There are three common shooting stances: The Isosceles, the Weaver, and the Fighting stances. I won’t describe them myself, because I can’t describe them any better than this article does.

What I will say is that I prefer the Isosceles stance. I am not a law enforcement officer. Chances are I will never (I hope) be in a gunfight. If I do have to use my gun, I will likely need to be able to move quickly. If I’m facing an assailant, I may very well be facing multiple assailants. I will need to be able to survey to scan my left and right sides very quickly.

Both these needs are best served with the Isosceles stance. I can move quickly in any direction without tripping over myself, and I can scan 180° (more if I turn my head and my body) very easily.

For this reason I will train at the gun range with the Isosceles stance. I don’t practice at the gun range because some day I might have to protect myself against a stationary paper target 5 yards away. I practice because I may have to protect myself against someone else with a gun moving towards me, and I may need to move to protect mysef. If I ever need to use my gun, the most effective stance will already be second nature to me.

Continue reading: Sight Alignment