Tip on steadying your hands

[Vince Cyr]

So, a few months back, I had what was known as a Vertebral Artery Bleed(anurism burst on an artery in my neck and I bled out on to my brain, symptoms are like a stroke). Healing up OK now, actually surprised the Doc when he took a look a week or so ago. But I lost some coordination in my right hand. It is slowly returning, but I still get some tremors in my hand, ring and pinkie fingers mostly. Not much of a problem with a rifle, but I have some trouble shooting pistols, mainly my defence piece(snubbie .38). Any pointers on keeping hands steady? I plan on getting plenty of practice (time behind the trigger is actually good PT), but any tips are welcome.

 

[zb338]

Dry fire any time you get a few minutes to do it. Build up your
muscles as best as you can. I'm doing it with my knees right now.

Zeke

 

[1KPerDay]

If it's biological/neurological there may not be anything you can do. My brother has tremors and can't really shoot pistols anymore.

For home defense, Shotguns work.

Practice at 3 yards with a pistol and see how you do. That's about as far as you can expect to be IMO.

 

[RPZ]

The brain is very "plastic" in it's ability to recover, and neuro pathways can recover. Find a documentary called The Brain Fitness Program (Peter Coyote). It was aired on NPR some time ago and is worth viewing for issues of stroke and other neuro related problems.

Nutrition and supplements. Not going to elaborate on that because it is a deep subject and controversial, but neuro pathways can heal. Do it yourself research.

In the meantime, get a good grip exerciser. I recommend this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GD-Grip-Pro...ength-Power-Exerciser-/232380890884?hash=item

 

[Vince Cyr]

The brain is very "plastic" in it's ability to recover, and neuro pathways can recover. Find a documentary called The Brain Fitness Program (Peter Coyote). It was aired on NPR some time ago and is worth viewing for issues of stroke and other neuro related problems.

Nutrition and supplements. Not going to elaborate on that because it is a deep subject and controversial, but neuro pathways can heal. Do it yourself research.

In the meantime, get a good grip exerciser. I recommend this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GD-Grip-Pro...ength-Power-Exerciser-/232380890884?hash=item

I'll have to try to find that documentary. The tremors aren't terrible, most of the time, and I do know that they are a sign that my brain is in the process of rerouting itself. I just know that the faster I learn to shoot without the tremors, the better.

Oh, and I do have one of those exercisers, too.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Physical therapy could be a good idea.

I would also practice pushing out with your shooting hand will pulling back against it with your weak hand a little bit. The tension between the 2 hands may help.

 

[RPZ]

The doc is available on DVD, maybe on youtube.

Go easy with the grip exerciser; you want to work up grip strength slowly. Warm up with a lighter setting than you "work up" with. But those grips are the best ones for "beginners" I have seen; they start moderately low, and are adjustable up to a meaningful grip pressure progression level. When you have worked your way up to the 80 lb setting with say seven to ten reps per set you are going to have a pretty good grip strength. For those who want to go further up the trail I would go with ironmind.com and their "trainer" Captain of Crush. These are heavy duty grip exercisers that run right up to versions requiring hundreds of pounds of grip pressure.

Might be worth buying some moderate weight dumbells and doing down by your sides then up to eye level extended arm exercises as well. Treat them like you would do with two pistols in your hands. Bringing them slowly up, hold, slowly down.

In my opinion both these exercises and the grip exercising are two of the most beneficial things shooters can do regardless of whether a health problem exists or not. Especially women/girls or men/boys with low grip and upper body strength.

 

[SteadyD]

Does the tremors happen in both hands equally? Would a switch to non dominant hand be of any help? Best of luck and a speedy recovery to you.

 

[bassjam]

I'd probably avoid the .38 sp snubby for the time being, and instead shoot a full sized .22 while you continue to heal.

 

[Vince Cyr]

Does the tremors happen in both hands equally? Would a switch to non dominant hand be of any help? Best of luck and a speedy recovery to you.

Just the right hand. Unfortunately, after 31 years of right-handedness, using my off hand is plain weird. I'm also right eye dominant, so lining up the sights is unnatural when the gun is in my left hand.

I'd probably avoid the .38 sp snubby for the time being, and instead shoot a full sized .22 while you continue to heal.

I have a couple of those I'll just need to find more excuses to shoot is all.

 

[ray15]

Dry fire any time you get a few minutes to do it. Build up your
muscles as best as you can. I'm doing it with my knees right now.

The trigger guard on my PPQ is big, but it isn't that big.

