What's Wrong With Tea Cupping?

[Zerodefect]

Tea cupping causes the gun to recoil up and to the side.

A proper combat grip allows the gun to recoil straight up and back with alot less flip than tea cuping.

I tea cup my Kahr P380. It's so small I can't fit both hands on the gun. A combat grip puts my support thumb past the end of the barrel where it'll get hurt. Works ok, a P380 deosn't have much recoil anyway.

 

[dmazur]

If you shoot firearms with really heavy recoil it will feel like someone is hitting your teacup hand with a ball-peen hammer.

I transitioned to "weak hand wrap" grip a long time ago, for shooting 1911's.

For some reason, the first time I tried to shoot a Super Blackhawk (.44 Mag), I used a teacup hold.

I learned two things -

1. The "plowhandle" grip is designed to allow the revolver to rotate upward on recoil.
2. When it does this, the "corner" of the grip frame smacks your palm rather smartly.

For shooting a single-action revolver, the "weak hand wrap" also positions that hand so you can use it for cocking the hammer for follow-up shots. You don't have to use the weak hand to cock, but I believe it is much faster than using the strong hand. It doesn't seem to disturb your grip as much, either.

 

[Cosmoline]

I remembered I have some video of my partial teacup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipufy9Al-UI

That's with a Colt DS. You can see how my off hand is angled down, with the palm wrapping the base of the revolver.

It almost sounds like you are trying to use your support hand to hold the shooting hand down...this is an unfortunate byproduct of the Weaver stance

I think you may be onto something there. I think I am pulling down as well as back. Food for thought.

 

[Ruger GP100 fan]

Back to CapnMac's comment about the supporting elbow against the side of the body sounds like it may improve my accuracy with my 6" GP100. I have 2 worn out shoulders and it is hard for me to shoot 6 rounds without stopping to rest my arms. I have been doing the both-arms-out-straight stance I see most shooters using and my groups are not shrinking very fast. That is one of the proper ways to shoot? I place my support fingers around my shooting fingers,using my support hand to pull the hammer and dislike the teacup and wrist grip.

 

[9mmepiphany]

That's with a Colt DS. You can see how my off hand is angled down, with the palm wrapping the base of the revolver.

Now you know how having pictures/video is so nice.

The isn't anything wrong with your grip, you hands are just too big for the gun. If you look closely, you see that your fingers are lined up with those of your shooting hand...your hand are just so large that you are overlapping the bottom of the grip.

You're not using the tea cup grip...i told you many folks who teach shooting don't explain it correctly. You could actually improve you grip a bit by pointing your left thumb more forward, under the cylinder, by straightening out the top of your wrist.

 

[David E]

Also, get more "meat" on the gun from your left hand. It looks like it's fleshy part against fleshy part. This allows the gun to move inside your grasp, causing inaccuracy or forcing you to reacquire your firing grip.

Instead, plant the fleshy part of your left hand on what's exposed on the left stock of the gun. Then, squeeze the hands side to side, as if you're trying to squeeze the grip panels together. 70% support hand.

 

[doc540]

read Brian Enos and his ideas about gripping a pistol

verrrry interesting

 

[Rexster]

Looking at your video, I see you are NOT tea-cupping.

Think of a cup-and-saucer. The weapon hand is the cup, the support hand is the saucer, a mere platform for the weapon hand to rest upon. THAT is what I have heard called the "cup-and-saucer" grip, which is what I presume tea-cupping to be. I have seen plenty of folks who learned, pre-"Modern-Technique," to shoot that way

 

[jmorris]

If your support hand is acting as the saucer it offers zero support unless everything is static.

 

[Cosmoline]

Ironically, I grip my actual tea cups in a classic Chapman hold.

 

[Cosmoline]

Well I went back to the books and after perusing "Stressfire" again I think I've found something a little more orthodox that will work for my potato grubbing mitts. If I can get to the range this weekend I'll post a new vid of it.

 

[TheProf]

The "tea cupping" method may work well when "target practicing" on a static range. It's like having a support rest...especially if you brace the supporting hand's elbow on your ribcage.

But the question is...are you preparing for "target" competition....or combat? You may find that the "tea cup" method offers less weapon retention (in case of a gun grab) and it may be slow on a a dynamic shooting situation involving multiple assailants.