Pistol Fundamentals

From Shooting Wiki

Contents 1 The Fundamentals 1.1 Stance 1.2 Head position 1.3 Natural Point of Aim (NPA) 1.4 What to do with the non-shooting arm 1.5 Grip & Trigger Control - Part 1 1.6 Grip & Trigger Control - Part 2 1.7 Sights 1.8 Breathing 1.9 Follow Through

The Fundamentals

Contributors' Note

This section has been provided for the 'Beginning Pistol Shooter'. It provides information in this context.

Beginning shooters should be aware that much of the general information available on the internet or books regarding pistol shooting techniques is/may be based on shooters already having the 'basics'.

Unfortunately there is no guide to 'what is available' as to its application to the beginning shooter, or to the finer aspects (applicable to a shooter with years of background and several MILLION trigger operations).

Stance

There is probably almost as much balderdash written and discussed about the 'correct' stance as there is about what is the 'best' pistol.

The recommendations below are provided in the context of a shooter beginning ISSF pistol - after you have mastered the basics, THEN under the advice of your coach you can experiment with variations on your stance.

The requirements of a good stance are that it provide a steady and repeatable platform:

• Stability/1 - the position for the feet that provides the greatest stability for pistol shooters is with the feet separated by the width of the shooter's shoulders.
• Stability/2 - the alignment of the feet that provides the greatest stability for pistol shooters is with the feet parallel. I admit that few 'elite' shooters shoot with their feet parallel, but then they have a lot of experience and balance training - for a shooter learning the basics go with a stance that has the feet parallel (and change from this only if advised to do so by a qualified coach).
• Stability/3 - the relationship of the feet, hips and shoulders that provides the greatest stability for pistol shooters is with all three parallel.
• Stability/4 - the alignment of the body to the firing line that provides the greatest stability for pistol shooters is with the body (feet, hips, and shoulders) at about 45 degrees to the firing line.
• Stability/5 - the weight distrubution on the feet that provides the greatest stability for beginning pistol shooters is your weight distributed equally on both feet, and with the weight distributed equally between the front of the feet and the heels. Note that your weight distibution will be different between a resting position between shots, and when you are holding the pistol in the firing position - it is in the firing position that is important.
• Repeatability - the alignment of the body to the firing line that provides the greatest repeatability for beginning pistol shooters is with the body at about 45 degrees to the firing line (and change from this only if advised to do so by a qualified coach). Similarly to the comment above in 'Stability/2', 'elite' shooters shoot with their body in various alignments to the firing line, but then they have a lot of experience and balance training - for a shooter learning the basics go with a stance that has the body aligned at about 45 degrees to the firing line (and change from this only if advised to do so by a qualified coach).

Head position

One advantage of pistol shooting is that you can sucessfully compete irrespective of left or right-handedness (simply have a left or right-handed grip for the pistol as appropriate) and irrespective of whether you sight the pistol using the left or right eye. While most people will use either right-handed and right eye, or left-handed and left eye combination, 'cross-dominant' is equally valid.

Irrespective of your combination (left or right hand, left or right eye) it is important that you should start out with your head positioned such that when you are sighting the pistol you do so with the eyeball in its most natural (and effective) position, i.e. straight ahead in relation to the skull.

To achieve this:

• the head should be 'upright' - avoid the mistake of tilting the head forward or backwards (makes things difficult and tiring for the eye muscles) or tlting sideways (restricts the circulation of blood to the brain)
• the head should be turned to enable you to sight the pistol with your head directed at the target - avoid the mistake of sighting the pistol with the eye/s sideways (this also makes things difficult and tiring for the eye muscles).

Natural Point of Aim (NPA)

A great deal of time and worrying is spent by beginning pistol shooters about understanding and achieving a 'natural point of aim'.

In the simplest terms, NPA is having a shooting position that is natural, i.e. your shooting position (stance) does not interfere with a good shot.

Can you achieve NPA in the shooting stance described above?.