 

[herrwalther]

Dry fire, dry fire. Get yourself a cheap laser boresight to stick down the barrel. That will give you an idea how much your POI bounces around. Practice until it bounces less and less.

 

[SteadyD]

Just the right hand. Unfortunately, after 31 years of right-handedness, using my off hand is plain weird. I'm also right eye dominant, so lining up the sights is unnatural when the gun is in my left hand.


I have a couple of those I'll just need to find more excuses to shoot is all.

While you're getting in some extra practice with a 22, do some left-handed shooting. I'm battling some tendonitis in my right arm and am shooting more left handed currently. You never know what life may throw at you, so having some base level of skill with the off hand won't hurt, and may come in quite handy. Off handy, that is. I'll show myself out.

 

[readyeddy]

Try closing the right eye when shooting left hand.

 

[1MoreFord]

I hope you are using a two handed grip to hold your pistol. If you are not you should be.

At first this may seem counter intuitive but hear me out. Use enough grip strength with your strong hand to draw and present your pistol to your weak hand. Once you acquire grip with both hands apply most of your grip strength with your week hand. That will allow your non tremoring hand to assert control and the only thing your strong hand needs to do is pull the trigger. This is a trick top IPSC shooters have been using for years. Try it. It works.

 

[olafhardtB]

You can pull the trigger with BOTH index fingers. For most of us making coordinated movements with the index fingers is very natural. I find shooting double action helps me add the gripping strength of the trigger finger to the control hand. I use these techniques to overcome an old injury to my right hand.

 

[LoneGoose]

I hope you are using a two handed grip to hold your pistol. If you are not you should be.

At first this may seem counter intuitive but hear me out. Use enough grip strength with your strong hand to draw and present your pistol to your weak hand. Once you acquire grip with both hands apply most of your grip strength with your week hand. That will allow your non tremoring hand to assert control and the only thing your strong hand needs to do is pull the trigger. This is a trick top IPSC shooters have been using for years. Try it. It works.

My thoughts exactly. I hold the gun with my strong hand, and squeeze with my off hand. Very stable, very controllable.

 

[Sunray]

Once you're fully recovered, upper body toning exercises will help. Back and shoulder. Helps with archery too.
"...need to find more excuses to shoot..." "I want to." is a reason. Telling the physio therapy(buddy of mine teaches that in a TO hospital. He always wears black. He claims it's because of the bodily fluids he's subject to getting on him. Called him a liar and it was because it matches the black hood he wears when torturing his patients.) types it's mental health exercise.

 

[sgt127]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LPG5U...t=&hvlocphy=9026913&hvtargid=pla-318841229009

Try one of these. When I shot competitively I used one all the time. Coordination and wrist forearm strength.

Also, take a two foot section of broomstick. Drill a hole in the middle. Run about three feet of P cord through it. Hang a 2 1/2 or 5 LB weight off it. Extend arms straight out in front of you and roll it up. When the weight is at the top, roll it back down and keep going in that direction to roll it back up. Repeat as many reps as you can.

You will build muscle. Hopefully, nerves will start remembering what to do.

Good luck.

 

[BSA1]

Not much of a problem with a rifle, but I have some trouble shooting pistols, mainly my defence piece(snubbie .38). Any pointers on keeping hands steady? I plan on getting plenty of practice (time behind the trigger is actually good PT), but any tips are welcome.

Simple answer is don't worry about holding the gun steady. Why? Because it is impossible for anyone to hold a handgun absolutely steady.

Since you are asking for tips I will share one I learned from a older very good Bullseye shooter years ago. He said as he had got older he could no longer hold the sights steady enough to maintain his level of Bullseye shooting. His solution was to control the shakes by moving the front sight to form a figure 8. As the line muzzle was creating from the top and bottom circles crossed each other he fired the shot. As he still shot very high Bullseye scores the method worked very well for him.

 

[ilbob]

bullseye shooters call it the roll. the really good ones learn to let the sights slowly roll back and forth and they only pull the trigger when it is in the right part of the roll. you can't make it motionless but you do have some control over the motion itself.

 

[Vince Cyr]

Yeah, I've heard of the roll. My problem isn't so much that as my ring and pinkie fingers tend to spasm at inopportune moments.

 

[262madmike]

I sometime get tremors with my strong hand and switch to off hand

 

[John Joseph]

Maybe weight training with a 3-5# dumb bell, holding it out at 90 degrees and trying to keep it still for increasingly longer periods of time?

 

[C5rider]

When my dad used to shoot competitively, he would quite often hold a gallon jug of water with his arm stretched out. You might try that, even if you start with a half-full gallon first. Just a thought.