Handgun Shooting Positions: Bad Stances - 4

We've looked at some of the most common bad stances with handguns in the last few posts. In this post, we will look at some miscellaneous bad stances and grips.

Click on image to enlarge

The first image we have here features actress Ann Margret. Note how she uses her weaker arm as a support for the stronger hand. However, note that the weaker arm isn't really resting on anything. So, in effect, she is really firing one handed, because the weak hand is not doing anything to really support the strong hand. This position shows up in some cowboy movies.

The next bad habit we will look at is a bad grip technique. Notice where the thumb of the weak hand is placed. That's right, it is placed behind the slide. Why is this a bad way to hold a pistol? Because when the user pulls the trigger, the cartridge will fire and then the slide will move backwards at a very high speed to eject the spent cartridge. If the thumb is placed in the path of the slide, it will cause a painful cut or a broken thumb. Both thumbs should be placed so that they do not interfere with the backward movement of the slide.

Another bad habit is to lean backwards when firing. This is especially seen when the person cannot really handle the recoil of the handgun.

As you see here, the young woman is leaning backwards instead of forwards.

Finally, there is this infamous video floating around, of a young woman trying to shoot a .50 caliber Desert Eagle:

Her biggest mistake here is attempting to fire a weapon that is much too powerful for her to handle. The bigger idiot here is her boyfriend though, for talking her into firing something that she's clearly not used to. She's lucky that she or someone else wasn't seriously hurt.

Handgun Shooting Positions: Bad Stances - 3

Continuing our series on bad shooting positions, we will now study a bad method of holding a handgun, which has become very popular due to Hollywood gangster films and numerous rap videos. Yes, it is none other than the infamous "sideways grip", otherwise known as the "gangsta grip" or the "sideways gangsta grip".

A couple of examples of the "gangsta grip". Click on images to enlarge.

In the above two images, we see two people demonstrating the infamous sideways gangsta grip style. Some people think that this style of holding a handgun originated in the 1990s, but it has actually been seen in movies made in the 1960s as well. For example:

Marlon Brando as "Rio" in the movie One-Eyed Jacks released in 1961

Eli Wallach as "Tuco", the ugly guy in the 1966 classic cowboy movie, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, starring Clint Eastwood

While these movies did briefly show characters using the sideways grip, it was the Hughes brothers 1993 movie "Menace II Society", that really popularized it. It was after Menace II Society was released to theaters that it started to appear in a lot of other Hollywood movies, TV shows and rap music videos.

Russell Crowe demonstrating the sideways grip, from the movie No Way Back.

One theory on why this shows up a lot on film and videos is because it allows the director to show a dramatic view of the actor's face as well as the firearm, all in the same scene, as can be seen in the picture of the movie poster above. If the actor was holding the pistol vertically, a larger portion of his face would be blocked by his hand and the firearm. Another theory is that movie actors and stuntmen don't wear protective eye-wear during shooting scenes and many got tired of getting hit in the face by a hot cartridge and so they started shooting sideways, so that the empty cartridges would drop to the ground.

So why is this grip such a bad idea. Well, if a user holds his handgun like this, then he cannot use the sights of the weapon. There is a very good reason that firearms have sights and they are there to help the user aim the firearm properly. Accuracy suffers a lot, as demonstrated by the Mythbusters TV show here:



As you can see, it may look cool in the movies, but in real life, the sideways gangsta grip is pretty darn useless unless the user is very close to the target.

Handgun Shooting Positions: Bad Stances - 2

In our last post, we studied a bad shooting stance, namely the cup-and-saucer or teacup grip. In this post, we will study another bad shooting stance, the wrist brace grip.

This one is famously seen in the Dirty Harry series of movies starring Clint Eastwood playing the role of "Dirty" Harry Callahan, a police inspector working in the San Francisco Police Department.

Click on image to enlarge

The Dirty Harry series of movies are famous for phrases such as "Go ahead, make my day" as well as usage of the Smith and Wesson Model 29 revolver firing .44 magnum cartridges, which we discussed many months ago in an earlier post. In fact, Dirty Harry extols the virtues of the model 29 with the following speech:

I know what you're thinking: 'Did he fire six shots or only five?' Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I've kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?

The speech was not completely true because by the time the first movie in the series was filmed in 1971, the model 29 was no longer the most powerful handgun in the world. However, sales of the model 29 went up drastically after this movie was released, because of this speech.

