Seated Pistol Shooting: Build the Skill Before You Need It

Rick Hogg founder War HOGG Tactical demonstrates shooting techniques from a seated position during a Walther PDP instructional video. Click the photo to watch the video

The Real World Is a Chair, Not a Shooting Lane

We live in an increasingly violent world, and whether you like it or not, most of us spend a lot of our day seated, behind the wheel, at a desk, at a restaurant, in a waiting room. That’s reality.

Now ask yourself a simple question: if you had to fight from that seated position, could you?

Most shooters train like threats only exist straight ahead, on a clean range, with perfect footing, a perfect stance, and plenty of time to get “ready.” That’s flat-range thinking. And flat-range thinking gets people hurt when reality shows up.

This War HOGG Tactical skill builder focuses on pistol shooting from a seated position, and it carries directly into the vehicle tactics work we’ve been building toward. But before you get excited about “new drills,” I’m going to give you the truth up front: the key difference with this skill is that you must put in the dry-fire work first.

If you’re sweeping or flagging your legs during the draw sequence, you’re not “training.” You’re rehearsing negligence. Dry fire is where you fix that, slow, deliberate, and safe, before you ever try to time it with live ammo.

Speed will come with proficiency. Don’t sacrifice safety trying to “win” a stopwatch.

War HOGG Methodology: Building Blocks and Real-World Standards

At War HOGG Tactical, we use real-world special operations combat experience combined with a building-block methodology of instruction. That means we don’t chase tricks. We build fundamentals that stack, foundation first, then pressure, then performance.

And here’s a standard I want burned into your brain: when the situation allows, you always want to get to your feet as quickly as possible. Standing gives you mobility options. Sitting locks you into one place and limits your choices.

But “get up” isn’t always available. If you’re pinned in a booth with a table in front of you, if you’re seated with your back to the wall, if you’re in a vehicle with the belt on and the steering wheel in the way, your first problem is surviving the moment you’re in.

So we train it.

Equipment That Keeps Training Honest

You don’t need a complicated setup to build this skill. You need a few basics and the discipline to use them correctly: your normal range gear, a live-fire range, a safe dry-fire area, a shot timer, a way to record video, a target of your choice, and a simple folding chair.

The chair matters more than people think. A folding chair is all you need, and it should be the same chair you use in dry fire and live fire so your reps actually match your test.

And yes, track your work. Use The Firearms Training Notebook. Shooting performance data beats opinions every time.

Dry Fire First: Earn the Right to Go Fast

Let’s be clear: you don’t start this skill builder at full speed.

The seated draw can put your legs in the danger zone if your mechanics are sloppy, especially if you jump straight to appendix carry without building the foundation first. The expectation is simple: before you go live, you dry fire enough to confirm you’re not sweeping yourself.

Dry fire also lets you solve the problems you’re going to run into at the range, like how the chair interacts with your holster and how your body needs to shift to clear the pistol cleanly.

Do the work first. Then earn the timer.

Strong-Side Draw: Build the Foundation Before You Get Fancy

Start with the strong-side holster draw to build a solid foundation. That’s where most shooters have the best balance of safety, access, and consistency, especially early.

Here’s what you’re going to learn quickly: chairs are not all the same. Depending on the chair, the butt of the pistol can make contact with the chair, snag, or get caught as you try to clear the holster.

If that happens, don’t panic and don’t muscle it. A slight body shift, either to the side or forward, can solve it. That’s why you dry fire with the same chair: you’re not just practicing a draw, you’re practicing a draw in context.

Now let’s talk about the vehicle problem.

I also like to carry strong-side in a vehicle because it allows me to begin the draw while removing my seatbelt at nearly the same time, without worrying about the belt interfering. That’s not a fashion statement. That’s a functional choice based on what tends to snag, bind, or slow you down in a real seat with a real belt.

In a world where violence is unpredictable, learning to defend oneself from a seated position becomes essential.

Appendix Carry from Seated Pistol Shooting: Possible, But You Better Practice It

Once you start to master the strong-side draw, then you can look at drawing from concealment in the appendix position.

But I’m going to put a warning label on it: appendix increases the chance of flagging your legs. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done safely, it means you must be disciplined about dry-fire practice, holster placement, and trigger-finger discipline before you ever try to “beat your time.”

