SUMMER           2011
 
 
The Six Fundamentals of Pistol Shooting

In this edition, we will cover the basics of the first fundamental of pistol shooting. Additional newsletters will future basics of the remaining fundamentals.
Position: Also known as a stance is the proper alignment of your body and handgun with the target.
 
The three basic two-handed handgun stances are Isosceles Weaver, and Chapman. Isosceles is named after the triangular shape made by the shooter's arms and body, while Weaver and Chapman are named after the men who first popularized them.
 
While the Isosceles stance had been around for several years, it did not really become popular until Brian Enos and Rob Leatham started using it to win IPSC competitions in the early 1980's. In Isosceles, the arms are straight and the gun is positioned directly in front of the shooter. This produces the triangular shape which gives the stance its name. The feet are parallel and pointed toward the target, the knees are slightly flexed, and the axis of recoil is roughly through the centerline of the body. Stability is achieved by shifting the center of gravity forward and keeping the hands close to the same height as the shoulders in order to keep the arms from pivoting up in recoil. The upper body is curled forward slightly. The arms are held more in line with the shoulders. Both wrists are set and the support hand and wrist are held in a straight line, resulting in a very strong grip, which, when set, assists in controlling muzzle flip very effectively. Now when the gun is fired, the arms move in and out like a piston, instead of flopping up and down. Relaxing the shoulders contributes to helping absorb recoil more effectively. The elbows are allowed to come to a more natural extension, further assisting in recoil absorption and a lessening of muzzle flip. The head is moved forward to get a clearer view of the relationship between sights and target as well as bringing the center of gravity forward.
 
The Weaver stance is a popular technique for firing handguns. It was developed by Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Jack Weaver during freestyle pistol competition in Southern California during the late 1950s. The Weaver stance is also a two-handed technique in which the dominant hand holds the pistol or revolver and the support hand wraps around the dominant hand. The dominant arm's elbow is nearly straight while the support elbow is noticeably bent straight down. The shooter pushes forward with his dominant hand while the support hand exerts rearward pressure. The resultant isometric tension is intended to lessen and control muzzle flip when the gun is fired. In the Weaver stance, the body is bladed partly sideways in relation to the target rather than squared towards it. The elbows are flexed and pointed downward. The strong-side arm is slightly straighter than the weak-side arm. The shooter pushes out with the gun hand, while the weak hand pulls back. This produces a push-pull tension which is the chief defining characteristic of the Weaver stance.
 
The Chapman or Modified Weaver stance is named for Ray Chapman, another shooter who had a great influence on the styles shooters use today. Chapman adopted Weaver's push-pull stance, and then changed it just slightly. Chapman uses the same push-pull tension which defines the Weaver, but instead of both elbows being bent, the gun side elbow is held straight and locked in place. Assuming a right-handed shooter, the right arm is punched straight out, while the left elbow is bent and the left hand pulls back to provide tension. As a result of this change, Chapman gets its stability from both muscle and skeletal support. This makes it a little easier than the Weaver for those who lack upper-body muscle strength.
 
Natural point of aim is an important mechanism of one’s position; it is a shooting skill where the shooter minimizes the effects of body movement on the firearm's impact point. Along with proper stance, sight alignment, sight picture and trigger control, it forms the basis of marksmanship. To achieve natural point of aim, the shooter settles into position with the eyes closed, opening them after ensuring the position is comfortable and the firearm is resting in the stance with minimal muscle tension. If the sights are not resting on the desired point of impact, the shooter adjusts the position by repeating the same steps until the sights rest on the target.
 
Natural point of aim is not achieved if the shooter must apply pressure to the firearm so the sight picture is on target. One of the main advantages of natural point of aim is that it minimizes fatigue when shooting a long course of fire. Over time, a shooter learns to assume the correct position quickly, allowing for accurate fire immediately. The main purpose of identifying and potentially correcting natural point of aim is to make shots with both accuracy and precision, where accuracy is the ability to place rounds on the desired target, and precision is the ability to put multiple rounds in the same location.
 
Good shooters are always precise, and this skill is more fundamental than accuracy, which can be adjusted. Typically, precision is based on natural point of aim. Fire 10 rounds downrange and they will, hopefully, all land in a similar area on the target. This is the natural point of aim. If the strike zone is not in the middle of the target adjustments are made to the shooter's positioning and/or the firearm's sights so that the shots accurately strike the centre of the target.
 
Natural point of aim marksmanship is based on the idea that muscular control is insufficient to provide a stable platform for shooting, especially more than one shot. Instead, the shooter relies on non-muscular (skeleton/ligaments/tissue) support to provide the shooting platform. This eliminates changes in aim due to muscle fatigue and also minimizes the shaking associated with muscle tension. Natural point of aim is a concept that can be used in relation to any type of shooting position but is most often discussed in relation to prone, sitting, or kneeling positions, and less frequently with offhand/standing positions.