Cannon could be traversed slightly side to side when run out, but this was rather uncommon and usually only reserved for the guns at the front of the ship when coming into action (broadside guns, not chase guns pointed forward). For the most part, guns were aimed by moving the ship.

At least in the British navy, gunners were taught to prefer speed over aim in firing. British ships drilled to fire rapidly at short range, where shots couldn't miss the hull; the philosophy was "kill the men and kill the ship." French doctrine was to attack sails and masts in hope of rendering the ship immobile.

The standards varied widely among captains, though; Philip Broke of the HMS Shannon trained his crews both in aiming and in a rapid rate of fire and had his decks carved with aiming marks, but he was very much an exception. The Admiralty provided only a small fixed amount of powder and shot for training; captains had to purchase extra themselves.