In 2020, I was being interviewed for a position as the lead firearms trainer, to train personnel contracted to protect assets for a U. S. intelligence agency, funded by Central Intelligence, you have most likely never heard of. (I had never heard of the agency before working for them, and was employed for around two weeks before I was told who we actually got our paycheck from.)

During the interview I was asked what the most important shooting fundamental was. That’s a tricky answer, and I knew what they were looking for. If you ask any “gun guy” this question, the typical response you will get is “sights and trigger.” I would argue the answer lies in the mission. Meaning, are we talking about long distance shooting, or close up self-defense applications? 

I once read an FBI statistic that stated the average gunfight in the U.S. is at 2 yards, and is over in 2.5 seconds. My personal real life experience would be in alignment with those numbers. Based on that premise, I would argue that grip would be the most important shooting fundamental.

If a shooter has a proper grip they will avoid malfunctions and be on target at close range without using sights. Additionally, there was a study recently by Force Science Research Center that showed that grip strength has a tangible effect on accuracy and performance. Those with stronger grip strength scored highest during shooting testing. My experience of 25 years as a firearms instructor would support such a premise. Any experienced firearms instructor can tell you they have seen countless “limp wrist” malfunctions by those holding a pistol gingerly as it discharges. Generally small statured people with/and weak grip strength. 

The semi-auto pistol is designed to function with force behind the back strap of the frame. That force is your bodyweight and grip strength. Without proper grip the slide with move ineffectively during recoil, and rather than extracting the spent casing and chambering the new round, creates common malfunctions such as failure to feed, stove pipes, and double feeds. 

So what’s the secret sauce to a good grip? The forward thumbs grip. The web of your dominant hand should be high on the back strap of the pistol grip; your non-dominant hand should be pressed up against the side of the frame, one thumb in front of the other, the tip of your non-dominant thumb using the first knuckle joint of your dominant hand as the index point. Your non-dominant hand fingers are wrapped around your dominant hand fingers, not below in a tea cup style grip. The more meat on the gun itself, the less muzzle flip. 

The thumbs are not crossed, pointing up, or alongside each other. Your non-dominant thumb is directly in front of your dominant thumb, pressed against the frame, pointing downrange towards your target. “The power of the thumb.” You are using your thumbs to index your target, along with your upper torso, in an isosceles shooting platform, creating an arrow with your upper torso towards your target. If you don’t have time to draw from concealment and find your sights, (2 yards, 2.5 seconds average gunfight), you should be on target by thumb index and upper torso indexing your target. I would also argue that unless you are a highly trained individual you will not have the wherewithal to even think about finding your sights under such stress. Thumb indexing your target will also help you find you iron sights or dot quickly as they should be aligned towards the target. 

Getting deeper in the weeds, take away the fulcrums. Lock out your non-dominant wrist to avoid muzzle flip, and rotate your elbows slightly to avoid upward movement as the pistol discharges. With a proper grip you should see “the sewing machine effect”, in which the slide moves back and forth with minimum muzzle flip. Check out my video on grip on YouTube under Ragnar Tactical. 

Back to the interview. I explained that at distance, sights alignment/sight picture, trigger control, and breathing are most important, but up close, grip is king, and stance is second. I got the job.