I dont know how many other people here shake but I have since I was a kid. This kind of makes it hard at times trying to stay steady while shooting ,I’m not saying I’m throwing rounds allover down range in fact I dont think I’m to bad of a shot but I was wondering if anyone else has shakey hands all the time and how you over come it while on the range.
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Drink water, and watch the caffeine and sugar intake before shooting. I’m not a big coffee guy, one cup a morning, but if I drink 2 cups and go to the range, I’m just wasting ammo. Lol.
Also, my best friend shoots, but not a lot, and he starts shaking a lot when he goes to the range after a dry spell of not shooting. I think maybe just shooting makes him shake a bit. It’s not a lot, but enough to make him a little less accurate. Idk.
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While not exactly the same situation, @KevinM’s suggestions here may help:
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It needs an exercise on breathing or focus on something other than shooting or your hand.
Here is one way that could help you.
1)Light a candle and hold it with both hands.
2) Get it close to your mouth and nose (Couple inches) and breath slowly and deep.
3) Focus completely on not to blow off the candle.
4) repeat the above with adding weight to your hands (1 pound)
3 minutes in hour, 3 times a day, 1 time before shooting without weight.
Now your target is the candle light, your pistol is the candle, breath slowly and shoot.
Try it, it may help you. However, we all shake a little it is okay.
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I’ve developed a slight shake probably due to medications. But I’m a good shot. I get tired after a few magazines of 12 rounds each. But that means I need more range time and exercise. The noise does make me jumpy too as I hear others firing their guns. I don’t trust certain people. I may not have a lot of experience with handguns but I do have a strong background in gun safety.
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yup, I’m a shaker. @James laughs at me for it (not in a rude way, more fun related). I realize my problem is over thinking and being hard on myself. Especially shooting trap! I want to break my shotgun over my knee sometimes. Stop and breathe! I find that helps. The other thing I liked to do was set up completely different paper targets. 1 target I’m shooting at ducks (like at a carnival) and 1 target I’m shooting at a grizzly bear. For me, when I start getting irritated at the ducks I start over and focus on the bear. (And I find fun in shooting more than just a bullseye).
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All of these suggestions are great I’ll try the breathing I know it cant be the coffee I only drink 3 pots a day! I am glad to know I’m not the only 1 ,everyone kids me but I have had it since a kid so I dont let It bother me
Casey,
Everyone shakes to some extent. The previous suggestions are good advice. What I do, I shoot Police Practical Combat matches, is 1st, learn to use the pad of your finger, not the crease from the joint and 2nd, learn to make circles. Starting on the outside of the bullseye and going around tighter and tighter. When you cross over the center, time the completion of your trigger pull to correspond. This way you take away the shake as you are moving and it becomes timing. With a short amount of practice you’ll be putting them in the 10 ring.
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I’ve found that my grip has a lot to do with being steady, or unsteady as the case may be. With a two handed grip, I use moderate pressure with my shooting hand, but I squeeze very tightly with my support hand and even pull back toward my body, engaging extra muscles like this definitely made a difference in my aim and recovery. An old guy who helped me learn to shoot once told me that if my support hand wasn’t worn out by the end of practice, I wasn’t working hard enough. That was 40 years ago, and it’s still one of my focal points when I shoot, it makes that much of a difference.
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You know what, Casey… don’t worry about it. as George Harris says, “The goal of shooting is hitting.” Are you hitting? If the answer is yes, keep doing what you are doing. As far as shaky hands go, during my very first Massad Ayoob training seminar more than 20 years ago, Mas made us hold the gun in a firing grip/stance and INTENTIONALLY shake it to mimic an exaggerated stress response. He was standing beside us to make sure we weren’t waving it around and launching rounds over the berm, but he also made sure the gun was visibly shaking. Everyone put combat-effective shots on target at 7 yards. Everyone. We are not Olympic bull’s-eye shooters. We are training to win a fight. When you are fighting, you won’t be standing still.
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@Casey have you heard of Essential Tremor? it’s a neurological thing some folks have. I worked with a guy who has it… it’s always there, but more noticeable if he’s tired, stressed or upset.
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@Zee I didnt know there was such a thing I have always had the shakes you should see me with a laser lol,but hey I still hit the center! I’m gonna look Into this
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We’ve all got limitations. If you can figure out what it is, exactly, you may be able to come up with some additional strategies for working past it, or ways to train for mitigating it under elevated stress.
As the Marines say, Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome 
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I also shake all the time. It’s not noticeable unless I’m trying to do something very precise or working with something very small. If I get nervous or have alot of caffeine its get ridiculously bad. You would think I had Parkinson’s.
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NO! Please BREATH and only hold your breath for a very short time. ( 7 SECONDS ) No more than 7 seconds at a time. Train always to
control breathing at all times. You are GOOD.
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I shake bad- alcoholic tremors even though I’ve been sober for a few years. I cut my support side fingers at the range a couple weeks ago. I stopped loading my mags and exited the range to clean-up and grab a couple bandaids. One of the owners helped me out and noticed my shakes. He asked if I was ok and I told him about my tremors. I only know a few people who don’t shake while shooting.
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Sir, I understand how you feel and even though this happens to others, you can over come
the hell we are or have been through. My hands do not shake any longer and there is
hope. Work slowly and grow ever day, without the drinking or unnecessary medications.
Please ask a doctor to give guidelines for training and therapies’ too. I carry a lot of medal in
my lower lumbar back, but feels wonderful and the past is over. I hurt some but I am clean of
the worst medication warfare and I am active. Thank you for telling your story.
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Well said.
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Exercise has always worked for me. It definitely helps to control breathing and helps in stressful situations.
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