{"id":1440,"date":"2024-07-05T22:42:08","date_gmt":"2024-07-05T22:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/?p=1440&#038;fishpig=1618357602&#038;preview=true"},"modified":"2026-05-21T11:35:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T11:35:30","slug":"rifle-marksmanship-follow-through","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/rifle-marksmanship-follow-through\/","title":{"rendered":"Rifle Marksmanship : Follow Through"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\"><div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\"><p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p><span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/rifle-marksmanship-follow-through\/#Rifle_Marksmanship_Part_3_Follow_Through\" >Rifle Marksmanship Part 3: Follow Through<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/rifle-marksmanship-follow-through\/#Rifle_Marksmanship_Discipline_Follow_Through\" >Rifle Marksmanship Discipline: Follow Through<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/rifle-marksmanship-follow-through\/#Rifle_Marksmanship_Practice_Practice_Practice\" >Rifle Marksmanship Practice, Practice, Practice!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/rifle-marksmanship-follow-through\/#Rifle_Marksmanship_Key_Takeaways\" >Rifle Marksmanship Key Takeaways:<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/rifle-marksmanship-follow-through\/#Read_the_entire_Rifle_Marksmanship_Series\" >Read the entire Rifle Marksmanship Series:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div><h2 id=\"block-d2933d4d-1260-4783-94ee-46dc509c8d04\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rifle_Marksmanship_Part_3_Follow_Through\"><\/span><strong>Rifle Marksmanship Part 3: Follow Through<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-29688221-2856-419d-b2ae-1e5ac36c5aae\">Growing up a baseball player, my coach would always emphasize the importance of good follow through when hitting.\u00a0 Always drilling into our heads that we should watch the ball make contact with the bat and keep our <a title=\"How to Properly Mount a Rifle Scope\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/how-to-properly-mount-a-rifle-scope\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1064\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">eyes on that point<\/a> for a split second before looking up to see where it has gone. Easier said than done. But as we learned, follow through was a key fundamental. It could not be overlooked if we wanted to be a good hitter. The same applies to <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/rifle-scope-accessories-you-might-consider\/\">rifle<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/tag\/marksmanship\/\">marksmanship<\/a>.<\/p><p><\/p><p><\/p><p><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-3b2f71cd-48ad-41db-a232-67dbfdd544ed\">In shooting, the principals are the same. When you squeeze the trigger, it means that you must continue aiming, continue focusing on your breathing and hold <a title=\"Rifle Marksmanship: Trigger Control Equals Success\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/rifle-marksmanship-trigger-control-success\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1052\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">control until after the shot is fired<\/a>. This <a title=\"Rifle Marksmanship: Breathing Control Techniques\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/rifle-marksmanship-breathing-control-techniques\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1053\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">marksmanship fundamental<\/a> called \u201cfollow through\u201d is critical to improving your consistency as a shooter.<\/p><p><\/p><p><\/p><figure id=\"block-9b10c2b2-568e-4fb3-bacb-7372d4d6e144\" class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rifle Marksmanship: Follow Through\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/9Q7A8011-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Rifle Marksmanship: Follow Through\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p><p><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-62896bd9-6d84-4309-a62c-6f68b75a4a6d\"><em>Follow through is critical to <a title=\"What Causes Your Point of Impact To Change\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/what-causes-your-point-of-impact-to-change\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1066\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">improve your consistency<\/a> as a shooter.