“Get a Grip!”

The grip of a pistol is the foundation of control. With a secure grip, the pistol will tend to stay in place when you press the trigger and keep a stable sight alignment. Without a stable grip, your shots will be erratic and difficult to analyze. It is tough to replicate the results if the pistol is unstable.

Every hand is a little different. The geometry is a little different for each of us. Let us look at a good grip. Then you can practice using dry fire techniques (see my article on “Why Dry Fire”) to find the perfect grip for you. Work on building the muscle memory so that the grip is the same each time you pick up your pistol.

First use your strong hand to grip the frame. The back strap should be in contact with your palm. Place your hand as high as the design of the pistol will allow. Do not block the slide or the hammer. Placing your hand this high allows the recoil to travel thru your hand to your arm to your body. This will lessen the kick you feel and enable you to be back on target quickly for the next shot. This is the position of your strong hand for one or two handed shooting.

Now place your weak hand over the strong hand. You should be able to feel the pistol grip with your weak hand. Do not lace your fingers, but use them as support. The thumbs should run just below the slide of an automatic pistol and just below the cylinder of a revolver.

Many of us were taught to cup the pistol with our weak hand. The method described above is more stable and is used successfully by almost all competitive and reactive shooters.

Practice and use dry fire to reinforce the techniques. This is a simple description of a simple grip technique that can be replicated with a little practice. You want to eliminate variables for consistent shooting.

Remember: This is where you build the muscle memory!