Cheek to shoulder weld?

[ChristopherG]

In the ongoing attempt to learn to shoot handguns (revolvers, in my case; I'm an IDPA Sharpshooter trying to move up), I've recently experimented with this alteration in my stance: When I extend my strong (right) arm, I roll my shoulder up slightly and lower my right jaw down to contact it. I think this point of contact creates a somewhat more consistent index, which would be its strength, I think. I'd see the slight added tension it creates as a potential negative.

Anyone else do this kind of thing? Was this part of the classic Weaver stance? Am I naturally de-isocelezing?

 

[JohnKSa]

If you can do it without tilting your head over too much or turning your head away from the gun it probably won't hurt anything.

 

[mete]

While it might work for the game, in the real world you shouldn't do anything that restricts vision. That means head should erect. You bring the gun up to the eye not the eye down(and restrict vision to the right) to the shoulder.

 

[ChristopherG]

Good consideration, Mete. Guess I am thinking primarily about game shooting here.

 

[JohnKSa]

Game or not, you don't want to tilt or turn your head.

Your internal balance system is designed to work at its best with your head upright. Tilting it to one side means you won't be quite as stable.

If you have toric contact lenses (for astigmatism), tilting your head will cause the lenses to twist slightly on your eyes reducing their effectiveness.

Turning your head away from the gun (as opposed to looking straight at it) is going to put extra strain on your eyes as they compensate for the head position.

Generally speaking, any type of glasses aren't going to work as well if you move your head around so you're looking out the edge of the lens instead of the center.

OK, gaming vs practicing--if this is just for fun (which isn't really consistent with the philosophy of IDPA) then that's one thing. If it's for practice, then I don't think anything that makes it harder for you to look around and maintain good awareness is a good idea.

 

[AK103K]

If you want to try something different and get a cheek to arm weld, you can always use the old Paris Theodore method of putting your right cheek on the bicep of your extended and locked right arm and using your left eye to sight with. It takes a pretty much major change in the way you shoot at first, but once learned, its very fast and offers rifle like stability and accuracy, not to mention an instantly acquired sight picture. Once you get it down, when the gun comes up and your cheek hits your arm, the sights will be aligned, there is no "looking" for sights to align. It wasnt developed for the gaming world, but more to make very fast hits on the small area just above the lips and below the nose of a forward facing face. This targets the nerve bundle at the back of the neck that gives you an instant shutdown of the person shot, to the point that the trigger of the gun they are holding can not be pulled. I tried it back when I had my HK P7 with good results. I figured I'd give it a try then since both the gun and shooting method required a dedication to them that most others dont. With some exceptions, you either shoot this way or dont, and with no exceptions, you either carry only a P7 and shoot it exclusively or you dont. For the most part now, I use a modified Weaver stance and the P7 is gone and a Colt Commander is back in its place. I do still practice the Theodore method from time to time so it doesnt become lost to my brain. It still has some use and still works well, but does require "a thought" just before using it..

 

[9mmepiphany]

the other advantage of that stance is that using your left eye to aim "links in" the right side of your brain. i used it in competition, wheelgun in PPC, looking for the "unfair advantage"...back in the day...and it is noticably more accurate.

the downside is that the stance, along with other modified weaver stances, compromise the effectiveness of your body armour

 

[larryw]

Christopher, are you cross (weak side)-eye dominant?

 

[Jim March]

The "cheek-weld weaver" using the neck muscles to help stabilize the bicep is GREAT for cross-dominant folks.

As a biker, I have another advantage: having my head at an angle from the world is VERY normal for me .

 

[ChristopherG]

Christopher, are you cross (weak side)-eye dominant?

No, I'm decidedly right-eye dominant and shoot right handed. I know a couple people who are cross-eye dominant, and can see how some of the responses above would apply very well for them. In my case, I'm not tipping my head very far over--maybe 20 degrees--and combining this with a kind of roll-up of my shoulder to contact not my cheek so much as my jaw.

JohnKsa raises some good points about the possibility of distorted vision corrective lenses (which I'm fortunate not to have to wear); and 9mm epiphany makes a good point about body armor--which, fortunate or not, I also don't wear. At this point, I think I'm going to experiment with this MO for a while, keeping the caveats you all have raised in mind.

One area where I feel this technique has the potential to help most is shooting on the move, which is a big part of IDPA and which I have traditionally sucked at disproportionatly.

 

[john l]

If your problem is shooting on the move, then I would try out the head on the shoulder thing and then you will see that it is even worse than anything else, because as you walk, your body moves a lot, and pinning your head against another body part (arm) will exaggerate the movement to the gun, and your pistol will bob around a lot more.
Shooting on the move is just one of those things that require practice, and if you keep your head up straight and use your arms as shock absorbers when you walk and learn to "time" your steps with you pulling the trigger, then your shooting on the move will improve.
You think I am wrong, then try shooting a rifle at a target 40 yards away while walking toward it, moving laterally, backing up- assuming that the rifle is on your shoulder and your cheek is on the stock- and you will see it is one of the most frustrating things you can do. the barrel is bobbing all over hells half acre.
Try this, safety first. Dry fire while walking forward and backward aiming at whatever target on a wall at shoulder level about 5-10 yards away. While moving and aiming, develop a gait that will allow you to shoot at a certain time during the constant movement where there is the most stability. For me, this is when BOTH feet are on the ground, whether I am moving forward or backward. I am not aware of any method that works fantastic when RUNNING.

I do not say this to fly my own flag, but to illustrate that I am not a hack: I am a master class shooter in SSP in IDPA. And with so many other things, so much of IDPA is just practicing and experimenting with different things and seeing for yourself. If you personally find that locking your head against your arm improves your shooting on the move, then no one can say that your technique doesn't work, because you'd be proof otherwise.
hope this helps.
john l