Shoooting while moving

[islandphish]

Lately I've been practicing moving and shooting a pistol. I shoot from a thumbs forward weaver. When moving to the right I have little trouble as I am right handed. However it is very difficult for me to move to the left and shoot.

What pointers do you all have for moving to the left and shooting? how about moving any direction and shooting? I can't afford Front Sight and such so I'm on my own. thanks all.

 

[nhhillbilly]

moving

It is very important to keep the knees bent. This will give you a much more stable platform. Practice with out firing the gun. Start slow and work up your speed. In a defensive situtation moving to the left or the right is one of the biggest things you can do to stay alive. Seeking cover is ever more important.

 

[Gary G23]

Switch from a Weaver stance to an Isocelese stance.

 

[Chipperman]

Knees bent is very important, as mentioned above. How are you doing your footwork? Do you have any martial arts training? That helps.

Practice at home in front of the mirror without a gun. You'll notice that crossing your feet in one direction will be easier one way than the other. For example, if you are moving to the left and cross your right foot in front of the left, your hips will rotate to the left. That is a smoother gait. but harder to aim.

If you cross the right foot behind, it will keep the hips more straight ahead. It's easier to aim that way, but harder to walk smoothly. Ultimately, a smoother gait is more important than ease of aim if you are shooting while moving.

 

[280PLUS]

I'm being taught to NOT cross my feet. Prevents tripping. Treat it more like a basketball side to side shuffle but with a martial arts kind of glide to it instead of a bounce. So that your torso is not moving up and down as you shift position. I practice without a firearm at home just by clasping my hands in the "push - pull" configuration and gliding around the area aiming at and tracking different spots as I go.

 

[islandphish]

it's embarassing to say but what i "know" i learned from watching guns and ammo tv. the glock team was shooting. they said to stay low and use a scissor step. this works great going right but moving left i find myself bending over and shooting from a weird semi-gangsta style.

 

[isp2605]

As Gary mentioned switch to isosceles. That is the advantage of isosceles over the Weaver.

 

[Chipperman]

I'm being taught to NOT cross my feet. Prevents tripping.

There are certainly many schools of thought on this. Not crossing the feet does decrease the chances of tripping. OTOH, it's slower and more difficult to aim and fire while moving that way. If someone is blazing away at you, speed is important.

The best way to train for this is to set up a large plate. Move from side to side while firing at the plate from about 10 yards. You will quickly find which foot patterns work best for you.

 

[symr00]

Front Sight isn't the only game in town. Ask around the forums, you will find many reputable instructors in your area. Whether they are $100 at a community college to $350 for a well-known instructor who travels the county, they can be found. Good luck and stay safe.

 

[Bix]

I've seen Weaver shooters switch to a strong-hand-only grip when traversing away from the dominant arm. Might be worth trying - but I'd third the recommendation to at least learn to shoot acceptably from Iso.

 

[Black Majik]

Try USPSA or IDPA, you get a LOT of instruction requiring shooting on the move.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Start slow, speed and accuracy come with practice.

I found that sort of dragging my feet as I moved made me "feel" where they were... and kept me from crossing them.

You can also find a happy medium 'crouch' in which your shoulders (and therefore arms and weapon) don't move up and down as your legs move up and down.

Take a water pistol, or 'red gun' and practice moving around the house, going up and down stairs, stepping over the cat etc. while keeping your weapon steady. It's actually easier than it sounds/looks.

 

[usmccpl]

All I can tell you is practice makes perfect.







one shot one kill

 

[Lucky 7]

Grab several hundred rounds before you start practicing. Switch to isocelese stance, bend those knees and start s-l-o-w. Wait for the momentary pause while walking (like you do for breathing) then fire. Your feet should be toe-to-heel, toe-to-heel as you move. Getting this right is a trick and a half but can be done. (Hint: Devote a lil' bit of time to this the next time you dryfire.)

That's how the Corps taught me and I'll be damned if it doesn't work.

Regards and Semper Fi!
-L7

 

[GoRon]

Move like Groucho Marks walks.

You want to keep your upper body stable and avoid bouncing. That is why so many responses include bending your knees.

 

[isp2605]

Move like Groucho Marks walks.

