The smaller and lighter the gun the more it's going to recoil. Those are the laws of physics when it comes to shooting firearms designed for conceal carry, and it's why the fundamental skill of proper grip is so important.

Many shooters think they have the proper grip down and move on to fundamentals like trigger control and sight alignment, but it's always a good idea to go back and evaluate your grip to make sure you're doing it properly, or to make little modifications to help you shoot better.

Let's start with revolvers. First this Smith & Wesson J-Frame revolver has a nice small grip. And you want to make sure you get as high up along the back as possible to control that recoil.

Now the one thing you want to remember though is you want to make sure you have enough finger on this trigger for that long double action pull. So you may need to adjust a little bit.

So a nice good trigger finger placement then squeeze the trigger smoothly.

As I'm shooting, notice how high my strong hand is on back of the gun. Keeping it nice and high allows me the leverage to control the recoil better.

Now, let's bring the support hand into play. Pistol shooters have a background of bent thumb-forward grip.

As I'm shooting, notice how high my strong hand is on back of the gun. Keeping it nice and high allows me the leverage to control the recoil better.

Now, let's bring the support hand into play. Pistol shooters have a background of bent thumb-forward grip.

Revolver shooters like the thumb-over-thumb technique. Both work but the important thing to remember is you want to make sure your thumbs stays away from the cylinder.

As you can see, the support hand not only helps make you steadier, it works to control recoil. Try both grip styles and see what works best for you. I prefer the thumbs-forward technique.

Now let's move to pistols. It's important to get that same high grip along the back of the gun like so, and that's going to help you control that recoil.

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 You also want to keep your thumbs high to manipulate any safeties, and then you're going to bring your support hand into play.

This is where you want to bend your wrist forward a little bit and give it a little of a cant, so you can add that extra bend to help you control recoil.

With the support hand, notice there's no space between my dominant hand and non-dominant hand. And, again I'm keeping those thumbs nice and forward.

 A thumbs-forward grip on either this semi-auto or a revolver not only helps control recoil, it helps you index more quickly. Simply throw your thumbs forward and you’re on-target. You'll be able to see the sights faster.

Here's my last tip for the support hand grip. Instead of squeezing the grip with your support hand think about pinching your fingers into the palm of your hand. That's going to make a vice on front of the grip and allow you to control that muzzle rise.

Don't overlook the importance of having a proper grip. Take the time to reevaluate your grip so you can shoot your best.