Like the title says, my friend’s hands shake. He usually tries to time his trigger pull when it shakes across the bullseye, but I am thinking he should try pointing with his trigger finger and quickly moving to the trigger to shoot. Hopefully we will get to the range this week. Any suggestions?
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I believe he is over gripping the gun. I say this because it use to happen to me as a young police officer during range qualification. I thank the instructor for picking up on it and I corrected it immediately. Once I loosened up the grip I shot better and my hands did not shake. Hope this helps.
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Hi @Gary_H ,
I’ll share some information that relates a bit. Good for you for taking your friend out to the range… Always important to spend time with people you care about. 
So, one of my friends has something they call “Essential Tremor”. I’m not sure if that’s what your friend may have? It’s a neurological disorder that causes involuntary shaking. She (my friend) has had it since birth and she told me it is hereditary. The worst part of it for her is the fact that the shaking worsens with more movement. She has learned a few things over the years that I think you can relay to your friend that have helped her control the shaking a bit.
She has learned that it’s easier to control heavier objects. Kinda makes sense though? The heavier the object the less she notices the shaking. So, maybe if your friend were able to use a heavy full size handgun that might help him to keep it more on target? 
The other tip she tries is to try and do things with a flow type motion. For her its worse the more she tries to be still but if she’s already in motion than it’s easier to control the shaking. Perhaps if your friend were to get in a slow flow on the range he could capitalize on going with it to get more shots on target? Perhaps something like starting with both hands on the firearm (pointed down range) with a motion outwards towards the target, and than at the end of the motion he pulls the trigger? Maybe have him try that (if he’s comfortable with it) instead of trying to be super still and lining up the sights on the target from a stand still? Does this make sense? I think this idea fits pretty well with your idea for your freind to point and than quickly move to the trigger to shoot.
Ha! 
I just thought of another idea… If heavier objects do indeed work for your friend to help calm down the shaking than maybe he’d be willing to try wrist weights to calm it down full time? I’m not sure if it’d be a good idea on the range but in daily life it may help him overall. I need to mention this idea to my friend the next time I see her… I think it could work hypothetically but who knows in real life as everyone is different from one another.
If I can think of anything else that might help I’ll comment here again. Be sure to let us know how everything goes! 
Best regards,
Jason
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Hard to say without more info, if a medical condition or just when aiming a firearm?
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Also wondering if weights would worsen the condition, as getting the muscles used to the the heavier weights therefore increasing the tremors.
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Thanks, it is a medical condition, he is a strong guy, but does have shaking hands most of the time. His gun is a commander size 1911 so has some weight. He does have what I would call combat accuracy, but I would like to help him have it more quickly. Btw, he is in his mid 60’s.
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We have a 90 year old guy who comes and shoots matches with us. His hands shake really badly. He times his trigger pull to coincide with the sight crossing the bullseye. He’s slower than most, but he doesn’t miss. All of us who shoot with him say we pity the fool who would be stupid enough to try and break into his house at night. He’s got a surprisingly good draw, too. I hope to be lucky enough to be half as good as he is when I’m that age…
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What Mr. Plastic said is what I was thinking. If it works for him leave it alone, just help him get more range time. 
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What grip and stance technique does he use? A change in his stance could help with his core support, which could help him steady his hands.
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Two hand combat grip, isosceles stance. My heart just goes out to him - I am just looking for a way to get him on target quicker. Maybe sometimes better is the enemy of good enough…
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I have essential tremors. Have your friend see their family MD. There are many things that can help but there unfortunately is no cure. I would be glad to help, unfortunately not enough room for all the info that is available here on this forum. If they are diagnosed with essential tremors please drop me an email through the community. I will be glad to share tips. Stay safe!
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I’ve always had slight hand tremors… push pull almost eliminated it…
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Shooters with hand or body tremors MUST shoot from a supported position. I have shot 3 position pistol matches from prone, sitting, and kneeling positions. Also with a shotgun it would be pretty hard not to hit what you are pointing at! Hope that helps!
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Primadone helps. They are also called ‘intentional tremors’. Not because you are doing it on purpose, but because you are trying to do SOMETHING on purpose. The more you concentrate on accuracy, the worse the tremors. Meditation and relaxation can help on the range, but I’m afraid that won’t be an option on the street. Maybe in your home.
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So your friend probably has what is known as an essential tremor. This means that when he activates certain muscle groups (usually hands) he will have a tremor which can range from only really noticeable to him or someone touching him to can’t drink a glass of water one handed without spilling (like Donald Trump). About the only job someone can’t do when they have mild ET is being a surgeon. My mother had it pretty bad, and she did side work as a seamstress for decades. The more fine motor work you do, the more mind-over-matter control one tends to develop, because you simply force yourself to find equipment and activity modifications to minimize the effects – as much because it is frustrating and embarrassing as out of a need to improve the physical results.
