Originally posted by cshoff:
<snip>PS: The stance you were trying to name is most often called the "combat" stance. When I did my latest qualification, the weaver stance was prohibitied and only the combat stance was permitted for the qualification for my DCJS Firearm endorsement. While I am fairly comfortable with either, I still prefer the weaver. It was the stance I learned as I was growing up. Tac training now tends to focusing more on the combat stance as it allows for faster lateral movement and transitioning to firing on the move if a bad guy starts firing back. Conversely, the weaver offers less of your own body as target mass for the bad guy to shoot at.
Competitive shooters typically prefer the weaver stance for accuracy whereas LE/Mil/Sec shooters just want to take a taget out and get to cover as quickly as possible if the stuff hits the fan. I have also heard the combat stance called the "triangle stance" because your arms and shoulders form a triangle as do your legs to the ground.
That shooting position is known as the Isosceles because of it's resemblance to an Isosceles triangle.
With the Isosceles the feet are placed about shoulder width apart, feet and shoulders are square to the target, knees slightly bent with your weight slightly forward on the balls of your feet. The pistol is grasped in a normal two-handed grip, and held with both arms extended fully forward. Elbows should be straight, but not locked, head erect and shoulders not hunched.
It's a pretty common position, however, most people find that the Weaver provides them with better recoil management which results in quicker follow up shots, especially with magnum calibers.
Of course, then there is the Chapman position, which is kind of a combination of the Isosceles and the Weaver.
