Retraining stance?

[Jevaughn]

For 40 years or so, I've shot a modified Weaver stance, right arm locked, left arm bent, cheek on bicep like I'm looking down a rifle scope. Worked great for my left-eye dominancy. Had a nasty neck injury last year, had surgery, still dealing with issues, and that particular stance is damned uncomfortable. I need to train in Isosceles or a different stance, but it just feels so damned awkward and I can't group for shit. Any recommendations? Should I find an instructor and just go in like I'm a damned new shooter or just go to the range and keep plinking away my work comp checks in ammo to try and train myself into a new stance? Looks like my neck problems are here to stay, and while I might be getting placed on long term disability, I'll be damned if I give up on going to the range for some cordite therapy.

 

[DAS HUGH!]

Yeah do whatever it takes to do a stance that keeps you're chest square with the target. Not so much for a accuracy benefit of any sort, but so one bullet from the bad guy can't pop both lungs because you're at an angle, or 3-4 organs for that matter. Make him work for them lol;-)

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

For 40 years or so, I've shot a modified Weaver stance, right arm locked, left arm bent, cheek on bicep like I'm looking down a rifle scope. Worked great for my left-eye dominancy. Had a nasty neck injury last year, had surgery, still dealing with issues, and that particular stance is damned uncomfortable. I need to train in Isosceles or a different stance, but it just feels so damned awkward and I can't group for shit. Any recommendations? Should I find an instructor and just go in like I'm a damned new shooter or just go to the range and keep plinking away my work comp checks in ammo to try and train myself into a new stance? Looks like my neck problems are here to stay, and while I might be getting placed on long term disability, I'll be damned if I give up on going to the range for some cordite therapy.

An optic might help. Quit fighting your left eye dominance shoot left handed. Give in to the dark side...

 

[Jevaughn]

Yeah do whatever it takes to do a stance that keeps you're chest square with the target. Not so much for a accuracy benefit of any sort, but so one bullet from the bad guy can't pop both lungs because you're at an angle, or 3-4 organs for that matter. Make him work for them lol;-)

Yeah, I was taught to shoot by my dad, who was was a police firearms instructor. Weaver was the dominant stance since the 50's as it presented a narrower target, and was done before cops wore body armor. These days, Isosceles is the go-to, but a modified Weaver/Chapman stance worked best for me as my left eye was a lot more dominant than my right, even though I'm right handed. As I've gotten older and my vision has shifted, they eye dominance issue isn't as much a problem, but 40 years of shooting one way means it's difficult to not just go to that stance, even though it's painful.

 

[Jevaughn]

An optic might help. Quit fighting your left eye dominance shoot left handed. Give in to the dark side...

I tried the optic route, got a p365XL, slapped a green dot holosun 507k on it (red is fuzzy due to a stygmatism, green is clearer), and damn it just messed with me. And, while I can shoot left-handed in an old-school military stance, one handed, I'm a lot better shooting right handed. I've never been one who could switch hands without missing a stroke, if you know what I mean.

 

[M60Gunner]

I too had some neck injuries from a car wreck and was a solid weaver guy. Presuming you are right handed you open the stance a little and bend your right elbow it still works and is more comfortable, also harder for an assailant to come over the top from behind you while going for your gun. Hard to describe but I opened the stance a bit and incorporated some of the center axis relock but with the left arm not bent so severely. You’ll find what works for you. Cross eye dominance is not an issue for me. With the cross eye dominance is it more or less comfortable to shoot left handed?

 

[Jevaughn]

I too had some neck injuries from a car wreck and was a solid weaver guy. Presuming you are right handed you open the stance a little and bend your right elbow it still works and is more comfortable, also harder for an assailant to come over the top from behind you while going for your gun. Hard to describe but I opened the stance a bit and incorporated some of the center axis relock but with the left arm not bent so severely. You’ll find what works for you. Cross eye dominance is not an issue for me. With the cross eye dominance is it more or less comfortable to shoot left handed?

Shooting left handed is one of those things I had to train hard to do decently, and don't train it nearly enough to stay proficient. Mostly, I shoot both eyes open unless I'm trying to bullseye something. My left eye is just the one that tracks things and gets faster focus, telling my right what to do to keep up. I shoot rifle right handed, both eyes open unless using an optic, then I'll use my right eye. The modified weaver was developed by a world class shooter named Ray Chapman who was cross eye dominant. Always worked well, and still does aside from it makes my damned neck hurt like hell.

 

[Hand Cannon]

I have some simple advice for stance. Stop laboring over this stance vs that stance. No offense but you are thinking too hard about it. You need a stance that works for you and that causes little or no neck pain. Basically you need a stable stance, feet should be about shoulder width apart. From there, feet square or bladed to the target or whatever works for you. If from that stance you can still control the gun, you are golden. It may not look like any of the "formal" stances, but who cares? You will shoot better if you are not fighting neck pain the whole time. Once you find that stance, do the reps and build it into muscle memory.

And I agree with Rebel Rider, consider shooting pistol left handed. If your new "custom" stance works better when shooting left handed, then just do it. Again, build it into muscle memory with reps. I have known several people over the years that very successfully shot pistol left handed and rifle right handed.

 

[jettjon]

As an instructor, I have noticed that over time I have begun to give stance the LEAST amount of attention when training new shooters. This is because #1 stance is always dynamic unless you are in something like a bullseye target competition and #2, as some have said, the best stance is the one that works for you. So just experiment and find something stable and go from there.

 

[PensacolaOperator]

Should I find an instructor and just go in like I'm a damned new shooter and go to the range and keep plinking away my work comp checks?

Yes