Grip your Pistol better (without any gimmicks)

So following with my last video on “Foundation,” I wanted to do a GRIP specific video. Normally what I present is pretty Uneventful….but This may get spicy. Video first, then I have a breakdown below….

So in one of the last videos/posts, I discussed that “Foundation” is what allows you to APPLY your grip-

BUT GRIP IS PARAMOUNT TO PERFORMANCE

I wanted to make the video above as succinct as I can for a simple reason: this should NOT be reinventing the wheel. We are not even taking about trigger yet… ALL OF THIS IS KNOWN AND WORKS- it is up to Instructors like myself, or the likes Ben Stoeger, Rob Epifania, Tim Herron, etc to convey these concepts to the masses. It’s then up to the end user to simply apply reps and focus to see HOW this works best for them. Simple…but NOT easy, as is the way in shooting. WE DONT need to use vague synonyms, or antiquated concepts...especially ones that don’t hold any real weight in high performance. THIS is where things get spicy...

First- PLEASE STOP trying to “lock out” your joints- not only is that counter-intuitive to Performance Sports of ANY KIND…it demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how the body works if you teach that to others. Wrists, just like shoulders, ankles, or any multi-dimensional joint- CAN NOT be “locked out”. You can hold a position and BRACE in that space, but don’t FLEX. So going so far as basing your entire Grip/Structure by “locking out” is already objectively incorrect on a few levels…both on and in front of the gun.

A correct grip is Leveraging the Gun and Body Structures as designed. Then the Grip is controlled by bracing the appropriate amount, and using the appropriate muscle groups. I covered this in my Foundation video in more depth, but the goal is to use your Grip on the Pistol to Transfer energy into your Lats/Core...thumbs and fingers don’t accomplish this. Grip strength doesn't come from focusing on your fingers- try doing a pull-up or climbing a rope with your finger tips.

I’ve grown tired of “Professional Instructors” basically copy-pasting what we already know, running it through a thesaurus, and “word-vomiting” the lessons to the internet like they invented something new. Not actually understanding the above, or the process it takes to get there. Just parroting YouTube lessons from Ben or JJ with little to no application. I see people making up new Phrases with no substance. Or worse, teaching a VERY niche grip or skill that works in one instance.

This is not a true understanding, mainly because most of these people don’t actually compete or serve actively. That is unaccetable if you’re teaching more advanced concepts. ”BUT THEY DO XX MILLION A YEAR IN TRAINING THEY MUST BE GOOD”…Yes and McDonalds out-sells everyone in the world in Hamburgers every year- don’t confuse quality with convenience. Don’t buy from “Fast-Food” Instructors…

I speak like this because outside their special drills and edits- they have no Metrics to what performance actually means; therefore no way to know if “their way” would pass our fail in multiple performance scenarios. Much like a Mcdonald’s “Hamburger” is only a hamburger by their own metrics- while we all know its trash…but oh does it Photograph well! Too bad it’s a C-Class burger at best…

Being able to Master Performance Concepts is MUCH DIFFERENT THAN the Novelty of a random Stand-And-Deliver drill that is only relevant to that class or scenario. AIM FOR MASTERY OVER NOVELTY. That IS NOT a 3yd-5yd Standy/Shooty drill, out of a highly customized gun, shooting competitor ammo, 10x in a row…that is a fairly low level skill- even if you are going sub second draw and shooting jailbreak splits. Unless you’re repeating cold, M/GM level Classifier runs…sorry. If your instructor doesn’t or hasn’t Competed or Served at a HIGH LEVEL…you’re likely wasting your time learning from them on high level concepts...again sorry. (Ive wasted my time and money, too- which is why Im passionate about this.)

So I will end my little post here…Im happy to discuss any of these points. Im especially happy to step onto the range and challenge these points, my opinion doesn’t mean anything if there’s a better way. This is just what Ive found works CONSISTENTLY over more scenarios. I teach the same thing to SWAT, or USPSA Competitors. Regardless of gun, ammo, etc. It works if you put the work in. Don’t try to buy or game the skills.