Foot position?

[toddinjax]

Is it ill advised when building your stance for AP to have your right foot 45% and your left foot parallel to the line, or should the feel always be parallel to one another? I have been keeping them parallel when shooting but I've noticed a few times when I grab my pistol to squeeze in a few minutes of dry fire that my feet will naturally fall into this I / position. It does have a natural "feel" to it, but I'm not quite accomplished enough to judge if it increases sway or any other penalty. Of course I've made an error by not starting by building position from the feet up!

[David M]

There is no such thing as the "perfect" stance.
The stance can be anywhere between square on to inline with the target.
The stance is what works for you.
Start with your feet shoulder width apart, at an angle to the target.
Feet pointing in a natural, comfortable position.
This may be with both feet pointing slightly out, weight equal between ball and heel.
Take your pistol grip, close your eye's and lift into aiming position.
This will be your aiming position for upper body and head position.
Open yours eyes and check where the pistol is pointed.
If off target, then move your feet to align.
Check again. If still not right, move your feet, not your upper torso.
Check again. This stance should be natural, comfortable and repeatable.

[lakiraly]

+1 David M

[Gwhite]

One mistake I see a lot of beginners make is that they look at the target, then close their eyes, and raise the pistol. You brain will recall where the target was, and bias the results. You want to look down for a bit (for example, while you are making sure you have a good repeatable grip), then close your eyes and raise your pistol.

[B Lafferty]

One mistake I see a lot of beginners make is that they look at the target, then close their eyes, and raise the pistol. You brain will recall where the target was, and bias the results. You want to look down for a bit (for example, while you are making sure you have a good repeatable grip), then close your eyes and raise your pistol.

Interesting. Had not thought of that. Good tip!

[Gwhite]

Particularly for a long match, you want your head position to be balanced & comfortable. I see people with all sorts of odd positions that look like they will also cause neck problems over time.

Lots of people seem to think lifting the pistol all the way up to their natural eye level is too much work, so they get it most of the way there, and then tilt their head down to pick up their sights. I've also seen people forcing their foot placement to mimic the "inline" position popular in Olympic videos, and then they have to lean and/or twist their neck to line up their sights.

Some people also do odd things with their forward shoulder. The most extreme I've seen is Keith Sanderson's for Rapid Fire. He raises his shoulder way up, and then lowers his chin down practically to his collar bone.

https://www.facebook.com/USArmyWCAP/vid ... 480188574/

It may help him somehow, but it looks very forced & uncomfortable. At least in Rapid Fire, you don't spend a long time in the firing position.

The general recommendation is to keep your shoulders pretty even. The students I help coach come up with all sorts of weird contortions, which they can survive for the duration of a practice session. When they try to shoot a full match with sighters, they often end up in distress by the end of things. With over 20 students to work with, it's hard to try to head them all off before it becomes ingrained. The extreme cases end up pinching nerves and have tingling & numbness to deal with.

[Azmodan]

The extreme cases end up pinching nerves and have tingling & numbness to deal with.

i think i pinched my nerve (dull pressure pain in my right shoulder blade, just right of the spine). how do you deal with it?

[Rover]

Medicinal herbs.

[Gwhite]

The extreme cases end up pinching nerves and have tingling & numbness to deal with.

i think i pinched my nerve (dull pressure pain in my right shoulder blade, just right of the spine). how do you deal with it?

That's not a typical place to get issues from shooting. it's usually the arm or hand that complains if your shoulder is too far our of position.

If the pain continues for very long after shooting, I'd see a doctor, or better yet, a physical therapist. If it only happens when you are shooting, work on developing a more natural stance. Keeping your shoulders level would be the first step. Given that the shoulder blades are possibly involved, make sure your back is straight & shoulders are hunched forward.