TargetTalk

Hi,
I'm a total newbie to 10m pistol, held an air pistol for 20 trainings only, plus a local competition to practice the stress management. I'm 42, so not a kid (if it matters?)

I fell in love with it, got my own pistol - (I'm left handed with tiny girl's hands so fitting anything from the club was not going to work).

First days were to get all 10 shots into the paper target, then to get the grip aligned (smallest grip was still to large), then get them kind of clustered. I'm now putting 8-9 out of them on black, and score a flat 78-81 since middle of March, zero movement on the point scale.

My inside feelings are is: For the last few weeks, I see the hand more stable. I feel more in control of the breath, the sway and the 5 fingers of my hand. The grip is more solid. I feel when I shot well or when I didn't - without looking. I also notice when a random through occurs in my head and impacts the outcome of the shot. So it should all come together with improved result and it doesn't.

Will it? Am I overthinking it? Do I simply need more time and need to chill? Is plateau normal? What's the usual score progression?

I currently train with a trainer, but I feel like I need some "me" time to have the space to try all of the 40 elements that make up a shot in my own pace, or is it just my frustrations of the plateau coming out?

I appreciate reading your insights - I've been lurking for weeks now and fount this very useful, thanks for the work you're doing!

Hi agatek,

You mention a lot of things, position, breath, grip, concentration, but you didn't mention one key element, sights!
Pistol shooting comes down to alignment of the sights and breaking the trigger without messing that alignment.
This my recommendation to all new shooters:
1- Focus on the front sight, align it with the rear aperture and squeeze the trigger with messing the alignment.
2- Forget about the score. Count it only at the end, not during...
3- And progress takes time. You will go up in score, but not in a strait line... It will be in steps, and not all of them up...
Finally, stick with it and listen to you coach. The scores will come.

Hope this helps
rmca

Plateaus are normal and @rmca 's comment is very important.

You have not told us how often and for how long you train.

To improve you have to train a lot and in a deliberate way, not just throwing pellets down the range and looking at your scores.

You should aim to train at the very minimum 3 days a week, at the range and at home (holds and dry fire mainly). 4 is much better.

Working by yourself is fine and should be the most of your training. Pay attention to how you do everything, little by little, one element at a time and regularly reviewing the most important ones: sight alignment, trigger, wrist lock, position, grip...

Talk to your coach about your frustration, set up goals and then plan how to train and compete to reach those goals.

If you don't feel your coach or think that his/her training and personality don't match what you want find a new coach.

Thank you both for your comments.

I'm training 2x-3x a week at a range for around 1.5h, sending around 50-70 pellets down (per trainer's advice, I shouldn't do more not to overtrain), 1-2x a week dry fire, plus some dumbell and mat trainings and pool to strenghten my wrists, shoulders, arms, balance, core and grip.

I'm newly accepted as a member of the club so I can go 3-4x a week to the range without the trainer present and paid by me at all times, which will make it more sustainable financially.

@rmca - I didn't mention sights indeed, I do focus on them a lot of course, but perhaps it's telling I didn't menion them.

@Ramon - I feel like I get better about mindfully following each step - the leg position, back, shoulder, pistol position, finger on trigger position, head position, breath, sights, mind focus - not all go 100% always to plan but I mindfully see improvement in how it feels, and what is the image at the time of the shot - it is getting steadier, less forced and more of the same. I will talk to the coach, and see if we can find a way to talk through this part.

I guess my frustration comes from seeing those bits improve but not yet the score (I keep telling myself the score is the outcome of little improvements in all of the above, otherwise it's accidental, and that it all takes time - and 7 weeks is not enough time to get to 85).

Thank you for being a great source of knowledge and encouragement!

All the above advice is good, but you need to continue working on your grips.

Get a small round or oval rasp that will fit a cordless drill at the hardware store (cheap) and some two-part kneadable epoxy and go to work.

Your hand may change a little from day to day, so proceed with a little each day. Frankly, you may NEVER stop tweaking the grips.

@Rover - we're doing a little each day with sander with my husband, I'm still thinking it's simply a little too large, even through I got the smalest left-handed Pardini available. But after a few weeks, a few bruises and a blister, I already feel more stable - so this may be it?

How to say if it's too large, or just needs some detailing? Attaching a few pictures of the current status (where I can finally wrap my fingers around!)

SOME people spend their lives tweaking their grips. In my opinion, most of them should spend more time fixing other issues in their shot process.

There are a few factors that are important about your pistol grip (i.e. handle, to differentiate it from the "grip" you use to hold it):

1) It should be comfortable, but it doesn't have "to fit like a glove". If you mold it exactly to your hand, and you age, the weather or your hydration level changes, it won't fit right anymore...

2) It should allow you to reach the trigger properly. With adjustable triggers, this is usually not an issue.

3) Once you have your stance lined up on the target ("natural point of aim"), when you raise the pistol with your eyes closed, the sights should line up on the target automatically. Pistols like Steyrs have adjustments to rotate the grip relative to the frame that can help fine tune that without putty & files.

4) It should have enough reference surfaces in the right places so that EVERY time you pick up the pistol, it is the same. Again, that does NOT mean it should fit exactly everywhere. I see shooters wasting all sorts of time getting the grip to fit their palm well. They'd be better off hollowing that area out...

