Grip Inconsistency

[LocknLoad]

I am still new, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but during my draw practice at home, I caught myself improving my speed, but my grip was inconsistent. So I reduced my draw repetitions. The number I reduced it by were put into "reverse draw" practice. I start with a perfect comfortable grip sighted on target, and then reverse my draw returning the gun to the holster. This helps me "feel" where my hand should be when drawing. I'll have to see if it makes any difference in matches, but it is beginning to make my draws more consistent and less spazzy. Hope this helps someone.

David S.

[Flexmoney]

Matt Burkett's DVD's cover getting the grip pretty well. I think Brian carries them in his store.

[pries81]

You might try a bit of grip tape applied to the gun where your hands make contact. I like using grip tape because once you train the feel of the good draw into your mind, you can remove the tape. I also like to come on top of the gun and almost push the grip into my hand. This helps me get a good grip. You can see my belt actually move down a bit from the pressure when I draw.

Visualize the look and feel of the perfect grip too. Before the buzzer goes off I like to think of just how that perfect grip feels.

Oh yeah, do that a thousand times or so...

[broadus123]

if your grips feel too small for your hands you might try some grip spacers to make them larger

[mpeltier]

Lots of good info posted above. I would only add, the holster you use may have a little to do with it as well. Years ago I used a holster that held the gun too close to the body, and i could not get a consistant grip. I changed to one with a little bit of stand-off from the body and my grip became much more consistant, very quickly.

[mgood]

I don't have huge hands, but I do play bass guitar professionally (40 years) and my tactile sense is something that speaks to me.

I'm a bass player myself. (I never made any money as a musician, but I made my living in and around the music business for years, as a soundman, salesman, etc.)

When I'm trying to learn an especially difficult piece of music, I'll slow it down, stupidly slow, well beyond the point I need to slow it down to play every note perfectly, to where I actually feel every note and get the nuance just the way I think it should be. I play it with a drum machine (becuase metronomes drive me nuts) and very gradually increase the tempo. I go faster and faster until I'm on the ragged edge and playing pretty sloppy. Then I slow it back down and start gradually increasing the tempo once again.

Every time I read someone telling someone else to practice the draw slow, getting the grip and everything just right, and gradually speed up, I think of that. I'm still a noob myself and I've been working on my draw this way.

Edited October 25, 2010 by mgood

[benos]

I am still new, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but during my draw practice at home, I caught myself improving my speed, but my grip was inconsistent. So I reduced my draw repetitions. The number I reduced it by were put into "reverse draw" practice. I start with a perfect comfortable grip sighted on target, and then reverse my draw returning the gun to the holster. This helps me "feel" where my hand should be when drawing. I'll have to see if it makes any difference in matches, but it is beginning to make my draws more consistent and less spazzy. Hope this helps someone.

David S.

I learned a lot from practicing the reverse draw.

be

[Powder Finger]

Another thing to consider is during dry practice you might try this.

Chip more than any other shooter I remember had a draw that went abruptly up to his upper chest (almost seemed to hit his chin)

the last 6 inches of that movement is where he would form the support hand part of the grip. Then the gun seemed to punch

straight out to the target with very little rise as that part was mostly done.

It looks kind of mechanical to see it but i think it allowed more time to form the grip.

Brian has a similar but not as pronounced style as I remember.

It would be cool sometime to see superimposed styles compared with input as to why their style evolved into what it was at the time.

As a side note: Chip would intentionally mount the holster very high (2-3 inches above belt line) to force the 1st part of the draw

to go pretty much straight up.

[BikerRN]

I'm a little late to the party, but would like to reiterate the necessity of establishing a good grip on the weapon while it is in the holster.

As already noted, "slow is smooth, and smooth is fast." Worry about getting a good grip, go slow, and you will find that your speed will get faster because you are smoother by expending less wasted motion. If you waste time re-establishing your grip after you've already gotten the weapon out of the holster, you will find that this increases your time to make the shot you need to make. You will do this because of the extra wasted motion involved in re-establishing your grip.

I like to tell people that they have one chance to get it right. Slow down and don't blow it.

Biker