Grip technique

MadMardigan

MadMardigan

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What grip do you use?

I use the straight thumb style. Just wondering what you all use, especially our competition shooters.
 
@NKD sent me this video a while back. Took a few months to click for me but when it did it improved my results tremendously. Left hand generating the majority of your grip and isometrically torquing cockwise and counter clockwise allows for stupid fast follow up shots.
 
Here is my grip. I do the pull inward with left arm, push outward with right, while attempting a death grip with the left hand.

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Do you guys allow your thumb(s) (specifically the left thumb for a right handed shooter) to touch the slide?
 
I was really intrigued with that video and the guy's grip. I've been sitting here watching the video and trying it on a gun I bought yesterday. My only concern is that, at least with this specific gun, I'm afraid I'll be so high up with the thumb of my right hand (strong side) that I could ride the slide lock lever. I'm going to have to see what happens out on the range today and also with some other guns.
 
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The Vogel video changed my grip completely too. It was a revelation.
I think the single most important thing is how hard you have to grip with your left hand, and how high it has to be.
I always had a fairly high thumbs forward grip, but just wasn't really hitting it hard enough.
I also wasn't putting rotation force in as high as possible with the wrists. Which puts all that clamping force right under the slide.

Many ways to skin a cat. But this video really made a difference for me. Another thing about Vogel I appreciate is that he has demonstrated rather convincely that the gun doesn't really matter. You can buy a spendy gun if you want to, but he'll still kick yer a$$ with his service Grock.
 
Crush your right hand with your left and with a high grip. Really try and rotate into the pistol like @NKD mentioned. It applies pressure at a critical area towards the top of the frame and nearest the bore axis. You can track your front sight back to the target if you drive it. Watch that Vogel video over and over till it clicks. We call it, having a Gripiphany. Took me 3 months or so to understand but I'm a little slow. Just adjusting my grip made a huge difference in my overall shooting.
 
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Mine, it may not be ideal, but I feel pretty confident in it, I get pretty high, left wrist tends to get pretty aggravated and it gets worse the higher I go, that helps nothing, I can block it in a match, but not dry fire. I don't really push/pull I just squeeze hard. There may be some incidental contact with the slide, but it's very minor, on my Glock not holding the stop down took a little practice, there's a small pocket formed in that area. I do get pretty deep on the trigger sometimes and my nail dragging on my support hand can be a bit distracting.
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pics courtesy of Trigger Pull Photography resolution reduced by imgur and cropped
 
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OutLore said:
Do you guys allow your thumb(s) (specifically the left thumb for a right handed shooter) to touch the slide?
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No. Nor should it.

Touching the slide with your thumb has the potential to cause malfunctions by interfering with slide operation when shooting.
 
WeepingAngel said:
I generally try to follow Bob's advice:

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I've unknowingly used "his" grip. I was going for as much surface area contact of my hands on the gun as possible.

While his grip is good stuff, I want to stab his mouth off for making that kissing/click noise every 10 seconds!!!
 
Love2shoot said:
Vogel says hes "locked out", is that his elbows? As in hyperextended locked out elbow joints?
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I don't think so. I think he is torquing his wrists to lock his hands and the gun together even more strongly than just a left hand death grip.
 
I tried the Vogel-fu grip yesterday and it does work... Very well. Sights were barely moving and came right back on target immediately. It was a very humid day tho and I found it was not easy to do with sweaty hands.
 
Watched a video recently, produced by Point Blank Range. Apart from the grip which was taught was also breath control. Different from other sports where you're taught to exhale before the stroke (basketball), the technique was briefly hold your breath when your grip is set and target acquired. And of couse exhale between shots! That keeps everything flexed and steady. Whereas releasing your breath makes your grip and muscles relax and accomplishes less control. That may be taught as lesson no. 2a by the guys in above videos.
 
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RetiredUSNChief said:
No. Nor should it.

Touching the slide with your thumb has the potential to cause malfunctions by interfering with slide operation when shooting.
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I guess it just seems that way in many of these videos - to me it looks like these guys are letting their thumbs ride up on the slide - especially with smaller guns.
 
