For some, this is a boring topic. For others, it is a continual fascination. I’m somewhere in the middle, but regardless, a good grip is essential to good shooting, and most people just don’t have a good grip. I am constantly working on mine, and whenever I think it is done, I find some area to work on some more. I wish that wasn’t the case, but it is what it is.
There are tons of videos on youtube that will teach you how to grip a gun, and I’m sure they are a good start, but I still see ineffective gripping every day on the range. Looking like you have a good grip is not the same as having a good grip. How your hands appear on the gun is pretty meaningless if your hands aren’t actually doing the things they need to do.
A good grip starts with the strong hand. For this discussion, we are assuming a right-handed shooter. Lefties simply do the opposite, no big deal. As high on the backstrap as possible is usually a good place to start. Pressure on the front strap and back strap, and only on the front and back, is essential. This means that a circular squeezing of the gun is no Bueno. Your shots will go to the left if you persist in just squeezing.
You should be squeezing as hard as you possibly can, as long as you can still independently move your trigger finger correctly! The key point here is that you have to be able to independently move your trigger finger, regardless of the pressure exerted by the rest of your hand. A novice shooter will not be able to squeeze very hard and still work their trigger finger. A top 16 guy will be able to crush the gun and still break a clean (enough) shot. You have to find where you fall and then work on squeezing harder. Your ability to move your trigger finger correctly is the limiting factor on how hard you can squeeze with the rest of your hand.
Your support hand should also be as high as possible, while not interfering with the function of the gun. It then squeezes side to side, in a clamping motion. In this way, the gun is being squeezed on all sides, but each hand is only squeezing in an opposing fashion, rather than trying to do everything at once. Like your strong hand, the support hand should squeeze as hard as possible, but since there are no trigger finger issues, it should then squeeze even harder! A weak support grip will lead to shots going left. A strong support grip will make up for all sorts of sins and will allow you to hit where you are aiming, almost regardless of what the shooting hand does.
Some guys I know, with pretty strong hands, find success by backing their grip pressure off from maximum. This can allow for faster splits and smoother gun movement. If you are at that level, then you should experiment with that. Keep in mind though, that a very strong grip backed off a little, is still gripping a lot harder than most weaker people can understand.
For shooting one-handed, a strong grip becomes even more important. I find that the harder I grip my gun, the better I shoot. Of course, you can only grip front to back when shooting one-handed, so you will always have some lateral movement under recoil, but the real benefit comes from stabilizing the gun better so that a less than perfect trigger press is not catastrophic.
If you are having issues with too much movement under recoil, or your shots are going left, see if your grip needs more work. Chances are, it won’t hurt to get a better grip.
Well written and informative – thank you.
SLG – I’m so grateful to see such your quality analysis of grip here on the pistol-training site. I’m looking forward to more of the “basics,” as it seems they have been replaced by the gimmick of the week club type of ‘training’ articles in recent years.
Thanks – so very much appreciated!
Don from Pa.
Thank you very much! I am a huge proponent of “the basics”. I hope it doesn’t get too boring for people, as it doesn’t get boring for me.
Thank you!
when I’m practicing or competing I’m almost always saying my mantra, “grip harder, go faster” before the beep. Only on really complex stages where I’m still undecided on my plan do I not do it. I find I need that constant reminder to really keep doing it.
It is definitely a useful practice to remind yourself about what matters, or what you are working on. Thanks for mentioning it!
I thank both Ernest and Todd for this. Ernest was the one who taught me how to grip the gun in what I feel is the single best way to do it, and how to teach it others. Todd then doubled down on that and gave me the mental aspect of it too, allowing me to create that mantra.