Weak Hand Training

[wep45]

I am right handed and have a S&W model 686 .357 magnum with a 6 inch barrel.

I can shoot "ok" with my left hand only, but I would like to be able to increase the strength and dexterity in that hand.

I would like to know what methods others have used to improve their weak hand.

thanks

 

[mljdeckard]

First of all, good for you for thinking about it in the first place, too many shooters don't.

The thing that has helped me the most was getting a .22 conversion kit for my 1911. I shoot with BOTH hands until they get tired. The equivalent of this for you would be to get a similar-size .22 revolver. I'm not a S&W junkie who has all the models memorized, so I have no idea if they make something close to a K frame. (Or Taurus or Rossi, for that matter.)

One standard exercise is to make a fist with your non-firing hand, and clench it in tight on the side of your chest. The idea is to make it motionless. It looks weird but it works.

I'm still not AS GOOD with the weak hand, and I might not ever be, but I can shoot pretty well without fumbling around.

 

[threefeathers]

I started by increasing the strength of both hands. I squeeze a rubber ball 5-6 times a day. I have one in my desk and just do it.
For a revolver you need snap caps.
Get a crush grip, cant the gun just enough so you can see the sights with the dominant eye. Keep you eye focused on the front sight and pull the trigger as smoothly as you can. You will see the sight move if you are jerking, flinching, etc. Take your time, increase you speed slowly.
The combination of a stronger hand and smoother technique will come fairly quickly.

 

[Tyrannosaurus]

Don't use these:

Use these:

I used the hand grips for a while, and they didn't do me much good. After extensive use, I don't think they improved my grip much.

When you use the finger exerciser (whatever you call it), you can feel it working in areas in your forearms that you don't normally use. My shot accuracy has vastly improved after using an instrument similar to this on a daily basis. I got it at Academy for about 12 bucks.

After hearing about it in another THR thread, I drilled a hole in a small-diameter PVC pipe and threaded a cord through it, and tied it of to a barbell. Simply stand up, and twist the PVC pipe with both hands in order to wrap the cord around it and lift the weight. I've noticed that this works better with a small diameter PVC, because you have to work harder that way. Also, since the pipe is slick, it takes more effort to grip the PVC, which is good. I've only been doing this for a few days, so I can't attest to the accuracy results- but I can sure feel it working in the forearms.

Maybe I'm dead wrong on this, but it seems to me that grip strength involves more of the forearm muscles than I thought, and less of the muscles in your hands.

I'd like to hear any other thoughts on this!

 

[Mr_Rogers]

Yes, the grip strengthening makes a big difference. You will notice that the effects of using a grip exerciser are felt in several muscles of the arm as well as the hand. If you are notably one hand dominant you may be very surprised at the relative strength of your two hands.

 

[wep45]

grip strength involves more of the forearm muscles than I thought, and less of the muscles in your hands.

T Rex ..your suggestion about the finger exerciser prompted me to check out what was offered on E Bay and one web site shows this....after clicking on the web site scroll down to mid page were it talks about STRENGTH & CONTROL


http://cgi.ebay.com/GRIPMASTER-HAND...14&_trkparms=72:1234|66:3|65:12|39:1|240:1318

i will be getting one of these......Thanks

 

[VegasOPM]

Look into the Dyna-flex ball. It not only helps with strength, it also significantly improves dexterity. The gun itself is a very useful tool. Practice dry firing it for 15 minutes per day.

Another hint for weak hand shooting is to cant the gun a bit (45 degrees or so)- that brings the forearm muscles more in line AND it brings the sights into line with your dominant eye (if indeed your dominant eye correlates to your dominant hand). I'm not talking gangsta sideways, just a slight cant.

 

[DarkSoldier]

Strengthening the weak hand grip is a good idea and the suggestions offered by posters so far are good ones.

Train your weak hand the way you did your strong one. Fundamentals first, sight picture, trigger squeeze, two-handed weak hand shooting and finally one handed drills, all low speed for accuracy. You may have master eye issues and these can be addressed through body mechanics. As your skill begins to grow, increase your speed without sacrificing accuracy. Then move into the same type of combat drills you perform strong handed.

Learn to safely draw, manipulate, clear malfunctions, and reload your gun with only one hand or the other. This should only be done with an unloaded gun and no live ammo present. (These are essentially non shooting drills and there is absolutely nothing to be gained by doing them with a hot gun.) Pretty important stuff to know if things go bad.

Once you begin to acquire your basic skills, work them every time you go to the range to build and improve. I sometimes take a day and spend almost the whole session on my weak hand. I try to make each shot I send downrange contribute something to improve my skills.

Respectfully,

DarkSoldier

 

[Glamdring]

Dryfire dryfire dryfire.

Do a lot of dryfire one hand. Split your training evenly between weakhand and strong hand.

Most people do what they are good at because nobody likes "looking bad". If you want to really improve focus on improving the things you are NOT good at. Spend the bulk of your practice time and budget on your weakest skills.

 

[Tyrannosaurus]

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=402396&highlight=hand+strength

Hope this works wep45, this is the thread i mentioned earlier. Let me know how the exercise works for you!