. The past is the cause of the present, and the present will be the cause of the future." - Abraham Lincoln

"My biggest decision this week?  Well...long story short, I went with the mild sauce."

Shooter30-06

Thanks guys.  Particular thanks to Dave for urging me to take the plunge and to Joe Miller who presented the course and has to be one of the premier rifle coaches in the United States.  It is fun to listen to him and a privilege to get the opportunity to learn from such an expert.

To answer Oz's question, I have not yet taught either an AS or otherwise since last weekend but I have some impressions.  The biggest benefit was learning from Joe the five fundamentals of any position: Balance, Bone Support, NPOA, Comfort, and Consistency.  This is a wonderful analytic approach to any shooter in any discipline and works well in adapting the shooter's instruction to meet their individual strengths and limitations.  The diagrams, photos, and demonstrations all emphasized these elements and really  brought home how often different systems or disciplines are actually trying to achieve the same result.

To be sure, there are obvious differences in some of the positions as taught by AS and the precision system.  Part of it I believe traces from the fact that AS is much more of a "practical" shooting, particularly in the transitions.  For that reason I am not sure whether the kneeling position I learned this weekend, which was very meticulously set up and balanced, would ever have application in a 55 second transition.  However, I believe the standing position I learned from Joe will definitely have application and will improve the performance of any shooter who adopts some of the elements of balance and bone support used by the precision shooters.  I am going to be very interested in seeing how my prone shooting is affected by some of Joe's instruction.  The precision shooters do not obsess over the support elbow being directly under the rifle.  They want level and balanced shoulders and an upright position which in itself brings the rifle close to be under the rifle.  However, Joe primarily wants balance and comfort which leads to a reduction of body stress and fatigue.   The breathing patterns they use are a little different and are not the rifleman's cadence as taught by AS.  Because breathing is an understated problem for many AS shooters there may be application for the precision method, particularly in prone.

In summary, this is a wonderful course and I think it is beneficial to me by expanding the tool chest I have available to help my shooting students.  As time goes on I will probably post more on this interplay of instruction.
"We cannot insure success but we can deserve it."-John Adams
"Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could."-Daniel Defoe