\n<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always struggled with shooting fast and accurately, which keeps me as a mediocre C-class USPSA shooter. But, I recently attended a pistol class at Vortex Edge that fixed an issue I\u2019ve been working on for years\u2014I, like many right-handed shooters, hit low left when I try to shoot fast.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the first 30 minutes of the class, we did some simple drills and the instructors made two modifications to my grip. I could then shoot fast (.19 to .22 splits) and maintain A-zone (6 x 11 inches) hits at 15 yards. I then progressed to a sub-second (.97) draw with an A-zone hit, another milestone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you are also struggling with maintaining accuracy with your pistol while pushing for speed, here are the simple tips and drills to try.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Vortex Edge<\/a> instructors, Brennan Brennecke and Chris Urrutia, both master class USPSA competitors, began the class by explaining that you can slap the trigger and stay in the A zone of a USPSA target, even at 30 yards.\u00a0<\/p>\n I had been taught that you needed to smoothly squeeze a trigger for accuracy so the motion doesn\u2019t shift the barrel\u2019s position. But, Brennecke and Urrutia explained that if you lock a pistol in a vise, you can hit the trigger as hard as you want, and the gun would still shoot tight groups, and therefore a good grip can overcome an aggressive trigger pull.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI should be able to grip my gun in such a way that I can press the trigger anyway I want without moving the sight out of an A zone at 25 to 30 yards,\u201d Brennecke says.\u00a0<\/p>\n I was skeptical but willing to give the concept a try. We started with a drill called \u201ctrigger control at speed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe premise of the trigger control at speed drill is to figure out how to grip the gun well enough so that the way you press the trigger doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Brennecke says. \u201cIt\u2019s basically a grip diagnostic.\u201d<\/p>\n This is a dry fire drill done with an unloaded gun or with a dryfire training system<\/a>. Take your unloaded pistol and aim it at something small, about an inch target at 5 yards. Then take the slack out of the trigger and press start on a shot timer<\/a> set to random delay. If you don\u2019t have a shot timer, you can download a free shot timer app that will serve the same function.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs soon as the timer\u2019s beep goes off, I want you to smash through the trigger,\u201d Brennecke says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pay attention to what your front sight or red dot<\/a> does after you hit the trigger. Did it move left? Did it move down?\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis drill where we force ourselves to slap the trigger, is good for teaching us how to grip the gun correctly and putting the right pressures into the gun,\u201d Brennecke says. \u201cIf we see movement we know we are doing something incorrectly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Read Next<\/strong>: Best Handguns<\/a><\/p>\nThe Drill<\/h2>\n
Adjusting Your Grip\u00a0<\/h2>\n