Leaning forward vs. the Tactical Turtle

There has been some criticism of yesterday’s Tactical Turtle post that I wanted to address around the issue of leaning forward/recoil control. Yesterday, I said that the Tactical Turtle stance is good for recoil control for people who don’t have a lot of grip and/or upper body strength. Locking your elbows, leaning forward aggressively, and hunching your shoulders will absolutely help control recoil. However, it’s as I mentioned bad for pretty much anything else. So what’s a solution for shooters lacking in upper body strength? To explain visually, here’s my friend and cool ladybro Brooke Sevigny at the 2012 Steel Challenge:

Brooke Sevigny

Brooke’s stance is excellent. You’ll notice that she has more of a forward lean than a top male shooter would have, which is fine. Her head is also a little bit lower than you’d see on someone like Max Michel. However, what’s more important is what she isn’t doing, and she’s not burying her chin down by her sternum and having to crane her neck to the see the sights. That’s the difference between “leaning forward to control recoil” and the Tactical Turtle. Because her shoulders aren’t hunched up turtle style, Brooke can then keep her head more erect and bring the gun to her eye-line instead of dropping her eyes to the sights. Using this stance, Brooke won’t fatigue as quickly, and she’ll still have all the “advantages” that the Turtle offers for recoil management.

Can you get fast and effective hits using the Tactical Turtle? Sure. But with enough practice, you could get fast and effective hits with a Teacup Hollywood Weaver too. The question to ask yourself isn’t “can I shoot well enough using the stance” but “can I shoot better doing something else?”

1 Comment

  1. Heh. I called up this picture on my smartphone at the range on Saturday to show the person I was helping. She found it useful. Thanks!

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