Pretty sure I have been gripping too hard

[GJM]

Late last week, I experimented with not gripping as hard and noticed these benefits:

1) my trigger control was better and splits were faster on each target.

2) my transitions were faster.

3) it generally took less effort.

Thinking about why, I believe extra grip tension was negatively effecting my trigger control, and the extra tension was slowing and making my transitions less smooth. JJ and TPC describe ideal transitions as being able to move a full cup of water without spilling liquid.

This led to a discussion with my wife about “how much,” which is always difficult without instrumentation. Something I started to think about is setting your ideal transition speed, using the full cup example, and then using that amount of grip tension to work back as your starting point.

I realize this is highly individual, and perhaps even platform specific, but the initial results are extremely promising.

[CCT125US]

Very interesting. I applied that thinking to the amount of extension used. You wouldn't walk with a full cup at extension either since you would have no shock absorbers. Looking forward to this thread.

[Jay Cunningham]

I find this interesting, but my suspicion is that as shooters progress into the realm of highly skilled, things start to become extremely subjective.

[Clusterfrack]

I went down that path a year ago, and it’s worked out really well.

On the PSTG site, Hwansik Kim posted a very insightful analysis of how hard you need to grip, and the importance of separating grip force from wrist tension. If the gun doesn't move in your hand when it recoils, you don't need to grip any harder. Wrist must be "locked" fully though. Many people grip super hard, and think that's how to lock the wrist. But you can separate the two.

I’ve come to the conclusion that a lot of the “crush it” advice is not helpful if you have decent grip strength.

[JV_]

IMO, the problem with fixed grip strength examples, like the glass of water, is that people with much stronger hands can input a lot more force without introducing that unwanted stress that could slow you down.

There are a lot of benefits to a stronger grip when it comes to masking trigger control issues - even if it's just an intermittent one.

[Jay Cunningham]

This is a very interesting topic, and from my perspective it’s most interesting when thinking about how to approach teaching the new shooter, and then coaching the intermediate and then the advanced shooter.

[JV_]

it’s most interesting when thinking about how to approach teaching the new shooter, and then coaching the intermediate and then the advanced shooter.

Agreed. I know I've retried a few techniques that started working as my experience deepened.

[psalms144.1]

George - are you finding this improvement with less grip pressure using ALL platforms, or just the VP9 you've been running lately?

[Darth_Uno]

I find this interesting, but my suspicion is that as shooters progress into the realm of highly skilled, things start to become extremely subjective.

It’s like baseball. When you start teaching kids how to bat, it’s an always/never deal. As they get older and better, you can really start to tweak dozens of things about their stance and swing. There’s some core fundamentals that don’t change, but you could end up with a swing that’s not “by the book”.

[GJM]

George - are you finding this improvement with less grip pressure using ALL platforms, or just the VP9 you've been running lately?

Other than the MPX that I also shoot for Steel Challenge, I can’t recall having fired a round in anything but a VP9 or VP9SK in the last six weeks, so this is based on the VP9 .... for now.

JV, just to make sure we are on the same page, I am not advocating less grip strength, or suggesting that grip strength is not important, just that my using less of whatever grip strength I have is working well for me.