Tip:
Learning to reduce your flinch or tightening around the grip is difficult to identify on your own. A flinch usually consists of gripping the firearm tighter at the point of ignition (when the round goes off), but the recoil of the firearm will generally hide a flinch. The solution to this problem is consistent grip pressure on the gun through the firing process, but how do you identify this problem?
Dummy rounds:
Intermixing live and practice rounds is a great way to see what happens with your fundamentals when there is no recoil. It becomes very obvious that there is an issue with your grip if the muzzle takes a sudden dip downward.
Lasers:
If you would like to have a more concise view of where the muzzle is going, adding a laser to your training can show you where and how far the rounds are being pushed off target. Simply attach a laser to your handgun and do the same dummy round drill you performed before. The laser will give you a more distinct view of where your muzzle is pointed at any given time.
Drills:
This drill is to be performed after you have warmed up at the range. Start by loading your magazine with at a full load of live ammunition and least 1 inert round. Fire a normal drill for what your training. If possible, have a friend or shooting partner watch the laser and/or the firearm to help diagnose what is happening at the moment the round discharges.
The solution:
Remember that consistency is the solution. If you consistently have a firm grip on the firearm and you get to know how the firearm recoils, you realize that the firearm recoiling is a natural action. No extra effort is required to mitigate the recoil of the firearm, just the firm grip you have already established.