Surprisingly, Clint Eastwood uses a grip that consists of holding the revolver in one hand and gripping the wrist of that hand with his other hand. This means that the weak hand is offering almost no support to the strong hand. If this was real life and not a Hollywood movie, it would be very hard for him to support the recoil of such a big revolver.

Dirty Harry isn't the only movie character to use the wrist brace grip technique. In the above picture, we see the famous English spy, James Bond (played by actor Roger Moore), using the same technique with his comparatively smaller Walther PPK pistol.

In the next post, we will study some more bad stances.

Handgun Shooting Positions: Bad Stances - 1

In many of our previous posts, we have looked at various good stances to use when shooting firearms. In the next few posts, we will look at some of the bad shooting stances. Most of these bad stances are because of the influence of the movie industry and music videos.

The first bad shooting stance we will look at is the infamous "cup-and-saucer grip", also known as the "teacup grip". This one shows up in a lot of movies and TV shows. In this, the shooter holds (cups) the pistol in his dominant hand and then rests the bottom of his handgun magazine in the off hand (the saucer).

Click on image to enlarge.

Here, we have the character Jack Bauer, played by actor Kiefer Sutherland, from the popular TV show "24". As you can see, he is attempting to use something like a weaver stance. However, pay attention to his hands, especially his off-hand, and you can clearly see him placing his dominant hand and the magazine butt into his off-hand.

The above is another picture of Jack Bauer clearly using a cup-and-saucer grip.

Click on image to enlarge

Jack Bauer isn't the only character around who uses questionable methods to hold handguns. In the above picture, we have James Bond (played by actor Daniel Craig) using a cup-and-saucer grip as well.

Click on image to enlarge

And finally, the Alice character (played by actress Milla Jovovich) from the Resident Evil series of movies, also using the cup-and-saucer grip, this time with a revolver. You may see this grip used in a lot of other movies as well.

This technique was once actually taught to revolver shooters in the Wild West (and sometimes called the "palm supported grip"). The main reason it is bad with modern firearms is that the off hand provides almost no support against the recoil, which forces the user to aim the target again for each of the subsequent shots. Also, no matter how strong the user is, the recoil will make the user's hands separate and the off-hand needs to be reapplied after every shot. Additionally, if a cartridge is overloaded, the additional pressure has to be released somewhere, and in the case of handguns, it may forcefully eject the magazine out. If the user is using a cup and saucer grip, the off-hand will get a pretty nasty smack.

We will look at more bad stances in subsequent posts.

Handgun Shooting Positions: Shooting from the Hip

In this post, we will discuss a technique that is often seen in cowboy western type movies (i.e.) shooting from the hip.

We have a representative image of this technique, as demonstrated by movie actor Yul Brenner. Notice how the revolver is fired at about the hip level, which means the shooter is not using the sights to aim it.

This technique is only used in short range situations, as one cannot be sure of hitting a target at longer distances without using the sights. It is employed in quick-draw situations where the shooter may not have the time to draw the firearm to eye-level. The shooter draws the firearm from the holster and shoots it as soon as possible.

This technique was also taught by Fairbarn, Sykes and Applegate, who were instrumental in training some of the first modern commando forces during World War II. The team of Fairbarn and Sykes also developed the Fairbarn-Sykes fighting knife, which was issued to British commando forces, SAS, as well as US Marine Raiders during World War II.

As can be imagined, this technique is only useful at short ranges, because the sights of the weapon are not used at all. It is used when great speed (but not necessarily great accuracy) is needed. Therefore it is possible to miss the target completely as well. There is also a risk of accidentally discharging the firearm during the process of drawing it from the holster and shooting oneself in the leg.

Handgun Shooting Positions: The Isosceles Stance

In our last post, we looked at the Chapman stance. In this post, we will look at a stance that was around for a while, but only gained popularity in the 1980s, the Isosceles stance.

Before we go into studying this stance, let us discuss the term "isosceles". Readers with experience in mathematics, engineering or drafting would have encountered this word before: an "isosceles triangle" is a triangle where two of the sides are of equal length, similar to the image below:

So what does an isosceles triangle have to do with shooting stances? All you have to do is observe a person using an isosceles stance and you'll see the resemblance:

Notice how the shooter's arms are both held out extended fully, so that they resemble the two sides of an isosceles triangle.

