The Strong and Steady Shooting Drill: Mastering One-Handed Skills

The Strong and Steady Shooting Drill is designed to challenge one of the most overlooked fundamentals in training: one-handed shooting. Many shooters practice with a two-handed grip almost exclusively, but real-world situations or competitive stages sometimes require you to fire strong-hand only. This drill helps you build both strength and confidence in those scenarios.

How to Shoot the Drill

You can begin from either your holster or a low ready position, depending on your comfort level. Using a numbered target, work through two strings:

• String 1: Draw and fire two shots at targets 1–5 using a two-handed grip.

• String 2: Draw and fire one shot at targets 1–5 with your strong hand only.

The first string reinforces your accuracy and sight alignment with a stable two-handed stance, while the second string transitions you into strong-hand only, forcing you to control recoil and manage your trigger press with less stability.

Get the target here

Why Train One-Handed?

Shooting one-handed exposes weaknesses in your stance, grip, and trigger control. It forces you to refine the fundamentals because you don’t have your support hand to mask mistakes. Regular practice with this drill can help:

• Improve grip strength and trigger discipline.

• Increase confidence if you ever need to shoot one-handed in a defensive situation.

• Prepare for competition stages where strong-hand shooting is required.

Adding this drill into your rotation ensures you’re not just accurate when everything is perfect, but also capable when conditions are less than ideal.

Safety First

As with any drill, safety is the top priority. If you’re running this during a dry fire practice session, double check your gun is unloaded and remove all ammunition from the room. For live fire at the range, don’t forget proper eye and ear protection.

Building Consistency

Start slowly, focusing on accuracy before speed. As you grow more comfortable, you can introduce a timer or add magazine change drills between strings to raise the challenge. Over time, you’ll notice tighter shot groups, steadier recoil control, and more confidence when shooting with your strong hand.

The Strong and Steady Drill might feel uncomfortable at first, but that’s the point. By practicing one-handed shooting in a structured way, you’ll build skills that make you a more well-rounded and prepared shooter.