One-handed shooting in 60 seconds (BLUF)

• What it is: Firing a pistol with only your strong hand (SHO) or only your weak/support hand (WHO). It shows up in IPSC and USPSA stages, the IDPA 5x5 classifier, the FBI qualification and Dot Torture.
• The grip: Squeeze harder than you would two-handed (as hard as you can without shaking), drop the thumb so it pinches the frame, and keep the pressure front-to-back rather than curling your fingertips.
• The stance: For a quick string up close, keep your normal stance and just take the support hand away. When you have time or the target is far, blade slightly and lean into the gun. Tuck the free hand against your chest.
• Weak hand: A slight cant of the gun is fine; your dominant eye is now on the “wrong” side. Be very careful prepping the trigger with your weak hand.
• How much slower: A USPSA GM aims for about 70-80% of his two-handed performance strong hand and 50-60% weak hand. His real run hit those raw times, then lost the gain to penalties — the one-hand tax is paid in points, not seconds.
• Measure it: Shoot your two-handed time first, then set one-handed par times from it on a free shot timer app.

One-handed shooting means firing a pistol with a single hand: strong hand only (SHO), your dominant hand, or weak hand only (WHO), also called support hand only. Shooting with one hand works on the same principles as a two-handed grip — hold the gun still while you press the trigger, then let it return to the same spot — but you lose the hand that does most of the recoil control. So the technique changes: a firmer grip, a thumb that does part of the missing hand’s job, and a slower, more patient pace.