Yes - there is nothing in the stance described that will interfere with achieving NPA!

Is NPA important?

Yes! But (and as with the rest of life, there is a 'but')...! While a stance that does not give NPA will not interfere with a perfectly executed shot release, it can contribute to making a less-than-perfect shot much worse:

• not achieving NPA can (will!) contribute to tiring
• standing off your NPA will make a less-than-perfect shot 'wander' to the side.

Is there only one NPA for each shooter?

No. Look at the world's best shooters and you will notice that few have the stance described above. But then they have mastered the basics and have modified their stance under the direct supervision of the top high perfomance coaches:

• the stance described above will enable you to master the basics, and there are a number of world-class medal winners who use this stance
• there is an NPA stance that occurs when the shooter stands with the body (feet, hips, shoulders) aligned almost parallel to the firing line.
• there is an NPA stance that occurs when the shooter stands with the body (feet, hips, shoulders) aligned at about 75 degrees to the firing line.

Is there a best stance to achieve NPA for the beginning pistol shooter?

The stance described above in 'stance' works!

What to do with the non-shooting arm

This is more important than might be immediately obvious. The position of the non-shooting arm should be such that:

• it does not interfere with your balance (i.e. it should not be swinging around while you are releasing a shot)
• it is not placing any undue strain on your body (i.e. natural)

A simple solution is to place the thumb of the non-shooting hand inside the belt in the area about the front of your body. This stabalises the arm in a natural position.

If you are wearing trousers or skirt that does not need a belt, simply put a belt or tape (loosely) around the waist.

Grip & Trigger Control - Part 1

The requirements of good gripping and trigger control techniques are that they provide a steady (before, during, and after the shot) and repeatable platform.

Having a grip that fits your hand - This is more than just being able to get your hand and fingers around the grip. The key areas are:

• The rear of the grip should be in the middle of the web between the thumb and the index finger.
• The front of the grip should be supported by the second pads of the middle and ring fingers
• The little finger should rest comfortably without providing any support or grip.
• The thumb should rest comfortably without providing any support or grip.
• The trigger finger should contact the trigger on the end pad of the finger, with the end of the finger at 90 degrees to the barrel axis.
• When held in the firing position the sights should be aligned and the pistol should point naturally to the aiming area for BOTH elevation and sideways. It is of little use if you have to angle your wrist to correct for an improperly fitting pistol/grip.

Having a grip that allows you to 'pull' the trigger along an imaginary line from the trigger to the sighting eye. For this:

• The grip must fit the hand (see above)
• The trigger length is adjusted to give the desired 'straight back' action through the trigger release (before, during and after).

The grip should enable the pistol to be held in the same (correct) position each time it is to be fired. For this there is no substitute for:

• Having a grip that is the right fit for YOU (see above).
• Holding the pistol the same (correct) way each time it is to be fired. This is not necessarily achieved just because the grip is 'anatomical' - indeed, if the grip shape does not meet all the criteria above, all that will be achieved is that you will have a consistent but incorrect grip! A 'plain' grip of the right size that is held properly is far better than a 'fancy' grip that is at the wrong alignment and/or does not allow proper trigger operation.

To facilitate these criteria, modern target pistols usually have:

• Grip frames that are fairly small; enabling the grip to be custom fitted to the individual shooter's hand to provide the correct gripping procedures
• Trigger mechanismes that are adjustable for length (and angle in some pistols)
• Grip frames that are adjustable for rake, etc.

Grip & Trigger Control - Part 2

How tight to grip the pistol The trite answer is not too tightly, and not too loosly.

Important here is that 'grip the pistol' is the accepted terminology, rather than a proper description - the pistol is 'gripped' between the middle + ring finger (at the front of the grip) and the web between the trigger finger and thumb - the rest of the hand should not contribute any noticable pressure.

• too tight, will only make the pistol shake, your hand tire, and create other problems,
• too loose, will magnify any incorrect procedure in the triggering action.

