Home/Practical Shooting/Position Entry

Position Entry

MovementLevel 2 — Intermediate

Unlocks

Shooting on the MoveShort MovesStage Planning

What It Is

Decelerating from movement into a stable shooting position. The goal is to arrive balanced, with the gun up and ready, and to break the first shot as quickly as possible after stopping -- or even while still decelerating. Position entry is where the majority of time savings in practical shooting come from: not from running faster, but from shooting sooner after arriving.

Correct Execution

  • Knees bent, acting as shock absorbers to dampen the deceleration
  • Center of gravity stays low throughout the entry -- visualize "sitting back on your butt" during the last steps
  • Gun is up at eye level during the approach, not rising after the stop -- form the intent to shoot early
  • Eyes are already on the first target before the feet stop -- looking for the spot on the target, not looking at the ground or the sight
  • The sight is floating at eye level during approach; when the target becomes visible, the sight sucks into the spot you are looking at
  • Weight is balanced and the shooting platform is stable by the time the trigger breaks
  • First shot breaks during or immediately after the final step -- no settling pause
  • Feet land in a shooting-ready stance (spread apart, knees bent, ready for next movement), not in a walking stride
  • Shoot based on what the sight tells you, not what your body feels -- "I explicitly do not listen to my body"
  • No false steps, no coiling, no drop step -- if you are set up correctly in the previous position, the exit and entry are one continuous motion

Progression Levels

Diagnostic Tree

Coaching Cues

  • "It isn't about moving fast, it is about shooting sooner" -- Raw foot speed matters less than how quickly you can shoot after arriving. (Stoeger, Skills and Drills Reloaded)
  • "Knees bent, use as shock absorbers" -- The knees are the critical mechanism for smooth position entries. (Stoeger, Skills and Drills Reloaded)
  • "Form the intent to shoot early" -- Gun up, sight at eye level, looking for the target before you arrive. (Stoeger, "Ben Stoeger on movement basics," 2024)
  • "I explicitly do not listen to my body" -- Shoot based on sight picture, not on body feel. (Stoeger, "Ben Stoeger on movement basics," 2024)
  • "Pick your spot on the ground before you get there" -- Plan foot placement during walkthrough, not during the run. (Perez, "Match Video Skills Assessment," 2021)
  • "If I set up good, the exit is going to be good" -- Previous position setup determines entry quality. (Stoeger, "Movement Basics," 2023)
  • "Arrive shooting, don't arrive and then shoot" -- The mindset shift that separates intermediate from advanced.

Common Errors

  1. Stiff-legged entry: Running in with locked knees, creating a jarring stop. -> Tension and speed focus over control. -> Consciously bend knees in the last 3 steps. Lower center of gravity, "sit back on your butt."
  2. Gun down during approach: Running with the gun at waist level, then raising it after stopping. -> Saving energy or feeling unstable with gun up while moving. -> Gun stays up at eye level during the last 3-5 steps. Train this specifically. Form intent to shoot early.
  3. Over-running the position: Moving too fast to stop at the right spot. -> Misjudged deceleration distance. -> Use 80% max effort sprint with the last fraction reserved for braking. One wasted step is better than overshooting and having to step back.
  4. Target searching after arrival: Eyes find the target only after stopping. -> Not looking ahead during movement. -> Eyes should be on the first target 2-3 steps before arrival. You should know exactly where to look before you get there.
  5. Listening to the body: Waiting to feel settled before shooting. -> Instinct to shoot from a stable platform. -> Shoot when the sight says go, not when the body feels ready. "I explicitly do not listen to my body."
  6. Range theatrics: Gun is up but below eye-target line. Looks ready but is not actually aimed. -> Compliance theater, not genuine readiness. -> Gun at true eye level, sight floating in visual field, looking for the target.

Related Skills

  • position-exit: Complementary skill -- efficient exit from the previous position feeds directly into efficient entry
  • short-moves: Short position entries are essentially short moves
  • shooting-on-move: Advanced shooters begin shooting during the deceleration phase, blurring the line between movement and position entry
  • stage-planning: Entry foot position and target acquisition must be planned during walkthrough
  • mounted-dismounted: Determines whether the gun stays up or comes down during the approach

Edges

💎 Elite-Only Behavior

Shoot When the Sight Says Go, Not When Your Body Feels Ready

movementposition-entry →

Elite shooters explicitly do not listen to their body's proprioceptive feedback about stability. They listen to the SIGHT. If the sight picture shows the dot on the target, they press the trigger regardless of whether their body feels settled. The body will almost never feel fully settled during the first shots at a position -- but the sight picture may be perfectly acceptable 0.3-0.5s before the body "feels" ready.

What most people do
Run to a position, stop, wait to "feel" settled, then shoot. They trust their body's stability feedback over their visual confirmation. This adds 0.3-0.5s per position.
What the best do
Run to a position with the gun already up. The instant the sight picture is acceptable -- even if the body is still decelerating -- they press the trigger. "I explicitly do not listen to my body."
Why it's an edge: 0.3-0.5s saved per position across 6-8 positions per stage = 2-4 seconds per match. This requires zero improvement in physical skills -- it is purely a decision-making framework change.
How to exploit: Time from last footstep to first shot at each position. If consistently above 0.25s, you are waiting to feel settled. Practice the Two-Position Movement Drill with the rule: press the trigger the moment the sight says go, regardless of body state.
Stoeger, "Ben Stoeger on movement basics," 2024 -- "I explicitly do not listen to my body"

Sources

  • Ben Stoeger, Skills and Drills Reloaded (2018) -- "Shooting sooner not moving faster" principle, knees as shock absorbers, position entry mechanics
  • Ben Stoeger, "Ben Stoeger on movement basics" (2024) -- Gun up early, form intent to shoot, listen to sight not body, false step elimination, athletic stance, vision barrier technique, "range theatrics" diagnostic
  • Ben Stoeger, "Movement Basics" (2023) -- Four movement principles, no-trigger dry fire on stages, athletic stance start/stop, full power movement with braking zone, extraneous step elimination
  • Charlie Perez, "Match Video Skills Assessment" (2021) -- Foot placement planning, shuffling diagnostic, "pick your spot on the ground"
  • Charlie Perez, "Dry Fire Movement and Gun Handling Practice" (2019) -- Par time method, don't sacrifice foot speed for gun handling