Steadiness and rifle marksmanship.

Abstract

T HE present study is a verification and extension of the work of Seashore and Adams (11) and of Spaeth and Dunham (12) Seashore and Adams administered a battery of steadiness tests (Miles ataxiameter (9), Beall and Hall ataxiagraph (1), the Seashore modification of Whipple steadiness test (14) for both "position"' and "thrusting"' steadiness, and Adams' modification of the Gates (5) rifle steadiness test) to an average of fifty unselected subjects. The mtereorrelations of the steadiness test scores ranged from + .44 to -r 59, the median being + .48. This level of intercorrelation was interpreted as being indicative of a "general steadiness factor " Six members of a university rifle team were also tested and compared with the unselected group With but one exception, the rifle team members surpassed the steadiest person in the unselected group. On the individual test the riflemen placed consistently at the level of the 8th, 9th, and 10th deciles of the unselected group The ranks of the riflemen on the steadiness battery coincided '' almost perfectly'' with thenranks in actual intercollegiate competition. Spaeth and Dunham tested seventy-three U S. Army marksmen, ranging from "expert" to "unqualified" in classification. They used the Dunlap modification (3) of the Whip pie Steadiness Test ( 14) The rank-order coefficient of correlation between steadiness scores and target scores was + .61 ± 11. As they pointed out, this may be because practice on the rifle range improves steadiness, or because steadiness underlies the development of skill m rifle shooting. Tearing (4) and others have shown that practice in a steadiness test produces improvement in such peri The study was carried on under the direction of Dr. Taylor Mr. Buxton assisted with the testing and statistical treatment. Acknowledgments are also due Dr R H Seashore for pertinent suggestions 680

New Directions in Rifle Marksmanship Research

“…Skilled shooters have been found to be able to hold a rifle steadier than unskilled shooters and this steadiness relates positively to shooting performance (Humphreys, Buxton, & Taylor, 1936;McGuigan & MacCaslin, 1955;Spaeth & Dunham, 1921). In general, being able to maintain a steady body position has consistently been found to be related to shooting performance.…”

“…Another important variable found to be related to shooting performance is experience with weapons and prior record-fire perfor- Rifle steadiness (Humphreys, Buxton, & Taylor, 1936) .72 43 Rifle steadiness (McGuigan & MacCaslin, 1955) .22 148 Rifle steadiness (Spaeth & Dunham, 1921) .61 73 Prior shooting experience and aptitude (MacCaslin & McGuigan, 1956) R = .67-.72 Prior shooting experience (Tierney, Cartner, & Thompson, 1979), males .24 Prior shooting experience (Tierney et al, 1979), females .19 Prior hunting experience (Tierney et al, 1979), males .21 Prior experience with a .22 rifle (Thompson, Smith, Morey, & Osborne, 1980), males .21-.25 Prior record-fire performance (McGuigan & MacCaslin, 1955), repeated qualification course 3 times .88, .84 Self-reported prior record-fire performance (Schendel, Morey, Granier, & Hall, 1983) .29 121 Prior record-fire performance (Smith, 2000, Experiment 2) .37 50 Prior record-fire performance (Thompson, Morey, Smith, & Osborne, 1981) 388 Weaponeer device-fire (Schendel et al, 1985, Experiment 1) .37-.74 102 Weaponeer device-fire (Schendel et al, 1985, Experiment 2) .17-.55 244 Combat Training Theater device-fire (Marcus & Hughes, 1979) Low Laser Marksmanship Training System device-fire (Smith & Hagman, 2000) .55 95 Laser Marksmanship Training System device-fire (Smith & Hagman, 2003, Study 1) .50 110 Laser Marksmanship Training System device-fire (Smith & Hagman, 2003, Study 2) .55 76 Engagement Skills Trainer device-fire (Hagman, 1998) .68 102 Other device-fire (Torre et al, 1987) .54 29 Cognitive ASVAB clerical/administrative (Carey, 1990) .26 a ASVAB general technician (Carey, 1990) .35 a ASVAB electrical repair (Carey, 1990) .32 a ASVAB mechanical maintenance (Carey, 1990) .38 a ASVAB composite (Carey, 1990) .32 a Infantry training GPA (Carey, 1990) .25 a Core job knowledge (Carey, 1990) .31 a Supervisor ratings (Carey, 1990) .16 a Skill Qualification Test, a measure of a soldier's skill achievement …”

The Influence of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Factors on the Development of Rifle Marksmanship Skills

“…encompasses the physical aspects of shooting such as assuming the different shooting positions, establishing proper sight alignment and sight picture, and maintaining rifle steadiness. A confirmation of the role of psychomotor processes is that skilled shooters have been found to be able to hold a rifle steadier than unskilled shooters and this steadiness relates positively to shooting performance (Humphreys, Buxton, & Taylor, 1936;McGuigan & MacCaslin, 1955a;Spaeth & Dunham, 1921). In general, being able to establish and maintain a steady position has consistently been found to be related to shooting performance.…”

Biomechanical and Performance Implications of Weapon Design

“…Previous studies regarding shooting performance have focused mainly on postural stability and its impact on shooting accuracy (Aalto, Pyykkö, Ilmarinen, Kähkönen, & Starck, 1990; Era, Konttinen, Mehto, Saarela, & Lyytinen, 1996; Humphreys, Buxton, & Taylor, 1936; Mononen, Konttinen, Viitasalo, & Era, 2007; Pellegrini & Schena, 2005). Other researchers investigated the effect of rifle length and weight on user stability, as well as the personal opinions of military professionals regarding bullpup versus conventional rifle configurations (Kuo et al, 2012; Yuan & Lee, 1997).…”