Grip Technique, "pinching" at the base of the strong hand thum

[Jay870]

Interested in thoughts on activively pinching inward on the beavertail at the base/web of the strong hand thumb when using a two handed / freestyle grip.

I've been experimenting with this lately and it seems to help me settle the sights. If I really concentrate on only "pinching" at the very base of the thumb I find I can apply a good amount of pressure to the grip/beavertail without the rest of the thumb steering against the slide.

Just wondering what others experience is with this.

Edited July 16, 2010 by Jay870

[G-ManBart]

I think anything that you have to actively concentrate on isn't going to do much for you in the long run. A seriously firm grip, backed off just enough to let your trigger finger work normally, is going to give you the fastest recovery and help the sights settle quicker. R,

[Jay870]

Well sure... I have to concentrate on it now but like anything else it would be become subconcious with reptition. The question of course is... do I want it to become subconcious?

My current grip is death grip with the support hand and a firm but not crushing grip with the strong hand. My hands are kind of "meaty", so it may just be that the little extra pressure high on the gun with a relatively boney part of my hand helps lock things up.

I originally picked it up in a brief youtube video where Sevigny is talking aboug grip. And in retorspect I also believe Vogel mentioned it when I trained with him, though I was a little overwhelmed at the time so I could be mistaken.

[Aloha Robert]

Using the base of the thumb is a controversial topic. You will get a lot of opinions on that. I kind of agree with G Man Bart that best results are with firm grip and ease off enough to get trigger control, but HOW you do that becomes controversial. The muscles at Base of Thumb are by far the strongest in the Hand and the most efficient at producing grip. However again how you do this is controversial.

In Open class, the answer is easy, use a grip assist such as a *thumb rest [generic]*. That automatically puts your hand in best position for using your thumb so you can take advantage of those bigger muscles at base of hand. Makes your grip efficient without a lot of stress so trigger finger can work well.

In Limited or Production, (in USPSA) it gets a little more complicated. My solution is on guns that have thumb safety or grip cut out for thumb (dominant), then use the non dominant thumb over dominant thumb technique which allows you to use those big thumb muscles. However, you will find that is a minority opinion. Those that do not favor thumb over thumb mention points like steering, tracking etc. Although I am in minority here, I have not experienced any of those problems.

I think OP (Jay) is to be commended for proprioceptive body awareness figuring out there out to be some way of using those bigger more efficient muscles.

Edited July 17, 2010 by Aloha Robert

[FranDoc]

Vogel talks about a "pinch" when he draws -- IIRC it uses the base of the thumb - and the thenar muscles that drive the thumb - pinching the gun between that and the index finger MCP joint (the "knuckle").

I've tried it and like the results. It doesn't take a lot of conscious thought, just a millisecond check on the draw to ensure that my hand feels seated.

Edit for typo.

Edited July 18, 2010 by FranDoc

[AWLAZS]

I pinch the gun with my support hand fingers. It locks the gun in place nicely and lets the trigger finger move smoothly.

[benos]

A seriously firm grip, backed off just enough to let your trigger finger work normally, is going to give you the fastest recovery and help the sights settle quicker.

That's what worked for me.

be

[Paladin]

First off I think u need a full and complete grip on the gun (with gaps or spaces between hand and grip minimised to reduce 'wiggle' room- so the gun has to fit your hand well)...then do exactly as G-man said.. I find that if you have to be making 'special' accomodations then your performance from shot to shot will not be consistent.

[Paladin]

..you probably know this already but for emphasis....check also your stance, elbow position and tension points in your shooting platform..ensure tension is at the right points in your shooting position..

[Jay870]

I guess I don't see why this is viewed as a "special accomodation" or some contortion that could not be reproduced reliably without great concentration.

Any new (to the individual) technique will require concetration in the learning phase. For example camming the support hand forward to allow for a higher grip and extension / "lock out" of the wrist for improved recoil control is broadley accepted as a beneficial technique, yet it requires concentration or at the very least mindfulness in its execution until it no longer novel and simply becomes ingrained in the overall grip. I don't see what I am describing and experimenting with as significantly different... it is simply a means to the end of applying more grip pressure very high on the frame of the gun with the goal of reduced muzzle rise and more consistent sight return.

[sherpa]

Just to clarify which 'part of the palms' contacts the grip panel.... is it only the meaty part of the thumb muscle that contacts the upper grip panel (below the safety), OR is it also important to have the meaty part of the pinky finger contacting the lower part of the grip panel?