One hand recoil control

[JHC]

An anecdote: I was taking a weekend class with former FAM/Agency green-badger Matt Graham, when we got to the one handed modules. I was, up to that point, an advocate of Ayoob’s stressfire punch approach; aggressive, karate-esque forward stance, support hand pulled back, etc. This technique tends to favor a bit of inward canting of the sight plane, as well, eg.:




Being a dan holder in Okinawan Goju-Ryu, I was comfortable with this approach.

Matt’s take was practically opposite: more upright stance, same nose over toes and upright head posture as in two-hand shooting, but with the elbow bent, and the sights canted outward.

Matt is necessarily very good at reading people, and he quickly noted—looking at me—that we might find it hard to believe, but that we’d see. On the way back to the line, Matt says to me “I want you to fire the first 3 shots your way, and the next 3 the way I just showed you.”

So the drill starts, and I’m in zenkutsu-dachi for shots 1-3, and the gun is tracking slightly up and to the left (I’m right handed, btw), per normal, but not much, because I’m all structured up. So I then stand upright, and let my arm bend and the gun roll out the other way, almost as if I’m holding a baby Hamster in my palm. I’m thinking “this is effete as fuck; nothing feels right about this...” but shots 4-6 happen faster, as the gun tracks straight up, and then falls right back where it was during trigger press. I hear Matt’s voice come in through the electronic muffs, with a single word: “Right?” And he’s already gone and working with the next student on the line by the time I can turn my head to make eye contact.

Matt is a buddy, and he knew he could teach me best by giving me a little shit, and the point was made. It shouldn’t work, but it does.

Add in making sure that the medial joint of the thumb (where it appears to connect with the side of the hand, at the web) is forward of the backstrap edge to mitigate the energy drain out the thumb/support side, and you have a surprisingly effective method for directing a handgun one-handed.

I wouldn’t say it was a life-changing event, like a civilian attending their first ECQC, but it was absolutely an event that changed my shooting.

JME.

I cannot wait to try that outward cant!

[Totem Polar]

I cannot wait to try that outward cant!

Be sure to watch the Seeklander vid that Cory put up in post #2. The odd cant is a byproduct of getting the arm behind the gun.

[Clusterfrack]

I cannot wait to try that outward cant!

I tried tucking the elbow and it works fine for one target. But it makes transitions very awkward.

[JHC]

That was really interesting. Thanks!

@Totem Polar good call!

[Totem Polar]

I tried tucking the elbow and it works fine for one target. But it makes transitions very awkward.

No free lunch, eh?

[JAD]

Flagging my thumb (sticking it straight up) was a game changer for me with Glocks. I don’t seem to need it with 1911s.

I drew my CCO to switch holsters yesterday and realized why I don't (intentionally) flag when SHOing 1911s -- I damn near flag them all the time. My thumb doesn't stick up but the base knuckle is in the same position.

I started off trying to shoot glocks with a similar grip but because they're wide it worked better for me to let my thumb run under my other thumb. When SHOing I really do consciously flag. It kind of makes me wonder, and I will have to mess with it next time I bring a full size Glock to the range.

To GJM's point, the challenge of one-handed shooting for me with a Glock is that it's harder to grip the shit out of the gun to cover for the awful trigger. It's not a liability I have with the 1911, and is a decided advantage of the platform for me.* Recoil control, as Givens demonstrated, is just a matter of getting some ass behind the gun if you can.

[eta, *I should put that on the clock]

[JHC]

Be sure to watch the Seeklander vid that Cory put up in post #2. The odd cant is a byproduct of getting the arm behind the gun.

There are a couple elements to his current preferred technique and I've been dry firing them to get a feel of it.

About his point re flagging the thumb, I'm not seeing that turning my thumb down is creating the gap he warns about. I'll try shooting them both in live fire soon. Thumb down feels a lot more solid in dry fire so far for me. In fact I seem to loose less of the offhand's support of the left side of the grip.
Might be some anatomical differences as his demo of thumb down was not hinging the thumb down as I do, but his thumb was straight as it moved downwards.

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[98z28]

One hand shooting is by definition “abnormal,” so it seems like you need to be able to shoot it no matter what position your feet are in. I think the primary consideration shooting one hand is trigger control, not recoil control.

Fully agree. If you're forced to one hand, it's probably an odd and quickly developing scenario where stance and grip take a back seat, so you'd better work the trigger well. I think Tom's/Seeklander's similar approaches have a lot of merit when you would normally have the time and ability to get a good grip and take a solid stance, but need the other hand for something, such as holding someone behind you who is not in a position to fight or seek cover (a child, prisoner, etc.). In other words, it's worth applying if you have the time/ability, but can't get the other hand on the gun for some reason. Even then, trigger control is king (as with all other shooting).

[Tom Givens]

Fully agree. If you're forced to one hand, it's probably an odd and quickly developing scenario where stance and grip take a back seat, so you'd better work the trigger well. I think Tom's/Seeklander's similar approaches have a lot of merit when you would normally have the time and ability to get a good grip and take a solid stance, but need the other hand for something, such as holding someone behind you who is not in a position to fight or seek cover (a child, prisoner, etc.). In other words, it's worth applying if you have the time/ability, but can't get the other hand on the gun for some reason. Even then, trigger control is king (as with all other shooting).

Completely agree. However, with a bit of practice the footwork adds virtually no time to the presentation of the pistol. Proper grip and stance should be used when possible. If unable to shift around, get the shoulders forward and push the gun around-- don't let it push you around.

[GJM]

Leaving aside fighting, when it comes to gun games, one hand shooting is a place you can hate yourself or do really well. For years, I tried to bluff my way through one hand shooting, until I ran smack into the Rogers School, which has the most demanding one hand shooting anywhere. My first few trips through, I hated myself, and then I committed to learning how to shoot with one hand. While technique helps, there really is no substitute for busting a lot of primers and figuring out what works for you. Now when I see one hand stuff on a classifier or otherwise, I believe I can shoot above my two hand ability. This also comes into play if you are a dog person, because things still happen even if you have a leash in your hand.