TargetTalk

I just bought my son a pair of 3P shooting boots (BTW, thanks for all of the help in choosing a brand) and we are not sure if he should wear them in the prone position. We have seen some people wear boots, some wear tennis shoes and some go barefoot. I know that some people will say that it is a personal preference but are there pros and cons to wearing the boots in prone? Do most shooters wear them? Any help will be appreciated.

TraL

Well, to be glib about, yeah it is personal preference and you will see top prone shooters both wearing boots and regular athletic shoes. I am not sure I have seen any of the top performers barefoot.

Ok, now a little more serious: Prone shooters wearing boots will often get the left toe pointed into the ground (RH Shooter). This is because the boot will not allow the ankle to flex and the toes to point back. The flat toe of the boot will typically insure the foot is always at the same angle laterally with the ground. The does leave the lower leg somewhat propped up in the air which some folks find a little strange.

Next, athletic shoes, this allows the foot to flex in just about any manner where the foot can normally flex and the lower leg then ends up pretty flat on the ground. There is no flat toe to index the foot to exactly the same angle but things are flexible enough so the toes are turned in, pointed to the right and rearward. The foot is ususally stretched out and the top outside of the foot is in contact with the ground. Loosen the laces on some shooting boots and you can get this to happen as well.

Barefoot it less restrictive and more relaxed than the athletic shoe. I shy away from barefoot as if you read ISSF rules about dress code carefully, one interpretation might indicate you cannot even shoot barefoot or in flip-flops and for the rare occasion I get to attend an upper level match I don't care to test how the new clothing rules are interpreted.

I personally prefer a light weight athletic shoe as when I am adjusting my feet I don't feel like I have lead boots down there as I am trying to make minute changes in NPA. Someone else is clearly going to post differently.

My 2 cents,

'Dude

I usually do, simply so that I don't have to do anything gear wise as I move from prone to standing. It is already on.
Might work for you as well.
Randy

Some have told me they shoot barefoot so they can feel if a breeze picks up.

Thanks for all of the answers. I guess that my son and I will have to figure out which way is best for him. I can tell you that he hates shooting barefoot so that is probably out of the question. Thanks again

If nothing else his feet will get dirty. I wear breathable "water shoes" or "pool shoes", sort of a thin soled shoe with an all mesh top, very comfortable here in hot Florida. That is the other issue, I feel much cooler without shoes and socks on during a hot day. I can wear them out to change targets, but still feel the breezes from behind.

The boots help for the reason that Justadude says. Also, the right foot can stay planted parallel to the ground for tension free repeatable contact. I find my foot placement and leg/foot tension more consistent when I shoot with the boots then without. Sometime if doing prone only, I'll get lazy and wear sneakers, but I do not feel I am advanced enough in sensitivity to be as consistent that way.

If your son is shooting 3p, not only prone, than being prepared to change positions by having the shoes on already does save a little time, as noted before. Time you can spend doing other valuable prep.

If there is a wind reading concern, than, unzip the leg of the bottoms of your shooting pants hike up your long underwear and let the breezes in. If it is too cold for that, then it certainly is too cold for shoeless.

If you look at ISSF footage (forgive the pun), it looks like about 60+% of the shooters opt for the boots/shooting shoes, and 30-40% are in sneakers. 0% are barefoot. Maybe lots of tacks on the floor?:)

xnoncents wrote:If you look at ISSF footage (forgive the pun), it looks like about 60+% of the shooters opt for the boots/shooting shoes, and 30-40% are in sneakers. 0% are barefoot. Maybe lots of tacks on the floor?:)

I did walk the line a few times at the Munich world cup. In prone most shooters shot as you mention, there were a few shooting in just socks (none barefoot), but none of those were in the top shooters. I suspect those that shoot prone + 3p wear boots, whereas those that shoot prone only don't, but I can't be sure.

I would suggest though it's best to keep the kit as similar as possible rather than chopping and changing (more than is essential). I'd personally keep the boots on.

Rob.

There is no reason one needs to wear shoes of any kind in prone. I have often seen top shooters shoot bare foot or in sandals, flipflops ect.

There is no reason one needs to wear shoes of any kind in prone. I have often seen top shooters shoot bare foot or in sandals, flipflops ect.

One very important aspect of shooting that some folks overlook is consistency and repeatability. Wearing shooting shoes in prone means your feet orientation will be identical from day to day. Wearing ordinary shoes or other more esoteric footwear means that your feet will not be. A flat toed shooting shoe is also solid and stable. So that is a reason for wearing them in prone.

Take a look on the ISSF website at prone shooters and see what they're wearing in competition.

Rob.

GWSB,
The ISSF dress code prohibits sandals of any type in competitions & awards ceremonies.

If your prone training involves walking down a damp grassy field after every target, you're not going to want to do that in your expensive boots, and you may not have time to take them on and off if there are timed details and changeovers.

Heck, it's likely that a fair amount of your prone competition will involve walking down a damp grassy field after every target. I don't think I saw anyone at the Scottish meeting or Bisley wearing shooting boots (except in the LRC at Bisley, of course).

skylark wrote:If your prone training involves walking down a damp grassy field after every target, you're not going to want to do that in your expensive boots, and you may not have time to take them on and off if there are timed details and changeovers.

Heck, it's likely that a fair amount of your prone competition will involve walking down a damp grassy field after every target. I don't think I saw anyone at the Scottish meeting or Bisley wearing shooting boots (except in the LRC at Bisley, of course).

No disrespect to the competitors of which some are very much world class, but those competitions are not world class competitions. If I remember rightly only the double English match and the 3p events are shot at the LRC under ISSF conditions.

Rob.

I don't think that's the point. 99% of what even a top international shooter shoots is not a world class competition. The question is whether someone should wear their shooting boots all the time when shooting.

The top international shooters who compete in those competitions don't.

skylark wrote:I don't think that's the point. 99% of what even a top international shooter shoots is not a world class competition. The question is whether someone should wear their shooting boots all the time when shooting.

The top international shooters who compete in those competitions don't.

No doubt it depends on where you train and what access to decent ranges you have. More than a few ranges have electronics, even in the UK. If you shoot where you don't need to walk to change targets then you can obviously leave them on (you will have to in standing and kneeling whatever the range).

As I said earlier a lot of the worlds top shooters wear them, and it's for a reason.

edit eg last picture in this set http://www.issf-sports.org/photoplayer. ... =1179-7292

Rob.

I wear my boots in prone and i think they help!!