Successful pistol shooting depends on the ability to align the sight with the center of the target area and squeeze the trigger without disturbing that alignment. Developing this ability requires mastering six basic elements: stance, position, grip, breath holding, sight alignment, and trigger control. Here are some tips for beginners on how to develop these pistol shooting basics.

The methods outlined here are largely based on those which have been developed by the US Army. Be aware that there are different ways of shooting depending on the context, with a firing range or a military conflict being very different from a civilian gunfight. Different experts teach various methods for specific situations. The resources at the end of the article will point you towards some other popular shooting methods you can investigate.

1. Stance

Your pistol shooting stance provides a foundation for steady aim. The stance you adopt should position your head so your eyes can focus on your target. It should also support your arm comfortably while you aim.

There are a number of different stances you can assume:

• Standing square to the target in an upright position
• Standing square to the target in a crouch
• Standing with one shoulder closer to the target
• Standing with partial support from a wall or other object
• Kneeling
• Kneeling with support
• Prone
• Prone with support

Ideally you should practice from all these stances. When beginning, it is best to practice from one of the basic standing positions without support and master that stance before working on the others.

Here are some keys to a good standing shooting stance:

• Keep your head level, without tilting excessively in any direction.
• For the arm you’re using to aim your gun, keep your shoulder relaxed without overextension, and keep your elbow locked and your wrist stiff for stability.
• Keep the arm not holding the gun relaxed but stabilized. You can visualize resting it on an imaginary cushion against your side, or rest it on your hip or belt; or you can use it to stabilize your grip.
• Relax the upper-body muscles you’re not using to raise your weapon.
• Crouch slightly with a slight forward inclination.
• Unlock your knees. If you’re turned to the side, one knee will be slightly straighter than the other.
• Position yourself to distribute your weight evenly over both feet:
• If you’re standing facing your target squarely, this means placing your feet about shoulder width apart in a parallel position.
• If you’re sighting with one shoulder closer to the target, place your rear foot at an angle about 45 degrees from the direction your front foot is pointing, so that your feet form a triangular support base.
• Adjust your torso and lower body to compensate for the weight of your extended arm and the gun it holds:
• If you’re standing facing your target squarely, sit back a bit into your heels as you crouch.
• If you’re sighting with one shoulder closer to the target, shift your weight slightly towards your back foot by sitting into your back heel.

2. Position

Knowing how to position your stance towards your target is another important skill to master. The correct position for your stance will depend on what stance you’re using. As a beginner, you should practice in a simple position geared towards a target in front of you or off one shoulder. In advanced combat shooting, you practice pivoting to face a target positioned at different points around you.

Here is a basic drill to practice aligning your position with a target in front of you with one shoulder nearer the target:

• Assume a stance with one shoulder nearer to your target, with your body oriented 40 to 50 degrees off the target.
• To practice positioning your head and eyes, keep your eyes facing forward and turn only your head to see your target. If you have to strain your eyes, you’re facing your target from the wrong angle, and you should adjust your position.
• To practice positioning your arm, with your eyes closed, raise your arm a foot or two above horizontal, and then allow it to settle back relaxed into a horizontal position pointing at your target, while leaving your other shoulder and arm relaxed. After your arm settles into position, open your eyes to check if your arm and pistol are aligned with the center of your target. If you have settled to one side of your target, correct your alignment by moving your rear foot in the direction of the error, leaving the rest of your stance the same. Do not attempt to correct the error by moving your arm independently of your body, which will not fix the root of the problem.

3. Grip

A proper grip should provide firm support for your shot, enable you to move your trigger finger independently of the rest of your hand, and keep your front and rear sights aligned without pulling to the sides or vertically. It should also direct the force of your recoil straight back into your shooting arm without bending your wrist.

