Drinking From the Spring

Often times we find ourselves drinking from the same spring. We stay close to the spring because it is a known source of something we deem essential. I don’t see much wrong with this type of thinking other than it can limit your true potential growth. But that’s the point, if you are open to growth and the desire to improve then my reply will only be an “ah-ha” moment you use as a stepping stone. If however, you have no desire to grow or even challenge your convictions then this may come across as a negative commentary. I cannot tell you the right answer, you will have to discover it out for yourself.

Label the Fear

The first thing we do with a new shooter is try to identify their greatest fear. Whatever the fear it will be the biggest barrier to entering the world of shooting. The overwhelming majority have a great fear of loosing control of the firearm as they are shooting and possibly hurting someone else or themselves. This is not an irrational fear to the new shooter. Our curriculum is designed to address this head on by talking and explaining how the forces produced during firing can be managed and controlled through proper technique, namely the crush grip.

Talking Through the Problem

We start off with a simple drill that describes how the hand works. How it articulates and produces force. Afterwards we have the shooter hold the firearm and apply what we dubbed the “crush grip”. The details of which can be read on other blogs such as this one. With the firearm loaded and a crush grip applied we observe the shooters demeanor to make sure they are okay. Then we will grip their hands with one of ours. This allows us to “feel” their crush grip. If it is tight we will mimic the tension. If it is loose, we will mimic the loose fit. This gives the shooter a tactile association with what they are actually doing. The dialogue during this process is always enlightening. It usually starts by asking them if they feel my grip on their hand. Do they recognize it as strong or soft. This dialogue naturally triggers them to squeeze towards harder to achieve the crush grip and the light bulb moment.

Consistent Application of Pressure is Key

From there, we can start adding to their plate. Without the crush grip achieved, the confidence to hold the firearm will be illusive and prevent them from achieving their true potential. At some point we get into the details of how it works. When we teach the crush grip it starts by applying pressure with the bottom two digits, your pinky and ring finger. You must squeeze hard and hold for the duration you intend to shoot. The reason for this is actually quite simple. When the firearm discharges it is displacing force into your hand, where it first makes contact is literally under the trigger guard where your middle finger is located. That is the fulcrum point and as we all know, the further away from the fulcrum the more leverage. It is leverage that allows the new shooter to gain the confidence they need to firmly hold and fire the gun. When this crush grip is not obtained or consistent pressure not applied you will see the negative result, both in confidence and in performance.

It’s Not That Simple

The confidence was something I touched on earlier in the blog, but the performance is often misunderstood. People think that to shoot fast they only have to pull the trigger fast. They are correct. However, it is a trick question because if I changed the question to shoot accurately fast, then you have to start talking about the sights. The crush grip allows the firearm to remain in what we call the sight box. Albeit it is an imaginary box at arms length. If you can maintain the sights in the sight box, your speed of sight acquisition is greatly increased thereby increasing the ability to shoot fast as long as you understand trigger control.

Quality of Movement in Isolation

At some point there will a conversation about how the trigger finger must move independently from the rest of the hand. That is virtually impossible and we prove it in our class with a silly coordination trick. Your hand is a complex mechanism and it is tied together through nerves and tendons along with muscles. It is very hard to get it to do things in isolation. With a powerful crush grip you will have to put effort into moving your trigger finger smoothly following all the current wisdom. The trick is to concentrate on your pinky finger, keep it tight. The rest of the hand will stay tight allowing you to concentrate on moving your trigger finger smoothly. It is not easy in the beginning and we acknowledge that with our students, but it is achievable.

Reading this blog is valuable as it provides you with a different point of view. Getting out there and experimenting with the techniques described is a good start to truly understanding. Getting into a training class with someone who truly appreciates the crush grip and can share all the finer details is the best.

The post Revisiting the Crush Grip appeared first on Trident Concepts.

I love shooting demonstrations in classes, especially with subcompact pistols. I typically share three subcompact shooting tips to help improve your performance on this tiny blasters.

Get Stronger, It Fixes Most Problems

Nothing in this world is free. You have to pay in some way, shape or fashion. If you want to shoot subcompact pistols well you will have to improve your grip strength. There is no getting around this through equipment or after market modifications. There is no averting this fundamental truth, just get stronger. Grip strength is one of those subjects talked about a lot, but not often in a manner that produces results. Avoid any flexing and extending exercises for high repetitions. Instead, you want exercises focusing on isometric tension. Since this most closely resembles shooting when applying and holding a crush grip. The biggest mistake I see in shooters who want to develop their grip strength is relying on hand grip strengtheners as their sole means of improvement. While they can help to build the strength in your overall grip, we want to hold onto to something with a powerful grip for an extended period of time. My personal favorite are heavy farmers carry, but with a twist. Pick up something with a handle, then point your trigger finger straight down. Carry the item for distance, then switch hands or carry two at the same time. Over time, this will help you to clamp down on your grip versus milking your grip.

Get As Much Friction As Possible

While most subcompact pistols barely fit into the average size person’s palms you still need to obtain a solid firing grip. Start by identifying the five points of contact, then ensure you occupy as much surface area as possible. Using an in-line thumb grip gives you the best access to the pistol’s surface area. Your goal when shooting subcompact pistols is to create as much friction as possible through your grip. With the short frames many are tempted to use pinky extensions or extended magazines. Using these for your reload magazine is no problem. Part of the reason you are carrying a subcompact is the reduced profile for optimal concealment. Adding length to the frame produces more you need to conceal. Instead, curl your pinky finger underneath the base of the magazine. Take it one step further and press the tip of your pinky finger into the palm of your hand while applying your crush grip.

Take It Slow, Concentrate More

The last thing to do is slow down. These subcompact pistols are not as forgiving as their full size counter parts. The extra weight and size of larger pistols allow the average shooter to get away with less than ideal technique. Not the case with the subcompacts. You need to concentrate on slowing down in two major areas. The first has to do with obtaining the optimal firing grip. If you take a little bit more time in the beginning to ensure the best grip it will pay dividends when shooting subcompact pistols in rapid fire mode. Then slow down your shooting. Take more time to align the sights. Many subcompacts come with a poor sight system so sighting errors can be compounded. Slowing down your trigger management will also allow you to work with the suboptimal triggers usually found on the subcompacts.

Practice Drills For Peak Performance

When it comes down to performance evaluation I typically run two drills. The first drill is a Bill Drill where I fire six rounds total in rapid fire mode. I fire these from the 7-yard line as prescribed, but I do it versus a six inch target with six second par time. My goal is to be sub-par with 100% accuracy. To do this drill well you have to focuses on a solid, crush grip. Decent recoil and trigger management will net you a passing score. Then for accuracy, I take the subcompact pistol back to the 25-yard line and run a TRICON bullseye qualification. This is five rounds in ten seconds for score versus a bullseye target with 80% as passing. Both drills allow you as the shooter to gauge your skill level and focus on where you need the most practice.

I love shooting subcompact pistols and they offer many people who would not normally carry concealed the option due to their size. With a little practice shooting them well is easily achievable.

The post Three Subcompact Shooting Tips appeared first on Trident Concepts.