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Thread: Practice the Support Hand!!

  1. #1
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    Practice the Support Hand!!

    Warning-mild rant

    So I shot my first local IDPA match in 4 years. At my peak, I generally was top three and could win on any given day shooting ESP with a G35 or 34. Almost always top 5 in a field of 30-40 shooters.
    The club has two or three guys that are gamer serious. 3 or 4 guys who are tactics serious (me for purposes of this discussion) 20 guys that are just shooting and 5 guys that need a lot of help.

    Yesterday was a 50/50 day. Stage one had the shooter shooting freestyle down the center, strong hand only on one side and support side only on another, reload as needed. Shooting down the center went fine. Strong side only not so bad though I needed two shots to drop a popper at about 15 yrd. Scoot over to support side and the wheels fall off

    Drop points on all three paper targets and need 7 or 8 shots to drop the popper at 15 yrds. I literally had to say, after another reload, "DAVE watch your F(()*( sight and press it straight back. Apparently I was just right shot after shoot. I cannot tell you the last time I shot week support handed beyond the last time I shot a Dot Torture. (Where the only place I typically drop points is support hand only HINT HINT)

    Take a way-PRACTICE WHAT YOU SUCK AT. I have failed to do that.

    Stage 2 was a roll out and stand a deliver stage. 10 ish yards. shoot- move/reload-shot again. I WIN that stage.

    For 2020-I have recommitted to be more healthy-spiritually, physically, socially and martially (if that is a word)
    As such, I will be shooting IDPA the last sat of the month, getting in a live fire the week before and dry firing 2-3x week going forward
    Support hand shooting-10% (edited to add 60% +) of rounds fired until I stop sucking.

    YMMV
    Thank you for listening.
    Last edited by vcdgrips; 01-26-2020 at 02:43 PM.

  2. #2
    Site Supporter Totem Polar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by vcdgrips View Post
    For 2020-I have recommitted to be more healthy-spiritual, physically, socially and martially (if that is a word)
    As such, I will be shooting IDPA the last sat of the month, getting in a live fire the week before and dry firing 2-3x week going forward
    Support hand shooting-10% of rounds fired until I stop sucking.
    I like everything about the above statement. The only thing I’d change would be to up the percentage to 60, 75, or 80 percent for a short term goal. "Work your backhand until it’s stronger than your forehand" and "polish what’s tarnished; don’t just keep buffing the shiny stuff over and over if you want to make progress."

    Otherwise, I could stand to emulate you. Fact.
    ”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB

  3. #3
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    You are right re the % or support hand shooting. I have that % running around in my head. That is a training scar that presumes some base skill such that 10% keeps it sharp.


    It needs to be more because I am dull. Like butter knife dull.

    Blessings to you and yours in 2020.

  4. #4
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
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    It's pretty common for even fairly high level shooters to neglect WHO. A few years ago I decided I was going to take home the points people were leaving on the table by sucking at WHO shooting.

    Most WHO shooting challenges are fairly simple. You just need to be able to transfer quickly, and shoot accurately without taking forever. It actually didn't take that much work to get good at WHO after I got over an initial hump. One thing that helped me a lot was shooting weak hand supported--just like freestyle but with the hands reversed. This seemed to help my brain figure out that there's nothing weird about shooting the gun with my left hand.

    Now, I refresh my WHO skills with some doubles drills. I also like this 5sec par time standards on 3 Metric targets:

    (all from holster with hands at sides)
    30 yds: 2-2-2 freestyle
    20 yds: 2-2-2 SHO
    10 yds: 2-2-2 WHO
    "You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
    Shabbat shalom, motherf***ers! --Mordechai Jefferson Carver

  5. #5
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    Great observation and reminder!

    I shoot a few rounds WHO every range day and have seen some improvement but should likely dedicate a couple days now and again for WHO and SHO shooting solely.

    I think my weekly range session this week will be one or the other!

    Thanks!

  6. #6
    Good thought. I just shot a match Sat that had the first target of one of the stages shot support hand only. Shooting my M9A1 so it was going to be in double action. The only things that saved me was I realized I had to be sure not to hurry and it was 2 to the body at maybe 5 yards.

  7. #7
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    Practice with your weak hand

    One of my standard practice drills for 35 years has been:

    12 rounds freestyle from the holster (in pairs)
    6 rounds strong hand only from the holster
    6 rounds weak hand only (draw with the strong hand and transition)
    6 rounds weak hand with support (mirror image) beginning at low ready

    I usually shoot this drill on an indoor range, and do it once or twice at 30, 40 and 50 feet.

    When using .22s I shoot this on a B-24 target and when shooting with bigger guns I use an IPSC or IDPA silhouette target

    I may never need to shoot weak hand only in real life but I know for sure I'll have to shoot weak hand only at every pistol match I go to

  8. #8
    Site Supporter MGW's Avatar
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    I resemble this thread. I developed a pretty serious flinch WHO when I had tendinitis in my left elbow. That tendinitis is finally gone but the flinch isn’t. I need to get after it and fix that.
    “If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything." - Miyamoto Musashi

  9. #9
    Site Supporter Hambo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by vcdgrips View Post
    You are right re the % or support hand shooting. I have that % running around in my head. That is a training scar that presumes some base skill such that 10% keeps it sharp.


    It needs to be more because I am dull. Like butter knife dull.

    Blessings to you and yours in 2020.
    I regularly shoot 10% WHO, and I still suck at WHO. I can get hits in the black of a B8...slowly, or shoot fast and hits go to shit.

    Will shoot 50% WHO this week thanks to your post.
    "Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA

  10. #10
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    I don't have a weak hand, it is my other strong hand.

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