shooting while kneeling

small gamer

small gamer

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If you are required to kneel and fire a handgun during a stage, which way do you guys think is better and why? Strong (gun) side knee on the ground, or weak side knee on the ground?
 
The better knee to kneel on is the one that feels most comfortable going down, and then getting up or is the most comfortable for that particular position. If shooting around the right side of a barricade, I kneel on my right. If shooting around the left side, I kneel on my left. This allows me to lean further out and yet push back up to a standing position faster if necessary. If kneeling straight from a draw, I usually kneel on my right, as my holster is on that side, and it feels better on the draw.

I find that neither side offers significant enough advantage to a stable shooting platform to exclusively use one knee over the other.
 
I find it only makes a difference with rifles to brace the front arm, with pistols it doesn't seem to matter just do whatever's more comfortable.
 
Thanks guys. hungrybeagle, what you posted reflects what I thought while practicing in the basement. I have no practical experience besides the one time I had to kneel during my IDPA orientation as I have not participated in a match yet. Much appreciated.
 
stormbringer said:
It depends if the portion of the stage that requires you to kneel is in the middle of a stage or at the end.
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Is that because if a shooter has to rise and continue the stage, it would be wise to do so from the kneeling position that is easiest to rise from? Or does it have more to do with the direction one has to move to continue the stage i.e. if moving to the right it is easier to push off with the left foot, therefore I would want to have kneeled on my right knee?
 
I have to add that if you can get to position without putting a knee on the ground it is better then putting one, i.e. crouch if you can.
 
small gamer said:
Is that because if a shooter has to rise and continue the stage, it would be wise to do so from the kneeling position that is easiest to rise from? Or does it have more to do with the direction one has to move to continue the stage i.e. if moving to the right it is easier to push off with the left foot, therefore I would want to have kneeled on my right knee?
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Yes/maybe ...It's all about the economy of motion....but you must do the shooting...so is the shoot difficult to do (more time) because of the barricade or is it all open??? there is no need to over think this, it's all situation depending..

In short what is the quickest time to get in position to shoot A's and leave....FOR YOU and that will change the tactics....if you are a D shooter then don't try the GM method, do what YOU can accomplish safely and quickly, you should only try to beat other shooters in class....

Eventually you will beat shooters in other upper class and so on so forth..

(use D class just as an example)
 
My rule of thumb is default to kneeling on the strong side (holster side) if the stage permits, but learn to do either/or knee and both knees together, as some stages may force these positions as the best solution. Temper this of course with an awareness of which direction you will be indexing your targets. If, for instance, you are indexing from right to left on a wide array with the weak side knee up, note that as you rotate into your last position you may be loading the torso up with excessive torque, which you will have to fight to hold the gun on target. This could result in the famous "mystery miss." You can often off-set this by planning your body alignment BEFORE you drop, so you are averaging out the position to provide maximum swing advantage in both directions.

Never kneel when you can crouch; never go prone when you can kneel.

Also when possible, try to get your hip forward of the grounded knee for better recoil absorption. And shoulders in front of the hips. Very aggressive.
 
As Rob said, never go kneeling unless it is either specified (standards) or you have no choice. When you have no choice generally you will be so low that you will have to have a leg tucked right up underneath you, for me this is always the strong side leg.
 
PH Racing said:
As Rob said, never go kneeling unless it is either specified (standards) or you have no choice. When you have no choice generally you will be so low that you will have to have a leg tucked right up underneath you, for me this is always the strong side leg.
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Yes, and note also that using a position like this it is possible to execute an accurate shot that is only inches off the deck (strong side down), so the choice of kneeling or prone becomes easier if you have to do it in the middle of a stage where you will have to exit out of the position.
 
stormbringer said:
It depends if the portion of the stage that requires you to kneel is in the middle of a stage or at the end.
Click to expand...

In keeping with Rule CoF 5, page 12 of the current rule book, IDPA strongly suggests stages to be designed where low cover ie one knee on the ground, is always at the end of a stage. The suggestion relates to equity and a level playing field and is made to accomodate shooters with either bad backs or knee or any other physical disability that impairs mobility.

Small Gamer you will find this to be the case in IDPA.

Take Care

Bob
 
Shelldrake said:
Both knees on the ground and butt on heels give the best support in my experience.
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Careful there. It feels like a nice stable platform but it does tend to cause a little more muzzle bounce in recoil so recovery time is increased. Also takes quite a bit longer to get into/out of.
 
Due to IPSCs freestyle nature it is up to the individual whether or not they want to make a low position their last or not...though quite often it really is not a good option so you have to be able to get in and out of a low position quickly. The two knee on the ground position can be fairly stable and is used in sports like PPC however it is slow to get into and slower to get out of. When getting into a position of any kind, speed comes from getting your first shot off as early as you can. When you drop to both knees it is hard to control the descent and inevitibly you will hit the ground fairly hard causing bounce. It is also difficult to do without keeping the gun in close and then extending as you land. This wastes valuable time. When dropping to one knee I'll start with a slightly wider stance with my left foot farther forward than normal and on the start signal I can draw and using my left leg to control the motion down just drop the right knee to the ground while at the same time extending the arms. The shot should fire, depending on difficulty of the shot or if I have to bend further to get under or around an obstacle, either as the right knee touches the ground or slightly after. If the start position does not allow this then I stand in my normal start position and either take a step forward with the left foot or backwards with the right and then follow the same procedure.
As always put all methods on the clock with your own timer and see what works for you.
 
Thanks for the invitation C&L. Like Jarlath said, I live about an hour and a half away. I will be shooting IDPA events at EESA and hopefully in Chatham as well. It's difficult for me to get out on weeknights because of my work schedule, but I will be shooting a qualifier at EESA next Wednesday evening.
 
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