Lets look now at modifications of the latter.
However, Chapman found it stronger to lock his gun arm, rather than bend it at the elbow.
On the surface, this appeared to be a small change, but it altered the kinesiology considerably.
Do you know how to shoot a Modified Weaver stance, and understand its potential benefits?
Ray described it as a Modified Weaver stance.
This created something of a semantic argument.
In Rays interpretation, the locked arm was hyper-extended and by definition could no longer push.
Chapman’s stance adapts well to cross-dominant shooters. With your head straight up, bring your chin to your gun arm bicep and align your left eye with the sights.
Why, then, call it aModified Weaver?
Because Ray Chapman called it that.
Ray emphasized getting body weight forward into the gun.
Key aspects of the Chapman stance include the support side leg forward, the shoulders forward of hips, gun arm locked rigid and the support arm pulling rearward.
He wanted the shoulder at least an inch forward of the hip.
Chapman taught a boxers stance, with the gun hand side leg well back from the forward leg.
He went on to become one of the all-time great coaches in practical handgun shooting.
The author demonstrates the wrong way to do a Modified Weaver stance. Having the shoulders rolled back can exaggerate muzzle rise.
Many of his graduates carried on his legacy.
One of those was Mike Plaxco, a world-class competitor and a fine instructor in his own right.
The Chapman modification of the Weaver seemed to be his default stance throughout.
The Chapman stance done right: with his bodyweight forward, the author’s Springfield Armory Range Officer .45 stays on target during rapid fire.
Another who put that stance to long-term successful use was Tom Campbell.
A valued member of the U.S. IPSC Team, Tom shot from an aggressively forward-leaning Chapman stance.
Jeff commented that he thought Chapmans might just be the better of the two.
Perks and Quirks of the Modified Weaver
Every stance has strengths and weaknesses.
There are downsides to any technique.
In fact, he often called the Isosceles the police stance.
Can be sub-optimal or even impossible for the shooter with an elbow compromised by injury, arthritis, etc.
:That situation is one of those cases where the Classic Weaver stance makes huge sense.