There are two main forms of the isosceles stance. The first is the traditional isosceles stance, as shown in the image below:

In the traditional isosceles stance, the shooter stands with the body in an upright position, with both feet placed parallel to each other and pointing at the target. The knees are kept mostly straight.

The other stance is the modern isoceles stance or modified isosceles stance, which is shown below:

In the modern stance, the shooter keeps the feet apart about a shoulder width, but positions one foot ahead of the other. The knees are slightly bent and the upper body leans forwards toward the target.

With either stance, the upper body is rotated left or right as needed, to aim at targets that are not directly ahead of the shooter. This stance provides good support to the shooter and either eye can be used to aim at the target, as the gun is held at the center between both eyes. Unlike the Weaver or Chapman stance, the shooter absorbs recoil using their entire body. Also, if the shooter is wearing body armor, then this exposes the full body armor to the enemy (unlike the weaver or chapman stances, which expose the weaker armpit area to the enemy).

The only problem with the isosceles stance is that it isn't as suitable to use when the shooter is moving around, because locking the joints tends to make the gun bounce around. If the elbows are slightly relaxed, then it reduces the skeletal support that this stance provides. Another disadvantage is that while this stance is suitable for smaller ammunition loads, but when using full powered ammunition, the resulting recoil feels severe and makes shooting multiple shots difficult.

This stance was around for quite a while, but didn't really gain popularity until the 1980s, when two shooters named Brian Enos and Rob Leatham used it successfully to win IPSC shooting matches. It is often the first two-handed stance taught in most firearms training courses. The Modern Isosceles stance is now preferred by many shooters over the Weaver stance.

Handgun Shooting Positions: The Chapman Stance

In our last post, we studied an influential stance called the Weaver Stance. In this post, we will study a stance that is very similar, which is called the Modified Weaver a.k.a the Chapman Stance.

This particular stance is named after Ray Chapman, another influential shooter. Like Jack Weaver, he had a California police background as well and was the rangemaster at the Los Alamitos police department. He adopted Jack Weaver's stance and modified it slightly. It uses the same push-pull tension of the Weaver stance, but instead of bending both arms at the elbows, the Chapman stance holds the dominant arm in a straight position and locks the elbow. The support hand elbow is bent and provides the tension.

The following two images easily illustrate the difference between the two stances:

In the above picture, we have a person demonstrating the Weaver stance. Note how the elbows of both arms are bent.

In the above image, we have the same person demonstrating the Chapman stance. Notice how the dominant hand is extended so that it is straight and the elbow is locked.

Ray Chapman successfully used this stance to win the SWCPL championship in 1964, 1967 and 1970 and also won the first IPSC World Shoot in 1975.

The advantage of this stance over the Weaver stance is that it gets its stability from both muscle and skeletal support and is more suitable for people who lack upper-body muscle strength.

Handgun Shooting Positions: The Weaver Stance

In our last post, we looked at the one-handed handgun shooting stance. In this post, we will look at a commonly used handgun-stance called the Weaver Stance.

The Weaver stance is often seen in movies and videos that involve handguns and even people not familiar with firearms will recognize the stance, although they may not know its name. The pictures below show the stance, as demonstrated by the inventor himself:

This position was originally pioneered by Jack Weaver, a Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff, in the late 1950s. His stance consists of the following:

1. The shooter's dominant hand is extended out until the arm is almost fully extended and the handgun is at shoulder level.
2. The support hand then grips and wraps around the dominant hand. The elbow of the support arm is bent straight down and held closer to the body.
3. The foot corresponding to the support hand is held forward of the dominant foot. So if a person is right-handed, the right foot is held out to the back and angled sideways and the left foot is placed forward. The person also leans towards the left foot and puts more of their weight on it. Knees are slightly bent.
4. Head is slightly bent to align the gun sights to the target.

Jack Weaver successfully used this stance when competing in the "Leatherslap" matches organized by the legendary Jeff Cooper. The object of such competitions was to pop twelve 18" wide balloons set up at 21 foot distance in the fastest time. Even though this stance looked a bit ungainly when it was first used, this technique allowed Weaver to quickly aim the handgun at eye level and beat opponents who were using other stances. As Weaver admitted later, "it looked kind of stupid, and everyone was laughing at me, but it worked!".

