Using this early isosceles stance, the shooter stood erect and held the handgun in both hands. The arms were straight and fully extended. With mild target loads, this stance could be quite accurate. However, things really fell apart when officers tried to use this stance in actual gunfights with full-power ammunition. The resulting recoil was severe and quick, and multiple shots were extremely difficult.

For a time, quite a controversy raged among defensive handgunners and in the various gun magazines. It was almost like we were back to the days of choreographing our gunfights again. If you espoused one technique, then you couldn't play with the big boys that supported the other. In many cases, it was sort of an East Coast-West Coast thing. Or maybe it had to do with the choice of pistols, I'm not sure. If you carried a 1911, you were in big trouble for using anything but the Weaver stance. On the other hand, you were supposed to use the isosceles with your Glock.

Personally, I lean towards the Weaver stance because the position of the arms allows me to reduce the flip of the gun from recoil, and I can get repeat hits much quicker. However, just as important is the rest of the shooting stance and what it can do for keeping you alive in a gunfight.

Gunfights are generally very dynamic things and often involve multiple attackers. The shooter needs to be able to move quickly to address a moving target, address new targets, or beat feet to the closest cover. Standing in an erect, rigid stance while people shoot at me is just not one of my favorite things to do.

For this reason, the shooting stance needs to be athletic. Imagine, if you will, the typical stance in boxing or just about any of the dynamic ball sports. The feet are apart for good balance, and the weak-side foot is slightly forward of the other. You want a stance that maintains good balance without being too exaggerated. And, just as in the boxing stance, the weight is distributed equally on the balls of both feet and a bit forward. The knees are slightly bent but, again, not in an exaggerated fashion. The body, as a whole, faces the threat or turns to face the new threat.

The elbows of both arms should be bent slightly. This really helps in reducing the muzzle flip caused by the recoil of defensive handgun ammunition. It causes the gun to move backwards more than upwards, which makes it much quicker to get back on target for an accurate repeat shot.

Whether you watch the top competitors in the various action-shooting events or many of the various combat trainers, you will see shooting techniques that are very similar to what I have just described to you. And, since I have no interest in choreographing the gunfight, I really don't care if someone modifies things a bit to suit their own use. The proof is really in the results.

The athletic stance, the two-hand Weaver hold, and the use of the handgun's sights give the kind of results that have saved lives. And the combination will continue to save lives. It is the kind of solid foundation upon which you can build your own personal-defense plan.