Weaver stance

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications.
Primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of the article are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please include more appropriate citations from reliable sources, or discuss the issue on the talk page.
This article has been tagged since January 2008.

The Weaver stance is a popular technique for firing handguns. It was developed by Deputy Sheriff Jack Weaver during freestyle pistol competition in Southern California during the late 1950s.

"The Weaver" is a two-handed technique in which the dominant hand holds the pistol or revolver and the support hand wraps around the pistol frame, covering the "strong" hand. The shooter pushes forward with his dominant hand while the support hand exerts rearward pressure. The resultant isometric tension provides excellent recoil control when the gun is fired. It allows one to shoot faster and more accurately than with a traditional one-handed technique.

As originally conceived, the Weaver is performed with the dominant arm's elbow nearly straight while the support elbow is noticeably bent. However, individual physiology often leads to variations, the most common being the "Isosceles Stance" in which both elbows are locked. Champion shooters have used both techniques with equal success.

The Weaver Stance is one of the five components of Modern Technique developed by Jeff Cooper. The others are a large-caliber handgun, the flash sight picture, the compressed breath, and the surprise break.