How to get your shooting stance right

A good stance provides the platform for shotgun marksmanship and is fundamental to consistent success in the field or breaking clays, says Michael Yardley

A good shooting stance is, quite literally, the foundation of sound technique. When you watch a line shooting, it is usually immediately apparent that some are standing well: in balance, stable and erect, with feet suitably spaced. There is a demeanour of calm control. Good weight distribution allows guns to be handled effectively and provided with adequate power. Balance is maintained throughout the swing. Barrels are kept on line without undue effort. They are encouraged to push through/in front of the bird without excess body tension. The muzzles may be pointed and the front arm lifted well. Recoil is absorbed comfortably. (Read more on recoil here.)

There’s no tendency to be knocked off balance as the gun accelerates rearwards. Typically, centre of gravity is slightly forward during shooting and follow- through, although there may be deliberate exceptions. As you may observe some who naturally stand well, you may also notice some standing awkwardly, inefficiently, inelegantly – ‘poor form’, as it used to be called.

Out of balance

The ‘awkward squad’ may appear to be uncomfortable and out of balance, especially at the moment of firing. They may appear overly tense, putting in too much muscular effort, or over-relaxed – even lazy Their weight may be too far forward, with excessive frontal lean, or too far back (initially or as the swing progresses). Knees may be over-bent, bottoms may be stuck out, there may be too much bending forward from the waist as noted. Feet may be too wide or otherwise poorly positioned. Some, of course, may just be untutored or inexperienced. They have not yet learnt to stand well, nor gained the confidence to hold the gun firmly and to push body and shoulder into the butt-sole. They are insufficiently aware of their balance or lack of it. Backs are overly arched and hips may be thrust forward in compensation for heavy, unfamiliar guns. Heads fail to make proper contact with the stock when an attempt is made at gun mounting compromised by poor initial stance. Others, including many experienced shots, may only be seen to lose balance as their swing progresses and the weight unintentionally comes too far back. The head may rise from the stock. Usually the gun stops and comes off line too, and misses behind, off line and/or over the top ensue.

What should shooting stance be?

Both body type and shooting method will impact stance. For example, look at the different build of two famous old-school shooting instructors: Percy Stanbury and Robert Churchill. The former was lean and favoured an oblique position with the weight predominantly on the front foot throughout (for shots both right, left and high driven). Churchill was of squatter frame. Predictably, he preferred a squarer stance where he advocated transferring weight from one foot to the other depending on the shot (not a majority technique now).

Walked-up vs driven shooting stance

Walked-up shooting calls for a different sort of stance to driven. Walking up encourages wider spacing of the feet and a more edge on position than a driven situation facing multiple incoming birds. To succeed at walking up, one must avoid being caught wrong-footed as the bird breaks cover.

With driven shooting, most will want to keep their weight on the front foot throughout as well (with Churchillian exceptions). Foot spacing may also change depending on the circumstances. Generally, feet want to be about shoulder width apart.

When facing grouse or partridge, or when ground is uneven, it may aid stability to space feet wider – but be warned that ‘agricultural’ over-spacing of feet can restrict swing too. (Read more on how to hold a gun safely.)

Adopting basic shooting stances

1. Imagine you are going to shoot towards 12 on a clock face.
2. Stand square, feet about shoulder width apart (heel gap around six to nine inches).
3. If you are right-handed, shooting off the right shoulder (as determined by your master eye or hand preference), take half a pace forward on to your left foot.
4. Let the left leg lead the process, and let the rear foot rotate on its ball.
5. The feet will naturally come into positions about one o’clock and three o’clock.
6. Bring your weight on to the front foot with a straight but relaxed front leg. The rear heel will ‘unweight’ (come just off the ground).
7. Another option is to keep both feet in full ground contact after stepping the half pace forward. One’s feet should not be quite as wide-spaced, and the right foot takes up a position slightly further to the right at about two or half past two on the clock face. The forward left knee is relaxed and slightly bent, the rear leg still straight. The whole stance will become just a bit squarer with the right shoulder – the gun shoulder – coming more forward than in our first position.
8. In both cases the nose should be over the toes.

Guinness stance

Another basic stance with which you may experiment is the ‘parallel’ or ‘Guinness’ stance – standing relaxed and upright (one hopes) as if you had a pint of beer in your hand. Here body position is slightly oblique and feet are positioned relatively close (heels about six inches apart). There is a central centre of gravity (no leaning forward) and if you drew lines across the toes and across the heels they would be parallel.

This is a position with variation favoured by some Olympians. It allows for particularly stable turreting and elevation, although the classic stance may be the most efficient for high birds requiring a long swing and follow-through.

Fundamentals

Stance is not just a question of where one begins but where one ends up and what happens in between. So, for example, when clay shooting, it is usually advisable (with exceptions, as ever) to set stance to favour the break point for the bird. If the stance is well set, when you pull the trigger you should not be coming into body tension. Compromise may be required (for instance, when two targets are being addressed and there’s no time to move feet between them).

Your swing must not be checked by poor initial foot positioning. This also highlights the point that you can have the right stance (the right relationship of feet and weight distribution) but be wrongly orientated.

When game shooting one may need to step into the line of the bird: the front hand and barrels moving together with the front foot as if connected by an invisible wire. You are anticipating the kill point for the bird and, in doing this, you are of course changing your stance or, to be more precise, moving it to suit.

Conclusion

• A good stance must be stable.
• It must manage recoil effectively.
• It must be comfortable and involve a minimum of muscular tension commensurate with full control.
• It promotes a good swing and makes it as easy as possible to follow the line of the bird.
• While some may prefer to bring the weight on to the rear foot for specific purpose, generally weight is best kept slightly forward on the leading foot with ‘nose over toes’ (unless one prefers to adopt the Guinness or similar stance, standing with a more central centre of gravity).
• Most – beginner or experienced – will not go far wrong with ‘nose over toes’ as a basic operating principle. A relaxed, straight back will help, as will remembering to set (and reset) the stance to the intended break point if shooting clays, or stepping into the line, anticipating kill point for game.
• Feet are not set in stone: they must not only be set correctly but they must also move. Stance, therefore, is best considered as a dynamic process.
• Developing generalised body awareness is part of it.
• If the stance is not right, the mount will not be right and gun movement will always be impeded.
• Perfecting stance requires knowledge of different foot positions and experiment. The same stance will not suit everyone nor all conditions.