Having coached a whole bunch of folks with TBIs and/or medically induced tremors due to Anxiety and PTS treatments to fly fish, tie flies, build fishing rods, how to shoot again, etc., this is sort of my bailiwick by default. I have this as a result of head and neck trauma in the military. So does one of my older brothers. He is also an excellent shooter and artist. His big therapy was hand-painting lead miniatures until he realized the lead exposure might not be doing him any neurological good. So he asked me to teach him to tie flies instead. Anyway…
I’ll say a few things in a general sense:
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It won’t “go away.” It doesn’t matter what tricks or gimmicks we try, it will always be there to some extent. So he has to learn to work through it.
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Sounds like he has done that for awhile if he is timing his trigger squeezes during brief periods of proper sight alignment. Don’t discourage that! With more reps, he will get better and better at it. This is a very legit activity modification for him.
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Relax the grip on the pistol – tremors occur due to trying to USE certain muscles, but many people think it happens when they “try to relax.” That’s because they aren’t relaxed ENOUGH. Most of the time, these tremors show up when trying to “hold a pose,” so to speak. You know? Like when trying to aim a firearm or putting your hand in a certain position on a steering wheel or handlebars. Learning good mindfulness techniques like tactical breathing and other quick fixes to reset the CNS for a few seconds is very valuable.
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So take less time between sight acquisition and trigger press. Learn what “good enough” looks like to achieve the desired result and “settle” for that. Learn to be happy with that and proud of the fact that he can shoot 3" groups at 20 yds in spite of this condition (for example). And just realize you’re not going to shoot pennies at 50 yds anymore. “A man’s got to know his limitations.” (Inspector Harry Callahan, Magnum Force) We ALL have them.
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Most folks who have this issue do not experience it when firing long guns. This is because of what I call the “third point of reference” phenomenon. About 9 of 10 people who experience ET find that when they do the same activity with their wrist/hand/forearm indexed against a solid object (table, a finger on the fly tying vise, a shooting rest, or even the back of their support hand wrist against a door frame or fence post), the tremor disappears. This is a key hint for finding both equipment and activity modifications if you think about it. FYI, activity mods are cheaper, but take more training and time and what not. They are also pretty resilient to equipment changes (I am shooting someone else’s pistol, for example). So there is a good return on investment. However, some equipment modifications are just smart. For example: I switched to mostly polymer frame pistols and/or carry single stack pistols to lighten the weight of the pistol, because I found the tremors getting worse during longer shooting sessions with heavier hand guns starting about a decade after I awoke from my coma. I started experimenting with lighter pistols and found I could still enjoy and benefit from 200-400 rd pistol sessions at the range. This is the only reason I am not still carrying a 1911 all the time.
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Most of all, try to encourage and enable him without patronizing him. My best friend in the world was a Navy SEAL from whom I learned the value of actually saying it out loud whenever I was impressed by someone else. He was very quick to compliment others sincerely. When others notice our tiny victories, it really stokes the fire of self-improvement and reinforces our self-confidence. And tell him to cut way back on his sugar and caffeine.
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Make small deliberate circles over the sight picture & discharge the firearm as you cross the target. Deliberate motions help control the tremor. At least this is what helps me control my tremor. For some reason I go counterclockwise even shooting with my off (left) hand.
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I recently turned 72 y.o. and have been shooting for about 55 years. I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease about two years ago. Oddly, one of the times that my hands are steady as stone, is when I’m shooting. Once I start to draw or pick up my weapon, I can feel myself relax and just focus on the task at hand. It’s almost an out of body experience. I don’t know what accounts for this phenomenon, but I’ve read about at least one competitive shooter who has Parkinson’s.
Loading rounds into magazines is, even with the help of the best helpful loaders available, a whole other story. Loading magazines a test of patience and sometimes frustration. I have quite a few pre-loaded magazines when I go to the range.
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Thank you everyone that has replied, it has given me better insight that the best thing I can do is to continue taking him to the range and let him enjoy it, because he does enjoy it.
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My hands shake on occassion. My doctor called it an intentional tremor because I can lay it on a table or something else and “intentionally” make it stop. I have noticed it once in a while when I shoot. What works for me is to relax my grip. At first I had to do that consciously but now it is second nature to have a relaxed but firm grip. The tremor is rarely noticeable and does not effect my accuracy. At 20 yards, I get a controlled pair in about the size of my fist.
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