Stance: the secret sauce for dusting targets
Alright squad, pull up a chair. We’ve all been there – eyes on the bird, head off the stock and a very loud ‘Loss’ from the scorer. It’s enough to make us want to chuck our gun in the lake and take up knitting. But before we retire the shotgun, let’s talk about why you’re hearing that ‘L word’ so much. Usually, it isn’t the gun or the cartridges. It’s how we’re standing.
The science of the swing
As Jennifer Aniston once told us – here comes the science part.
Our body is essentially a tripod for a piece of kit that’s been engineered for impact. If our base is rubbish, the swing is rubbish. Simple.
So when we talk about stance, we’re really talking about weight distribution and centre of gravity.
If you’re leaning back like we’re trying to avoid a bad smell, you’re fighting the recoil before you’ve even pulled the trigger. You want your weight forward. Think of “nose over toes” every time you mount the gun.
Standing like this allows your body – or tripod – to absorb the energy of the shot without being pushed off balance.
Footstance and the dirt rub
We’ve all seen the regulars doing that pre-shot ritual, grinding their boots into the gravel like they’re trying to find oil. It looks a bit mad, but there’s a reason for it. They’re prioritising grip. If your feet slip mid-swing, that bird is gone. Rubbing your feet in the dirt ensures you’re locked into the ground. It gives you that direct connection to the stand. No fluff, just a solid foundation.
Your foot stance dictates where the swing ends. Point your lead foot toward the “kill zone” – the spot where you actually want to dust the targets. If your feet are tangled up, you’ll hit a stop point where your hips just won’t turn anymore.
That’s usually exactly when it’s time to pull the trigger. The result? You poke at the bird instead of swinging through it.
We’ve all seen that “no-bird” look on a shooter’s face when they realise they’ve run out of room to move – don’t be that shooter.
Engineering a solid shooting stance
| Principle | Technical application | The why |
|---|---|---|
| Nose over toes | Keep body weight biased toward the front foot. | Prioritises a direct, aggressive and fast move toward the target. |
| Fighting recoil | Maintain a forward lean rather than leaning back. | Prevents you from fighting the gun's energy, allowing you to stay focused on the target. |
| The dirt rub | Grinding boots into the gravel or dirt on the stand. | Maximises grip; if your feet slip mid-swing, it results in a loss or missed shot. |
| Killing the stop point | Pointing your lead foot toward the intended kill zone. | Prevents hitting a physical limit in hip rotation and consequently avoids "poking" at the target. |
The social side of the stand
A lot of the fun is the banter between stands, isn’t it? We’ve spent plenty of mornings laughing at each other for looking like we’re trying to do the Macarena while waiting for a crosser.
But once we find that sweet spot where our feet are aligned, everything clicks. We’re here for doing whatever it takes to break the birds, but we stay for the laughs when someone’s dodgy stance leads to a graceful tumble into the mud.
