By Bob Campbell,
Contributing Editor

Some months ago I suffered an on-duty injury that affected my dexterity and personal defense plans. I was injured during a brawl in which I fell almost five feet directly onto the point of my elbow. My adversary and I weighed about 425 pounds and the full weight of this plus the energy of the fall fell upon my body. Not dissimilar to the jolt of a T-IOC being transferred to the wristwatch when jumping-the parachutist knows something has to give in a bad landing! I resolved the situation, but as a result of this injury I attended physical therapy for several weeks. My injury was more an aggravation than serious. The proper description was epicondylitis. The typical work related injury of this type involves the grasping, gripping and fine motor movement nerves. Digital nerve injury can occur during surgery. Non-operative management is more often attempted. This injury is not dissimilar to those I often am asked about by correspondents. Retaining shooting ability is important to most of us, and the loss of muscle and motor skills limits our defense program.

I have spoke with another correspondent who has an anterior instability due to bony Bankart lesion. Injury to the scapula or shoulder blades is also common. Even normal breathing is affected if the injury is severe enough. Sometimes, the injury is so complex that we have to change our firing hand. I have noted the difficulty with which many shooters approach weak hand firing. It can be difficult even for a strong, well-coordinated shooter. The technique I used to strengthen my injured body is called "mirroring." It worked for me and should work for anyone.

If you have not been injured, you still face the problem of learning to shoot well with the weak side. Some forms of competition demand weak hand fire. Some of us like to have the ability for tactical purposes. I have to note that lefties usually have an easier time of learning the weak hand. They are used to working in a right-handed world. Transmission gear shifts, door knobs and power tools are right-handed. The lefty is far more dexterous than his or her right-handed brother or sister.

When considering firing weak-handed, we should address the problem before it is dictated in a critical incident. Injuries to the extremities are common in interpersonal combat. We should have some idea of our weak hand capability. Weak hand fire can be profitable beyond the common assumption it will be one-handed fire. We fire with one hand when the strong hand is injured, of course. But there are times when the weak hand can be used with support from the strong side hand.

Firing around corners or barricades and other cover can be well delivered with weak-hand fire. Learning to fire a handgun well with the "wrong hand" can be an exercise in futility without proper technique. Aimless firing does not get the job done. Proper indoctrination allows good proficiency with the weak side hand.

If an injury precludes using the "normal" hand, the proposition is to develop equal skill with the weak hand. If the strong hand remains viable but limited, as in the case of a debilitating injury, it may be of some use in bracing the firing hand. You cannot use a right-hand shooting stance and fire left-handed or vice versa. It will not work. But many shooters make this mistake.

The practical shooter who wishes to learn to use the weak hand or competitor who wishes to place well in matches is advised to adopt mirror training as a regimen. It is based upon using the strong or uninjured side to help retrain the injured side. In other words, rather than try to work with the injured side, we use both arms and hands at once. The still strong side will tell the injured side what to do. Humans are bilaterally symmetrical and focusing on two-hand use can result in rapid improvement in injured limbs. Research has proven that mirror image training works better. The premise is simple.

As an example, at one point, I often dropped my cup at the dinner table with my injured left arm. I could have practiced picking objects up with the injured hand alone. Instead, I picked up two cups, one with each hand. Somehow, my injured side would be rewired! It works and works well.

You might ask what type of affliction would affect the hand enough to require changing firing hands, but allow the afflicted side to be of use. One of these is the aptly named "Trigger Finger." No, it is not about shooting. It adversely affects the dexterity of many workers. The name denotes the characteristic injuries, which make the finger curl under. This disorder often finds the thumb locking in flexion. Activity modification can work, but many who have this affliction must shift to the unaffected hand for shooting. The hand that is afflicted remains strong enough for support. And shooting does not cause trigger finger, I am assured.

I have seen many shooters attempt weak hand fire but few do it properly. Some put the gun in the weak hand, then shake, jerk, and flinch while they blaze away. Excellent strong side shooters fall apart in weak side shooting. My recommendations are not the only way, but a way that works.

When firing for accuracy I use the competitor's grip. This means the supporting hand has perhaps 60% of hand pressure, the rest is in the hand holding the gun. When firing with one hand I mash the gun harder. When the support hand is an injured or truly weak hand, the ratio must be reversed. Dry fire is needed to master this type of grip. It works well for me.

The most common problem when firing with the weak hand is that the shooter maintains a strong side stance. As an example, firing strong handed from the Weaver stance, we have our left foot forward and the right foot to the rear. The left arm is crooked a bit and the right hand strongly holds the gun. By simply transferring the gun to the left hand and remaining in the right hand stance, you will feel all bent out of shape! You have got to mirror or reverse your stance. Whatever right-hand stance you use, or left hand if you are a lefty, you must reverse it to fire efficiently with the left or weak side. This seems elementary but is seldom followed.

It is important to mirror or parallel the strong hand firing stance with a proper weak hand stance. When doing so you find that, if need be, you can fire efficiently around barriers or cover as presented with either hand.

Another meaning of "mirror training" can be found when an instructor demonstrates a tactic and the student moves with the instructor. This is common and different from the general context of this report, but it can be important. When we understand how this works, we understand that we are training ourselves with mirror image training. Both hands are not equal and probably never will be but with proper technique and hard work, we can achieve an excellent level of proficiency in the weak hand.