Since other competitors were using some form of single-handed shooting technique, they would often shoot a bit faster, but not necessarily hit their target. As Jack Weaver observed about his two-handed technique, "a pretty quick hit was better than a lightning-fast miss!". He won quite a few of the early competitions using this stance and this influenced the adoption of this stance by others, as well as the abandonment of one-hand shooting techniques.

Due to Jeff Cooper's influence, this stance became popular in the military and police. It is a very stable stance. There are several advantages of this stance:

1. This is an excellent position during routine searches and interviews because
1. Weapon's side is away from the person being searched.
2. Groin area is protected by the support leg.
3. Person is better balanced during an attack.
4. Person can periodically glance backwards to check traffic and other people in the area.
2. Most police encounters are short distance (less than 7 yards away)
3. When firing magnum loads, this provides better balance because the strong foot stabilizes the shooter.

Disadvantages of this position include:

1. If the shooter is wearing a ballistic vest, it exposes the side of the ballistic vest which is vulnerable.
2. It is difficult to shoot on the move when using the weaver stance.
3. More complicated to learn compared to some other stances.

Handgun Shooting Positions: One Handed Stance

In the last few posts, we have studied several rifle shooting positions. In the next series of posts, we will look at several handgun (i.e. pistols and revolvers) shooting positions. The first one we will study is the one handed stance.

The origin of this stance dates back to the first pistols and back when dueling was common. The idea was to present the least amount of body surface area to the opponent and this could be achieved by facing the opponent sideways. Another reason was that it allowed the shooter to use the other hand for something else, for example, holding the reins of his horse, or manipulating a door knob.

The one handed stance was taught in the US military for a long time, as illustrated by the image above. However, many soldiers could not manage the recoil of the Colt M1911 pistol and accuracy suffered as a result. Hence, two handed stances have been taught in recent years (which we will cover in following posts).

Many competitive pistol shooting events (such as air pistol events at the Olympic games) also mandate that the shooter should use only one hand, particularly because it is more challenging than shooting two-handed.

Notice how the shooter shoots with one hand holding the pistol and the other hand placed on the hip.

Rifle Shooting Positions: Ready Positions

In the last few posts, we've studied various rifle shooting positions. However, we have not yet studied ready positions (i.e.) positions that the rifle may be carried in, when a soldier is on patrol, or a hunter is in the woods etc. These will be covered in this post.

The first position we will cover is the patrol carry (i.e. sling ready) position.

Public domain image, courtesy the Department of Defence. Click on image to enlarge.

In the above image, we see US Army soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and ANA soldiers on patrol in a village in Afghanistan. Note the position of the men using their slings to support the weight of their rifles. This is the most comfortable carrying position when carrying a rifle for long periods of time, such as on patrol duty. Notice how each soldier ensures that his rifle is pointing in a safe direction away from his fellow soldiers.

The next position we will look at is the low ready position.

In this position, the soldier holds his rifle already at the shoulder, but with the barrel pointed safely downwards, with the finger close to, but not on the trigger. This position is used especially when approaching an area with known threats, as it allows the soldier to quickly transition from this to a shooting position. However, since the weight of the rifle is supported by the arms, it isn't suitable for carrying a rifle like this for long periods of time.

The final position we will look at is the high ready position.

In this position, the soldier holds the rifle to his shoulder, but aims the rifle barrel upwards. This is more useful when the soldier is in a close group with other friendly soldiers and it is not possible to point the rifle barrel downwards safely. It is also handy if the soldier needs to reload or use the support hand for other purposes, such as opening doors. Like the low ready position, this position also allows the user to quickly transition to a shooting position.

Rifle Shooting Positions: The Back Position

In our last post, we looked at the squatting position. In this post, we will look at a shooting position that was more popular in the 19th century, but is not seen much these days -- the back position.

Like the name indicates, the back position consists of the shooter lying with his back on the ground, as the following two images show:

Click on images to enlarge. Images are in the public domain.

When we studied the prone position earlier, one of the disadvantages of that position that we'd noted was that it isn't suitable in places where the ground in front of the shooter slopes steeply up or down. The back position can be used in such conditions. This makes the position useful for long range shooting, where the rifle needs to be elevated to a high angle; and also where the rifle needs to be shot down a steep slope. It is also useful for long-bearded men who do not wish to get mud and dust in their carefully groomed facial hair.

