Basic Shooting Stances for Rifles and Pistols as Applied to an Airsoft Gun

 

Shooting Stances

In order to better hone your marksmanship skills you need to know how to properly handle your weapon; that includes not only how to hold and fire your weapon, but also how to position your body. Practicing these positions repeatedly is the key, for when your out on the field you may not have times to stop and think about what your doing. You must be able to fluidly move into position as if it were instinctual, or you may find yourself at a disadvantage.
I will list the rifle stance by their ease to assume and level of gun stability offered (from slowest/most stable to quickest/least stable. As for the pistol stance they will listed in no particular order, as will be explained in the pistol section.
Also a note for pistol stances; the positions for pistols are not really as situation specific as the rifle positions, instead the basic 3 provide for personal preference.
Another thing to remember when using your pistol is the push/pull method. This means that you will push out with your trigger hand, while lightly pulling back towards yourself with the support hand. This creates a maintainable tension which stabilizes the gun, and reduces arm fatigue.

 

4 Basic Rifle Shooting Positions

Prone-

In this position you will be lying down flat on your stomach, with the rifle pointed towards the target.This is one of the most stable positions you can get into, but since it requires you to drop your whole body to the ground it is also the longest to get into.
This position is used when you have spotted your enemy, but he hasn't been alerted to your presence yet; or in the case of a sniper when you find a good spot and want to bed down and wait for a good ambush.
It should be noted that this position is rendered useless if you are surrounded by brush or tall grass, as it will obscure you line of sight, or even cause the bullet to be misdirected off its flight path. If you encounter such obstacles, you will need to switch to a sitting or kneeling position as is needed to see over the cover.
To assume this position you will first drop to a knee while bringing your weapon up to bear, and then ease yourself down carefully. When you are fully prone, you can sight you target and and take your shot when you are sure that you have a hit.
If you can, try to find something to use as a rest, such as a rolled up jacket, rock, or even a smaller "Y" shaped stick jammed into the ground. This will help to further stabilize your shot for far superior accuracy.
As I stated earlier, this position is very commonly used by snipers because it not only offers a very stable shooting platform, but also because it keep your profile low. With proper camouflage a sniper can disappear into the background rather easily in this position, making for beautiful ambush should anyone cross you line of sight

Sitting-

Sitting is a bit quicker, but it also offer just slightly less stability. This is a good position if you are in a densely covered area; being as that you are sitting instead of lying down, it allows you to see over brush or tall grasses. Basically it is easier to assume and gives a better line of sight than the prone, but still is more steady than the kneeling.
As with the previous position this one is to be used when you have spotted your enemy, yet have not been discovered yourself by that enemy. These two require you to be unseen because of the amount of time it takes to assume these positions.
To get into position sit down on your but and (while keeping your knees upright) crossing your legs at the ankles. You are now sitting down and can use you knees to rest either on or both of your elbows for better stability.

Kneeling-

This position is used if you only have seconds to spare before being seen by the enemy, as it is much faster to assume then any of the previously listed positions, and only a bit less steady.
This is probably the position you will end up using on the field (unless you have a specialized role such as a sniper, or someone geared for CQB) as it is a fair balance of ease to assume and barrel stability.
It would be advisable to get a least on knee pad (though I personally think a single knee pad looks kinda silly), so that your not getting distracted from your shot by the stabbing pain of sharp rocks digging into your knee caps.
To assume this position you will knell down on one knee (the one corresponding to your trigger hand), while your other knee will stay up to stabilize your supporting arm, and give you more barrel stability.

Standing-

This position is your last resort. When you are spotted and engaged by the enemy, you will most likely not have the time to drop down into the prone, sitting, or Kneeling positions (although if you were to practice enough in your stances your chances of being able to pull off the kneeling stance would greatly increase).
This is the quickest position to assume, being as you only have to bring your gun up to your line of site, but the lack of proper stabilizations means that this is the least accurate steady to fire from. As I said, the standing position is a last resort, only to be used in a direct conflict situation.
To assume this position you will place your feet shoulder width apart with your toes pointing towards the target. Do not take your eyes off the target, but instead bring your rifle up to your line of site, for a quicker target acquisition.

 

3 Basic Pistol Positions

Isosceles-

In this position you will stand normally with your feet shoulder width apart. Niether the left or right foot in front of the other,but both even, with your toes facing out towards the target. Both arms should be fully extended. The full arm extension makes this position ideal if you have a lot of bulky gear on your chest plate.

Weaver-

 In this position the foot that corresponds with the trigger hand should be set slightly back from the foot under the support hand. As with all the stances, feet should be shoulder width apart.
With the weaver stance both arms will be bent.

Modified Weaver-

This position is the same as the weaver, except the trigger arm stays straight, while the support bends.