TargetTalk

Is training the non shooting hand, for the majority of us the left hand, beneficial in some way for AP?

from a shooting perspective, theres no issue with just shooting right handed all the time - it has been known for shooters to hold the pistol in their left hand for short periods to alleviate postural discomforts, but in my opinion you'll be better of spending your time shooting with your dominant hand.

From a personal training/sports massage viewpoint it's better to have some equilibrium with muscle balances so yo don't end up looking and feeling like the hunchback of notre dame. so from a physical training viewpoint - work both sides evenly

Normally best to use the hand on the side of the dominant eye, e.g., right eye dominant then shoot right handed.

I just use it in my long holds to build up my arms and balance https://www.olympicpistol.com/pistol-ho ... -strength/ Instead of resting between series, I use my left while my shooting arm rests.

I can say that actually shooting with the other hand gives a whole new perspective on process! After an injury I have bought mirror-image grips and picked up where I left off, and it has been an adventure. I feel like a novice again, training myself by watching my own mistakes. I'm within about 10% of my former scores (after several months) but still somewhat inconsistent. It is, however, quite revealing. I'm learning a lot.

Ask me in a few more months when my injured arm can raise the pistol again, I'll let you know if it's actually beneficial to switch!

I asked about this because I was talking with a guy at the range and the subject came up, he said changing to the left hand could be beneficial after a series of very good or very bad shots as a way of calm yourself down (just lifting the gun with the opposite hand, no shooting), plus, he said, when you go back to your normal hand it will seem way steadier.

Can't hurt to try! From my experience, it certainly gives you a new point of view.

In my case, I did not change my aiming eye, so it requires a little bit of a cross-wise hold to get the barrel lined up. I have the 7-degree lefty grip now, which makes it much better, but my stance still needs to rotate. If you're just using the technique to calm down, I doubt that will matter.

Some people believe it reinforces the training you do with your dominant hand.

Also balances out your muscle development, you don't want to end up like the javelin thrower in Asterix, it puts uneven pressure on your spine for one thing.

I’ve seen elite shooters, predominantly AP and FP, turn in their shooting bays and go through lifting/holding exercises with their non-shooting hand and arm; not griping and pseudo aiming but just holding the pistol by the barrel (or grip) and raising and lowering. I believe it is a way to relax the shooting arm and I’m told allows the shooting arm to recover quicker before continuing to shoot.

Bob