Slingshot or over-the-top? Which is the best method to run the slide?
For years we have been taught that grasping the slide over the top with all four fingers is a gross motor skill and therefore better under stress. But that movement is not natural. It is not ergonomic.
The way we naturally grasp things includes the use of the thumb. This means the slingshot method of running the slide is more natural, easier to master and can be done in a balanced position with the pistol directly in front of you. When we use natural motions and body mechanics, we get the best results. Give it a try. You can’t argue with success.
For those of you who will argue and suggest that attempting to use the slingshot method means you will be trying to use a fine motor skill under stress, I say that operating the trigger is a fine motor skill. Releasing that trigger only to the reset point is a fine motor skill. Pressing the magazine release is a fine motor skill. We use fine motor skills all the time when shooting.
What the slingshot method gives us is a more balanced operation of the pistol: something that is quick, easy and uses the natural motions of our body to complete a task.
Something to Think About
We should never just do things because that is the way we have always done them. If something works better, we should at least explore it.
