Prone

Athletes fires from the prone position at a Biathlon competition

• The steadiest and by far the easiest to master. Done correctly. it can be as steady as shooting from a bench rest.^[8]
• Probably the least used in the field because, all too often, vegetation gets in the way and obscures the view.^[8]
• Variations:^[8]
  • classic – with the body at an angle (left for right-handed people, right for left-handed)
  • modern – with the body more directly behind the rifle with the shooter's strong side leg slightly bent.
• Test for correct body position: wrap your arm into the hasty sling and drop down into prone, sighting at the target. Close your eyes. When you open them you should still be aiming at the target. If you are not, then your position is off. Also, if the shooter's sight picture returns after the firm kicks to each muzzle, then body alignment is good. If not, adjustment is needed.^[8]
• Usual advice is to use a sling for this position^[10]
• Aided prone position – prone with pack or bipod

Sitting

An athlete fires from the sitting position at a Field Target (FT) shooting event

• This position is relatively easy to get into, but more difficult to get out of quickly and provides clearance for low to medium-height obstacles that would interfere with the prone position.
• Proper sitting position is extremely difficult to master.^[8]
• Variations:^[8]
  • open leg
  • cross leg (aka pretzel style) – the steadiest sitting position.^[8]
  • cross ankle
• The test for correct body position is the same as prone.^[8]
• Usual advice is to use a sling for this position.^[10]
• Aided sitting position – sitting with tripod

Kneeling

Sagen Maddalena kneeling in the 50m rifle 3-position rifle event at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games

• There were numerous variations of the position throughout history.^[9]
• Best for times when shooter needs to shoot quickly, but it is a bit too far (or he is breathing a bit too hard) to risk a shot from the standing position.^[8]
• Considerably steadier than standing position.
• For most people it is not nearly as steady as sitting but it is much faster to get in and out of.^[8]
  • For some people this position can be almost as steady as the prone position.^[10]
• Strong-side knee is on the ground, weak-side knee and foot are pointing at the target while weak-side knee is supporting the elbow (It is important that the bony tip of the elbow not be planted on top of the knee cap – bone-on-bone contact allows for too much movement or it can slip.)
• Variations:^[8]
  • sitting on strong-side foot
  • with strong-side foot flat
  • sitting on the strong-side foot's heel with the toes grounded
• Usual advice is to use a sling for this position.^[10]
• Aided kneeling position – kneeling with crossed sticks or tripod

Standing (or offhand)

• The quickest position to assume and is useful for quick shots and for shooting over objects.^[10]
• By far is the least steadiest of all positions. A common trait is a bit of sway in this position. The trick is learning to control the sway and fire when the shooter is at his steadiest. Breathing exercises help in maintaining the balance of the body in this position.
• The most difficult position to shoot from and to master. Mostly common among both air pistol and air rifle shooters shooting from different ranges (10m,25m,50m).
• Stock fit is essential in standing – perhaps more than in any other position. Shooter needs to have his cheek firmly welded to the stock.
• Variations:^[11]
  • squared toward the target – advantages of this technique are that it allows the shooter to absorb the rifle's recoil much more effectively, to run the bolt and get back on target quickly. It also places the shooter in a more aggressive stance that allows him to move, in just about any direction, as his target requires.
  • bladed stance of the rifle marksman
• Usual advice is not to use the sling for support in this position.^[10]
• Aided standing position
  • Standing with sticks and stones
    • Three-legged shooting sticks are almost universal in Africa.
    • Whatever shooter's comfortable range is for offhand shooting, sticks should double it.^[8]

Rice paddy squat in rifle shooting

The rice paddy squat (or rice paddy prone) position is a moderate-stability position that supports both elbows, making it more stable than kneeling yet keeping a high level of mobility. Its higher center of gravity will still be less stable than sitting or prone. It was a traditionally taught marksmanship position but lost popularity after the Korean conflict.^[12]

Back (or supine)

It was sometimes referred to as the Creedmoor position. There are a number of variations of the position. It was known in the latter half of the 18th century, and later revived by a small number of shooters in the 1860s with the introduction of competitive long range shooting at the NRA rifle meetings and continued in use into the 20th century amongst match riflemen. The position was really developed during the 1870s as a consequence of great interest in long range shooting associated with the international matches. Back position provided the most stable platform for the rifle in those competitions where no artificial support, including slings, was permitted. It was even superior to shooting prone unsupported.^[13]

Lying on one's side

Lying on one's side is not a normally chosen position, but may be a position fallen into when reacting to a threat. In this scenario, it may be used behind a barricade to present a very small target since normally only the gun hand and a piece of one's face is exposed, with the rest covered by the barricade.^[14]

Leaning

When a shooter is leaning on something like a wall, a tree or post. The rifle barrel should not be rested against it because it is steadier to lean the body.^[15] It's usually combined with standing and kneeling positions.