The United States Army Marksmanship Unit

The Marksmanship Instructors' and Coaches' Guide The United States Army Marksmanship Unit

Acquiring the ability to shoot accurately is no simple matter. One should not assume that the art of advanced marksmanship is fully realized upon reading a training manual. It cannot be complete understood even after hours of advice and instruction from a qualified marksmanship coach or target shooter. To become a qualified shooter and be able to produce consistently high scores, one must learn to perform all the fundamentals of shooting, acquire certain definite habits, flawless coordination - and above all - have a capacity for the intense concentration essential to exercising a high degree of mental control. For this, one must train. It is difficult, if not impossible, to establish a universal system of training in marksmanship which will cover all cases, that is, one that can be adapted to every shooter¿s technique or special need. Training shooters requires an individual approach. For this reason, knowledgeable coaches take the peculiarities of an individual - such as experience, degree of preparation and physical fitness - and other factors into account. Relying on their own experience, they devise a training program which allows special considerations for each shooter¿s capabilities. In spite of the difference in details, technique or method, there is much that is common to the training of advanced marksmen. This manual endeavors to present, in a detailed, comprehensive manner, these universal applications. Advanced marksmanship training must of necessity, avoid the involved and exceedingly complex because it is an activity whose participants form a great cross-section of our national life, and the average citizen is its greatest asset.