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This area will cover different training and coaching tips to make your time at the range more productive. It will be updated in early November. Meanwhile, please read how you be productive while you are off the range...

Practice at home

We all know that there aren't enough time to practice as much as we want to. And even if we have one or two hours to spare it might not be enough as we will have to go to the range, set everything up before we get started and then it will take another 30 min to get everything taken down afterwards. As you see it is not really worth it.

By doing dry-firing at home, you can easily use even 15 minutes to your advantage. Have a corner in your house where you have your off-hand stand always set up. Make a target by making a filled in circle the same size as the air-rifle 7-ring and put up on the wall. Move back far enough to get the same sight picture as if you would have been shooting for real. You can always change the diameter of your home made target to fit your situation. Every time you have a few minutes to spare, you just take your rifle out and get into your position.

It is usually better practicing four times thirty minutes than 2 hours straight, as it will make you able to focus 100% for a shorter period of time instead of half-focusing for the two hours. It also trains you in getting started faster. So do a little bit here and there as you get a few minutes to spare. Just make sure that you are focused on what you are doing - especially if you are practicing off-hand.

STANDING
Try to find your perfect position before you take up the rifle. Then take up the rifle and run through your checklist and really feel your inner position. When everything feels great, shut your eyes and slowly go through every part of your body and feel what it feels like.

Once you have done that (takes around 10 minutes), start sight on the "target" and see how long you can hold the rifle perfectly still on the target. Once you start wobble around - take down the rifle. Lift it back up and go through the check list real quick(10 seconds) and then see how long you can hold it still for. Do this over and over again during the entire session. If you want to add some execution practice to it, you can dry-fire every third-fourth shot, but the focus should be on finding the perfect position and to get a better hold.

It is actually better to do this practicing with less than full equipment as it gives you some extra movement and it gives you an opportunity to focus more on the positions than on the equipment - and it saves you time setting up and taking down.

A good rule of thumb is to start out a few minutes without anything, then add the glove and after a while add the jacket. That way you build up your position and then you will feel the support and help you get from each thing that you add on. See how long you can practice without a jacket without getting tired and then try to do it for a few more minutes every time you practice.

Kneeling
Kneeling is even easier to work in to your busy schedule. The hardest part of the kneeling position is usually the position itself and how uncomfortable it is. By sitting in the position as much as possible, you will get used to it, the pain will decrease (or you will get used to it), and you will develop a better balance. Just put on your right shooting boot, grab your kneeling roll and you are all ready to start watching TV or read a book. I did this a lot in high school and college and it got me from being an average to a good kneeling shooter, even when I seldom shot kneeling when practicing at the range.