If you’re the kind of shooter who rushes administrative handling, appendix carry from a seated position will expose you fast. Slow down, clean it up, then build speed.

Stability: The Chair Can Be an Advantage (If Your Grip Is Real)

A seated position can be a surprisingly stable shooting platform when shooting a red dot pistol. Instead of your feet being the base, your butt in the seat becomes the base.

That stability often makes recoil easier to manage, if your grip is solid.

This is where people fool themselves. They shoot seated and say, “Oh yeah, that’s easy.” But what they’re really seeing is that the chair masked some weaknesses. Don’t let that become a crutch. Use the stability to build confidence, then verify you can do it with the same control when you stand and move.

And again, if possible, don’t remain seated. Get to your feet quickly to restore mobility. Sometimes you can’t. Sometimes your environment traps you. That’s why you should start observing your seating choices in daily life and asking yourself: can I get out of this seat quickly if I have to regain mobility?

That mindset alone changes how you move through the world.

Angles: The Threat Won’t Always Be Straight Ahead

Most people train like every problem is centered downrange.

Reality isn’t that polite.

Sometimes the threat is at a 45-degree angle. Sometimes it’s 90 degrees. When that happens, I like to use my feet to help pivot in the seat, this translates directly into vehicle tactics training.

Here’s the concept: depending on which side the threat is on, use the opposite foot to assist the pivot. This helps build a stable base and keeps your firing platform strong.

But you have to be mindful of foot placement so you’re not flagging yourself during the draw sequence. Again, this is why dry fire matters. You’re not just practicing what to do; you’re practicing what not to do.

When you train angled engagement from a seated position, you’re doing more than “shooting from a chair.” You’re building the ability to orient your body, manage space, and fight through the geometry that real environments force on you.

Reholstering: There Is No Trophy for Being Fast Here

I’m going to say it the same way every time because shooters keep needing to hear it: there’s no rush to reholster.

Whether you’re still seated or you’ve already stood up, when it’s time to reholster, you look at your holster, reverse your draw sequence with your finger off the trigger, and place your thumb on the rear of the slide as you reholster to ensure the gun doesn’t get bumped out of battery.

The situation determines the appropriate time to reholster. Your job is to stay in control the whole time, especially after the shot, when adrenaline and ego make people sloppy.

Range Work: Two Options Based on Your Current Skill Level

Near the beginning of the month, head to the range for live fire, based on how comfortable you are drawing from a seated position.

If you’re not ready to draw from the holster yet, you can still get valuable practice: start with the pistol already out and pointed downrange, then sit in the chair and fire from that seated position. That’s a smart way to build the shooting portion without forcing a draw you can’t do safely yet.

If you are comfortable drawing, incorporate 10 draws from the seated position, hands above the waist and hands below, using your shot timer.

Record your times, your marksmanship, the target used, and the distance. Then write the lessons learned. Example: pistol hung up on the seat. That note isn’t “extra.” That note is the whole point, because it tells you what to fix in dry fire.

Build Your Dry-Fire Plan: Fix the Problem You Actually Have

Now we do what most shooters don’t do: we turn shooting performance data into a plan.

Take what happened on the range and build your dry-fire reps around it. If the pistol hung up on the chair, your dry fire needs to include that exact chair and that exact angle until the snag disappears. If your foot pivot felt unstable, your dry fire needs to include deliberate foot placement and slow pivots until your body learns the safe path.

Then, toward the end of the month, head back to the range to measure improvement. This is how you get better on purpose. Not by hope. Not by random drills. By a loop: test, train, retest.

Do the work in dry fire, and you’ll see the results in live fire.

Accountability: Don’t Train in a Vacuum

Accountability matters in shooting performance. You can do it alone, but having a partner, group, or tribe helps keep you on track.

If you don’t have that network, build it. Share your growth, compare notes, and stay consistent. The shooter who improves the fastest is usually the shooter who trains with structure and gets honest feedback.

Conclusion: Put In the Work

If you want to improve your marksmanship, and your real-world readiness, you have to put in the work. That means building a solid dry-fire plan, tracking progress, and using tools like a shot timer and video recordings to elevate your training.

Train from the chair because that’s where life puts you. Build the strong-side foundation. Learn the angles. Respect reholstering. Earn your speed with safe reps.

Train Hard, Stay Safe, and I’ll see you On The Range - Rick

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