Help with weak hand

[Big_Steve]

I shot a match on sunday and it was the 3rd time that I have shot the same weak hand/ strong hand classifier. I have had the same problem each time. The recoil when I shoot weak hand kills me. I am horrible with my left. Is there any tips, tricks, drills, or modifications that will help my weak hand shooting? Thanks for any help

[Matt Griffin]

I shot a match on sunday and it was the 3rd time that I have shot the same weak hand/ strong hand classifier. I have had the same problem each time. The recoil when I shoot weak hand kills me. I am horrible with my left. Is there any tips, tricks, drills, or modifications that will help my weak hand shooting? Thanks for any help

Sadly, the only big trick is lots of practice. Airsoft is a great, cheap way to practice this.

As for specifics, the reason you can't hit crap and the recoil is throwing you around is because you have dumb muscles in that hand. When you pull your trigger finger, all of your fingers are clenching and moving your aim around, and you can't selectively tense your wrist while allowing your hand muscles to keep moving, so you limp-wrist the shots.

Work on muscle isolation and wrist tension.

H.

Edited June 25, 2007 by Houngan

[Eager]

At a recent club match I noticed the top shooter do a weak hand sub-stage with the pistol held at about 45 degees from vertical. Sort of a semi gangsta angled grip. I asked him about it and he said that at short distances this grip did not impact accuracy but significantly helped his recoil control, and that he learned it from other good shooters.

I haven't tried it yet but I plan on it, and would like to know if others have heard of this trick.

I also plan on practicing weak hand with my spring pistol (airsoft).

Edited June 25, 2007 by Eager

[tightloop]

I have seen some very good shooters slightly cant their weapon but it always seemed to aggrivate the situation for me so I just learned to hold it vertically with either hand..

[eric nielsen]

I never had much problem shooting WHO with a big heavy Open gun, but when I played with a Limited Glock for a couple years, it started to be a bad problem. I'd shoot say 8 shots for some short drill, then find only 7 holes in the target. [tape up & count hits with difficult stuff, it helps]

I even bought a .22 conversion for the glock which really helped my trigger control but never got rid of the problems with Major ammo till I actually SAW my left hand clenching down into a more recoil-resistant grip during a string. As in, all 5 fingers and the wrist all changed position, as the shot was going off.

My old way, worked fine in Open, was just flop the gun over 25 or 35 degrees. Didn't realize i was also cranking my wrist out a little, to bring the dot into view. This same technique in Ltd was just a disaster for me.

Decided to look in the mirror at my strong-hand-only stance, really figure out the mechanics of it & how it doesn't get messed up during recoil: it was arm pretty straight, wrist set nicely, gun canted less than 10deg.

Then i put the gun in my weak hand, shifted my feet, and reproduced that S-H-O stance, without regard for seeing the sights, just make the left hand & arm do the same thing. Then I turned my head [a lot] to see the sights. Shifted my feet a little to match the new natural point of aim, and that's that, been using that stance ever since.

Little bit weird to turn the head just before [or else during] the draw but it's nothing compared with the advantages of keeping my arm, wrist, and fingers still while shooting. Try making your strong-hand & weak-hand stances into mirror-images, it might help.

Edited June 25, 2007 by eric nielsen

[Paladin]

..there is no such thing as a weak hand.. you have a shooting hand and a supporting hand.. depending on the situation your right or left hand may fill either roles..

Change the concept of a 'weak hand' and your shooting will improve on your so-called 'weak hand' ; if not your mind will hinder the progress of the 'weak hand' and you will force things to happen, e.g. reducing the flip, rather than letting it flow..

[Big_Steve]

Guys I really appreciate all the help. I will be heading to the range and spending some time with an empty gun before my next match.

[eric nielsen]

A cool trick if you can make it work is do like E. Grauffel: shoot using the right eye & right hand, shoot using the left eye and left hand. Then you're 100% mirror-image on your stance.

Once in a while i'll spend 10-15 minutes at home trying to get better at it. Good drill is to work the trigger RH/right-eye then take a big step fwd with the left foot while switching hands. Then work the trigger on the same target [or mirror] going LH/left-eye. Repeat right, left, right, left.

With a 1911/2011 gun you can lock the slide back & working the trigger is more realistic.

[benos]

I always struggled with "support hand" shooting, and I never practiced enough so I never really got any good at it. But I can remember a few good strings that I shot exceptionally well. And the key points I remember, which were all there for every good string, were:

There was no feeling of any sort of rushing whatsoever.

My the pistol just floated out there, straight up, to full arm extension. (Elbow just straight.)

I calmly looked RIGHT AT the front sight.

For all the rest of the bad strings, two things were always there:

Always rushing.

Hacking away at the trigger like I was cracking a whip.

be