There are one-handed and two-handed pistol grips. Two-handed grips are recommended, but they are built on a one-handed grip, so even if you plan to use a two-handed grip, you should master the elements of a one-handed grip first. To develop the essentials of a good one-handed grip:

• Use your non-shooting hand to hold your pistol, being careful to keep the muzzle pointed downrange.
• Form the web of your shooting hand into a “V” shape by spreading your thumb and index finger, with your thumb held slightly lower than your finger.
• Bend your wrist slightly downward so that the line of recoil force will transmit from the V shape towards your elbow and into your body instead of off to the side.
• Set your pistol into your V, holding the V as high as possible under the barrel to optimize recoil control.
• Press downward on the barrel to pivot and push the grip to rest against the base of your thumb and the depression in the center of your palm heel.
• Stretch your fingers forward.
• Let your trigger finger rest flat against the pistol frame just above the trigger guard.
• Curl the lower three fingers, touching each other, so that the center bone of each finger rests on the curved front surface of the grip. Apply more pressure with the middle and ring fingers than with the pinky. Pressing too hard with the pinky will depress the muzzle.
• Raise the thumb to a level higher than the trigger finger, holding only the joint at the middle of the thumb high against the stock, with the end of the thumb turned up and away from the stock. Pressure from the end of the thumb can upset sight alignment. Apply only as much pressure with the thumb as needed, to avoid fatigue.
• Grip the gun by using your three lower fingers to press the grip into the support base provided by your palm.
• Use the non-shooting hand to adjust the fit of the pistol to the shooting hand so that the trigger finger is comfortably positioned to press straight to the rear without disturbing sight alignment, making contact somewhere between the tip of your finger and your second joint.
• When you find the right position, remove the trigger finger from the trigger, release the pistol from the non-shooting hand, and tighten your grip until you feel a tremor. Loosen your grip slightly until the tremor disappears. You should now have a strong grip.

4. Breath Holding

When you breathe, the movements of your chest can alter your sight alignment. To prevent this, practice breath holding when you shoot. Take a deep breath, exhale gradually, and then pause with your breath held in the exhalation phase while you shoot before inhaling again.

Work towards being able to hold your breath 20 seconds while you fire a series of shots. Remember to breathe deeply between shot cycles, or any time you have not fired a shot in over 10 seconds. If you find you need to breathe during a shot cycle, take a quick breath and continue shooting.

In advanced training, for shooting at multiple targets, you must learn to pause your breath at any point in the breathing cycle.

5. Aiming

Aiming involves two elements: sight alignment and sight placement.

Sight alignment is aligning your front sight with your rear sight, so that the top of your front sight is level with the top of your rear sight and your front sight is centered in the notch of your rear sight. If you notice your alignment is off, adjust your front sight until it is lined up correctly.

Sight placement is placing your front sight in alignment with the center of your target area. If you notice your front sight is not in the center of your target, adjust it until it is. Be sure to maintain proper sight alignment as you do so.

Focus on your front sight when squeezing your trigger. Your rear sight and your target should look blurrier than your front sight when your front sight is in focus.

6. Trigger Control

Learning trigger control is the last step in mastering basic shooting skills. A correct trigger squeeze pulls the trigger smoothly straight to the rear until the gun fires. Improper trigger squeeze results from jerking or flinching, or from overcompensating to avoid these errors.

To develop trigger control:

• Establish contact between your trigger finger and the trigger between the tip of your finger and your second joint (depending on how long your finger is), without touching anywhere else.
• Pull straight back in a continuous motion, avoiding pulling to the right or left or jerking. The natural tendency of a right-handed shooter is to pull left, so pulling straight takes practice. Jerking results from trying to “ambush” the target the instant it comes into sight, for fear of losing it from view before the bullet fires. This can be avoided by maintaining a continuous pull with the sights set on the center of the target. Some shooters overcompensate for jerking by gripping too hard with the heel of the palm, an error called “heeling” which causes the bullet to go high on the firing hand side of the target. Avoid heeling by maintaining a correct grip and a continuous squeeze.
• Continue the rearward pull to completion after the gun has fired, and release smoothly. This helps prevent the tendency to flinch in anticipation of recoil.

Beyond the Basics

Pistol Shooting Stance

After mastering these basics, you can move on to more advanced training, such as shooting from longer distances, shooting from different stances at targets in different positions, varying firing rate, shooting under different lighting conditions, and exploring different shooting methods. The resources below will give you some different avenues you can explore.

Worthy Ammunition

US Army Pistol Marksmanship Guide
US Army FM 3-23.35 (FM 23-35), Combat Training with Pistols, M9 and M11
National Rifle Association
United States Practical Shooting Association
International Defensive Pistol Association
FBI Firearms Training: The Shooting FBI

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