There is an adage along the lines of 'imagine you were shanking hands with a small child'.

Trigger Control - i.e. the desired 'straight back' and uninterrupted action throughout the trigger release (before, during and after), all without disturbing the sight alignment.

This is achieved through:

• The mechanical considerations; the grip and trigger set up to enable the shot to be fired without disturbing the sight alignment, AND
• Application of increasing trigger pressure in the desired 'straight back' and uninterrupted action through the trigger release (before, during and after) without disturbing the sight alignment
  • important here is that the triggering action (the shooter's trigger finger action) does not disturb the sight alignment,
  • the triggering action is far more important than the weight of the trigger pull. E.g. reducing the trigger weight of an Air Pistol down below 600 grams to slightly over 500 grams (beginning shooters will not notice any difference) - learning (and practicing) good trigger technique is a far more important factor in accurate shooting.

AND

• Lots of training and practice of these correct procedures. To facilitate this training and practice, modern target pistols have 'dry fire' capability that will not damage the pistol.

Sights

There are things that your eyes can NOT do! Primary among these are that with the open sights of ISSF pistols neither you (nor anybody else) can focus on the rear sight, front sight, and target all at the same time - the laws of optics are immutable! Young people with good eyesight can unconsciously change from one to the other focal distance very quickly and get the impression that they can focus on all three at the same time, but it ain't so.

• Where to focus - for reasons beyond the scope of this discussion, the optimum for getting good sight alignment is with the shooting eye focussed on (and at!) the front sight.
• Where to look - simply, at the front sight: NOT at the vertical alignment of the top of the front sight with the top of the rear sight; NOT at the amount of light on either side between the front sight and the rear sight; AT THE FRONT SIGHT!
• What colour sights are best - there is no question about this: for ISSF pistol events, BLACK! Not shiny black, but 'flat' black. If you want to experiment with colored sights, do so - but if you want to shoot good scores 'flat black' is the way to go.
• How wide should the front sight be - typically, the front sight should be about the same as the apparent width of the precision target black aiming mark.
• How wide should the rear sight gap be - this depends on the event, the shooter's ability to 'hold', and the shooter's eyesight. For 10m and 50m precision events this could be barely more than the viewed front sight - IF the shooter has good eyesight and an exceptionally steady hold. For a beginning pistol shooter, an apparent rear sight gap of twice the apparent front sight width is preferable. Older eyes need more apparent width of the rear sight notch. For the Rapid Fire Pistol event even wider apparent rear sight gaps are often used.

Breathing

It is important that the shooter breath NORMALLY!

When shooting:

• Do not take bigger than normal breaths, and
• Do not exhale more than normal, and
• Breath at your normal rate. Do not hold your breath longer than usual.

For precision shots (50m, 10m, and 150 second series of Standard Pistol)

For beginning pistol shooters, the 'two breath' method is recommended for precision shots. For this:

• AFTER the shooter has the correct body position, AND the correct grip of the pistol
• You can take a slighly larger-than-normal breath to start the breating sequence - if you find that you take a longish time to release the shot, this slighly larger-than-normal breath will give your blood a bit more oxygen, but with the 'two breath method' and releasing the shot within a few second of getting into the desired aiming area you should not have much need for 'extra' oxygenation.
• The shooter inhales a NORMAL breath while raising the pistol to 'aim' in an area at the top of the target, and the sight alignment is adjusted (if necessary) while exhaling NORMALLY
• The shooter inhales a second NORMAL breath
• THEN while slowly lowering the pistol through the black aiming mark of the target, exhales (again, NORMALLY!)
• As the pistol comes through the desired aiming area, add pressure to the trigger

If you have followed this procedure, at first some shots will 'go off' before you are in the desired aiming area( i.e. high); some shots will 'go off' after you have passed below the desired aiming area (i.e. low) - however, with some practice you can shoot lots of 10s with this technique.

