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Question on stance


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I have been watching a lot of you tube video lately to try to work out what details I should be focusing on. In one of his videos, Jerry Miculek emphasises a very upright shooting stance, and comments that bending forward or standing at an angle is "not natural" and will hinder your ability to pivot to engage targets across the range (at least I think thats what he was saying). However a lot of successful shooters that I have watched seem to advocate standing more angled toward the target, or lean forward, or bend the knees, etc. 

 

So I guess the bottom line is that I am a bit confused on what to practice. I am just starting out, so want to minimise any bad technique from the beginning, but it seems a little difficult to find what to focus on.

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No need for exaggerated bend or lean but some is required to counter the recoil otherwise it will keep pushing you back. Here is a good example of a top shooter with just the right amount of lean and knee bend ;)

 

 

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Uhhhh...is there any recoil coming from that firearm or what?  LOL!  It looks like it doesn't even move.  Anyway, I digress...I would agree that you should have a certain amount of lean/movement and bend to your stature to counteract the recoil and to be able to reach around obstacles to reach your targets.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/13/2017 at 6:18 PM, MemphisMechanic said:

 

Its more than likely that Ben grips his gun much, much harder than you do.

 

Well, there is that too.  LOL!  How does he grip it that tight without it shaking like hell?  If I really grip it super hard and then try and sight in the gun eventually starts shaking all over the place and I have to relax my grip to stop the shaking. 

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Squeeze as hard as you can without the gun shaking.

 

Over time, your forearm (grip) endurance will get better. But only if you work those grip muscles regularly in dryfire or with some sort of weighted exercise.

 

Dryfire just has the benefit of also making you a better shooter. Each time I finish a 15 min dryfire session my forearms are shot. ;) 

 

Edited by MemphisMechanic
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watch video on the pros shooting "outer limits" in S.C. How many get into the 2nd box on 1 foot and fire the 3 shots to stop plate before they fall out of the box? A lot.

I think the proper weight balance seems to be "keep your nose over your toes". Put your feet where they are comfortable and balanced. Grip the juice out of the gun. Sight, trigger press, follow through. Repeat as necessary.

Have fun!

PS

Hate to tell you but you will miss a bunch of shots for every one you hit.

Keep at it. It gets easier, but, never more fun.

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You will also see shooter size and weight come into play. 250lbs manages recoil a lot differently than 125.

 

USPSA involves a lot of moving, leaning, squatting, bending, reaching, etc. You will find you rarely have an ideal shooting position. The trick is to understand how your body manages recoil in those positions and offset that recoil.

 

That and having a grip like a gorilla. My 80% grip, where I am comfortable shooting an entire match, is someone elses 150%. Dry fire will help. Weights will help. Mountain biking helps. And then there are the Captains of Crush grippers. Google them and start lower than you think you should.

Edited by fastluck13
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On 5/13/2017 at 6:18 PM, MemphisMechanic said:

 

Its more than likely that Ben grips his gun much, much harder than you do.

 

Actually, I would have to say it is UN-likely he grips it harder.  This comes from a class I took with him a couple years ago.  He was trying to show me how hard to grip the gun. I gripped it with my strong hand and he then put his weak hand on it to show me the amount of force he exerts.  He was not applying that much force, definitely not crushing my strong hand fingers (and, for comparison, I do NOT have an impressively strong grip). 

 

 

 

Edited by jroback
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  • 2 weeks later...

I talk to a lot of newbies that want to get more practice in a square range before attempting to shoot a match. It's nonsensical...  You can't practice storming into a shooting position, turning snapping off a couple of rounds and then jumping out of that position for the next one by standing still and obsessing where your feet are before shooting.

If you want to practice something before coming out to a match, try playing basketball.   That has much more applicability to shooting sports than target practice...

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On 5/27/2017 at 10:10 AM, R1_Demon said:

 

How does he grip it that tight without it shaking like hell?  If I really grip it super hard and then try and sight in the gun eventually starts shaking all over the place and I have to relax my grip to stop the shaking. 

 

There's also external rotation of the shoulders and arms.  To keep it simple, just rotate your elbows outward.  The action here happens at the shoulders and at the arms, but the result is that rotating your elbows outward clamps your hands down on the pistol.  Your shoulders are strong enough to rip your hands off the gun, so applying that strength just shy of that level applies an iron grip.  If you're not making the effort to use that external rotation to clamp your hands down harder on the gun, you're leaving a lot of grip on the table.  If you don't do it already, try it.  Get your grip, then rotate your elbows outward and feel you hands clamp down on the gun.  It's far more force than what you hands can apply on their own.  And because it's coming from your shoulders and arms instead of your hands, it's an easy way to increase grip without losing manual dexterity.

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