TargetTalk

For Bullseye I took the "standard" advice about finding correct stance/NPA: eyes closed, raising pistol, opening eyes, etc. I found that I take a fairly "square" position to the target. I am not completely facing the target, but my stance is perhaps 20 degrees away from it.

Now I'm starting in free pistol, and in reviewing pictures and video of experienced FP shooters I see that they are all taking stances at nearly right angles to the target.

So my questions: should I be attempting to emulate the stances of these top shooters? Are there any that take a very square stance? And why do I see Bullseye shooters with very individual stances, but FP shooters taking very uniform stances?

TIA...

Coupla threads on this a while back.

Like most everything when discussing technique, there are trade-offs to consider and the pros/cons result in a different "sweet spot" for everyone when ikt comes to technique.

For stance, lean, head position and grip (the elements interact with each other) the tradeoffs are between and among:

- comfort
- repeatability
- stability

You can have a very comfortable S/L/HP/G that is neither repeatable nor lends itself to stability; vice versa etc.

"Squaring" to the target is generally more comfortable.

As the arm moves to the side, the muscles of the shoulder are used less and more in balance. But your neck gets strained. But then your lean is more to side instead of to the back and side.

The so-called "natural" point of aim is probably more accurately called your "Neutral" point of aim; that S/L/HP/G combo that just feels stress free.

Start with your NPA and then you must "explore the envelope" around that NPA combination.

Evaluate your technique based on the three desirable outcomes:

- Comfort
- Repeatability
- Stability

Oh the reason for the "sideways" stance is that it tends to improve stability and repeatability at the expense of comfort.

So you just train your NPA to move to that position; training yourself to be more "comfortable" while emphasizing stability and repeatability.

You will see many world class athletes "stretching out" their upper body (hyperextending behind themselves) to shift their NPAs around the axis of their spines.

The neutral point of aim is a malleable S/L/HP/G combination and will change with training (over the long term) and with fatigue (during a match).

Steve is right on with respect to your international shoots. But draw a comparison to bullseye where we most often use standard grips without the whistles and bells of offsets, angles, and bondo putty, the most important thing is to have the sights come up and be aligned to your eye. And to recover to the same alignment with every followthrough.