NRA 4-Position Skill Course for Juniors

Over the years, members of the San Jose Zouaves Rifle Club have trained hundreds of youngsters in firearms safety and basic marksmanship. It is now our pleasure to announce an expansion of our program. In addition to our safety and basic shooting skills course, we are now implementing the NRA 4-Position Skill Course for juniors who are interested in taking their interest to the next level. This program will be held concurrently with our standard juniors program.

This NRA sponsored program allows the junior to earn awards as he or she develops small bore (.22 rimfire) shooting skills in the prone, sitting, kneeling and offhand (standing) shooting disciplines. Youngsters will learn the basic skills used by all competitive and practical shooters in a fun environment that fosters self-discipline and good sportsmanship.

4 position attendees who meet the course prerequisites will be allowed to arrive after orientation to shoot in their own group which will be supervised by one or more dedicated instructors/safety-officers.

Course Prerequisites for the NRA 4-Position Skill Course are:

1. Shooters must be able to safely hold and operate our standard smallbore rifle in position. As a guideline, the average 13 year old or older should be able to handle our standard smallbore rifle. The club is currently working on acquiring some new rifles for smaller shooters.
2. Shooters must attend two (2) sessions of the Junior Zouaves junior safety orientation, and
3. Shooters must attend one (1) Junior Zouaves "off the bench" shooting course.

Suggested Minimum Equipment:

As with all Junior Zouaves Programs, eye and ear protection, loaner rifles, and ammunition will be provided to juniors free of charge, but there are some additional items that will make shooting easier and more comfortable. Shooters are recommended to bring a jacket of substantial fabric to protect the upper arm from pressure of the rifle sling. An elbow pad of some sort is also recommended. This can be a small piece of foam, a rolled up towel or sweatshirt, or something else to rest the elbow on for an extended period of time. The firing line is somewhat dusty and abrasive, so the jacket and pad should be chosen with that in mind.

Juniors training has always been an important part of the San Jose Zouaves club, and we are very happy to offer this new program. If you are a junior or parent interested in this program, please come down to the next juniors day (the second Saturday of every month) to get started.

We look forward to seeing you!