• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Semi-truck collides with South Dakota police cruiser during winter...
        Florida 9-1-1 dispatcher guides family member through CPR after...
        NYPD officer rappels down skyscraper to save man from jumping to his...
        Indiana K-9 unit recognized with national Medal of Valor
        “I thank God for putting us at the right place at the right...
    • Labor
      • LAPD union proposes police stop responding to non-emergency calls
        Florida’s recruitment program lures Chicago police officers to the...
        Staffing shortages plague Cleveland police as record number leave the...
        New Orleans interim police chief aims to hire civilians in time for...
        “Anyone can get this job”: Memphis police lowered hiring...
    • Tech
      • New Jersey turns to license plate reader technology to address rise...
        One of country’s oldest cold cases solved with DNA from untested...
        Crypto crime investigations
        Austin Police Department launches non-emergency artificial...
        iPhone crash detection feature helps deputies rescue driver from canal
    • Training
      • New N.J. emergency service officers ready to respond in times of...
        Working effectively in low light
        Realism and stress inoculation in training
        Avoiding conflict and escalation
        U.S. trails in police training
    • Policy
      • Oregon law enforcement and retailers seek to combat organized...
        Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy...
        Opposing POVs on permit-less carry
        Ohio bill would lower minimum age to become a police officer to 18 to...
        Utah bill would allow people with “invisible conditions” to alert...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Thinking of pulling the pin on retirement?
        Expanding your identity
        Nonprofit offers telehealth therapy to upstate New York first...
        A California police department’s new wellness unit aims to improve...
        Massachusetts police department prioritizes officers’ mental health...
    • Community
      • “Tennis brings us all together”: NYPD officers bond with youth...
        First responders share love of reading with children for Read Across...
        Colorado Springs police kick off annual soccer ball giveaway to bond...
        “These are beautiful animals”: Community members gift horses to...
        Central Texas nonprofit to open law enforcement museum in honor of...
    • Offbeat
      • Ohio police rescue man from brutal zebra attack
        Motorist stranded in Oregon wilderness without cell phone reception...
        Cincinnati police work with animal rescuers to capture exotic cat...
        Not UFOs: Police departments across the country receive 9-1-1 calls...
        Texas deputy detains runaway tortoise after “slowest foot...
    • We Remember
      • New Jersey girl supports first responders through Running 4 Heroes...
        Law enforcement from across the country join seventh annual Fallen...
        Boone County holds fifth annual Jacob Pickett Remembrance Day to...
        Farewell to a “living legend”: Oldest law enforcement officer in...
        “Officer Becerra will never be forgotten”: Colorado police...
  • On the Job
    • Semi-truck collides with South Dakota police cruiser during winter...
      Florida 9-1-1 dispatcher guides family member through CPR after...
      NYPD officer rappels down skyscraper to save man from jumping to his...
      Indiana K-9 unit recognized with national Medal of Valor
      “I thank God for putting us at the right place at the right...
  • Labor
    • LAPD union proposes police stop responding to non-emergency calls
      Florida’s recruitment program lures Chicago police officers to the...
      Staffing shortages plague Cleveland police as record number leave the...
      New Orleans interim police chief aims to hire civilians in time for...
      “Anyone can get this job”: Memphis police lowered hiring...
  • Tech
    • New Jersey turns to license plate reader technology to address rise...
      One of country’s oldest cold cases solved with DNA from untested...
      Crypto crime investigations
      Austin Police Department launches non-emergency artificial...
      iPhone crash detection feature helps deputies rescue driver from canal
  • Training
    • New N.J. emergency service officers ready to respond in times of...
      Working effectively in low light
      Realism and stress inoculation in training
      Avoiding conflict and escalation
      U.S. trails in police training
  • Policy
    • Oregon law enforcement and retailers seek to combat organized...
      Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy...
      Opposing POVs on permit-less carry
      Ohio bill would lower minimum age to become a police officer to 18 to...
      Utah bill would allow people with “invisible conditions” to alert...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Thinking of pulling the pin on retirement?
      Expanding your identity
      Nonprofit offers telehealth therapy to upstate New York first...
      A California police department’s new wellness unit aims to improve...
      Massachusetts police department prioritizes officers’ mental health...
  • Community
    • “Tennis brings us all together”: NYPD officers bond with youth...
      First responders share love of reading with children for Read Across...
      Colorado Springs police kick off annual soccer ball giveaway to bond...
      “These are beautiful animals”: Community members gift horses to...
      Central Texas nonprofit to open law enforcement museum in honor of...
  • Offbeat
    • Ohio police rescue man from brutal zebra attack
      Motorist stranded in Oregon wilderness without cell phone reception...
      Cincinnati police work with animal rescuers to capture exotic cat...
      Not UFOs: Police departments across the country receive 9-1-1 calls...
      Texas deputy detains runaway tortoise after “slowest foot...
  • We Remember
    • New Jersey girl supports first responders through Running 4 Heroes...
      Law enforcement from across the country join seventh annual Fallen...
      Boone County holds fifth annual Jacob Pickett Remembrance Day to...
      Farewell to a “living legend”: Oldest law enforcement officer in...
      “Officer Becerra will never be forgotten”: Colorado police...
  • Between the Lines
    • The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
      The rule of law is worthless without order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Training

