Self-Defense: Establishing A Good Grip From Draw

At GunDigest, we independently review products. However, we may earn a commission when you purchase through links on our site. Learn More

A good grip is paramount to good shooting. Here we discuss how to establish one from the holster.

There’s a lot of discussion about using the “correct” grip when you shoot a pistol, but not so much about how to obtain that grip. It’s possible to make a good shot without a good grip. It’s also possible to make consecutive good shots without a good grip.

However, it’s almost impossible to make a single or consecutive good shots efficiently and swiftly without a good grip.

The problem is, if you do not establish a good grip before you start shooting, everything that follows is what lawyers like to term “fruit of the poison tree.”

A Fruit-Free Diet

Establishing that good grip before the shooting begins is paramount to shooting success, especially from a self-defense standpoint.

This means you must get your grip—a good grip—when drawing from the holster. Of course, it would also apply to accessing your pistol from your pocket, purse, glove box or even your lock box at home. For this discussion, however, we’re focusing on drawing from a holster.

Another way of looking at the importance of initially establishing a good grip is to use a baseball analogy. If you’re a batter standing at home plate and you wait until the pitcher pitches the ball before you establish the proper grip on the bat, you’re not going to hit a home run. At best you’re going to bunt.

It’s the same when it comes to getting a grip on your pistol. If you don’t do it correctly when you draw from the holster, at best you’ll probably just be slinging lead in the direction of the threat. The possibility even exists that, without the proper grip, you might actually drop your pistol.

In a worst-case scenario, imagine that during the time it took you to draw, your attacker closed the distance and now you’re engaged, hand to hand. If you do not have a solid, good, controlling grip, you could lose your pistol in a struggle.

Consistency Is King

There are several things to consider concerning the establishment of a proper grip. Holster location and the cant of the holster are very important. This is something you will need to discover and tune based on the pistol and holster you use, as well as carry location and cover garments. However, the interaction of your hand with your pistol should not vary. Your hand’s approach to the pistol and its establishment of a good grip should remain consistent.

When I’m moving my hand toward my holster, I like to have my hand arranged in a configuration that will best allow me to properly index it to the pistol. This helps me obtain my shooting grip before the pistol ever leaves my holster. What I’ve found that works best for me is to open my hand like I would prepare for a handshake, with a 90-degree angle between my thumb and my index finger. Then, I also like to hold my middle finger, ring finger and little finger grouped together but separate from my index finger. It’s sort of like a modified version of the Vulcan “live long and prosper” hand gesture used by Mr. Spock on Star Trek.

Essentially, what I’m doing with this hand configuration is prepping the interaction of all my fingers and thumb for the job they must do when they contact the pistol. The first thing that should happen is the web of my hand should firmly slide into the arch of the grip, positioned as high as possible. As I feel this happen, it confirms I’ve obtained the proper initial position, and this tactical sensation drives the action of my fingers and thumb.

If, however, this interaction with the web of my hand and the grip does not feel right, this is the time—the only real opportunity—to correct any misalignment before I try to draw. Once my pistol comes out of the holster, I’m mostly stuck with the grip I have.

Next, my middle, ring and little fingers simultaneously wrap around the grip of the pistol, while at the same time I make sure I fully extend my index—trigger—finger and slightly angle it away from the pistol/holster. While all of this is happening, my thumb is finding the manual safety—if the pistol has one—and it gently settles there in a preparatory attitude, waiting for further instruction.

At this point I have control of the pistol, and I can extract it from the holster.

The situation should drive any further action by the thumb on the safety and the index finger on the trigger. The finger should only find the trigger when your sights are on the target, or when you’ve orientated the pistol toward the target. Your thumb should only deactivate the safety when you’ve decided to shoot.

Repetition Rules

As simple as this process sounds, it takes many, many repetitions to perfect it. That’s the bad news. The good news is that this is something you can work on with dry practice, in the comfort of your own home, with a for damned sure unloaded pistol. The key is to conduct numerous repetitions from the holster to the point where you’ve fully extended the pistol toward the target and can make a trigger press. Ending each dry practice repetition with a trigger press allows you to evaluate if the grip you have established is conducive to fast and accurate shooting.

When I was a cop, I would continually place my hand on my holstered gun, establishing that proper, pre-draw feel. I knew if I ingrained that into my very being, I could make a good draw and have a good grip. As someone who carries concealed, you can do the same thing. No, walking around town reaching for your gun all the time is not what I’m suggesting, nor what I did when I worked the street. But in addition to dry practice, when you’re alone throughout the day, you can work to establish that proper first feel.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

---

More On Shooting Skills:

• Video: Target Transition Training With The Dot Drill
• The Shot Timer And Defensive Handgun Training
• Gun Digest’s 10 Best Shooting Drills And Firearms Training Posts
• MantisX: Simple And Effective Training
• Video: Is A Full-Sized Pistol The Best Training Option?