FIX THE #1 ACCURACY MISTAKE FOR NEW SHOOTERS

Discover proven drills to correct low & left shots and tighten your groupings fast

Fix low & left SHOTS

⬇ Watch Now: Stop missing low & away

1 – WHY you are missing low & away

Missing low and away? You’re not alone—this is one of the most common accuracy problems we see in new-to-intermediate shooters. After years of teaching firearms classes, private lessons, and concealed carry training, we’ve noticed a clear pattern:

Right-handed shooters tend to miss low and left.
Left-handed shooters tend to miss low and right.

So why does this happen? In most cases, it comes down to two culprits:

Recoil Anticipation (Flinching)
Poor Trigger Mechanics

2 – RECOIL ANTICIPATION

Recoil anticipation—also called flinching—is your body’s natural reaction to the blast and recoil of firing a gun. The moment you pull the trigger, your brain knows an explosion is coming. Instinctively, you try to control it. The problem is when you tense up or push against that recoil before the bullet leaves the barrel. This split-second premature movement drives the muzzle down and sends your shot low, even if your aim was perfect.

Why YOU CAN'T JUST “Stop Anticipating” RecoiL

Recoil anticipation is a tough habit to break, especially for nervous new shooters. Simply telling someone to 'stop anticipating' recoil is ineffective, as it’s not something they can consciously control. Words matter. Vague instructions can lead to frustration, poor performance, or even discourage shooters from continuing.

USE CLEAR CUES: BE MORE PATIENT

We use specific, actionable cues to guide shooters effectively. Instead of vague advice like 'stop anticipating,' we say 'be patient with the trigger press' or 'feel each stage of the trigger.' These cues encourage shooters to prep the trigger, engage the wall, and press smoothly through it, avoiding rushed movements or flinching before the shot breaks.

☑️ Touch – make initial contact with the trigger
☑️ Pre-travel (slack) – the movement before reaching resistance
☑️ The wall – the point where resistance begins
☑️ Press through the wall – smooth, controlled trigger press
☑️ Trigger reset – allow the trigger to return just enough to fire again

Fix low & left SHOts

⬇ Watch Now: Stop Missing Low & Away

1 – WHY you are missing

Right-handed shooters tend to miss low and left.
Left-handed shooters tend to miss low and right.

So why does this happen? In most cases, it comes down to two culprits:

Recoil Anticipation (Flinching)
Poor Trigger Mechanics

2 – RECOIL ANTICIPATION

Recoil anticipation—also called flinching—is your body’s natural reaction to the blast and recoil of firing a gun. The moment you pull the trigger, your brain knows an explosion is coming. Instinctively, you try to control it.
The problem is when you tense up or push against that recoil before the bullet leaves the barrel. This split-second premature movement drives the muzzle down and sends your shot low, even if your aim was perfect.

Why You Can’t Just “Stop Anticipating” Recoil

USe CLEAR CUES: BE MORE PATIENT

☑️ Touch – make initial contact with the trigger
☑️ Pre-travel (slack) – the movement before reaching resistance
☑️ The wall – the point where resistance begins
☑️ Press through the wall – smooth, controlled trigger press
☑️ Trigger reset – allow the trigger to return just enough to fire again

You'll learn:

The real reason anticipation throws your shots low and left
How recoil anticipation affects accuracy before the bullet even leaves the barrel
A simple partner drill to retrain your trigger press and eliminate the flinch

Whether you’re a brand-new shooter or refining your skills for defensive carry, this quick training will help you tighten your groups and hit exactly where you aim.

Learn why you may be missing low and away, and what you can do to start shooting more accurately. From teaching firearms classes, private lessons and concealed carry classes for many years we've seen pattern of new-to-intermediate shooters missing low and away. For right-handed shooters that would be low and left. For left-handed shooters that would be low and right.

Why does this happen? The two most common reasons are related to shooting anticipation and trigger control. Shooting anticipation, also known as 'flinching' or 'recoil anticipation', is a common and difficult problem to overcome for some shooters. The laws of physics show that when a bullet is fired from a gun there will be an equal and opposite force pushing back into the gun and the shooter's hands. This is known as recoil or 'kick back'.

Your brain knows when you pull that trigger an explosion will take place, the gun will recoil and you will instinctively want to control it. The problem arises when you anticipate the expected recoil moments before the bullets explodes out of the gun. This premature recoil anticipation will result in a flinch that will cause the gun to snap downward and the bullet to miss your intended target low.

The other common shooting error we discussed was trigger control and excessive grip tension in the firing hand. In regards to trigger control, it is imperative that you pull the trigger straight back, without jerking it or hooking it. If you can't press the trigger correctly, you'll never be able to hit what you are aiming at. Hooking the trigger finger towards your support hand when firing will cause your shots to miss that same direction. You can master every shooting fundamental on the planet, but if you can't manipulate the trigger correctly you will never be able to shoot straight.