<\/em><\/p><p><\/p><p><\/p><h2 id=\"block-1d2c8f34-43ec-48d8-81d8-7d1d90a2a651\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rifle_Marksmanship_Discipline_Follow_Through\"><\/span>Rifle Marksmanship Discipline: Follow Through<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p><\/p><p><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-e6c2c198-5075-42fc-b5d5-4531395cb76e\">Follow Through explained simply: To be disciplined enough to complete a movement in its entirety. In the area of <a title=\"Rifle Marksmanship: Breathing Control Techniques\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/rifle-marksmanship-breathing-control-techniques\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1054\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shooting according to former SWAT Team leader William &#8220;Bart&#8221; Bartholomew<\/a>, &#8220;if you want tighter more consistent groups, it&#8217;s key that you learn and practice these disciplines&#8221;:<\/p><p><\/p><p><\/p><ol id=\"block-cb41a40f-3c8b-4e87-bd70-a6fd66767780\" class=\"wp-block-list\"><\/p><li>Once the <a title=\"Making The Shot\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/making-the-shot\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1067\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shot is fired<\/a>, you must not shift your position, move your head, or allow the muzzle to drop until the sight picture is regained and held for a moment.<\/li><p><\/p><p><\/p><li>Do not anticipate the shot and move before and during the <a title=\"Rifle Shooting and Academic Knowledge\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/rifle-shooting-and-academic-knowledge\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1063\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">time the bullet<\/a> is still in the barrel.<\/li><p><\/p><p><\/p><li>Remember what your <a title=\"5 Reasons Why You Missed the Shot\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/5-reasons-why-you-missed-the-shot\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1065\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sight picture looked like when the shot<\/a> was fired. Was it good or were your sights <a title=\"6 Tips for Shooting Tighter Groups\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/6-tips-for-shooting-tighter-groups\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1062\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pointed to one side or high or low<\/a>? Remembering what your sight picture looked like when the shot was fired will tell you where the shot should have hit the <a title=\"Quickly Acquiring Close-Range Targets\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/quickly-acquiring-close-range-targets\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1055\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">target<\/a>. It is vital to good shooting.<\/li><p><\/ol><p><\/p><p><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-0e15de22-f64e-49a2-bb4a-d08b07286ba3\">Watch the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=w3whe7SI1Bs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">follow through position<\/a> of long-range shooter Sean Utley as he never moves his head or shifts his position even after the shot is fired.<\/p><p><\/p><p><\/p><h2 id=\"block-b997277e-035b-45e9-bd82-af9e60fe6801\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rifle_Marksmanship_Practice_Practice_Practice\"><\/span>Rifle Marksmanship Practice, Practice, Practice!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p><\/p><p><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-e5e7b3e1-3f0f-408f-82ed-a7688aad3cb6\">Like anything else, <a title=\"Building the Ultimate Hunting Rifle Part 1\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/building-the-ultimate-hunting-rifle\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shooting is a skill<\/a> that requires hours of practice. To <a title=\"What is Good Marksmanship?\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/what-is-good-marksmanship\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1061\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">practice the skill<\/a> of follow through, try shooting additional groups. Bart points out that you must continue aiming, breath control and hold control for two full seconds after each <a title=\"Rifle Marksmanship : Shot Analysis\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/rifle-marksmanship-shot-analysis\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1057\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shot<\/a> is fired. This <a title=\"Rifle Marksmanship: Scope Fundamentals\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/improving-rifle-marksmanship-part-1\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1060\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technique will help you see improved<\/a> results quicker than you think.<\/p><p><\/p><p><\/p><h2 id=\"block-a46710ba-c34e-42ce-8073-7970109edd1e\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rifle_Marksmanship_Key_Takeaways\"><\/span>Rifle Marksmanship Key Takeaways:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p><\/p><p><\/p><ul id=\"block-6e505b15-fe37-4c89-81fb-62cb355643e0\" class=\"wp-block-list\"><\/p><li>Good follow through does not allow for any undue <a title=\"Rifle Marksmanship : Shot Analysis\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/rifle-marksmanship-shot-analysis\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1058\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rifle movement until well after the shot<\/a> is fired.<\/li><p><\/p><p><\/p><li>Have knowledge of the sight picture the instant the round was fired. This will allow you to analyze the shot <a title=\"The Debate For Three- or Five-Shot Groups\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/the-debate-for-three-or-five-shot-groups\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1068\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">group relative to the sight<\/a> picture and make corrections.