Yup, that's exactly what it's called - Groucho walk. Knees bent, leaning forward at the waist, shoulders rolled forward, heel to toe. Takes a lot of the bounce out. Squeeze the shot when both feet are on the ground. With practice you can get where you can squeeze off a shot with every step.

 

[huntershooter]

Right hand shooter moving left; as stated: isosceles stance, knees bent, torso STILL, ROTATE TORSO at hips to engage.

 

[conwic]

Try using only your right hand - no support hand- when firing to the right while moving. That should give you in excess of 90 degrees of movement for the gun, just like your two handed grip gives for movement to the right. Unless you are unusually flexible, you simply cannot turn your torso far enough to the right while moving forward to use a two handed grip for more than 20-30 degrees.

Regards-conwic

 

[10-Ring]

Yes, don't cross your feet...more like a shuffle than a walk. Also, take advantage of cover when you can, keep your knees bent and stay square w/ your target.

 

[up_onus]

hrm, after reading this thread yesterday it got me thinking.... Im really a "new" shooter and have been attempting to gleen as much information from more experienced people out there. But, yesterday at the range I found it was easiest for me to "move" and shoot with the "bullseye" stance...one handed. Dont get me wrong, I wasnt running, just walking. This did seem to be effective and stable as well. I could also with my short nose stubby stay within about 8" grouping at 9 yards while moving (which may not be ideal I understand but its the very first try). Anybody have similar or any ideas why this would be a bad idea? Also... from a more tactical standpoint, the body is presented to the target at a 90 degree angle....allowing you to be less of a "target". I assume the reason your moving is because the target would also have a gun and your trying to make it harder to be hit.
well, i appreciate how much information you all have. keep it up!

 

[birddog]

I have experimented in an informal woodland range, moving from tree to tree and shooting as I go. At first I failed miserably to hit a 1 x 1 target, but eventually I got much better at it.

The whole moving thing forced me to "let go" a little bit and shoot more instinctively, not concentrating on the sights, so much as making sure I was pointing in the general direction of the target, with one eye to obstacles under my feet. It took work to regularly hit the target, but it's definitely a learnable skill.

 

[S&Wfan]

I'd also suggest to go and observe the good shooters at an IPSC, ICORE or similar match.

Also, for raw speed and accuracy at engaging multiple targets cleanly and REAL fast, watch some bowling pin matches. Isoceles RULES!

Typically, I'd say that Weaver is a great stance to teach cops, who sometimes must use their weak hand for other tasks . . . but that if one doesn't master the Isoceles stance they are gonna get waxed in competitions.

THEN AGAIN . . .

It is also great to learn Weaver, modified Weaver . . . one-handed shooting with both left and right hands . . . shooting from the crouch . . . etc.

Master your footwork, your draw, reloads, clearing jams . . . EVERYTHING!

Practice until nothing can trip you up in a competitive match. Competition isn't an end to itself either . . . for learning to shoot smoothly, with the most economical and smoothest motions . . . may just save your life one day!!!

(Just hope the other guy watches a lot of movies and either shoots with the gun sideways . . . OR like Stevel Segal!)

(My apologies to the Weaver guys! If it works best for you, and you don't get waxed in IPSC competitions . . . more power to ya!) Whateever floats your boat!

 

[HSMITH]

Just took a class from one of the best action shooters in the country.

The summary of the technique is to point BOTH feet to where you are going and keep them going straight to where you are going, Iso grip/index, normal to slightly longer than normal steps, knees bent deeply, torso turned to shoot. The exact same technique is used to shoot left or right and doesn't matter which hand the gun is in. Don't worry about timing your footsteps or anything else, instead learn to move smoothly and shoot when the front sight is on the target. With proper trigger prep and decent movement it isn't all that hard to hit well on the move.

 

[joneb]

Islandphish, what are you shooting ? although the .22lr may be a questionable defencesive calibre, it is a great training tool. If you have a .22 lr that emulates your SD weapon, you'll have a leg up $

 

[Ankeny]

I made this video a couple of years ago when I was shooting Production Division with a CZ 75. I am not one of the best shooters around, but the technique does show what HSMITH is talking about. Feet pointed in direction of travel, knees bent, torso turned, etc. The targets are Steel Challenge plates (very liberal 18x24) and the engagement distance is only about 9 yards. Here's the vid, for what it's worth.
Shooting on the Move