Support wrist lock-up in pistol shooting.

[YVK]

[QUOTE=Failure2Stop;471179]
When teaching the grip I want to make sure that the shooter can feel it in the top of the fore-arm. [QUOTE]

Excellent, thank you, that's exactly what I was looking for.

I am not sure if I was clear in what I was trying to express, but my "self-diagnosis", for what it's worth, was that I was over-doing the effort to cant that wrist forward.

I did do ball and dummy too; I do it during 80% + of my practice trips to the range, but I wasn't cognizant of my support wrist during that drill. In retrospect, should've paid more attention.

Thank you all for input.

[Doggiecop]

I just returned frm a class with Southnarc and he was an advocate of the grip YVK has photographed.

I like it, it works for me, but it will take some trigger time to get the muscle memory.

Obviously YMMV.

Be Safe,

[Gomez]

Outside of the bastion of the Modern Technique, it's hard to find someone teaching other than an aggressive thumbs forward grip. You'll find a surprising number of variations on the details of the offhand position but they are much more similar than dissimilar.

[Zhurdan]

BMFB,
If you aren't getting enough force out of your support hand, is it because your stance is bladed to one side (right side)? Try rolling your right shoulder forward to square up your stance and bring that left hand in a bit. Just a thought based on what you provided, if you're standing square, perhaps one arm is longer than the other (kidding).

[ToddG]

Zhurdan is dead on.

If you feel you are getting more muzzle flip when switching from #1 to #2, you are either doing it wrong or you're an unusual case. Not saying it's impossible or that you're a mutant who should be hunted down, burned, drawn and quartered, beheaded, eviscerated, and ... wait, I lost my train of thought.

On the Beretta, if your strong side thumb is riding the slide release lever, just move it outboard a smidge. It's unusual feeling, especially if you're used to riding a 1911 lever. But quite a few folks have to do it with Berettas, and tons of people have to do it with SIGs. Once you get accustomed to it, it's a non-issue.

You want to grip with your weak hand like a clamp, side to side pressure on the gun. If you're doing it right -- and it's new to you -- you'll feel it become uncomfortable along the top (thumb side) of your forearm pretty quickly. This goes away with practice, of course, but until you get used to it it's very noticeable.

You also want to make sure you are getting 360 degree coverage around the grips. The bottoms of your palms should be touching. If there is a gap between your hands, the gun will torque into that spot each time and it will be much harder to keep your sights moving in a consistent, trackable path.

[YVK]

Also, someone go VERY in-depth on just what is happening in pic #2? To me, I can't get any force out of my support hand if I lean it that far forward. It simply won't grip the gun as tight, and can't pull back as much.

Thanks for bringing it up. I try to put clamping action on that grip and I do not try to pull back much, but, in all honesty, I also feel that my grip is more secure with lesser amount of forward wrist cant.

P.S. Looks like Todd not only shoots faster than I, but types too.

[Jay Cunningham]

Keep in mind that many times switching to a new (correct) technique from a comfortable (incorrect) technique will initially produce lousy results. That is until you get used to it and actually put several hundred rounds downrange with the new technique.

Do not let this phenomenon discourage you.

[Gomez]

Keep in mind that many times switching to a new (correct) technique from a comfortable (incorrect) technique will initially produce lousy results. That is until you get used to it and actually put several hundred rounds downrange with the new technique.

Do not let this phenomenon discourage you.

A smart guy once told me that when working with a new technique you need 'correct repetition over time' before you can make an educated decision as to the value for you. When I transitioned to a thumbs forward grip thirteen years ago it felt horribly uncomfortable, but the impact on my shooting was undeniable.

[ToddG]

When I transitioned to a thumbs forward grip thirteen years ago it felt horribly uncomfortable, but the impact on my shooting was undeniable.

+1 ... and about the same timeframe, as well.

I sent this in an email to one of the guys who attended my class last weekend:

You're sort of in a sucky position. You've got a GOOD reload. But to make it GREAT, you're going to have to take a big step backwards and have a MEDIOCRE reload for a while. You've got to work off bad habits. It's the whole "one step back, two steps forward" thing. And it sucks. Because we all have a certain amount of ego attached to our shooting, and anything that turns in a worse score than last week is innately evil.

The #1 mistake I see good shooters make in a class is that many of them won't slow down and give new approaches a chance. They want to be the first guy to get his shots off, and the easiest way to do that is to stick with what they know. Getting some people to do a slow draw or a slow reload is like pulling teeth.

The guy who actually stops and looks at his grip after a draw or reload is the guy who is going to get the new grip right. The guy who actually goes slowly to do a real press out on every draw is the guy who's going to habituate that skill soonest. Etc.

[Heavy Metal]

I have found practicing my drawstroke next to a mirror has been invaluable.

The technique Todd showed us to get on sights faster is much more easily realized when you can watch yourself and get instant feedback. I now know exactly where in relation to my face to present the pistol.