Posted on 02/08/2017 12:29:52 PM PST by PROCON
The Problem:
A few days ago, one of the better shooters in your club, who is right handed, came to your monthly training session outfitted with left-handed gear. After a little chiding and questions, more out of curiosity as to why the new get-up, his comment was “it makes you think.” You get it, sort of, but what’s that got to do with improving one’s shooting skills? He’s one of your top shooters and he shoots as well with one hand as the other, which leaves you to wonder if there isn’t a little more to it than just thinking. As a result, you’re left wondering how working from the support side helps one to become a better shooter.
The Solution:
There is a little more to it than mental skill development, but that is often an unrecognized aspect of shooter-performance improvement.
Long ago, I got my first exposure to this concept of shooter improvement as a member of a new-shooter training team honing our skills one summer at the Army Marksmanship Unit in Fort Benning, GA. Unfortunately, I have forgotten the coach’s name to give him proper credit, but at the end of the shooting day he announced that we all would shoot our last 10 shots of the training session left-handed (support side), slow-fire at 50 yards, in the allotted 10-minute time frame.
Every one of us on the line thought he was joking until he reiterated for us to get ready to shoot. I thought to myself, “This is going to be ugly” and went to work when the “commence-fire” command was given.
(Excerpt) Read more at shootingillustrated.com ...
I must admit that I don't do this often enough.
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Weak hand training is always a good idea. There’s no guarantee that when the fecal remnant impinges the rotary cooling device that you won’t be injured or impaired already. Train to live.
CC
I saw this in a cowboy movie 60 years ago. No kidding, I remember it well.
I routinely shoot a magazine or two weak-hand only (unsupported) during a session, and I change magazines using only my weak hand.
I will also shoot a magazine with my glasses off (using only clear safety glasses), just to remind myself what it will be like when there's time to grab a weapon or my glasses, but not both.
Doesn’t sound too hard.
I started life as a lefty; my first grade teacher fixed me (rubber bands on my fingers so I couldn’t write left handed).
I hold a fishing rod like a lefty, but pretty much everything else is like a righty.
I need to try shooting as a lefty.
But then, I learned to shoot rifle and pistol left handed and transitioned to right when I learned how important dominant eye was to shooting. So I guess I can do both equally poorly..........
If you have to shoot on the move while driving, having a trained left would be invaluable. But that would most likely be in pursuit of a fleeing individual. That’s a no-no in most places!
Don’t be like Vendome.
When practicing this last year on my M1A, I grabbed the trigger and stock the same as I would right handed.
pulled the trigger and my thumb was forced backward. Could have broken it.
Was careful for the next 3 mags, ensuring each time my thumb was forward and parallel to trigger finger.
This is not an issue on bolt action or AR.
I’m right handed. I’ve never shot a pistol with my left hand.
Rifles? All the time. The vision in my right eye is poor so I’m very accurate by shooting left handed.
After my first IDPA match, I made it part of every range session. Both hands, right hand, left hand ... I use the one-handed shooting skills in matches shooting around barriers. Other shooters contort themselves to get both arms past the barrier, exposing too much of themselves and risking a cover call. I switch to one-handed ... much easier, and just as accurate. For me, anyway.
The next step is a one-handed mag change and racking the slide with a new round.
Dyslexics will be happy to note there is no benefit to shooting your hand off...
I am left handed. After getting tennis elbow, I learned to shoot right handed. Now I can shoot with either hand and shoot the same number of rounds with each hand when I go to the range. Accuracy is the same with either hand.
I knew the trouble-makers were going to show-up :-)
Shooting off hand was mandatory in my training.
Get shot in strong arm and you got another whole good arm and hand left over!
First time is interesting ...
Malfunction clearances and emergency reload drills should also be practiced with support side and one-handed...
Very awkward at first and then suddenly the brain flips and it becomes much easier and more automatic...
Always a chance of injury to firing side hand, leaving you with support hand only...You CAN do it...
Didn’t do it much until I started shooting Double Duelist in SASS.
me too out to 7m and my eyesight is 400+ bad. does 2 things. i gain confidence and really focus on front sight. as i tell my friends, i can hit a threat at 7m without my glasses. i just cannot identidfy if it is a threat or not without my glasses.t
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