By Ron, Founder of Tactical Fitness Austin
Last updated: June 2026
TL;DR
If your groups have plateaued, the problem usually isn’t your trigger. It’s your grip. Here’s the single most common grip mistake we see, and how to fix it.
Your grip is the foundation of everything.
Trigger control, recoil management, sight tracking, follow-up shot speed. All downstream of how you hold the gun.
And most shooters grip their pistol wrong.
Not a little wrong. Fundamentally wrong in ways that destroy their performance ceiling.
The most common grip mistakes
1. Not getting high enough on the backstrap
Your strong hand needs to be as high as possible. Bore axis to grip distance determines recoil leverage. Low grip = more muzzle flip = slower follow-up shots.
2. Weak support hand pressure
Your support hand should provide 60-70% of the grip pressure. Most shooters have it reversed: strong hand death-gripping, support hand barely touching.
3. Thumbs crossed or in wrong position
Both thumbs forward, pointed at the target, parallel to the slide. Not crossed, not pointing up, not wrapped around.
4. Support hand not filling the empty space
The meat of your support hand palm should fill the grip panel space your strong hand leaves. No gaps. Maximum contact.
5. Locking out the support hand wrist
Your support hand wrist should be cammed down and forward, creating tension that locks the whole system together.
Here’s the problem
I can describe this perfectly. You can read articles, watch videos, look at diagrams.
None of it will actually fix your grip.
Because you can’t see what you’re doing. You can’t feel the difference between “locked out” and “mostly locked out.” You can’t tell when your pressure distribution shifts mid-string.
This is exactly what private lessons solve.
In 60-90 minutes of one-on-one coaching, we can:
– Diagnose your specific grip mechanics
– Physically show you what proper grip feels like
– Identify when you revert to bad habits under pressure
– Build a correction pattern you can practice solo
– Give you objective performance standards to measure against
Most students see immediate improvement in:
– Split times (often 0.1-0.2 seconds faster)
– Recoil control
– Accuracy under speed
– Overall shot consistency
This isn’t theoretical improvement. This is measurable performance change in a single session.
Private lessons at Tactical Fitness Austin:
– One-on-one instruction from ex-special forces operators
– Private outdoor range in Georgetown, TX
– Customized to your specific goals and weaknesses
– Actionable take-home plan for continued development
If you’re stuck at a plateau with your pistol shooting, grip is usually the culprit.
We can fix it.
Reply “GRIP” and I’ll send you:
– Available private lesson times
– Pricing and packages
– What to bring
– What to expect
Stop guessing at your grip. Let’s fix it.
Train hard,
Ron
Founder, Tactical Fitness Austin
P.S. – If you’ve been plateaued for months trying to figure out your grip on your own, one private lesson will save you months of frustration. Book now and break through.
Start Training (https://tacticalfitnessaustin.com/training/combat-club/)
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Frequently asked questions
What is the most common pistol grip mistake?
Under-using the support hand and leaving gaps in the grip. The support hand should do most of the work: closing every gap, indexing the same way each time, and pulling into the gun while the strong hand presses forward. Most accuracy problems that look like trigger issues are actually grip.
How hard should you grip a pistol?
Like a firm handshake, the grip you'd use to assert a little dominance, right up to but not past the point where your hand starts to shake. The goal is to let the gun move minimally so the sights return to the same place for fast, repeatable shots.
Can a bad grip ruin your accuracy?
Yes. The whole purpose of stance and grip is to mitigate recoil. A high, gap-free, two-hand grip lets the gun track flat; a sloppy one means re-aiming after every shot. If your groups have plateaued, fix the grip before changing your trigger or optic.