For many shooters, what's most important is how they grip the pistol. You should use your non-shooting hand under the barrel to seat the pistol into your shooting hand so that it is ALWAYS in the same place and position. You want as much of the grip pressure as possible to be parallel to the barrel. Variations there won't move your shot significantly. Pressure on the SIDES of the grip will get you into trouble, because if that varies, it will steer your shots all over the place. Shooting a tight group is all about consistency. The most consistent pressure your can apply where you don't need it is ZERO. Keep your finger tips & thumb COMPLETELY relaxed, or better still, OFF the sides of the grip.

Based on the pictures, one issue I see immediately is that you have a gap between the base of the thumb and the vertical part of the grip on the right rear. That vertical piece is an important reference surface to ensure repeatability. If you aren't in contact with it, your grip will never be as consistent as it should be.

Basically, I think the grip is too large. I know it's an added expense, but you should probably get a Rink extra small, or possibly an extra extra small. I'd ask you coach if there is anyone in your club who has a smaller grip you can hold to see how it feels. Even if it's right handed, you can check the basic size. I'm not sure what model of Pardini you have, but I think this is the right page:

https://www.formgriffe.de/en/Pardini-K1 ... 58-K60/K12

In the meantime, you can put a thick piece (or pieces) of "moleskin" padding on the vertical surface to fill that gap. It's easily modified and removed.

Thank you, this is most helpful. I will play around, and possibly end up ordering a new one.

There is definitely not enough contact above your hand, the "horn" of the grip is barely touching anything. You can add material there to help with that (an example would be Manu Bhaker's old grip). You are definitely expending a lot of energy holding the gun up as it is currently and that introduces quite a bit of shake.
I can't tell from the photos, but it looks like the palm shelf might be contacting your arm past the wrist bone. Judges are notoriously lax when it comes to that rule but it's worth keeping in mind.

I would personally advise on trying to sort out that top horn support before worrying about other anatomical aspects of the grip, trying to fill in other gaps in the palm are can shift your hold around and the Pardini does not have rotational adjustment.

KZMNT wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 2:06 pm There is definitely not enough contact above your hand, the "horn" of the grip is barely touching anything. You can add material there to help with that (an example would be Manu Bhaker's old grip).

I can't seem to find a photo of this - would you be able to assist?

agatek wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 2:19 pm

KZMNT wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 2:06 pm There is definitely not enough contact above your hand, the "horn" of the grip is barely touching anything. You can add material there to help with that (an example would be Manu Bhaker's old grip).

I can't seem to find a photo of this - would you be able to assist?

Sure thing, there's a nice view of it in this article
https://www.hindustantimes.com/sports/o ... 67069.html

She's recently had a new grip made by Cesare Morini, but I like referring to this old one because you can better see where the added material starts.

Brillant, thank you.

Is this carboard-felt model something you had in mind? With this I will definitely need to shorten the shelf as it's hurting my wrist beyond the bone.

I'm assuming we're heading towards this kind of grip hold around the hand on the same K12 model?

You are doing fine and asking the right kind of questions.
Concentrate on "process" not "scores" the scores will come along as you perfect that process, you will do well not to get into "score anxiety".
As to the grip yes it looks large for your hands and the Rink grip is the way to go for us that have small hands, the lead time at the moment for a new grip is quite a few weeks, but is worth the wait.
As you are going to have to wait do some simple things to help you now - is the palm shelf up high enough if it is at maximum up and it is still not lifting your hand to under the "tail" cut out some 10mm cork tile to fit on the top of the palm shelf and readjust the palm shelf - you can reduce the distance the cork tile goes to your wrist joint to over come the discomfort. Attach the cork to the shelf with double sided tape or use a hot glue gun.
Another little tip do not curl your finger tips around the grip hold it with the middle joints on your fingers - there are lots of other "little tips" but try this simple stuff first.

agatek wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 2:48 pm Brillant, thank you.

Is this carboard-felt model something you had in mind? With this I will definitely need to shorten the shelf as it's hurting my wrist beyond the bone.

Above the base of the thumb like that is not in a place where it will help much. You want it on the left side of the vertical piece of the grip below the base of the thumb where there is a gap. That should help you get a consistent grip with out the pistol rotating in your hand by varying amounts every time you pick it up.

The "moleskin" stuff the team I coach uses is found in drug stores (pharmacies, chemists, depending on where you are) in the "foot" section. It's used for cushioning loose fitting shoes to avoid blisters. There are two thicknesses. The thin stuff comes in packs of 3 sheets, and the thicker material comes 2 to a pack. It has an adhesive backing, you can cut it with scissors, and stack pieces. We have lots of small Asian women, and even the smaller Rink grips can sometimes need padding in places.

If the adjustable heel rest at the bottom of the grip is digging into your wrist, it's probably not legal for competition. I've had to saw the back end off of my wife's grip to shorten it enough, and then file the rear corner to round it over for comfort.

agatek wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 9:09 am I will play around, and possibly end up ordering a new one.

You may also consider getting an used one, even not perfectly sized, and then use some glue, cork mat, fine file and blade to make it fit right. Yes, it ain't very easy and straightforward but eventually should work.
Actually most likely you'll find out that even with a brand new small grip some minor adjustments (add some here, remove a bit there) would be really necessary, so you will have to do it anyway (or find someone that will help you with it).