I found this article today on the page colorguardfloors that really can help a lot of people get comfortable with tossing rifle and getting consistent
Colorguard Rifle Tosses
By Fran Simmons, Colorguard Floors
This article discusses basic rifle tosses, from single to quad. It
assumes that the reader has had at least a little instruction in tossing a
rifle, knows the parts of the rifle, and understands the positions of left
flat and right flat. This article does not claim to cover every nuance of
tossing, or describe the “only” or “right” way to do rifle tosses. Getting started
Stand in a stable position. I like second position “boxed
out” for practice. Feet are apart, shoulder width. Start with the rifle at left flat. The left arm is bent, elbow
free of but in line with the ribcage, with the left pinkie barely
to the left of the bolt. I like to let the thumb ride along the
very bottom edge of the barrel but it is tucked down, not
extended. Keep the gun in your fingers, not in the palm of
your hand. This reduces twisting on the release. The right
elbow is 6-8” out, in line with the body, forearm straight.
The right hand rests lightly at the very end of the gun with
no fingers overlapping. Keep elbows higher than wrists.
Stand with shoulders back, stomach in, feet shoulder width
and legs turned out. Relax from head to toe; nothing
twisted or tilted. Have enough tension in your shoulders,
back and arms to keep someone from taking your rifle
away. Check again when it’s time to boost (aka dip - I don’t
like “dip” because it implies lowering the hands and neither
hand should drop).
The boost
My groups don’t boost for a single. But for doubles and up: Raise the right hand to shoulder height. Separate your
shoulders. Don’t grip the bottom hand too tightly.
Don’t dig your elbow into your ribs. That can ruin arm path, slow down rotations, and, if you do it on the catch, it’s Very
Ugly because your body will contort around the rifle.
When you are set, look down at the rifle and make sure that
your hands are in a straight line, and that the rifle is not
rotated towards or away from you. Usually the culprit is too
much tension in your fingers. Any line on the floor can be
used to check your position. This helps improve pitch.
Break it down
There are four parts to a toss: push, lift, release, catch.
1. The push controls the rotations. I like to use the tips of
my fingers to drag down the butt of the rifle like I’m
slamming a door, but straight down, lined up with my
elbow. Don’t lean or bend your body forward or back
during the push. Don’t push the butt forward here or
your toss won’t be flat to the front (a.k.a. bad “pitch”). The push happens half a count before the release…
e.g. “five six seven eight AND one”, where you let go
on one at the release point. You can subdivide this (as
in the exercises to the right) using the word “re- LEASE”, with the emphasis on LEASE because that’s
when the hand opens.
2. The lift raises the gun to the level where you’re going to let
go of it. Squeeze the left hand as the rifle is pushed down
and transfer the energy from the swinging of the butt to the
barrel. As you lift straight up, turn the left wrist like you are
twisting a doorknob and lift straight up in line with your
shoulder. I call this “the channel”, an oval that goes up
from your elbow straight up in a line that reaches higher
than your head. If you do it right, your left elbow will follow
your wrist straight up and not swing out as you toss. Again,
keep the gun in your fingers. Hot tip: To work on the push and lift separately, do “fakes”:
push and lift to that release point but don’t toss.
3. Release at shoulder for single, at chin for double, eyeball
for triple, and barely overhead for quad. I tell my kids that
the release point is not negotiable – we all have to let go at
the same place if we want the tosses to be the same height. The biggest rookie mistake is to do an extra push or twirl at
the release point. Don’t! Just open your hand there.
Release straight up from your shoulder/ elbow line – don’t
“rainbow over”. If your rifle is flying to the left, right or
forward, it’s because that is where you opened your hand.
This point of release can be altered for your direction of
travel… if you are moving to the right, release to the right, and the rifle will travel to the right with you. P.S. Don’t jump!
In between release and catch, have a free hand position. 4. The catch for a basic toss is at right flat, hands at the grip
and tip, wrists below elbows. Wait at your free hand
position until the very last moment to catch the rifle. When
you catch, act like you are pulling the rifle apart and box
out. This helps control the line of the catch, and it looks
impressive. Releasing on *and one*, I catch a single on
*two*, a double on *two and*, a triple on *three*, and a quad
on *three and* (or catch on four if you’re just starting to
throw quads).
Exercises: These are some exercises for Rifle Tosses.
• The word “release” is used to help subdivide the count
• My groups say the words exactly as written below.
• We say “hit” instead of boost… use what works for you.
Sgl: Spin, spin, stop, wait, Re – LEASE! & 2 (hold, push 8)
Dbl: Spin, spin, stop, hit, Re – LEASE! & 2 AND
Triple: Spin, spin, stop, hit, Re – LEASE! & 2 & 3
Quad: Spin, spin, stop, hit, Re – LEASE! & 2 & 3 AND!
Catch on either the count or half count (but don’t stop counting). Push on 8
to restart the exercise (at spin, spin). For singles and doubles, you can
count 1-8 continuously. For triples and quads, count 5678 in between for a
breather. If your hands are sore, switch hands on 1 & 3 (boost 4) instead of
spinning and stopping. For variation, try catching at angles, vertical or with
creative free hand positions/action. Or try catching in a pose, lunge, or plié. About technique
I hope you enjoyed this article! These techniques have helped my teams
over the years. I learned them from my instructors, & supplemented with
WGI equipment technique tapes. If you’re already on a team, go with the
techniques your team uses so you will adhere to your team’s style. If what
works for me doesn’t work for you, please write me. I’d love to hear what
others do or what might work better. If you want to contribute an article to be
posted in our Instructor’s Resources section, please contact me. Good
luck, competitors!
