TargetTalk

Am I correct in assuming that no matter what angle your feet are in relation to the target, that ones hips and shoulders should remain on the same plane, in alignment with the feet? I would think that twisting at the waist would be a) not conducive to maintaining balance and b) difficult to consistently repeat.
I have, like a lot of folks here I'd guess, watched ISSF videos(10m AP) of international shooters and while its immediately obvious that most of them stand at 90degrees to the target, after looking a little more closely, I did notice that some were twisted a bit at the waist, so that while their shoulders were not exactly at a right angle to the target like their feet. This just strikes me as something you would not want to do. Please school me.
Many thanks, todd.

Here's my two cents on the subject:

Assume the position that suits you better.
One that you can get in and out with your "eyes closed".
One that feels comfortable (less energy), and that gives you stability.
One that takes advantage of your body shape.
The one that gives you better results.

To me there is no "right" position. If twist your hips a little or stand 90º exactly to the target, it doesn't matter, as long as you can improve your results (not necessarily scores, reduce fatigue, for example). Now, i'm not suggesting doing a handstand and trying to shoot! But small variations to the 90º stance can improve one's results.

toddinjax wrote:I have, like a lot of folks here I'd guess, watched ISSF videos(10m AP) of international shooters and while its immediately obvious that most of them stand at 90degrees to the target, after looking a little more closely, I did notice that some were twisted a bit at the waist, so that while their shoulders were not exactly at a right angle to the target like their feet. This just strikes me as something you would not want to do. Please school me.

To sum up, it all depends on the person who holds the pistol. And if they are in a final, it probably works for them! ;)

Hope this helps

this post started me off on a search for some suitable web material for ISSF pistol - some of the stuff that was available seems to have disappeared over the years.

Back to the poster's question:

most coaches will start a shooter off with:
- feet, pelvis and shoulders parallel,
- with the feet, etc. at ABOUT 10 to 15 degrees from a line to the target,
- feet apart about the same distance as the shoulder width, and
- feet angled slightly outwards.
This is a good, stable position.

For better shooters (for argument's sake, +90-95%) a coach can modify this 'general' stance to meet specific purposes for the INDIVIDUAL shooter.
Do not assume that any one of these stance modifications will work for any other shooter.

Twisting of the torso is not a good idea so feet, hips shoulders should be in the same plane. The shooting position should be as stable as possible and should require as little effort to hold it as possible. Adding in twist requires muscle effort which is therefore not ideal.

Spencer there's a lot of coaching info on the ISSF website - I think a lot of it is under coaching\e-learning modules...

Rob.

RobStubbs wrote:Spencer there's a lot of coaching info on the ISSF website - I think a lot of it is under coaching\e-learning modules...

Do you mean this:

http://www.issf-sports.org/theissf/acad ... istol.ashx

Hope this helps