1. Shooting from the offhand postion
Walla Walla High School JROTC
Rifle Team

2. Shooting Offhand Shooting from the Offhand is an exercise in balance.
The inner ear
The “level” inside your ear
Muscles
Muscle “memory”

3. Shooting Offhand Nerves Nerve endings in the bottom of your foot
Why do precision shooters wear “flat” boots?

4. Shooting Offhand Balance Drills Stand with feet together
Stand with feet slightly apart
Stand with feet shoulder width apart
Close eyes
Tilt head back
Tilt head forward
Move toes inward
Move toes outward

5. Shooting Offhand Balance Drills
How did your nerves react when you lost balance?
How did your muscles react to you losing balance?
Twitching in thighs?
Calves?
Did you feel disoriented when you tilted your head back or forward with your eyes closed?
What was your inner ear “level” doing?
How did the bone structure of your hips react when moving your feet in and out?
What is the “strongest” geometric shape?
Can you make one with your bone structure?
How can “muscle memory” help you shoot better?

6. Shooting Offhand Your Feet Place feet at least shoulder-width apart
Lean your non-firing hip forward
Toes pointed the same direction as your belly button

7. Shooting Offhand Hips Balance drill Turn upper shoulders
Stand with feet shoulder width apart
Close eyes
Turn at the hips
Feel the loss of balance, tension in lower back and rear leg
Turn upper shoulders
Open up your non-firing side rib cage
Place your elbow in the cleft of your hip
Do NOT turn hips

8. Shooting Offhand Your Firing (trigger) Hand
Grasp the pistol grip of the rifle with the middle finger and ring finger of firing hand (those two fingers connect to muscle systems that run all the way to your core).
Trigger finger, thumb and pinkie are relaxed
Concentrate on squeezing the trigger in a rearward motion
Last pad of your trigger finger is the only part that makes contact with trigger
Gentle squeeze
Rifle should “surprise” you when it goes off

9. Shooting Offhand Non-Firing Hand/Arm
Put on your leather shooting glove
Make a fist
Keep wrist straight
Point your knuckles back towards your face, make a loose fist, relax your fingers
Lay the rifle foregrip across your fist
Firmly seat elbow into the cleft of your hip, triceps tight into your ribs
Form a “triangle” with your triceps/ribs, your forearm and the rifle

10. Shooting Offhand Head/Rifle Position
Place the butt of your rifle high up on your shoulder (no recoil on an air rifle)
Lower head as little as possible to gain a clear sight picture (remember the “chin on chest drill”?)
Pull rifle back into your shoulder with two firing hand fingers
Lay foregrip across knuckles of non firing hand

11. Shooting Offhand Sight Picture
No way to hold a rifle perfectly still in the Offhand position
Take up what feels like your Natural Point of Aim (NPA)
Adjust your NPA up and down by moving your “back foot”
Concentrate on your “Arc of Movement”
As you develop the muscles needed to shoot offhand, your Arc of Movement will grow smaller and smaller
Try to “Figure 8” your arc diagonally

12. Shooting Offhand The “Headgame” Play “other” sports
Hand-eye coordination
Confidence
Helps to be in shape
Be confident/ “know” you can hit the target
You will hit the center more often if you think you will
Be encouraging to the other shooters on your team
Criticism of other shooters makes you more self conscious of your own shooting
Math skills
The more analytical you train yourself to be, the better you can evaluate yourself
Music skills
Rhythm
Hunting
Having “proof” you can shoot increases your confidence
Shoot at home if you can
.22s from the same positions
Your “Inner Position”

13. Questions?