I have found that my ideal stance is feet roughly shoulder width apart, facing 90 degrees to the target. I feel this lines my arm and hand best. I'm a bit confused as to what would be the best head position in this stance, however. I had been bringing my head over just enough so that i could see the target, essentially looking out of the corner of my eye. Thsi seems to minimize back pain. But, it makes it very difficult to look out of my glasses correctly, partiuclarly with the iris in place. I find I have to rotate my head more towards the target.
What do most people find works for them, and should I have my head face the target more squarely?
Stance and head position
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TargetTerror
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:17 pm
- Location: Boston, MA
I would suggest you want to look as normally as possible i.e. not out of the corner of your eyes. If back pain is experienced then that's bad. Don't know if you have back/neck problems anyway and if so that may dictate your stance. You may for example need to stand even more face on to reduce back strain.
Rob.
Rob.
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Steve Swartz
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TargetTerror
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:17 pm
- Location: Boston, MA
That is a good question, and I guess I don't have as firm an answer as I would like since I am fairly new to this. I tried various foot positions, and found that I prefered keeping them roughly shoulder width apart and 90 degrees to the target. This position felt most natural when I held up my shooting hand, and it felt like I was using some of my muscles in my back to help support the weight of the pistol, distributing the load.Steve Swartz wrote:Why do you say your current position is "ideal?"
What makes an "ideal" vs. "less than ideal" shooting stance?
Steve Swartz
However, the problem with my head position has caused me to reconsider this stance. I will try shifting it around, and playing with my head position, to see if i can achieve superior results.
Try dry aiming into a mirror. If the position looks and feels comfortable it is desirable. If anything feels or appears strained (eyes, neck muscles, shoulders, etc) it is undesirable. I teach all my shooters to establish their position without the pistol, looking comfortably at the target, then place the pistol in their hand and have them raise it to their line of sight.
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Steve Swartz
Agree with Paul.
One of the criteria for a "good" stance is that you are comfortable with it- able to maintain it CONSISTENTLY over an extended period of time.
And, it must be "natural" enough that you are able to find the same exact stance every single time; quickly and easily.
What else can we add? That the stance provides some optimum level of stability of hold? Is this important? How important, relative to the first two?
I spent a lot of time "working" on technique without really knowing the purpose of what I was trying to accomplish; the "Joys of Self Coaching" as it were.
I really think many of us spend a lot of effort trying to find a technique element that is "ideal" in some way without really understanding first what "ideal" meant in real, practical (outcome based) terms.
One of the criteria for a "good" stance is that you are comfortable with it- able to maintain it CONSISTENTLY over an extended period of time.
And, it must be "natural" enough that you are able to find the same exact stance every single time; quickly and easily.
What else can we add? That the stance provides some optimum level of stability of hold? Is this important? How important, relative to the first two?
I spent a lot of time "working" on technique without really knowing the purpose of what I was trying to accomplish; the "Joys of Self Coaching" as it were.
I really think many of us spend a lot of effort trying to find a technique element that is "ideal" in some way without really understanding first what "ideal" meant in real, practical (outcome based) terms.
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Patrick Haynes
Stance Questions
Hi.
Try looking at a few more issues with your stance. Are your hips aligned parallel with your shoulders, or do you have a twist in your torso? Usually, the shoulders are incorrectly rotated about 2-5 degrees clockwise from where the hips are pointed.
Also, are you leaning back, away from the target to offset the weight of the pistol? This shifts your centre of gravity and makes it easier to hold the pistol, but it can cause some back pain. Adjust the degree of tilt and strengthen your back muscles.
Another question: are you raising the shoulder that is holding up the pistol? Is it noticably higher than your off-shoulder? This could cause unnecessary strain and fatigue in the trapezius, resulting in pain. Relax the shoulder and reduce the discomfort.
How is your posture? Are your shoulders back and straight or are they rounded forward? Poor posture may put more strain on the anterior deltoid. Good posture should distribute the load to the anterior, posterior and medial deltoids.