To assume this position, the shooter first sits on the ground facing the target and holding the rifle across the body. The shooter then lies down on the ground on his back and turns slightly to the right, to allow his right thigh to rest squarely on the ground. The shooter then bends his left knee (as in the first picture) or places his left leg on top of the right leg (as in the second picture). The barrel of the rifle is then placed on the side of the right knee (first picture) or left knee (second picture). The right elbow rests on the ground and the right hand is placed on the trigger. The butt of the rifle is in the hollow of the right shoulder and the left hand serves to hold the butt in place. The head is raised off the ground, to view the sights properly. Notice that in the first image, the shooter grabs a bit of his left sleeve with his teeth, in order to keep his head steady.

Like the prone position that we studied earlier, this position requires open land in front of the shooter, as it cannot be used where there are bushes or tall grass obscuring the target.

There are some other variations of the back position, such as the Fulton position, invented by a Henry Fulton, who was a civil engineer and later served in the Civil War as a lieutenant of the 12th Regiment New York National Guard, rising up in the ranks to become a Major.

The Fulton Position.

Click on image to enlarge. Public domain image.

In the Fulton position, the shooter lies on his back and draws his knees in a V-shape and crosses his legs. This allows him to position his rifle barrel between the crossed legs. The left arm is then positioned behind the shooter's neck, thus allowing him to support his head; and the left hand grabs the butt of the rifle. While this looks a bit unusual, bear in mind that this gentleman won the first Wimbledon Cup in 1875 and was part of the US team that won the first international rifle shooting match ever (the original Palma match) in 1876. The National Rifle Association also awards the Henry Fulton trophy, named after the man, annually since 1987 to the highest scorer of the team match in the World Long Range Shooting Championship.

While the back position is not seen much these days, it was more popular in the 19th century. In fact, in the first Palma match of 1876, five out of the twelve shooters in the competition shot lying on their backs and seven shot from the prone position. Those lying on their backs averaged 157 points against 154 points for those using the prone position.

Rifle Shooting Positions: The Squatting Position

In our previous post, we studied the sitting position. In this post, we will study a related position called the squatting position. This position is also referred to as the "rice paddy squat" or the "rice paddy prone" position, perhaps because it came in handy during the Vietnam war.

Click on image to enlarge. Image is in the public domain.

The shooter places both feet flat on the ground and is bent slightly foward, so as not to lose their balance. It is important to note that elbows should not meet with the knees here (because bone-to-bone contact makes the position unstable). Instead the knees should support the muscles of the upper forearms for a stabler position. This position is somewhat more stable than the standing position, but is not as stable as some of the other positions we've studied so far. This is because there are only two contact points with the ground (the two feet) and the knees support the upper arms.

This position is NOT part of the basic US Army marksmanship course, but is used by some soldiers all the same, as well as by hunters. The advantage is that this position can be very rapidly got into and out of, from a standing position and allows one to quickly duck behind bushes, shrubs etc. Therefore, it allows the person to quickly drop out of sight and not alert the target of his/her presence. It is also useful in places where it is not possible to assume a prone or a kneeling position easily, for instance in a rice paddy field or a swamp.

Rifle Shooting Positions: The Sitting Position

In our last post, we looked at the prone position. In this post, we will look at the sitting position.

Click on images to enlarge.

This position is a fairly stable one and has a couple of variants. As you may notice, in the first three images, the shooters are sitting with their legs open and in the third picture, the shooter has his legs crossed.

While this is not as stable as the prone position, this method has a couple of advantages over it. Unlike the prone position, this position is faster to get into from a walking position. It also has the advantage that it allows the user to see over low brush and tall grass, which is sometimes a problem from the prone position.

Rifle Shooting Positions: The Prone Position

In our last post in this series, we looked at the kneeling position. In this post, we will look at another commonly used position: the prone position.

Public domain images. Click on images to enlarge.

In the two pictures above, we see two men in different prone positions. In the first one, the man is positioned in line with the axis of his rifle barrel and in the other one, we see the man lying almost perpendicular to the line of his rifle barrel. The feet may also be placed close together or splayed apart.

Regardless of which position is used, this is the best position for maximum steadiness. However, if the person is walking with a rifle, then getting into this position takes longer than the standing position or kneeling position. It is one of the standard positions that is taught by all militaries of the world.

