Shooting doesn’t have to be this mysterious discipline where proper technique is something that’s only gleaned over many, many years of practice. On the contrary, learning how to shoot well can be rather easy — especially if you have the right teacher.
GunsAmerica contributor Clay Martin demonstrates this in a video he made called “Stance & Pants” for his Youtube Channel. He shows us the best way to stand and shoot with a rifle. Spoiler alert! Forget what those internet mall ninjas tell you, it’s not that complicated!
Watch and enjoy!
Also, check out Clay’s recent review of the Colt Delta Elite chambered in 10mm.
About the author (in his own words): I served in two branches of service, the USMC and the Army. In Mother Corps, I was in the infantry, a Scout/ Sniper, and a Recon Marine. I spent my last year on the all-expenses-paid-cruise-ship USS Nassau, culminating with the invasion of Iraq.
In the Army, I was a Green Beret, with most of my career spent in 3rd Special Forces Group. I was an Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) Communications SGT, Intelligence SGT, and finally Team SGT. I was in a Direct Action unit, and I spent time on both the assault and sniper sides of the house. My last assignment I taught Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat and Low Visibility Operator for 3 years. I retired in 2013.
In addition to blasting peoples’ faces off, I have shot a lot of paper/steel as a competitor. I have shot most of the major 3 Gun matches on the circuit, and currently hold a Master Rating in USPSA production. I don’t shoot IDPA because they don’t make a fishing vest in Barrel Chested Freedom Fighter size. When I’m not writing for GunsAmerica, I teach gunfighting through my company Off The Reservation, and occasionally run my mouth via Facebook.
Clay, I like your one-handed pistol video, as well as your AR accessories and vtac sling videos. Any chance you could, as they say, mate the two? One-handed AR accessories and sling usage video? A challenge, but you’re the man the man for it.
Clay, enjoyed the video. Can you please tell me what the make/model of the AR handguard in the video. Looks nice, may be interested in that for one of my ARs.
Thanks,
Barnes Precision Machine, my favorite ARs. They sell the handguard as a separate item as well.
You guys commenting on his talking speed must have ADD, be old or not speak english well :)…It may be faster than sitting around talking while sipping coffee, but its a good speed. And quit looking at your phone while watching the video!
I enjoyed your video and wow do you change pants fast……
while your speech was just fine and I did understand you
some I am sure would appreciate a slower speech cadence and
clearer pronunciation. Thanks for the video I shoot ipsc too.
Great info. I had to watch it three times because he talks so fast. Maybe he is a great tactician, but he needs a coach on voice communication.
Clay, keep your pants on for goodness sake, and keep the camera on his feet when he is trying to show us a stance.
Keep it simple(KISS). Love that Barnes Precision Machine Rifle.
Nice and simple. And FUNNY! Good job Clay. Force Recon and SF? Nice mix.
“Lean forward a little”. I’ve said that same thing to anyone I have helped learn to shoot. Great article!
First of all….Woo!!! A little warning would’ve been nice before transitioning from fast talking dude with pants to fast talking dude with-out pants :). No, really I’m not kidding. Now, the content of your video is spot-on and should help shooters who think the extra wide-stance will make them a more effective shooter overall…Not!! The fact is we’re all more effective at meeting threats when we’re operating from our most comfort position. This may sound odd but it’s true nonetheless. However this does require a lot of practice because it requires that the shooter become at ease with him/her self while engaging in mortal combat….easier said than done! That’s right, because it’s is easier said than done all shooters that wish to survive an armed confrontation better train themselves to not just reel-in their wide-body stance but also to perform at ease with themselves while adopting fighting techniques that make it easy for the shooter to transition from one position to the next….the wide leg spread will get you killed!! Just keep in mind that when you’re fighting with a gun you’re also accepting the likelihood of getting shot and killed…so make it easier on yourself and stay light and nibble on your feet and under no circumstance become a human by-pod firmly planted on one spot!
I agree, rene! I was paying attention to the content, not the costume. The shorts came as a shock, but then I got it about the tactical pants.
Clay is awesome. More Clay = better. Subscribe to his YT channel. That is all.
Great video but talks too fast. Mumblefuck.
Good video, thanks.
Your every day stance is your shooting stance ….good article.
Hahaha thanks Clay!
Great video. Thank you for your service and protecting what many take for granted. Of all the vids I’ve seen lately, this was so informative yet simple and easy to understand.
I have the day off, and watched this video with my dog, coffee, and .357.
We enjoyed how you uncovered the “mysteries” of proper shooting stance and CQB. Hopefully that’ll teach the tacticool, and un-tacticool a few things.
Now if only we could solve the mystery of the disappearing pants/legs…
Great video, entertaining and helpful, keep them coming!