Grip vs. trigger

Why both are important in firearms training

Dan Kickert Published August 21, 2021 @ 8:00 am PDT

iStock.com/RapidEye

When it comes to firearms instructors, most of them fall into one of two camps. There are the “proper grip” instructors and the “slow, steady press” instructors. What if I were to tell you that both camps are right and wrong at the same time? If a pistol is placed into a vise and the trigger is pressed, the round will hit exactly where the sights were aligned, regardless of how the trigger was pressed. On the other hand, if a shooter were to use the worst grip possible but execute a perfect trigger press, the round would hit exactly where the sights were aligned. Taking these two facts into consideration, if you have a perfect, vise-like grip, trigger pull does not matter at all. If you are capable of executing a perfect trigger press each and every time, your grip will not affect your accuracy.

I know some of you are already thinking about muzzle rise, follow-up shots, weapon retention and all of the other stuff that comes along with a proper grip, but for right now we are just talking about accuracy. It is a given that larger movements are more repeatable than smaller, more intricate movements. It is also a given that under stress, we tend to lose our fine motor skills. Considering both of those facts, grip seems to be gaining a slight edge over trigger press. However, it is not necessarily the strength of your grip that matters most; it is where that strength comes from and how the pressure is equalized on the sides of the pistol.

We have all been at the range and seen the cop squeezing their gun so hard they were shaking. That is not what I am talking about here. I am talking about utilizing the “thumbs-forward” grip that I hope we are all using by now. With that good thumbs-forward grip, turn your elbows slightly up. This will incorporate your forearms, triceps and even your shoulders into your grip. It will be much easier to equalize the pressure on the sides of the pistol and will require less strain on your hands and wrists. In addition to taking less physical effort, you will be incorporating larger muscle groups, making this grip more repeatable. The reduced strain on your hands and wrists will also let you shoot longer without your hands experiencing fatigue.

I have mentioned actions being repeatable twice now. For those of you who are not aware why this is important, it is about consistency. We can shoot a decent group for our abilities, but occasionally there is that “one little guy,” that stray round, that is about an inch or two outside of your group. Some of us have more than just the one, and that’s OK, too. The idea is that by utilizing larger muscle groups, and making everything grip-related as repeatable as possible, we will increase the consistency of our hits. We will start seeing that “one little guy” once out of every 500 rounds instead of seeing him once every 50.

Trigger press is also important to achieving consistently accurate shots. We already talked about consistency and utilizing larger muscle groups to make our actions more repeatable. However, there really isn’t a whole lot you can do for that regarding your trigger press. What you can do to improve your trigger press is practice, especially dry firing. I tell my officers to place a dime on the top of their front sight, carefully come up with a good sight picture and cleanly press the trigger to the rear. Practice this, and if the trigger press is executed properly, the dime should still be balanced on the top of your front sight. The practice of pressing the trigger perfectly to the rear will help reinforce positive muscle memory.

If I had to choose what was more important between grip and trigger press for law enforcement, I will admit, I would have to say grip. However, I practice perfecting both. There are no rules in a gunfight, and anything can happen. When training force on force, I get shot in my hands. I get shot in my hands a lot. If I get shot in my hands in a real gunfight, I am not sure if it is going to mess up my grip or my trigger press more. But I do know that if my grip is good enough to make up for my sloppy trigger press, the round is going to hit where I want it to. If my trigger press is good enough to make up for my sloppy grip, the round is going to hit where I want it to. Until the day comes — and it will come — we really do not know which will be more important in our gunfight. Regardless of our personal thoughts or opinions, we have nothing to lose by focusing on both grip and trigger press in training.

Dan Kickert

Dan Kickert

Dan Kickert is a police officer in the south suburbs of Chicago with 15 years of experience. He is currently assigned to patrol and training. He serves his agency as a field training officer, range master, tactics instructor and training coordinator. He was previously assigned to investigations, where he worked as a homicide investigator in a task force setting for seven years. 

View articles by Dan Kickert

As seen in the August 2021 issue of American Police Beat magazine.
Don’t miss out on another issue today! Click below:

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Categories: Training

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Semi-truck collides with South Dakota police cruiser during winter storm
  • Florida 9-1-1 dispatcher guides family member through CPR after toddler almost drowns
  • NYPD officer rappels down skyscraper to save man from jumping to his death
  • New Jersey girl supports first responders through Running 4 Heroes program
  • Indiana K-9 unit recognized with national Medal of Valor
  • “I thank God for putting us at the right place at the right time”: Wisconsin police officers save choking child
  • National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Announces February 2023 Officer of the Month
  • New N.J. emergency service officers ready to respond in times of crisis
  • “Tennis brings us all together”: NYPD officers bond with youth through community tennis program
  • New Jersey turns to license plate reader technology to address rise in auto thefts

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Options | Notice at Collection | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.