Flinching when shooting a handgun or pistol
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- čas přidán 7. 08. 2024
- Everyone will flinch from time to time when shooting a handgun or pistol. Here is an example captured on video that shows an actual flinch in slow motion. How to stop anticipating when shooting.
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"Let yourself feel the recoil" was the best advice I got on flinching. Accept it, expect it, and that extinguishes the fear of recoil.
That's pretty much how I trained myself not to blink when firing. I always pictured Sgt Barnes in Platoon telling that guy to take the pain. Gonna put it into practice with recoil.
Yes, this is more of an anticipation of a heavier recoil compared to a Ruger Mark III which is easier on the hand. There really is no instant fix for this problem other than frequent and constant training until shooting becomes so natural to the point that recoil doesn't seem to exist anymore.
Matt, thanks for these practical everyday videos. Some days I go to the range and I walk off feeling like Sgt. York. Some days after the first mag I'm feeling like Dick York, "Bewitched" by what the heck just happened. I'm glad you point these issues out and that they can be normal. Some days we just aren't as focused as others. And rather than becoming discouraged by our results we need to set our egos aside and work on what "WE" did to bring about those bad results in order to correct them.
Thanks man I have been teaching myself to shoot a Taurus PT111 G2 for about 3 months now and am coming along nicely because of videos placed on youtube. I have at times just wanted scream while watching some of these video because the guys talk about anything but teaching you the fine points of shooting. They eventually get there but bore me to death for most of the video. I still appreciate all you guys posting these videos to help people learn to shoot. So many of the youtube videos are a treasure trove of information. I did see several things I sometimes do especially about allowing your pistol to sort of creep forward. Thanks for the getting down to business. I really liked the idea of using a camera to tape yourself and then you can go back and critique yourself. It's a great tool. Thanks much.
Thanks for the range footage. Finally nice to see the sneaky culprit it slow-mo.
Nice video!
Shot anticipation can be like waiting for a firecracker to go off. It can cause your primary hand to squeeze too hard at the last second causing those 6 o'clock shots. You're trigger finger is at work while your remaining fingers (lower on the grip) squeeze down which rocks the weapon down like a lever.
Thanks for sharing. You do a fine job in presenting information.
Great channel!! Thanks for the info. I look forward to viewing all of your vids.
Thanks for the compliments, and welcome to the channel!
You present some great shooting ideas. I'm 74 years old and just got into shooting. Your videos help me with some problems that are both age related but also just bad habits. Looking forward to going to the range and trying out some of your ideas and yeah, I'm starting to work out so I can hold it steady and true. Glad I decided to subscribe.
Best of luck in your endeavors, and good to hear you're starting to work out!
I’ve only seen one other video about trembling and like you said no one really explains this stuff good. Ty for the video and I’ll share what i was told.
If you think you are flinching have a friend load the gun with 1 or 2 blanks for your shooting session. Then since you don’t know when it will be, you can see the flinch yourself
Saw another video where the guy mixed snap caps and bullets in his pocket and loaded mag without looking. Excellent way to practice firing without flinching. Always enjoy your videos, sir. You've been a great help to me. Appreciate your efforts, and enjoy your demeanor.
I've found out on my 44 magnum it's me flinching because of the expected recoil, not so much on my 357 pistol.
I am a new shooter and have been shooting a 9mm M&P. I developed a doozie of a flinch. I should record it because it is extremely obvious. Because I am a new shooter I am hoping to squash it as soon as possible before it becomes more ingrained in my subconscious.
Great information 👍🏿
Wow. Great channel. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
You're welcome. Should you ever have a question that you haven't seen answered on the channel, feel free to ask. Thanks for watching!
Awesome video and it's spot on! I'm a new gun owner and I shoot low. I' will video my shooting practice next time I go to the range. Thank you
Excellent video, thanks
Thanks for an honest video about this problem - I like your use of video for self-analysis and it makes me thinking about how ineffective my time spend on the pistol range was yesterday - when I had some 19 year old conscripts on the pistol range and tried to suggest solutions to them.
I will try to have a look into a way to use video for training - perhaps by using their own smartphones :).