Fran Simmons * fran@colorguardfloors.com * Colorguard Floors
By Fran Simmons, Colorguard Floors
This article discusses basic rifle tosses, from single to quad. It
assumes that the reader has had at least a little instruction in tossing a
rifle, knows the parts of the rifle, and understands the positions of left
flat and right flat. This article does not claim to cover every nuance of
tossing, or describe the “only” or “right” way to do rifle tosses. Getting started
Stand in a stable position. I like second position “boxed
out” for practice. Feet are apart, shoulder width. Start with the rifle at left flat. The left arm is bent, elbow
free of but in line with the ribcage, with the left pinkie barely
to the left of the bolt. I like to let the thumb ride along the
very bottom edge of the barrel but it is tucked down, not
extended. Keep the gun in your fingers, not in the palm of
your hand. This reduces twisting on the release. The right
elbow is 6-8” out, in line with the body, forearm straight.
The right hand rests lightly at the very end of the gun with
no fingers overlapping. Keep elbows higher than wrists.
Stand with shoulders back, stomach in, feet shoulder width
and legs turned out. Relax from head to toe; nothing
twisted or tilted. Have enough tension in your shoulders,
back and arms to keep someone from taking your rifle
away. Check again when it’s time to boost (aka dip - I don’t
like “dip” because it implies lowering the hands and neither
hand should drop).
The boost
My groups don’t boost for a single. But for doubles and up: Raise the right hand to shoulder height. Separate your
shoulders. Don’t grip the bottom hand too tightly.
Don’t dig your elbow into your ribs. That can ruin arm path, slow down rotations, and, if you do it on the catch, it’s Very
Ugly because your body will contort around the rifle.
When you are set, look down at the rifle and make sure that
your hands are in a straight line, and that the rifle is not
rotated towards or away from you. Usually the culprit is too
much tension in your fingers. Any line on the floor can be
used to check your position. This helps improve pitch.
Break it down
There are four parts to a toss: push, lift, release, catch.
1. The push controls the rotations. I like to use the tips of
my fingers to drag down the butt of the rifle like I’m
slamming a door, but straight down, lined up with my
elbow. Don’t lean or bend your body forward or back
during the push. Don’t push the butt forward here or
your toss won’t be flat to the front (a.k.a. bad “pitch”). The push happens half a count before the release…
e.g. “five six seven eight AND one”, where you let go
on one at the release point. You can subdivide this (as
in the exercises to the right) using the word “re- LEASE”, with the emphasis on LEASE because that’s
when the hand opens.
2. The lift raises the gun to the level where you’re going to let
go of it. Squeeze the left hand as the rifle is pushed down
and transfer the energy from the swinging of the butt to the
barrel. As you lift straight up, turn the left wrist like you are
twisting a doorknob and lift straight up in line with your
shoulder. I call this “the channel”, an oval that goes up
from your elbow straight up in a line that reaches higher
than your head. If you do it right, your left elbow will follow
your wrist straight up and not swing out as you toss. Again,
keep the gun in your fingers. Hot tip: To work on the push and lift separately, do “fakes”:
push and lift to that release point but don’t toss.
3. Release at shoulder for single, at chin for double, eyeball
for triple, and barely overhead for quad. I tell my kids that
the release point is not negotiable – we all have to let go at
the same place if we want the tosses to be the same height. The biggest rookie mistake is to do an extra push or twirl at
the release point. Don’t! Just open your hand there.
Release straight up from your shoulder/ elbow line – don’t
“rainbow over”. If your rifle is flying to the left, right or
forward, it’s because that is where you opened your hand.
This point of release can be altered for your direction of
travel… if you are moving to the right, release to the right, and the rifle will travel to the right with you. P.S. Don’t jump!
In between release and catch, have a free hand position. 4. The catch for a basic toss is at right flat, hands at the grip
and tip, wrists below elbows. Wait at your free hand
position until the very last moment to catch the rifle. When
you catch, act like you are pulling the rifle apart and box
out. This helps control the line of the catch, and it looks
impressive. Releasing on *and one*, I catch a single on
*two*, a double on *two and*, a triple on *three*, and a quad
on *three and* (or catch on four if you’re just starting to
throw quads).
Exercises: These are some exercises for Rifle Tosses.
• The word “release” is used to help subdivide the count
• My groups say the words exactly as written below.
• We say “hit” instead of boost… use what works for you.
Sgl: Spin, spin, stop, wait, Re – LEASE! & 2 (hold, push 8)
Dbl: Spin, spin, stop, hit, Re – LEASE! & 2 AND
Triple: Spin, spin, stop, hit, Re – LEASE! & 2 & 3
Quad: Spin, spin, stop, hit, Re – LEASE! & 2 & 3 AND!
Catch on either the count or half count (but don’t stop counting). Push on 8
to restart the exercise (at spin, spin). For singles and doubles, you can
count 1-8 continuously. For triples and quads, count 5678 in between for a
breather. If your hands are sore, switch hands on 1 & 3 (boost 4) instead of
spinning and stopping. For variation, try catching at angles, vertical or with
creative free hand positions/action. Or try catching in a pose, lunge, or plié. About technique
I hope you enjoyed this article! These techniques have helped my teams
over the years. I learned them from my instructors, & supplemented with
WGI equipment technique tapes. If you’re already on a team, go with the
techniques your team uses so you will adhere to your team’s style. If what
works for me doesn’t work for you, please write me. I’d love to hear what
others do or what might work better. If you want to contribute an article to be
posted in our Instructor’s Resources section, please contact me. Good
luck, competitors!
Fran Simmons * fran@colorguardfloors.com * Colorguard Floors
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