CG vs Stability

Since some1 raise this up, i might as well post under this section. since it's not under either rifle or pistol

For CG, different ppl have different CG as the body structure is different. like wise for stability.

However, CG how it applies to pistol shooters is slightly different, pistol shooter, their non shooting arm is recommend to put in the pocket, reason is whn u shoot, if ur non shooting arm have any movement, ur CG will shift ard, making u sway left and right.
So make sure u place ur non shooting are at the same position, for every shot u make.

Alignment is also another thing that will affect ur CG. if u stand at a position slightly backwards, in my case ( a left hander) my body will always sway to the front unconsiously.

Stability...i got nth to say...lol...phoniex...u can add on...hahaha

hmm.. CG changes as your body structure changes.. from when you grow taller.. become fatter or thinner.. gain more muscle.. it all shifts your CG..

stability... well stability can be trained... everyone is born with a certain amount of natual stability.. but this one is not so bad because after training.. you tend to become mroe stable....

this is gonna be a very lengthy reply. so be prepared to read cos there's really too many factors involved in both these terms - CG & stability.

instead of being CG vs stability. i would say both are linked. or rather, it would be more like CG is a subset of stability. Stability can refer to a lot of things in this case, actually. it depends whether you're talking abt gun stability or body stability. both are affected by CG as well. let's talk abt gun stability first...

whether it's an air rifle or pistol, imagine your weapon having a group of weights fitted on the front or back of your weapon. first it definitely alters the CG, doesn't it? a heavier front would make the weapon fall fwd more easily and it takes more strength to support, but also provides for a shot with much elimination of any recoil. a heavier rear would give u more control at your end, near the body which also means u use less strength and is less likely to fall fwd. having said that, an altered CG would also alter the overall stability of the weapon as it would need the shooter to adjust the required force to be applied to keep the weapon stable.

weapon CG and stability isn't that much complicated. it's the body stability that deals out a whole lot of factors. alignment is one of the things that can affect body stability. but natural alignment is subjective and personal to every individual shooter. i shall briefly explain body CG and stability first.

as i mentioned, CG and stability are linked. and as mentioned by kitty and panda, CG is very much influenced by a person's vital stats, muscle mass, etc. but that's not all. regardless of whichever position you are shooting in, e.g. prone, standing, kneeling for rifle, though in tis case it's mostly standing, how u position(stand) yourself affects your CG as well. for example, if you lean your hips fwd while bending your lower back and leaning your upper back backwards quite substantially(if you can actually visualize what i just said, then try to imagine it), the CG of your whole body is bound to move. and stability is definitely a tough case to mention in such a position.

so first to affect your body stability is your vital stats and then it's how you stand. but even with a certain vital stats (not referring to anyone in particular here), standing positions can still be altered to achieved a CG that falls directly straight down and maximize stability. these positions can be comfortable and uncomfortable. it's all the shooters preference to train in the conditions they desire.

another thing to note is also leg spreading widths. tis also affects the CG. bigger widths which theoretically means a bigger base which lowers the CG, doesn't necessarily mean increased stability. cos again, it goes back to your stats.

there are also ways to improve body stability such as through technical training, as said by kitty. physical training can also help to build stability. technical and physical training are both necessary and critical. but IMO, i personally think that the use of mental imagery and visualization helps improve stability the best amongst all. for e.g., one can visualize that both ankles and legs weighs a ton and it's so heavy, nothing moves it. the crucial thing here is, your mind must feel that weight and you must immerse yourself in that feeling of unparalleled stability. then multiply and intensify the feeling by 10x, 100x, 1000x and even 10000x and as much as you want. but of cos, tis is just one of the many examples. it's up to you to create your own wild and creative imaginations. the crazier, the wilder, the better, as long as you feel it; your mind feels it. the constant application of such will provide you with the ability to induce your mind to control the body well enough that just one instant thought of it keeps you stable. sounds so easy, it's like touch and go. but it takes a whole deal of effort and discipline invested into it.

and of cos, i'm pretty sure there are several more factors. i'll post it up, if i recall any of them along the way.

p}{oenix wrote:

another thing to note is also leg spreading widths. tis also affects the CG. bigger widths which theoretically means a bigger base which lowers the CG, doesn't necessarily mean increased stability. cos again, it goes back to your stats.

Other than leg spreading width, the angle at u'r standing against the target will also affect ur CG, there are some shooters who stand 45 degree against the target instead of perpendicular.

Whn u stand at 45 degree, if u are not aligned properly, most likely ur CG will shift to the front. I'm not very sure abt CG shifting backwards, after shooting shooting pistol for so long, i nvr had experience my CG shifting to the back.

There are also scenario where during the shot routine, sub-conciously, the shooter will adjust his body for the level of comfortness. Thus affecting ur CG and alignment.