+Asbjørn Kyhl Paulsen Using smartphones to video range sessions is a useful tool. When you analyze the video, that tells the tale! Thanks for watching!
Pretty amazing stuff. Thanx.
Why don't more people watch you? You give great tips and edu !
Nice usefull information. Thx
thanks for posting!!!!
+onemouse1 Thanks for watching!
This was a really helpful video, almost the exact issue I was having, I will be packing my video camera on my next range visit.
Glad it helped, and thanks for watching!
The issue you did not address is that every time you fire a handgun, it is like having a firecracker explode 20 inches from your face. Anticipating feeling that concussion is what causes the flinch. Being mindful of that feeling when I pull the trigger is what keeps me from flinching.
Thank Sir great video 😄👍
Another great and timeless video. I've noticed this greatly. I know it was my grip and having confidence on the recoil, not so much as focusing on keeping the gun flat but getting the shot out of the barrel. When I practice with the draw - present - and the shot I hit much better esp. with the first and second shot. This process, as it appears to me, takes my focus off my hold and totally onto the target. But, when I'm just normally taking aim, without the shot timer, my shots I end up chasing. Possibly over thinking my hold. I have watched several instructors demonstration of the grip and I've added the 2mm backstrap to my G26 to allow more support hand contact. I however know that I'm over grasping the gun trying to force a nice steady and repeatable shot. One aspect that I haven't been doing, that is rotating my elbows in thus forcing a pitching effect, esp on the upper portion of my grip onto the gun. I plan of focusing on this on my next range visit. And as you demonstrated, some range times I'm well within the 9-ring @30 feet to 40. Other times I'm to left and down, frustrating to say the least esp with all my 3 years of shooting. Flinching is my cause even though in my mind a firmer grip is how I react, making it worst. As I mentioned, under a shot timer beating the clock my first two shots could not be better. So I'll focus my next range time on my elbows, locked out but also slightly rotated in and I do not use the infamous style of 60-40 push pull but only enough to keep the grip well placed into the Web of my strong hand. I use my structure to control the rearward action and not aid the rearward movement by pulling towards me. Great video and trying not to over think the grip but make what works natural with simple machanics. In any confrontation there are two types of shots. The first and second shots are reactionary (I do well), the second is a deliberately aimed shot (target moves and must follow) and it's those shots I hit poorly as my grip seems to be my focus and it shouldn't. My goal is to be able to Double Tap those first to shots with quality followups. Again great video.
Good info.
You can tell if there is a flinch by looking at the target and where the hole ends up.
Good video. Also I find that helps is snap caps mixed with your ammo. Have a friend load some in the magazine and take your shots. When you get to the snap cap, you will see what your doing wrong.
+MATT BURGESS Agreed. I've done that many times. Thanks for watching!
About a month ago, my first time shooting ( I also deal with a physical disability, use a walker ) I used my Glock 48. Target was 25 yards. I hit 13 out of 30 rounds, ( was getting tried ) & the last 20 rounds missed. The trainer told me that I need to stop because he seen I was tired. He told me that I did good for my first & he felt comfortable with me. He also said that I should get a 22 , my 9 mm is small. I bought the Glock 48 for CCW , home and training on the range.
Good teacher
Hey Matt, took a few years to find your video, but i'm a lefty like you and I find it a little bit more difficult to control my grip,and anticipating the shot, I will try to record my actions at the range, something I've never thought of doing before but maybe if I can see what I'm doing wrong I can correct it, not gonna rest till I get it right , Thanks!
I find that I shoot my 9mm better after a session or two of shooting a small .45 like Springfield XDs. The difference in recoil is noticeable and makes a full size 9mm seem very calm. Less flinch because it seems mild after the subcompact .45.
This is very true I've noticed that also
Thanks for the video and the explanations. They were both very helpful and I appreciate your honesty. I've seen too many videos with people basically "showing off" their skills instead of giving some real advice like you did. When I flinch, it is because I anticipate the kick; therefore I shoot high/right. I know that any easy fix would be to buy a buy a 22 caliber handgun, buy I won't be buying one as I cannot afford to buy a gun I won't be carrying. Anyone have any suggestions that I could use in addition to the dry fire practice? Like others have posted, I don't flinch while dry firing.