For the 20 second series of Standard Pistol - five shots in 20 seconds works out along the lines of about 2 or 3 seconds to raise the pistol from the ready position, another couple of seconds to align sights and add trigger pressure till the shot fires, another couple of seconds to follow through and regain the sight picture in the aiming area - all of this in the order of 6 seconds: time to take another breath while following through and regaining the sight picture in the aiming area: another 2 shots following this timing, and another breath while setting up for the fifth shot.

• These timings are not set in concrete. Do not try to fire your shots like some predetermined clockwork in an automaton
• whether you take one breath during the 20 seconds series, or two, or three is not critical - you will get a breathing rhythm that suits you with practice, but
• Do NOT try to fire the 20 second series on one breath
• Learn to use the 7 seconds between the command "attention" and the start of the series shooting time to your advantage and breathing pattern.

For the 10 seconds series of Standard Pistol - five shots in 10 seconds works out along the lines of about 2 or 3 seconds to raise the pistol from the ready position, and 7 or 8 seconds to fire the 5 shots.

If you have used the 7 seconds between the command "attention" and the start of the series shooting time to your advantage and set your breathing pattern, you can either hold your breathing for the 5 shots without any disadvantage, or take a shallow breath after the 2nd, 3rd or 4th shot in the series - in this time sequence it is not critical.

For the Rapid Fire Pistol event - Breath in NORMALLY as you raise the pistol from the 'ready' position.

If (as a beginning shooter) you are conscious of your breathing during an 8, 6, or 4 seconds series of Rapid Fire Pistol, you probably are not paying proper attention to your sight picture and trigger technique.

Again, due to the comparatively short time series, whether you exhale (steadily) as you fire the series, or hold your breathing for the 5 shots is not critical.

Follow Through

Whatever your level of experience and skill, preferred pistol event, or shooting discipline, follow through is an essential part of any successful shot release.

Most beginning shooters fall into the trap of trying to fire a shot when the sights appear to be 'spot on'. While this achieves the release of the shot, it is unlikely to achieve a GOOD release of the shot - invariably it also produces a multitude of 'sins': snatch, misalignment of the trigger pull direction, an associated sudden increse in hand pressure on the grip, flinch (from anticipation of the shot release), etc., etc., etc.

So, what is the alternative?

Following on from the discussions on Trigger Control and Area Aim, applying increasing pressure to the trigger along a line to the shooting eye, while maintaining sight alignment and while the pistol is aimed into the acceptable area on the target, and continuing to add pressure until after the shot is fired will invariable lead to the shot being released without, snatch, flinch, or whatever...

There are two more aspects that contribute to successful follow through:

• Continuing to watch the sight alignment through the shot release and until the pistol has completed its recoil (as a beginner you might not have time for this in the Rapid Fire Pistol event, but it is applicable to all other ISSF events).
• Assessing the sight picture and sight alignment AFTER the shot has been fired

To summarise:

• The follow through process starts when you begin the shot release process
• The follow through process continues as you increase the pressure on the trigger
  • this increase in pressure is in a straight line back to the shooting eye, and
  • continues until after the shot is fired
• The pistol is allowed to recoil and you keep watching the front sight
• You assess the post-shot sight picture
• NOW is the time to release the pressure on the trigger - your follow through is completed

What are the 'plusses'

• The first, and major advantage is that the shot will be released at some time during the increase in trigger pressure
  • you will not know exactly when the shot will release - with a reflex time of somwhere around 1/10 to 2/10 of a second, the projectile will be well out of the barrel before any flinch can affect the shot placement
  • you will not know exactly when the shot will release - allowing the shot to be released even though the sight alignment is not absolutely perfect, and/or the alignment with the desired area of the target is not absolutely perfect helps you avoid snatching the trigger.
    • chances are your body (and mind) have already started correcting any sight misalignment and/or alignment on the target!
• the other advantage is that with practice, 'following through' becomes a conditioned reflex, allowing you to concentrate on the important bit of the sight picture without any triggering problems interfering with achieving a 'good' shot.