« What doesn't work in Chicago won't work in Cheyenne | Main | Todd Jarrett shoots 1000 rounds in 10 minutes »
The Todd Jarrett grip
Captain of a Crew of One has an excellent visual depiction of the hold that Todd Jarrett teaches at Blackwater. It's not Weaver, more Isoceles, and involves a more extensive weak hand grip over the strong hand. Considering that he's the world's practical pistol champion, there is much to be said for it.
He taught it effectively, by forming our hands into the grip and then marking X on them, so that each hand had half the X. Then he'd show how you were unconsciously going back to Weaver, or letting the grip slip when firing a string.
· shooting
5 Comments | Leave a comment
When I first learned to shoot, I was taught the ancient police one-hand hold. Cops used to have to be reliable at 50 yards with that with a S&W revolver. No crouch, you stood up straight and faced 90 degrees away from the target.
In the USAF, officers were taught much the same thing, 90 degrees and raise one hand and fire, but, it being the Air Force, we only shot at 10 yards with our Model 10 2-inchers.
Then I became a cop, and the then-new "Weaver" stance was taught, followed by the "isosceles" (or was it the other way around?), both STILL being stand-up, expose-yourself pistoleering.
Finally, tactics took over. Since all these wizards FINALLY realized that maybe, just maybe, the target might just be shooting at US, we stopped pretending that one stance, in it's flawless form, would make us into Adam or Annie Oakleys. Then we were allowed ANY two-handed grip that emphasized the pistol hand being generally supported by the off-hand and we had to be just as competent when we switched hands, but we were critiqued (graded?) on our ability to choose cover and concealment THEN deliver accurate fire.
All police courses I have heard of now require shooting from behind some sort of cover, and most include shooting from unusual positions, such as laying on one's back, peek-and-shoot, etc.
By emphasizing that the peace officer focus on the target plus concealment and NOT on his/her grip, stance, foot alignment, etc, my guess is that we have just improved the life expectancy of police officers who have to engage in handgun combat.
I've no beef with Todd Jarrett, he's a pistoleer of huge talent, but given his level of practice, he should be. Becoming a slave to his or anyone else's "perfect" grip means to me that you are emphasizing the wrong item in your skill set. The things to be emphasized are tactics, tactics and tactics, in that order.
Well, police activity and typical self-defense activities CAN be two different things.
Self-defense presumes that the bad-guy is not expecting armed resistance, allowing a bit of time for exposed aimed-shot.
However, I wouldn't take more than "a bit."
Years ago I attended a class out in California taught by a guy named Kent Turnipseed(sp?).
He had a similar idea for gripping pistols, rifles, and shotguns; and boy did it work. To demonstrate, he set me in position on the front edge of a plastic lawn-chair and had me rapid-fire seven rounds of 12ga slugs with a Bennelli. Neither the chair or I moved. Made me a believer.
IIRC his idea was to tension the gun between the two hands so that the hands (or arms) served as shock absorbers for the recoil.
here's a vid of todd jarrett demonstrating the grip:
As it happens, I have an Airsoft version of one of my pistols near to hand.
I used it to try out this slight variation in the grip I've been using.
It is better. Points more naturally and more smoothly, trigger works better (yes, I made sure the Airsoft was verified unloaded before I started messing with it).
I'm going to have to try this with my real guns, as soon as I get a chance. In the meantime I'll be practicing it with the Airsoft so I'll do it right when it counts.