body positioning behind barrels

[Field]

i was considering the different ways you would position your legs and feet when shooting at targets from the cover of a barrel or barricade in a crouched position. if whatever side you are presenting to, do you tend to put your knee down on that side so as to provide the best stabile shooting platform? such as the first drill in this video? i was thinking this is the most efficient way but eh

[Duane Thomas]

Dropping to the outside knee seems to work best for me.

Interesting to see how Dave "monkey fists" the mag into the well on a speedload, instead of using the "correct" index-finger-pointed-along-the-spine-of-the-mag technique.

[Shibby]

Dropping to the outside knee seems to work best for me

Especially if your tall and you have to get low. Your knee can get in the of your chest way if you drop on your inside knee.

[RickB]

Interesting to see how Dave isn't even remotely complying with the rules on the first engagement. He's shooting at a target that is essentially behind the camera, and he's got his entire leg exposed.

[robot]

COVER!!!

[Jim Watson]

You can get into structural limitations.

I pretty well have to put the left knee down regardless.

I just tried taking low cover behind my chair with the right knee down which was awkward to start with.

Then when it triggered a painful hamstring cramp, I remembered why I am left legged in that activity.

[salilus]

Here is the way I look at it. IF you prefer to only have one knee on the ground, and you are going to have to do a reload behind the barrel, then you want the knee on your weak side on the ground. Put your mag pouches on and put your strong side knee on the ground, then look at the angle of the magazines. They are not in the same place they usually are. If you change knees, the reload will be much easier. If you don't have to leave the position I always use both knees down. This way, the magazines are in the right place, and my left or right side shooting is equal. Very important if you are using both sides at the same time.

[Joe4d]

How about both knees down then lean left and right at the waste.

[arshooterxm15]

If I'm shooting from the right side of barricade, I have my my right knee down. Left side, left knee down. That's what is most comfortable/best for me.

[Shibby]

How about both knees down then lean left and right at the waste.

Both knees down isn't as fast for me to get in and out of compared to going down on a single knee. The only two times I would use it are if I had to get really low to shoot under something or I had to shoot around both sides of a barricade.

Edited September 15, 2010 by Shibby

[Duane Thomas]

Both knees down (which I've heard called "California kneeling" for some strange reason) is a useful special purpose technique, as has been said, for when you have to shoot around both sides of a barricade, but because it's slower to get into and get out of, that's about all it's useful for during a stage.On the positive side it's a very stable technique, more so in my experience than balancing with one knee up and the other on the ground.

[hankfan79]

If a reload is required from low cover, I put my left knee (weak side) down so that my magazines are completely vertical allowing me to grab the reload magazine easier and without my cover garment in the way.

If no reload or moving to another postition is required, I go down on BOTH knees. It is faster for me to get down but much slower to get up.