ATN & Teaching the Fundamentals of Marksmanship

Many members of our #ATNNation and from our own Prostaff Ambassadors have used their X-Sight II HD optics when it was time to Teach the Fundamentals of Marksmanship.

So what is a fundamental of rifle marksmanship? The "secret" to teaching rifle marksmanship; practice regularly, practice properly, and have the basic understanding of the shooting fundamentals:

1. Grip
2. Stance
3. Breathing
4. Sight Alignment
5. Sight Picture
6. Trigger Manipulation - the most important fundamental to master and teach
7. Follow-Through

ATN ProStaff Ambassador, Marno Muller, also has found that using his X-Sight II HD riflescope to teach his son and other children how to properly shoot, has become a helpful and necessary tool. He employed ATN's SMART technology effectively, and in most cases the children he taught were able to make perfect shots their first time out.

Steps to Learning to Shoot with ATN's X-Sight:

1. First talk about shot placement and the vitals of an animal, make sure your child understands that it is critical to hit the vitals to get a clean kill.
2. Next, move to the rifle with the X-Sight.
3. Erect a full-size target of the animal that your child will be harvesting. The target should show all the vital areas as well.
4. Put the rifle with X-Sight on a bench and rest it so that it is extremely stable. Line up the cross hair of the X-Sight to the vitals of the animal target.
5. Link the X-Sight to your Obsidian or Obsidian 4 app, via wifi, to your phone or tablet to show your child how it looks when the crosshair is aligned with the vitals of the animal. Have your child line up the target's vitals to the crosshair a couple of times to ensure they understand how to accurately aim at their target.
6. Next, give your child the phone or tablet and have them watch as you move the rifle around. Ask them to tell you when you should stop so that the crosshair is aligned to the targeted vital area.
7. Finally, let your child look through the scope and align the crosshair to the vitals of the animal target themselves. You can watch their progress with lining up their crosshairs to the target through the app on their phone or tablet and provide further instruction if needed.
8. Once you can see that your child's shot placement is on point, proceed with their shooting practice.

Marno used this technique and ATN technology to teach his son to shoot at 5 years old. His son shot his first Blesbuck when he was 6 years old, and this year he shot a springbuck at 170m! Marno's son is also going to be hunting an Impala and white Blesbuck later this season.

Marno used this technique and ATN technology to teach his son to shoot at 5 years old. His son shot his first Blesbuck when he was 6 years old (picture above), and this year he shot a springbuck at 170m! Marno's son is also going to be hunting an Impala and white Blesbuck later this season.

Teaching a child to shoot and hunt provides them a way to exercise responsibility and instills a lifelong passion for harvesting their own food, an appreciation for being in nature, and a respect for preserving the ecosystems around them.