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Show HOW T$js;i. S IS rf ! By Bob !ic!iols ' Shouting Editor. Field and Stream STJ I , i FEW upland gunners even the good i ones ever realize how fully good j shooting depends on good standing. j Most gunners go trudging through i the brush without ever a thought of ; where their feet ought to be placed to be In the most advantageous position for quick and accurate shooting. I will venture to say that at least 00 per cent of all misses made by good shots In the field are the result of poor foot and body position. The direct cause of the miss may be over-shooting, or under-shooting, or more prabahly shooting behind. But the primary cause is bad stance and let us use this term Instead of the other because it Is already a widely understood word through its association with correct form In golfing. Form actually holds as much significance signifi-cance in shooting us it does In golf. Once you understand the principles of good form you can, through constant practice, adapt these principles to your physique. No two golfers use the same identical stance. Vet each is applying ap-plying the same Identical principles to his own peculiar characteristics of height, weight, arm length, and so on. No two crack shots use the same identical iden-tical stance either. But you can rest assured that each, like the good golfer. Is applying the self same set of principles prin-ciples to his shooting. Good stance in shooting, as In golfing, golf-ing, is simply the elimination of muscular mus-cular conllict which results in smooth co-ordination. With smooth muscular co-ordination, your hands and arms and legs synchronize syn-chronize in completing any given motion. mo-tion. You act with speed, and yet without hurry or bungling flusteration. Your bird flushes, your feet assume well-practiced and unconsciously remembered re-membered positions, your hands and arms function faultlessly through the familiar routine, your gun swings onto your target and bang! Dead bird! And the whole cycle took perhaps less than one second to complete. Having learned form, the good shot appears to shoot and kill his game with an air of easy carelessness. But behind be-hind his apparent carelessness lies an experience of perhaps thousands of practice shots. He shoots in unconscious uncon-scious rhythm because form has become be-come automatic and mechanical with him. He no longer needs to think about it. The average hunter walks too fast In the field and takes too long steps. On a surprise rise he is invariably caught off balance. Walk slower and you will not only kick out more game, but you stand a much better chance of bagging it when It gets up. In cover where it seems likely a bird or rabbit may pop out at any moment, your good shot is a most careful walker. If he is a right-handed shot he will take short steps, keep his feet fairly close together, take shorter steps with his right foot than with his left foot, and always his left foot out ahead of the right But his feet are never very far apart. He knows that to shoot well you must swing your gun, using the body as a steady, supporting pivot. If the bird gets up and quarters to the left (in front of a right-handed shooter) be pivots on his left foot. For the right swinging shot he pivots on the I right foot. His movements are mechanical me-chanical and smooth. No pulling muscles to stop his gun swing. His gun movements are almost pendulum-like pendulum-like in their freedom from conflicting muscle strain. Some good shots often fall into a slight, free-moving crouch when shoot- j ing. But they pivot just the same. The loose-kneed crouch sometimes gives one a feeling of increased security of footing. But If the crouch becomes stiff and exaggerated the shooter will find himself missing quartering and crossing birds because the severe I crouch "freezes" his muscles into rigidity rigid-ity and therefore prevents freedom of swing. Never try to shoot from bad footing if you can help it. If the game zooms out behind you, don't try to twist yourself your-self into a pretzel to shoot. .Turn around, get your footing then shoot. Shooting in good form makes it easier to score ! . Western Newspaper Union. |