When I'm at the range or shooting 2 gun (which has been a while) I do most of my shooting standing. The only time I shoot prone is to zero a rifle ... and my least favorite position of all was kneeling.

The main reason I didn't like kneeling was I wasn't good at it ... primarily because I had poor ankle / foot flexibility (sitting on rear foot, ouch).  

Flexibility is something I've been working on and the last time I went out shooting I noticed a huge improvement when I tried shooting behind low concealment. I was able to get lower and comfortably get more points of contact = more stability.

That said, I still don't really know "proper" kneeling techniques but I would like to learn them.

When I was shooting last time I just sort of naturally went into this position (tried it strong and weak side) and it worked well for peaking out behind low cover. But that's about all I got and unsure if this has opportunities for technique improvement.

Attached File


Teach me!

@billydoubleu I remembered your thread from years ago that is stickied but seems all the pics / links are gone.  Bummer.

If you can, build a strong base.  Use bone support(90 degree angles)with your legs.  Avoid leaning out around cover unless your target is relatively close.  Leaning out is unstable.  In your picture you could bring your left leg more to the right and "step out" with your right knee from behind cover.  It does expose more of you to the threat, but it's more stable.  Don't kneel unless you have to for cover or support.  That's what I learned from this ninja I met anyway...

Come out to an Appleseed.  We'll teach you.

Click here

While the position used in your picture will "work" when shooting from odd positions, it's hardly the most stable kneeling position.  Generally speaking, the lower your body is to the ground in the kneeling position, the more stable the position will be.  You need to use "bone on bone" support.  You can also incorporate sling-support in the kneeling position.  

If you have problems with pain or instability in your ankles when shooting for periods of time from the kneeling position, you can use a "kneeling roll."  The document at the link below has some good information on the fundamentals of the kneeling position.


https://thecmp.org/wp-content/uploads/Gary_OTMDec2008.pdf

Kneeling roll: the bullseye shooter's equivalent of PRS pillow.

I'm not a fan of the kneeling position.  I only practice standing, squatting, sitting, and prone.  Why kneel when I can squat and have both elbows supported on my legs?  I also find it faster to get into than kneeling.

Blood flow and tripod.

Here’s a well done discussion about the major shooting positions from Texas Parks and Wildlife:


It looks like “just kneeling” is only a part of your focus here.  So take a look at any one of these videos:
Google it...

Combining basic positions with supports, barricades, cover, etc. requires good basics and flexibility.  Both anatomical and mental flexibility.  Try stuff out, but first get the basics down cold.  Once you feel really comfortable with basic positions, you can start adapting (them and yourself) to new situations.

Kneeling is probably the most unstable shooting position next to standing. When I went through one of the military’s sniper courses, we only practiced kneeling at 50-75 yards and our target was 12 inches in diameter.

So as for some feedback on your picture of kneeling, it looks very unstable to me. It also looks like you expose a lot of your vitals in that position, namely your femoral artery. If you back away from your barricade, you can expose less of your body and vital areas. We had a saying during CQB building clearing, the only cover you have is the end of your barrel.

When it comes to kneeling, I prefer tucking my foot under my butt and my other leg bent in a 90ish degree angle, then resting the back of my bicep of my support arm on front of my raised knee. This is muscle to bone and not bone to bone. If you go elbow to knee cap it is highly unstable, like two ball bearings on each other. This position is very low to the ground, almost like sitting. I did make a hybrid position similar to this with the change being resting the rifle fore end in the crook of my elbow and reaching back with left hand and holding the sling to raise and lower the sights.

Also how far are you shooting? As a general rule I would say kneeling should be employed for targets from 25-50 yards with the exception of maybe during a fire fight were you have to take cover and are being pinned down.

I think kneeling is at best a "hasty" firing position.  Combine kneeling with something you can support the weapon on, and suddenly you have a barricade position.  But being able to get into that position and get a shot off quickly is a good skill.  Especially if you can then convert to a more stable, better covered position.