It is not advisable to use this position when handling a large-bore rifle, or one that has huge recoil, because the user risks snapping their collar-bone, due to the fact that the butt of the rifle sits higher on the shoulder than when in the standing or kneeling position. It is also not useful, if the ground in front of the shooter slopes steeply up or down, or if ground cover (bushes, shrubs, grass etc.) blocks the target. However, it is the best position for maximum accuracy and also allows the user to use any bit of available cover.

Rifle Shooting Positions: The Kneeling Stance

In our last post about shooting stances, we looked at the Offhand stance (a.k.a the standing position). In this post, we will look at another shooting stance, the kneeling position.

Image taken from W.W. Greener's The Gun and its Development, 1910. Image is now in public domain

Click on image to enlarge.

The kneeling position is a more stable stance than the standing position, and is used for target shooting as well as hunting and military purposes. It is the best position for firing heavier rifles, such as those intended for big game like elephants, rhinos, cape buffalo etc. It is also easy to use this position on any kind of terrain. This position also allows the rifleman to adjust his aim relatively easily, should the target move.

In this position, there are three points of contact with the ground: the left foot, the right knee and the right toes (Assuming a right-handed shooter, of course. For a left handed shooter, substitute "left" for "right" and vice versa). Note how the rifleman positions his left elbow-joint just ahead of his left knee, so that the muscle of the left upper arm is in contact with the knee. The left elbow joint should NOT rest on the left knee because the bone to bone contact causes more wobbles. The left forearm is held close to vertical. The right leg is placed at right angles to where the rifle is pointing. The rifle is held across the chest, which helps to steady it more.

It takes a little while to get used to shooting from this position. Beginning shooters might find this position somewhat more uncomfortable, particularly because of the way the right foot is folded. This position can be quickly got in and out of and it also allows the shooter to use concealment behind low walls, rocks etc.

Rifle Shooting Positions: The Offhand Stance

Well, it has been a while since the last post on this blog, so let's continue where we left off: shooting positions. In this post, we will look into various rifle shooting positions.

The most common shooting positions used in rifles are: off-hand, kneeling and prone position. The sitting position is used to a lesser degree and the back position is not used as much these days. We will discuss all of them in this and subsequent posts.

It must be noted in our discussions, that we take the perspective of a right-handed shooter. For left handers, one may substitute "left" for "right" and vice-versa.

The first position we will study is the off-hand position, otherwise known as the standing position:

Image taken from W.W. Greener's The Gun and its Development, 1910. Image is now in public domain. 

Click on image to enlarge

This is a commonly used position, often used for shorter ranges and in the field. It is also taught by the US military. Notice that the feet are positioned about a shoulder width apart. The left foot is forward and pointing roughly in the direction of the target and the right foot is placed back and is almost at a right angle to the target. The legs are positioned to give the shooter a firm stance. The rifle is positioned across the chest of the shooter and the left hand is located comfortably gripping the fore-grip. Notice that the left elbow is right below the rifle, not angled to one side.

It might be worthwhile to note that in the above image, we notice that the left arm is somewhat extended out. This is called the "arm-out" off-hand position and is more suitable for shooting at moving targets, because it allows the user to rotate the upper body easier to track a target.

For a more static target, some users prefer to position the left arm much closer to the body (i.e. the arm-back offhand stance)

Notice that in the above image, the left hand is positioned close to the rifle action and the left elbow is very close to the body. While the arm-back position allows for more steadiness, it doesn't allow the user to readjust as easily as the arm-out position, if the target moves. Hence, this stance is more commonly used against static targets.

In the next post, we will look at the kneeling position.

Shooting Positions

In the next series of posts, we will look into the subject of shooting positions. There are many positions that one may shoot a firearm from: standing upright, kneeling, lying down, holding the firearm with only one hand, holding it with both hands, standing sideways and (if John Woo movies are any authority on shooting) jumping out of a door with a Beretta 92F pistol in each hand and firing alternately while in the air in slow motion, while a flock of white doves fly out :).