Excellent presentation Clay! It’s nice to see someone who can actually shoot make useful videos without flipping the weapon sideways and flinging their head side to side every two shots, followed by the obligatory, idiotic “mag dump”. Cause the hammer to fall without disturbing the sight alignment, everything else is bullshit.
Excellent video. States & demostrates clearly what I’ve bitched for years: “K.I.S.S.” applies to EVERYTHING.
Personally, I feel that unless: A) You practiced live fire scenarios (i.e. shoot houses), or B) found yourself on the fire belching end of a BG’s bang stick; a person really has no idea what the impact of the norepinephrine dump is on the body when the sympathetic nervous system does its thing. You can have all the training in the world, but unless your Resume reads as does Clay’s, it truly is best to keep your skills basic, because your mind and muscle response is going to be close to the cognitive skills of a bowl of oatmeal. An example, and by NO MEANS am I bashing L.E.O.’s, but your average street beatcop that fires his weapon annually at a paper target to ‘Qualify’ is the same Officer you read about that sprayed a 15-17rd magazine of 9mm at a BG, hitting him maybe three times in random body parts. It’s not that he’s untrained, he’s just not been trained properly. Now, take that upper tier L.E.O. that doubles as S.W.A.T. or some other VOA unit in a decent sized metro area, and his round count will be significantly lower, with a higher hit ratio. Why? Amount and type of training.
Thanks, Mr. Martin, for your service (I forgive your USMC transgression; I’ll assume you were young and under the influence when you became a Marine… LOL). I served, but what I did is now on display in the Smithsonian, LOL, next to its USSR counterpart, so a modern warrior I was not.
I’m sure the ugly mugs you blasted off weren’t even loved by their mothers & I thank you for going in harm’s way on my & my family’s behalf.
Keep the great vids coming!
De Oppresso Liber
K.I.S.S. is definitely the way to go. Look at every moving part, every accessory, everything as a point of failure. The simplest, one size fits all scenario is probably best to practice and train for. Be adaptable. Adapt and survive! Expect everything to blow up in your face and go wrong and have the mindset to deal with it! If everything goes exactly as planned, get nervous, you probably have missed something!
K.I.S.S. is definitely the way to go. Look at every moving part, every accessory, everything as a point of failure. The simplest, one size fits all scenario is probably best to practice and train for. Be adaptable. Adapt and survive! Expect everything to blow up in your face and go wrong and have the mindset to deal with it! If everything goes exactly as planned, get nervous, you probably have missed something!
BTW… I think this guy said he was a Marine. Green Berets are U.S. Army Special Forces.
If you’d read his resume so to speak you’d see he served in both the Marines and the Army. Read before you say something you’re not sure about. Just saying.
Thank you! I loved my job, and so did all the guy from my generation that stayed at if for all these years.
Calling out the “Tactical Timmies”.
WOW! Talk about PC Police!!! Thought that was for the lib-tards…..???? If they were bad guys, and they probably were….then BLOW AWAY! World needs more bad guy faces blown off in my opinion. It was obvious he was joking. Not everything has to be PC in life…..and he’s not running for president…lol.
thanks brother. One thing I have learned about terrorists in my life- If you kill them, you never have to worry about them again.
when the PC police step up, I am reminded of the words of General William Tecumseh Sherman. ” War is cruelty, and it cannot be refined”.
Not a bad video. He could slow down when speaking. He is a larger guy so he has more weight behind the gun to help control recoil whether he is on one foot or two. I agree with the premise of the video… you don’t need some special stance to shoot well. The “blasting peoples faces off” comment should have been left out.
Why should he have left it out? It’s his Resume. He earned the right by protecting ours. Ever been under fire, or the threat of it, as in the victim of a gun related crime or maybe in combat? By combat, I don’t mean serving in a ‘combat zone’, I mean under good ole’ honest to God incoming fire. Clay has. By choice. Regardless of his motivation for serving; serve he did, and all Americans benefitted from it.
Blast on, (or off, should I say…lol) Green Beret, Blast on!
Outstanding! If its not broke don’t fix it. There are a lot of “Trainers” at all levels that think they need to reinvent the wheel, and come up with their own, unique, quirky, unnatural shooting stances, grips and movement techniques: so they can sell “their Brand”. He needs to start his Training with “This ain’t no shit,.” The others should start “Once upon a time…”.
I didn’t care for the written comment about shooting peoples faces of but I’ll chock that up to youth and exuberance. Keep up the great work.
thanks brother. you are absolutely correct, a lot of “trainers” sell some quirky brand of kung fu, just to hold onto their client base. shooting isn’t rocket science, and there is a lot to be said for ” basic knowledge”, like NRA 4 position rifle. not a lot new and cool about that, but it is what works.