​Dry Fire Practice – Grip

In my last post I talked about practicing your draw from concealed. This time I want to talk about grip. A proper grip is about maintain control of your firearm.

At the range, or in training we have sufficient time to ensure our grip is correct. What about in a self-defense response? A self-defense event last just seconds. Each movement we make to respond must be exact and take minimum time.

This is where dry-fire practice comes in. While it may seem tedious, dry-fire practice is a crucial tool. When it comes to a self-defense response, a proper grip can mean the difference between stopping the threat and succumbing to the threat. It may mean losing control of your firearm.

With a cleared firearm (and no ammunition in the area) in its concealed location, expose the grip. Place your hand firmly on the grip with your hand high on the backstrap. Your trigger finger should be indexed, most likely outside your holster, or if IWB carrying, your  belt. Your thumb should be along the frame.

When you draw the firearm from the holster your strong hand grip should not require adjustment.

As you bring your firearm up to engage the threat your support hand should wrap firmly around your strong hand.  
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Practice this slowly at first to ensure you can get a proper grip. At first watch the steps. Then transition to picking a point to simulate a threat and get your grip without breaking your visual lock on the threat. Practice getting the proper grip along with drawing from concealed until you can draw from concealed with a proper grip consistently and quickly.