Stance

**Stance** is the body position from which a shooter engages the target. For handgun shooters the dominant modern stance is the **modified isosceles**: feet shoulder-width apart, weak-side foot slightly forward, hips square to the target, slight forward lean at the hips, arms pressed out with a mirror-image grip. Rifle stance is looser and more situational, but the same principles apply: a stable base, forward weight bias, and the rifle stock driven into the pocket of the shoulder with the support hand controlling muzzle direction. Stance is where shooters either build a platform that manages recoil or build one that absorbs it. The difference is visible on a shot timer — a good stance drops split times between shots by 0.1–0.2 seconds over a poor one, which at speed is the difference between competitive and uncompetitive.