When folks tell you to practice its for a good reason, not just to hear the word. We all need practice. Practice at everything we do, but here I'm specifically talking about practice in relation to shooting your rifle.
I'm old and not in as good a shape as I should be (sound familiar?) Due to a leg injury several years ago I can't kneel. That means when you see me going from standing to prone you'll be wondering what in the world I'm doing. When you see me get up from prone you'll be reminded of how a baby stands up when they are learning to walk. But I can still get in the prone position and get my 10 shots off, reload and all. I can still get into a sitting position with both elbows over the front of my knees.
Why? Because I practice it at home. I dry fire in the back yard with my M1 when the weather permits several times each week.
You don't have to go outside to do this, you can do it inside - but you have to do it. You can make excuses for not doing it. You're only hurting yourself. Or are you just hurting yourself? Think about why you wanted to learn to shoot your rifle better in the first place. Was it just to make yourself happier, to build your own ego, or because you believed that if it was ever necessary to pick that rifle up, load it and use it to defend yourself or your family then you wanted to make sure you could get it done?
After you answer that question you know why you should be practicing. So get going.
Will it hurt? Maybe. Will you be sore tomorrow? Maybe. Is that a reason not to do it? Heck no! The more you do it the less it will bother you and soon you'll be so used to doing it that it'll never be an issue for you again.
Do it for all the right reasons. But do it. Then when you teach at an Appleseed and somebody like you says they can't get into those positions you can show'em it is possible.
You are so right MIA4ME. It was difficult to get into those positions in the beginning. I went to the range every week and practiced shooting in all of the positions. It was second nature getting into the positions at the second AS I went to. You are correct, the more you practice the positions the easier it is to get into them.
Thanks for posting that advice.
The old saw is "Practice make Perfect." Almost but not quite,rather the following is true, perfect practice makes perfect. Practice incorrectly and improvement will not happen. Learn the positions, the six steps, NPOA, then practice. Practice the right stuff and you will improve.
If I can't shoot a 4MOA group then I am doing something wrong. I stop and figure out what it is, correct the problem then begin again. Laying on your belly and shooting round after round poorly isn't going to help.
After my first AS in Ottowa, IL, July 4, we had the opportunity to eat supper at a REAL RIFLEMAN'S house. (thankyou! ;D) When we left, I noticed he had a target taped on the bottom of the door. I thought to myself, hmmmmm.............that must be for practice, dry-firing. Got home and posted a target at the end of the hall........now the positions are starting to feel more comfortable, and my sights don't seem to be swaying around as much. Thanks for the advice of "perfect practice".
O.G.