Much of our training today seems to focus on holding your handgun with both hands. However, one hand pistol shooting is an important skill for self-defense.
The best option is to have both hands on your gun. This will ensure it is the most stable when firing a shot. However, there are several reasons which may prevent you from being able to use a two-handed grip.
Causes of one handed shooting
You may not be able to use both hands due to an injury. Life happens and so do accidents. Have you ever broken an arm, a finger, a hand? Have you had another medical condition that limits the mobility of one of your hands? I know I have.
Another important reason to consider is that you may need one hand to protect yourself against physical attack. If someone is swinging a bat or pipe at you, trying to stab you with a knife or some other object you may need to use your support hand to protect yourself against that blow while you draw your firearm.
Imagine for a moment you are out with your family and someone attacks you or you find yourself in the middle of an active shooter attack. If you have small kids or others in your group, you may need to move them out of the line of fire or to move them to cover.
Why you should be able to use one hand
All these factors can result in the need of being able to fire an accurate shot with your gun with only one hand and your accuracy becomes critical. You need to also include shooting with your support hand also in the unfortunate event your primary hand is injured. It is good to practice one hand pistol shooting with both hands.
When firing a handgun with only one hand trigger control becomes even more critical in your accuracy. Your trigger finger placement is very important in keeping from moving your sight picture from your target.
Many of the drills I teach can work to help improve your accuracy with two hands and with only one. It is important for us to be skilled in every aspect of firearms handling to better protect ourselves and our families.