Steady hands...

For shaky hands, I recommend... a little alcohol, taken internally!

"Shot" being the operative word there!

Wait-- that may be how my hands got shaky in the first place...

First of all it is not a stupid question. We all shake. Training for muscle strength and muscle tone, and oh yes youth will help. We can only work on the first two. That last issue we can't seem to do anything about. 

You just need to come up with holds that are as steady as possible.

For offhand try using your offhand in a fist in front of the trigger guard with your elbow against your body. Also consider using a shooting glove and sling.

On shooting sticks, while seated on a bucket or whatever, adjust them so that you can have your elbows on your knees,

Scott

I also shake a little, cramping is my biggest problem. Diabetes along with neurological issues cause my fingers and toes to cramp to the extent of having to use one of my hands to straighten them. I have found some relief by using a grip strengthener and a reverse finger strengthener.

Woss has an inexpensive reverse strengthener that is similar to the ones I used in therapy. Walmart has a few inexpensive grip strengtheners. I would stay away from the dated round spring kind with plastic grips, they did not help.

Heres some links:

http://www.woss.com/rehab-gear/
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gold-s-Gym-Adjustable-Hand-Grip/39082937

~Tom

If you can stand it, give up caffeine and sugar for a week then revisit the situation. Over this winter I have quit smoking and no longer drink anything caffeinated or sugary on a regular basis. It has made a Huge difference in reducing my wobble, and shakiness. As for general health I'm 38, and work as a carpenter so I get plenty of exercise. Good luck and improved shooting. John

just.neilSo, my hands are pretty shaky sometimes and more calm other times. Shooting free hand is horrible and at times even with the bipod I'm real shaky. Are there any techniques or exercises for shaky hands? Or is this just another silly question? And I know I'm not the only one out there with this problem

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A lot of the answer would depend on the reasons for the shaky hands.
Do you have or had some type of injury or illness? Or perhaps you are a heavy coffee drinker,
Look up on YouTube Olympics 10 meter shooting techniques, pay close attention to how they move into the target reticle.
Some easy training without even needing to fire a shot there for can be practiced at home in the living room is to set up a target on the back wall, mount and zero a laser to your air gun,
Then simply practice dropping the laser down to the bullseye and float it don't try to freeze up let it float into your bullseye and train to pause in the right time for your shot.
If you can't stop your shakes learn to shape them into floating into the bull's eye

I too have hands that shake at times and its hereditary or so im told. I am also an avid coffee drinker which doesn't help. But, and to each their own, I found that I can take l-theonine, which is an amino acid that is in green tea, or a magnesium supplement and it calms me very well even on bad days. They both will lower you blood pressure a bit so please do your due diligence. Not to and excessive extent but they will some. Working out does help, but even at the height of my training, I still had some issues. Avoiding coffee on my shooting days until after I'm through helps also.

As a 60 year old power lifter, I am not going there,
Make sure your B/P is in the , OK zone, 120/60 is good 160/90 is not good, some B/P Meds lower your B/P and calm you down,
You will also live longer.
Check with your DR, if you have high B/P, If your over 50 the good B/P machines are pretty cheap, Google 5 star machines ,
One reading at your Dr office means nothing , Show him a couple weeks reading off of your machine,
Mike

If I had to give up caffeine (Dr. Pepper) to improve my shooting then my shooting is good enough already!

I do use some 10 meter techniques mentioned that seem to work for me 90 % of the time. 

By the way my shooting bench is a fold up steel welding table from Harbor Freight available this month on a coupon for $54.99 Item 61639. It is easy to move to any shooting location.

Thurmond

Depending on the energy drinks they can and will play a roll in the shakes. Some of them have a lot of caffeine.
If you need a boost try vitamin B12 drops. Vitamin B plays a roll in the bodies oxygen intake it also works with the bodies nervous system and the lack of B can cause shakes and other even more dangerous nervous disorders.
Most doctors don't ask for vitamin B levels in a normal blood test so it might be something to talk to your doc about

Don't underestimate the effects of caffeine (it's a drug) and sugar. I agree with John. Just do an experiment for a week or two and see. 

Giving up coffee was hard to do for me but it made a huge difference. When I started shooting one-handed at 10 meters I really noticed my shakiness - a full week off of the caffeine and everything settled down in a noticeable way. You have to also watch out for caffeine from other sources like chocolate. Especially once you are weaned off the drug then any little amount will have a big effect.

Could be caffeine, stress, side effects of meds and a dozen other reasons. Or could be neurological. I have what is known as Essential Tremors. Makes me shake like parkinson disease. With parkinson you shake at rest. With essential tremors at rest you do not shake, but when muscles tighten they tremor. Like trying to pull the damned trigger. I can feel the 2nd stage, but can't precisely control when it breaks. When it becomes enough of a problem you can find out the cause. Good luck