Generally speaking, if the position is hurting, improve your posture and readjust your natural point of aim. Simultaneously, start working on developing better muscle tone/strength in your shoulders and your core muscles. If your core is weak, your shoulders have to work harder.
Just some thoughts.
Patrick
Try looking at a few more issues with your stance. Are your hips aligned parallel with your shoulders, or do you have a twist in your torso? Usually, the shoulders are incorrectly rotated about 2-5 degrees clockwise from where the hips are pointed.
Also, are you leaning back, away from the target to offset the weight of the pistol? This shifts your centre of gravity and makes it easier to hold the pistol, but it can cause some back pain. Adjust the degree of tilt and strengthen your back muscles.
Another question: are you raising the shoulder that is holding up the pistol? Is it noticably higher than your off-shoulder? This could cause unnecessary strain and fatigue in the trapezius, resulting in pain. Relax the shoulder and reduce the discomfort.
How is your posture? Are your shoulders back and straight or are they rounded forward? Poor posture may put more strain on the anterior deltoid. Good posture should distribute the load to the anterior, posterior and medial deltoids.
Generally speaking, if the position is hurting, improve your posture and readjust your natural point of aim. Simultaneously, start working on developing better muscle tone/strength in your shoulders and your core muscles. If your core is weak, your shoulders have to work harder.
Just some thoughts.
Patrick
I freely admit that I'm not the greatest shot in the world, but I'm still going to express my opinions on this anyway. I really don't think my stance hurts my shooting. Lots of other stuff, sure, but not that.
I personally don't find the 90 degree stance comfortable (I do have a bad back, too), nor especially stable. I stand much more square to the target than many shooters, perhaps only angled 15 degrees or so away. I find that this is my most stable position because it requires the least amount of muscles to be used while aiming. When I angle more away from the target, muscles in my back, neck, and (worst case scenario) hips end up being used to maintain the position, and it's my opinion that trying to maintain an even tension in those muscles makes my aim less stable. I do accept that the 90 degree position provides the most resistance against recoil (since the recoil is along a line directly into your body mass, rather than at an angle), but unless I'm shooting .45 I don't think the benefit outweighs the cost.
We have evolved over millions of years to use our hands in front of our body. This is no different than any other mammal in fact. Stand a dog on its hind legs and where do its front legs go? They don't stick out sideways. There's an argument that the 90 degree stance is where the shoulder muscles are most evenly balanced, but I think that is flat out wrong, because it defies evolution. Name anything you do during the course of the day where you stick your arm out sideways to do it. It's not natural. Why do we try to do it when we shoot?
I recognize that it does work for many top shooters, and that I'm not one of them, but don't be afraid to experiment for yourself. FWIW.
I personally don't find the 90 degree stance comfortable (I do have a bad back, too), nor especially stable. I stand much more square to the target than many shooters, perhaps only angled 15 degrees or so away. I find that this is my most stable position because it requires the least amount of muscles to be used while aiming. When I angle more away from the target, muscles in my back, neck, and (worst case scenario) hips end up being used to maintain the position, and it's my opinion that trying to maintain an even tension in those muscles makes my aim less stable. I do accept that the 90 degree position provides the most resistance against recoil (since the recoil is along a line directly into your body mass, rather than at an angle), but unless I'm shooting .45 I don't think the benefit outweighs the cost.
We have evolved over millions of years to use our hands in front of our body. This is no different than any other mammal in fact. Stand a dog on its hind legs and where do its front legs go? They don't stick out sideways. There's an argument that the 90 degree stance is where the shoulder muscles are most evenly balanced, but I think that is flat out wrong, because it defies evolution. Name anything you do during the course of the day where you stick your arm out sideways to do it. It's not natural. Why do we try to do it when we shoot?
I recognize that it does work for many top shooters, and that I'm not one of them, but don't be afraid to experiment for yourself. FWIW.