When at the range try dry firing with a loaded magazine after you have shot off a clip or two. Your natural reactions will kick in and you can test not flinching better. When I dry fire with an unloaded gun I can stay on target all day because I know there is no boom pending. When I do it with the clip in (nothing in the chamber) it is real life and I see myself anticipating the shot.
Well done thank you from Denmark.
+Palanka Thanks for watching!
Thank you
Thank you. My problem too. Dry fire is perfect and stable. Range work sucks.
has a left of center problem but pro helped me
Thanks
Shot anticipation is the mother of all misses. That, and improper grip. If people could fix their grip and not flinch, their shooting would vastly improve.
great!
Tell me how to stop flinching.
I'm only 30 and my hands are shaky as hell. Not just witha gun I've been shooting regularly for 10 years. But just hold a regular laser pointer it's all over i can't hold it steady
Oh my god I have this exact problem!!! I can shoot very good group with my Ruger 22/45 lite but when I shoot my Glock17 my shots are all few inches lower. I will try to film my shooting in slow motion.
It could also be a flinch, because of the recoil difference between the two guns. If you can film in slow motion, you should be able to see it. Thanks for watching.
Does the bullet leave the barrel before recoil when you shoot or not ???,..that's has always be my concern,...please tell me.....
Technically speaking, recoil begins the moment the bullet begins moving. Thanks for watching!
Well, it's 2016 and I am seeing this video for the first time. Great video. I have a different term for the muscle flex and oscillation - I call them monsters.
Have someone else load your magazine and slip in a few snap caps. Then film firing the weapon.
You will be very aware of your monsters when the gun goes click instead of boom. :-)
I've done the ball and dummy drill to discover what you call the 'monsters' (nice term, by the way). What's been the most effective for me is dry fire practice. Thanks for watching!
What range is this, kind of looks like one I go to in Florida
It's a range in Iowa. Thanks for watching!
This is food for thought and as honest and forthright a video on this perplexing subject as I have seen thus far. Furthermore it got me thinking about why dry firing doesn't seem to ever improve my performance at the range. Thus, what I am wondering now is this: Since dry fire fails because of the absence of exploding force and its consequent recoil of the muzzle, would the experience of excessive explosive force and recoil make that encountered at the range relatively more manageable. If so, how can I safely practice "X-fire" (meaning explosive force exceeding that which is usually encountered when firing, say, a 115 gr 9mm cartridge at the range) in the garage or basement ?
Is there a store where one can buy "blank" rounds? (They seem to be nearly ubiquitous in the movies, but I have yet to encounter them where I buy ammo.) Is this idea a ridicu- lous one? Even if it turns out to be, thanks again for the video.
+a “mac” ectoman What caliber do you normally shoot at the range? If you shoot a .22LR pistol, are your groups better? I ask because I've seen people's anticipation or flinching worsen as they moved up in caliber. Everyone is different, but a handgun going 'bang' in your hand is a stressor, which normally creates the flinch to begin with. I've been at one indoor range where they used modified S&W M&P's, using Co2 gas to reciprocate the slide, providing more of a recoil type of action. I inquired about the cost, but all he said was "expensive". Thanks for watching!
+Personal Defense and Firearm Education You're welcome. Thanks for responding. I now shoot a 9mm hammer fired, polymer framed semi auto with a 4 inch barrel. I started with a 5 shot snubnose, .38, airweight revolver, but that gun is very hard to control and jumps in my hand as though it were animated. As a result of my embarrassing targets I purchased a 2.5" subcompact, striker fired, polymer framed semi auto. (The greater weight gave better control, and the sights were much easier to pick up.) Now, if I could afford to, I would buy a semi auto with a barrel of at least 5 inches, with the lowest bore axis and the greatest weight (think all metal instead of polymer) that I could find.
