• Please consider adding your "Event" to the Calendar located on our Home page!
Practice.

And I don't mean that as a smart 🫏 answer. Spending time shooting (from offhand position in this case) helps in various ways. The obvious ones are muscle memory and confidence. But while practiicng I also routinely figure out small changes that help in various ways.

Just spend a bunch of time shooting from offhand and keep what works, get rid of what doesn't.
 
Practice.

And I don't mean that as a smart 🫏 answer. Spending time shooting (from offhand position in this case) helps in various ways. The obvious ones are muscle memory and confidence. But while practiicng I also routinely figure out small changes that help in various ways.

Just spend a bunch of time shooting from offhand and keep what works, get rid of what doesn't.
This is the real answer. About two(ish) years ago I decided that I wanted to get better at silhouette. I was really REALLY terrible at standing and shooting freehand. I began practicing 3-4 days each week. Only about 20-30 minutes each morning. I’d shoot maybe 20-25 pellets. It’s didn’t take too long before I began to notice that more silhouettes were falling than before. This practice stuff really does pay off. I’ve even begun to experiment shooting with both eyes open. It’s not as difficult a challenge as it seems on the surface.
Kenny
 
I am terrible at offhand... super lucky to get 3 outta 6 in a match. If I come to the offhand targets near the end of the match, I typically do worse. Probably fatigue. I do need to practice more, as all of you are saying. I am interested in what techniques we should be practicing though! How do you practice? My practice, seems to be timing the trigger pull as I fly by the target. Not sure it is getting me too far. Don't be afraid to list the basics for us please. Even stuff like focusing on the target instead of the reticle and turning down magnification for offhand shots.
Physically, I found putting some kind of hamster on the rifle keeps my elbow in contact with my hip which seems to add a little stability.
Also found that flexing rear leg and core seem to help a bit as well.
 
Practicing offhand can easily be done in the house.
Have you heard of dry firing?
Not with a springer of course.
But just holding your rifle standing, offhand, for many minutes at a time will do wonders for your shooting.
At home I shoot offhand all of the time.
My shooting bench is now used for storage of my garage tools.
 
Nice to see good responses to a serious question. Yes, try to shoot with both eyes open it takes a little practice to do but it will be worth it. Practice is always good as long as you do not just practice your bad habits. If you can, shoot some silhouette matches, air or even smallbore. if you have a variable power scope then practice offhand at a high power(not easy) but turn it down to a lower power when shooting offhand.
Never easy but improvement is possible.
 
Check out this guy on YouTube. He’s a ten meter coach but you will get the basics for the stance. I shoot a lot of ten meter as well as silhouette and even thought the sights are different the muscles you develop and the stance you practice are the same. If you shoot every day (or even dry fire practice) even for just 20 minutes the muscles you use will get stronger and you will get better.
Kenny
 
A lot of good advise,number one ,keep both eyes open.Relax,become comfortable,sight control,sight picture ,stance.
The rifle needs to fit you,you stuggle up to it,both eyes open,you get a good sight picture ,you use good breath control,do not wait too long to take your shot.Get use to it,practice.muscle memory sets in after enough practice....
It does not matter if your shooting a gun or pool or bowling or racing a dirt bike; practice is the key!
It is important to start right.......thus read, look at pictures and have a schedule to practice, I think it is better to have a short period of practice because there is much concentration involved and your body and brain need to stay focused and relaxed at the same time....It helps immensely to have a shooting partner.
 
I've been using the drop down technique, where I breathe in my crosshairs are above the target. As I exhale, my crosshairs drop town to the target. The problem was that my Ghost is super heavy, so sometimes the crosshairs are making a zig zag, so I'll start over. Sometimes it works right.

My new USFT is lighter, so I'm hoping that'll help next season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: maxtrouble
Check out this guy on YouTube. He’s a ten meter coach but you will get the basics for the stance. I shoot a lot of ten meter as well as silhouette and even thought the sights are different the muscles you develop and the stance you practice are the same. If you shoot every day (or even dry fire practice) even for just 20 minutes the muscles you use will get stronger and you will get better.
Kenny
I have studied many of his YT's
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: maxtrouble