OutLore said:
I guess it just seems that way in many of these videos - to me it looks like these guys are letting their thumbs ride up on the slide - especially with smaller guns.
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My left thumb may be up and forward enough to ride the side of the slide but I don't. The support side thumb is NOT part of the grip. No reason for it to touch the gun at all.
 
Remember when Tiger Woods was winning everything, and then he decides to 'improve' his swing?
Yeah, he sucked at it and never really came back.
That's me with grip. Everytime I change I suck. My grip is somewhat traditional but different. Only 1 thumb forward, none on slide and bent right elbow. Same with my stance too...a weird combo of weaver and isosceles.
Neither are anything I would teach anyone else. When teaching newbies I show them the 2 thumbs forward/stout grip with support hand/trigger hand for controls. They take to that pretty quick. I've also come to find that hand size can require some adjustments.
 
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JimP42 said:
My left thumb may be up and forward enough to ride the side of the slide but I don't. The support side thumb is NOT part of the grip. No reason for it to touch the gun at all.
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I actually run skate tape on the frame of my 2022 and my thumb rests there, I feel like it gives me a little extra control to get back on target quicker.
 
OutLore said:
I actually run skate tape on the frame of my 2022 and my thumb rests there, I feel like it gives me a little extra control to get back on target quicker.
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Full size 1911/2011 definitely have room. And my open guns have the thumb rest on them. But carry guns are too small.

If you are getting any grip on that tape, you have to push on it, which means something is pushing back. If your support hand grip is opposing the support thumb pressure that's good. If the trigger hand is opposing it, it may be counterproductive to good trigger control, depending on the individual.
 
JimP42 said:
Full size 1911/2011 definitely have room. And my open guns have the thumb rest on them. But carry guns are too small.

If you are getting any grip on that tape, you have to push on it, which means something is pushing back. If your support hand grip is opposing the support thumb pressure that's good. If the trigger hand is opposing it, it may be counterproductive to good trigger control, depending on the individual.
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I don't doubt I have trigger control issues, I am struggling through a flinching issue at the moment. :(
The tape was really added because I realized that after firing, the recoil caused my thumb to no longer be in contact with the frame - it would slip off. So I added the tape and it works, just enough grip to keep my thumb connected.
 
MadMardigan said:
What grip do you use?

I use the straight thumb style. Just wondering what you all use, especially our competition shooters.
Click to expand...

You need help, professional help. Take some classes if you are unsure about technique. It will take years off of your learning curve and save a ton of money in wasted ammo.
 
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Meckmeister said:
Watched a video recently, produced by Point Blank Range. Apart from the grip which was taught was also breath control. Different from other sports where you're taught to exhale before the stroke (basketball), the technique was briefly hold your breath when your grip is set and target acquired. And of couse exhale between shots! That keeps everything flexed and steady. Whereas releasing your breath makes your grip and muscles relax and accomplishes less control. That may be taught as lesson no. 2a by the guys in above videos.
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Maybe for slow count target shooting, but hard to do when you're doing .25 or even .5 second splits between rounds. ;)
 
georgel said:
Maybe for slow count target shooting, but hard to do when you're doing .25 or even .5 second splits between rounds. ;)
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That's the thing about practical shooting: you have to be able to shoot in any position, with either hand, while moving, etc.
And if you are fat and out of shape like me, you have to be able to shoot while sucking air big time.
 
So I've been trying the elbows "up" as Vogel talks about. Practiced it in dryfire, used it in Saturday's match, finally put some actual live fire comparison yesterday. I found with my 2011 it made a big difference. Did a side by side test at 7 yards. 6 rounds at speed elbows up. 6 rounds at speed not up. Elbows up was .2 sec faster and 6 alpha VS 3 alpha 3 Charlie.

Tried it with Matty's 2011 which has a thumbrest. Results were reversed.

So I guess the gun does make a difference on what grip you use.
 
I ditched the thumbrest on my CZ.
I found I would only use a thumbrest on a gun that has a working comp.
 
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