Your body cannot be stable above the waist if it not solid below the waist. To do this you need to plant your feet.
This is the basic placement of the feet. The toes of the left foot should face towards the target. The toes of the right foot should face away from the target, 90 degrees to the right. Your heels should be 10-14 inches apart (whatever is comfortable) making an �L�.
The other school of thought on the Weaver is to have both feet face forward, with your left foot slightly forward of the right foot. The feet should be 8-12 inches apart. Again, whatever is comfortable for you.
Typical revolver designed for concealed carry. These are very simple, very reliable weapons.
Do not lock your knees. Leave them solid but flexible. You should be resting your weight somewhat equally on both feet but with a slight majority on your right leg.
Again, this is all about you. Use what is comfortable for you.
Your hips should be squared with your heels with the left hip slightly forward of the right hip, through the torso, all the way up to the shoulders.
With an unloaded gun in your right hand, keeping you finger off the trigger, and at arms length, bring it up to eye level, pointed at the target. You will notice that your right bicep crosses the chest.
Bring your left hand up to meet your right hand. Wrap the fingers of the left hand around the front of the right hand. If you have longer length fingers you can place the left index finger either alongside the trigger guard or wrap it around the front of the trigger guard.
Now drop your left elbow down so that it starts to point towards the ground. Remember to keep it comfortable. Do not strain the shoulder muscles. Your right arm should be more or less straight with a slight bend in the elbow. If you feel comfortable doing so, lean forward slightly from the waist up. This is known as an �Aggressive Posture�. Lean only as far as is comfortable and try to keep your weight evenly displaced between your feet, remembering to keep a slight majority to your right foot.
You should be able to bend at the knees slightly, swivel moderately at the hips, and bring the gun closer to the chest by bending the elbows. Remember to always bring the gun up to eye level. Do not lower or cock your head to meet up with the sights.
Holding a pistol up in any hold will tire the arms after a bit, but after practice the body will get used to this and soon it will not be such a burden. If you are at the range and your arms get tired, set the gun down and take a break and a stretch if you like. You can then go back refreshed.
Another point of personal preference is how to hold the gun. I prefer to use what is called a �High Hold�. This places the web between the thumb and index finger at the highest safe point on the grip of the gun. I prefer to use this grip because the higher your grip, the more control you will have over the recoil.
But you must take caution and try out different types of pistols to see which one is right for you. Always do this with an unloaded pistol. You want to make sure, for example, if you are using a revolver, that the hammer will not come back and pinch the webbing. Or if you are shooting a semi-auto that the slide will not come back and cause damage to the hand.
Note the safety and slide release.
Once you find a pistol you feel comfortable with, put both thumbs on the left side of the pistol, resting the left thumb on top of the right thumb. On a 1911, the thumb safety would be the most convenient place.