Modern Day Sniper: The Real 6 Principles of Marksmanship

While access to a long range matters, you don't need to develop the skills to become a proficient marksman. In a recent video, Caylen Wojcik of Modern Day Sniper breaks down his approach to teaching the fundamentals of marksmanship, presenting them as a six-step process that gives shooters a repeatable framework for every shot.

Build It

Wojcik starts with "Build It," which focuses on establishing a stable shooting position. The process begins by building the position, assessing stability, and establishing your Natural Point of Aim (NPA). Rather than treating these elements as isolated fundamentals, Wojcik presents them as the first stage of a continuous process. It's simple—before worrying about the trigger or the target, the shooter needs to establish a position that supports the rifle and minimizes unnecessary movement (this should be pretty obvious, right?).

Aim It, Breathe With It, Press It

Once the position is established, the process moves into "Aim It." Wojcik again emphasizes NPA, along with trusting the wobble rather than forcing the reticle onto the target. Visual attention is divided deliberately: a hard focus goes to the target while maintaining a soft focus on the reticle.

Next comes "Breathe With It." Wojcik describes breathing as the shooter's "Go-Button," but its purpose goes beyond simply controlling your breaths. Breathing provides a check on everything that happens. If the shooter has built the position correctly and established a stable NPA, the breathing cycle should reinforce those efforts rather than disrupt them.

"Press It" then directs thought toward the trigger finger. Instead of allowing the trigger press to become an afterthought, Wojcik makes it an intentional part of the process. The shooter consciously presses the trigger while maintaining the position and visual focus already established. The key is to be intimately familiar with the trigger pull and all its stages (press, break, and follow-through).

Catch It and Fix It

The final two principles complete the six principles. "Catch It" is about catching the recoil and maintaining follow-through. Wojcik describes this as chasing the bullet to the target, keeping the shooter engaged with what happens immediately after the trigger breaks rather than mentally moving on to the next shot.

That leads directly into "Fix It." This final stage relies on visual processing to determine whether the problem was actually solved. The shooter evaluates what happened and determines the appropriate follow-on action. Was another shot required? Was a correction necessary? The answer comes from processing what the shooter actually observed, not immediately moving to the next shot.

Final Thoughts

Together, these six principles form what Wojcik calls a "6-Step Loop" for every shot: Build It, Aim It, Breathe With It, Press It, Catch It, and Fix It. The point is to isolate each shot before moving on to the next. The best part is that you can do all of this on a 100-yard flat range. It comes down to building a foundation that you can fall back on when the challenge changes.

For more videos like this, check out the Modern Day Sniper YouTube channel.