<\/li><p><\/p><p><\/p><li>In a <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"hunting\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"954\">hunting<\/a> situation, a follow up shot may be necessary. Follow through puts you in <a title=\"Preparing For Your First Rifle Antelope Hunt\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/preparing-for-your-first-rifle-antelope-hunt\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1069\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">position to make that second shot<\/a>.<\/li><p><\/p><p><\/p><li>When at the range, if your spotter was unable to <a title=\"The Basic Parts of Ammunition\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/the-basic-parts-of-ammunition\/\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1059\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">spot the bullet&#8217;s<\/a> impact, good follow through will help you see the impact and make needed corrections for a bad shot.<\/li><p><\/ul><p><\/p><p><\/p><figure id=\"block-01dfbed4-7682-4ff2-af84-071eadacc16a\" class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure style=\"width: 728px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/riflescopes\/toric-34mm-elr-rifle-scopes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Rifle Marksmanship\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/TRACT-ELR_728x90.jpg\" alt=\"Rifle Marksmanship\" width=\"728\" height=\"90\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rifle Marksmanship<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/><\/figure><p><\/p><p><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-31face54-7085-469a-840f-1a77ed4ef2c9\"><strong>William &#8220;Bart&#8221; Bartholomew <\/strong>currently instructs a 2-Day 1,000 yard Precision Rifle Course with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.guntry.com\/training\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Guntry Gun Club of MD<\/a> as well a 3-Day Long Range Precision School hosted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bergara.online\/us\/the-bergara-academy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bergara Academy<\/a> in MT.\u00a0 Bart is a retired Baltimore County SWAT Sniper Team Leader and has 46 years of long rifle experience\u201420 years as a Counter Sniper and is the recipient of the prestigious Carlos Hathcock Jr. Award.<\/p><p><\/p><p><\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Read_the_entire_Rifle_Marksmanship_Series\"><\/span><strong>Read the entire Rifle Marksmanship Series:<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><p><a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/improving-rifle-marksmanship-part-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Part 1 \u2013 Scope Fundamentals<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/rifle-marksmanship-trigger-control-success\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Part 2 \u2013 Trigger Control Equals Success<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/rifle-marksmanship-follow-through\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Part 3 \u2013 Follow Through<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/rifle-marksmanship-breathing-control-techniques\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Part 4 \u2013 Breathing Control Techniques<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/key-elements-of-a-good-shooting-position\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Part 5 \u2013 Key Elements of a Good Shooting Position<\/a><\/p><p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rifle Marksmanship: Follow Through<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12011,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2257,2259,2265,2267,2273],"tags":[2687,2690,2691,2692,2696,2697,2698,2699,2700,2701,2702,2704,2705,2706,2707,2746,2749,2762,2906,2958,3004,3058,3189,3278],"class_list":["post-1440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-fix-adjust","category-hunting-rifle-scope","category-rifle-scope","category-shooting-skills","category-tractoptics","tag-how-hard-is-it-to-shoot-a-moving-target","tag-how-to-adjust-a-rifle-scope","tag-how-to-adjust-a-scope","tag-how-to-adjust-a-scope-on-a-rifle","tag-how-to-adjust-rifle-scope","tag-how-to-adjust-rifle-scope-for-elevation-and-windage","tag-how-to-adjust-rifle-scope-turrets","tag-how-to-adjust-rifle-scopes","tag-how-to-adjust-scope","tag-how-to-adjust-scope-on-rifle","tag-how-to-adjust-scope-turrets","tag-how-to-adjust-turrets-on-scopes","tag-how-to-adjust-windage-and-elevation","tag-how-to-adjust-windage-on-a-scope","tag-how-to-adjust-windage-on-scope","tag-how-to-fly-meat-home-from-a-hunt","tag-how-to-get-meat-home-from-hunting-trip","tag-how-to-make-a-moving-target-for-shooting","tag-long-range-shooting","tag-optics","tag-rifle","tag-rifle-scopes","tag-shooting","tag-target-shooting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1440"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11293,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1440\/revisions\/11293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}