Revision b741b66f-a180-418f-9018-ad8f38746810 - Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange

The short answer is that it seems to be standard policy for Starfleet personnel to transport with both hands free, facing the front of the transporter. There are a few instances in Enterprise, Voyager and TNG where the crew beam into hostile situations with their phasers drawn or standing in a circle (or both) but these are very much the exception rather than the rule.

**TNG : Legacy** &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**TOS: Day of the Dove**  
![enter image description here][1] ![enter image description here][2]

As to *why* they keep their weapons drawn (and their hands inside the circle), the [Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Technical Manual][3] seems to suggest that it's a question of *transport efficiency* to keep everything directly above a single pad.

![enter image description here][4] 


  [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/sN6sV.gif
  [2]: https://i.sstatic.net/y9hJs.gif
  [3]: http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Deep_Space_Nine_Technical_Manual
  [4]: https://i.sstatic.net/0iOfg.png