Weak-Hand Shooting Skills Drills: Learning To Shoot With Your Non-Dominant Hand

You should be able to shoot with either hand in case your dominant hand is incapacitated. Here’s an easy drill for your “off” hand that will give you a solid base. Do it regularly to reinforce the skills. 

Gear: No special gear required

Drill: From seven yards, shoot a USPSA target, an eight-inch paper plate or similar target. Off/weak hand only, dominant hand anchored against chest for safety. Stage 1: From Low Ready, engage the target with a single round, 10 times. Repeat from Compressed Ready, gun tight to the chest then punched out. Another 10 rounds. Stage 2: Repeat Stage 1, but this time engage the target with five double-taps from each Ready.

Goals: In Stage 1, make your move to the target deliberate, training your eyes to pick up the front sight. The two Ready positions give you different looks. Take all the time you need to get hits. Concentrate on trigger press and follow-through. Be sure to index your trigger finger along the frame and engage any manual safety with that off hand (if possible) as you come off target. You’ll likely find this to be a challenge at first.

Continue to work on these aspects in Stage 2, which adds recoil control and more trigger manipulation to the mix. Getting the gun back on target for the second shot and then executing a proper trigger press is key.

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