+a “mac” ectoman Well, that brings back memories. One of the first duty guns I bought was a snub-nosed Colt Detective Special. Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with that thing, for the reasons you mentioned. I switched to a 4 inch S&W within a month, which was a night and day difference. If you like 9mm and want a 5 inch barrel with a lot of weight, have you considered a 9mm 1911? That might be just the thing for you. Or, you could check out a CZ, as they're pretty hefty.
The CZ has a lot of appeal, and I believe that it is the heaviest pistol with a low bore axis. Furthermore, the mags hold 19 rounds! Given my lack of accuracy, I need a lot of capacity. Presently I am carrying 20+1 rounds in my CCW and two spare mags of 20 rounds each, so I am never going back to 5 rounds and a speedloader with as many. Marksmen can do that, but it's not realistic for me.
+a “mac” ectoman What kind of accuracy issues are you having?
Exactly what I am doing!
Hi Matt, have you ever had to deal with a problem with involuntary blinking? I'm reasonably happy with my groups, but for the life of me I can't stop blinking. I don't think it affects accuracy *too* much but it probably slows me down for a follow up shot.
I did archery for years; I had the same issue, but basically ignored it since you obviously aren't making follow up shots with a bow, and it didn't seem to matter much. However, I fear that might have helped to ingrain the habit.
Yes, I have seen that. Here is what has worked at times. 1. Take them to an outdoor range so there's less noise. 2. Double up on ear protection (foam earplugs and earmuffs). 3. Initially swap to a .22 pump action rifle, and have them fire the subsonic .22 short. 4. Make fully conscious effort to keep eyes open. Recommend doing visualization technique of keeping eyes open.
OK, I'll give it a try. Or at least something as close to that as I can manage. Thanks for the reply!
Fast forward to 3:00. Even then, I missed a suggested fix. Was there one?
There really is no instant fix for this. You would have to train constantly (expensive, yeah) to get over this, until up to the point that it comes very natural for you to shoot a pistol and think recoil doesn't exist.
Shooting is much like golf. One day you got it the next you don't.
👍🏻
So I knnow I do this, but how do I stop that natural tendency to flinch before the gun recoils? This is a good video for diagnosing the problem, but how do I fix it?
Dry fire practice. That's the key.
I personally benefitted from Snap Caps. Load them randomly into your mags so that you do not know when they will be chambered ... If you are flinching, you will notice it when you drop the hammer on one. www.amazon.com/Tipton-Snap-Pistol-Luger-pack/dp/B0048KFEQI/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1510465297&sr=8-7&keywords=snap+caps
you should start a Facebook page where people can post their photos of targets, discuss what they felt, and people could add problem solving advice.
Yeah, no. You aren't moving because of flinching and anticipating recoil. This is taken as gospel by shooting instructors and it's totally wrong.
Well known that many people shoot low and left, or mirror image for lefties.
This is due to me hanics of the human hand and your lack of compensating for it. Do this:
Hold your arm out and low enough you can watch your empty fist as you mimic pulling the trigger with your index finger. Your wrist will be fine and steady as you start to curl your trigger finger.
Curl/squeeze more and your fingers, as they make a fist, move left and down. When shooting, this happens many times JUST AS your grip gets tight enough to be at the break on your trigger.
Ever notice a small pistol is harder to shoot than a large pistol? Because you have to make a tighter fist and you pull it more.
To correct this:
A. Use SIGNIFICANTLY more finger on the trigger than you've always been told.
B. Practice with an empty fist, 3 fingers and thumb and wrist stay firm, move only the trigger finger.
Notice that when done naturally the last joint (closest to the hand) curls as you tighten. This is the culprit.
Practice maki g the first two joints ts of the finger CURL BACK AGAINST THE FIRST JOINT. This is your correction.
Then do that in live fire. Takes conscious effort.
C. You can also try a handgun with a larger butt. Double stack, or a larger backstrap.
Good luck!
Sorry for typos and should be "...last two joints of trigger finger should curl against first joint of the finger in isolation from the rest of the hand..."
This is what I was always told and spent countless hours working on grip and trigger control, with absolutely no effect. I finally started mixing in snap caps and could plainly see I was flinching before the trigger broke. With no flinch I hit the bullseye dead on, if I do flinch I'm way low and left.
Pls i want a gun professional respond me