Back in the days when muzzle loaders were popular and rifling was non-existent, soldiers generally stood upright in lines of three and shot at each other. There were good reasons to do this:

1. Without rifling, firearm accuracy wasn't very good. But if you lined up a group of men and asked them to shoot at a group of targets, chances were good at least one of them would hit a target, even if it wasn't the target he was aiming for.
2. With a muzzle loader, the user stands it upright with the butt on the ground, pours some gunpowder into the barrel via the muzzle, then inserts a ball and wadding into the muzzle and then rams them down the barrel with a ramrod. These operations are not possible to do sitting down, especially when the muzzle-loader is some 4-5 feet long.
3. It was considered more macho and gentlemanly by Europeans, to shoot from a position where the enemy can see you,  rather than shooting the enemy from behind cover.

In the early 1800s to about the 1840s, the British rifleman had a rifle with a handle extending down from the trigger guard. When this was grabbed with the left hand, it put the left arm at an angle that steadied it against the body.

A British Rifleman from the 1800s. Image taken from W.W. Greener's The Gun and its Development, now in public domain. Click on the image to enlarge.

This was a common position used by many European armies and shooting enthusiasts in the early 1800s.

We also have this account by a Dr. Scoffern, that describes the technique of shooting used by Swiss shooters:
"As regards the Swiss system of loading and firing, both are peculiar. The Switzer unslings a powder-flask of large dimension and turns in a charge of about 2.5 drams of powder. From a side pocket, he next extracts a linen patch, and, putting it into his mouth, turns it round and round, very much as Jack turns his quid. The Switzer's object is to saturate his patch with saliva. This is his way of solving the lubrication difficulty, and, mind me, it is not a bad one. His next move is to lay the patch upon the bore and the picket upon that: which being done, he takes the ramrod in both hands and drives the picket home with one thrust. To be assured that it is home, the Switzer jerks the ramrod down upon it with a ringing thwack. 'Bad practice,' you say: 'he meals the powder'. Not a bit of it! At the end of the ramrod there is a flat iron boss, which only permits it to fall down to a fixed and unvarying extent. Well, the anxious moments of firing are now come round. See how the Switzer employs them. He begins by planting his legs wide apart, left leg foremost. He tries the ground under him for a moment or so, to find whether it be soft, and if he can wriggle out two little graves, one for each foot, the better. Should you have turned away your eye for a moment, and then direct your glance at the Switzer again, you would have found him half as big again as you last saw him. He has puffed himself out with a deep breathing, like the frog who aspired to become a bull. By this deep inspiration, the Switzer has stiffened himself, just after the way one takes the limpness out of a macintosh cushion -- by filling it full of wind. The Switzer is firm planted and rigid now -- he could no more bend from side to side than can a hard rammed sausage. If he were obliged to hold his wind as long as we take to tell our tale, it would be bad for him -- he would burst outright, like an overcharged rifle. Well, with legs apart (like a little Rhodian Colossus) and bated breath, the Switzer shoulders his piece. At the end of the stock is a boss, which he tucks between his right arm and right ribs. Gathering his two hands close together, he rests his rifle on his left hand, placed close in front of the trigger guard; pressing his left elbow, not on the left knee, indeed, but upon the left hip. Lot's wife could hardly be more rigid. Limited power of motion, nevertheless, the Switzer has. Heavenward you see his rifle pointing, and if you observe the Switzer's nose (that organ given only for ornament, as some affirm), it has turned to a purpose of utility. The Switzer is steadying the butt-end of his rifle against it; his nose is a lateral rest. By this time that nose is red on the tip, the face turgid, the eyes projecting. The Switzer's whole position is decidedly not graceful -- one very suggestive of extrusion. Heavenward you see it pointing. Gradually down and down it drops. The blank is seen, the trigger pressed. Rifle crack and Switzer's grunt follow on the heels of each other. He could not hold his breath for ever. Picket and unpreserved breath fly together. Behold him now, panting and puffing like a Cingalese pearl-diver fresh from the worrying of a ground shark. Decidedly, our style of rifle-firing is more graceful and quick."

Method of holding Rifle and Position of Swiss Rifle Shot. Click on image to enlarge. Public domain image.

While Dr. Scoffern might not have thought the Swiss style as "graceful", it was a very effective style, as the Swiss won the majority of prizes as the first British National Rifle Association competition held at Wimbledon in 1860. It must be noted that the Swiss shooters made sure that they had a stable shooting position before pulling the trigger, something that is still emphasized in training today.

In the next few posts, we will look into more shooting positions, both historical and modern.