SHOOT Quick Tip: How I Get Into Prone
You can shoot from prone at many positions in sports like NRA Action Pistol. This position lets you set your handgun directly on the ground, greatly increasing your stability and ability to shoot accurately. The time constraints in action shooting events don’t allow for dilly-dallying though and to reap the benefits of shooting prone, you need to get down to the ground, fast! This Women’s Outdoor News shooting tip outlines the steps on two ways to get into prone and I call them high and low-impact prone.
Like its name, high-impact prone has the greatest potential for body slamming as you go from standing to the ground in one motion. This type of prone is ideal for shooters with enough upper body strength to allow them to support and lower their body weight with just one arm.
Low-impact prone reduces your chances of knocking the wind out of your lungs. It is suited for shooters who do not feel comfortable with high-impact prone and lack upper body strength to fully support their body weight with one arm. Because your knees absorb the initial shock in low-impact prone, you may wish to invest in a pair of knee pads.
As for me, I prefer low-impact prone. Before I made a critical discovery that it was ok to shoot like a girl, I beat up my body trying to go prone like a strong guy. Sure, I hit the ground fast, but I felt like I was on one of those amusement park rides where they drop you from some ridiculous height. Not only did I end up with a headache, but the high-impact prone technique wasn’t very effective for me. Even though I was fast getting down to the ground, the jarring impact kept me from getting my support hand to the gun as fast as possible. Ultimately, it affected my ability to put the sights on the target and shoot accurately.
I determined I needed to change my technique to low-impact prone. By dropping to my knees as I draw my pistol, I can then control my descent to the ground with my support arm easily. If I may be so bold, it’s pretty quick too…
Read the steps on how to get into low and high-impact prone and the full article at The WON.
