Principles of Fundamentals & Technique

It is important to distinguish between fundamentals and technique. "Fundamental" means essential. The Fundamentals of shooting are: 1) Locate the target (visually, or with the force). 2) Aim or point the gun at the target. 3) Hold the gun in this spot or area until the gun fires and the bullet has left the barrel. The physical description of the body’s movements we use to execute the fundamentals comprise our Techniques. The varieties of individual techniques are endless, and vary according to the tendencies, preferences, and physical construction of the person. The various techniques that comprise the stance should, logically, enable us to best accomplish these fundamentals under the widest variety of conditions, both mental and physical.

I’ll begin by defining the principles of the stance, and then discuss the importance of correct technique.

To better understand the totality of our stance, it helps to divide the body into two sections. Let’s call the lower body, the waist and below, the "Base," and the upper body the "Index."

Basically, the function of the Base in high-speed shooting is to provide a forward stability to the Index. Within reason, it doesn’t matter what the Base is doing while the Index is shooting. Ideally, you should be able to maintain your Index on the target no matter what your feet are doing.

The principles of the Index are:

1) The shoulders should be square, or at least fairly square to the target.

2) Both arms should be fairly straight without either extending or contracting the arms or elbows unnaturally.

3) The grip, with each hand, should be as high on the pistol as possible. (There are many subtleties of the grip, however, since this is a stance/index discussion, we won’t go there here.)

4) The head should be fairly straight up, without excessive tilting, and the shooting eye should be looking as squarely as possible out of the socket.

5) This is paramount: Once this position is assumed, your entire upper body, including the head, arms, and grip—your Index—should never change in relationship to each other.

To nutshell it, the entire upper body is square to, and pointing at the target, while the Base is providing an aggressive forward lean or balance for the Index. Think of your upper body as a non-moveable, locked together unit, which pivots from the waist.

A few subtleties on the above: Your arms should have the feeling of "pushing through" the last few inches of their extension. To get the feeling of this, assume your stance (you don’t need your pistol) with your arms not quite fully extended with the front of your grip touching a wall. Push forward on the wall as if you were trying to firmly push through it. This is the feeling of "extending without locking."

For a discussion on grip, and the 60/40 grip strength theory, check this post on my Forum Board.

The purpose of the Index is, without the burden and confusion produced by thinking, to quickly and consistently hit a target(s). The more variables you introduce into your Index, i.e., one arm excessively bent more than the other, one hand pushing or pulling more than the other, the less chance you have of reproducing a reliable platform to shoot from under a wide variety of conditions—especially under stress. This is why the Index, as currently used in competition, has evolved to its present state. Any unnaturally excessive Index, such as the Weaver, etc., will be more difficult to reproduce from day to day, from stage to stage, or just from moment to moment because our mental state and resulting muscle tension is in a constant stare of flux.

Your Index is the most important aspect of your overall stance. The more consistent your Index, the better you will shoot (execute the fundamentals)—every time the demand arises. In the early years, as we experimented with various techniques, we found our consistency improved as we eliminated the variables introduced by pushing and pulling, straining and struggling. Sound principles of technique consistently control the pistol more effectively than muscle tension.

Top competitors use the current Index because results are their primary concern—technique is secondary, and is a by-product of the intention to perform the fundamentals effectively under stress. First see what is important (consistently hitting the target), and then see what you need to do to get there. This is called—not starting from a conclusion.

When I began shooting IPSC in the late 70’s, I used the Weaver/Chapman stance because I was told that was how you control the recoil of a .45 ACP — you know, the man’s gun. Some years later, after experimenting and altering my Index, I was shooting a Bill Drill (6 shots into the A zone of an IPSC target at 7 yds in under 2 seconds) with a single stack .45 with 230g, 190 power factor loads. (I was practicing for the SOF match.) A local shooter was watching as I shot a 1.8 something run from the modern or "modified" Isosceles position. I remember him commenting, "Wow, I guess your technique doesn’t require wimp loads to be effective." This is a common misconception; he was starting to get the picture.

I consider Rob Leatham to be the greatest "instinctual" shooter on the planet with an iron-sighted pistol. Time and time again, I’ve seen him acquire and shoot targets so quickly it leaves you speechless. I questioned him on his approach. Basically, he said: Upper body (shoulders) square to the target, arms fully extended but not locked, and most importantly, once in position, the head, arms, and body move as a unit. He commented that he would not hesitate to adjust his feet while shooting if that will preserve the integrity of his Index. He also said, and I agree, "Why ‘aim’ if your position can do that for you"? This should not be taken to mean that he doesn’t aim when he needs to; it’s just that with proper technique, the gun points and shoots wherever you look.

Investigate the stability of your current platform. Assume your Index and then introduce variables such as: Pulling back with one hand and not the other, pushing out with one hand and not the other, bending one elbow slightly and not the other, or bending both elbows the same amount. You’ll find, the more your position varies from the above outline, the more your pistol’s point of aim will change as you slightly alter small components of your Index.

Brian Enos
USPSA #: A387