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I spend a fair amount of time at public ranges. The majority of handgun shooters fail to observe the Holy Trinity of marksmanship: grip, stance and breathing. I’ve seen as many crossed thumbs—an open invitation to slide bite—as I’ve seen targets with holes in them (and without). Shooter who focus on their breathing—pulling the trigger after a steady exhale—are as rare as men who consider Megan McKenzie a bit of a bowser. IMHO the worst defect on display: most shooters stand as upright as a grandfather clock . . .
If you lean forward at the hips you are FAR more likely to hit the target than if you remain erect. It’s a recoil thing. By bending and pushing your shoulders towards the target, more of your body weight is forward, making it much easier to keep your arms level as the gun muzzle rises upwards.
Try this simple demo . . .
Assume a shooting position (without a gun) in an upright stance. Have someone put their hands under your hands and press upwards. Push down; try to keep your hands and arms level. Do it again in a forwards leaning shooting stance. See?
This is no small matter. A shooter who leans forward has a FAR better chance of hitting the bad guy AND placing follow-up shots quickly and accurately. Given that there’s no such thing as a “one shot stop,” placement of your second and (where applicable) subsequent shots can be the difference between life and death.
Leaning forwards also makes you a smaller target. And presents a much more aggressive posture to your would-be or actual assailant, increasing the possibility that they will cease and desist.
In short, this may be the only thing about which MSNBC is right (however unintentionally): lean forwards.