For us, “Drill Practice” is isolating an individual part of a skill and focusing intently on improving or mastering said skill. The goal with good drill practice is to maximize overall improvement while minimizing overall effort. Success equals consistency over time.
Most of us will hopefully never have to use our defensive skills, but that shouldn’t stop us from training for the worst-case scenario. The problem is, we don’t know what that would really look like, since we are training for an unknown, unknowable event. The best we can hope for is to be well rounded. Training for close range makes sense, since it is the more likely scenario, but being proficient at longer ranges than normal is also a good plan.
Here is a drill that balances shooting at distance with shooting at close range. This drill will test your grip, trigger control and aiming all in one. It starts at the 20-yard line, then moves to the 10-yard line and finishes at the 5-yard line. You will fire 10 rounds at each stage. For a challenge, the par time is shortened as you move closer to the target. At the 20-yard line, you have 20 seconds, at the 10-yard line you have 10 seconds and at the 5-yard line, you have 5 seconds. Load three magazines with 10 rounds each. Shoot this drill on any type of silhouette target. Your overall goal is 80 percent or greater, (240/300 points). For every second exceeding the par time, deduct three points from your overall score.
Here’s the drill:
• Starting at the 20-yard line, set the timer for 20 seconds. On the signal, fire 10 rounds as fast as possible.
• Move to the 10-yard line. On the signal, fire 10 rounds with a 10-second par time.
• Move to the 5-yard line. On the signal, fire 10 rounds with a 5-second par time.
The objective is to meter your speed based on the distance to the target and try to score as high as possible. Grip and trigger control will be your focus. As you get closer, your grip becomes even more important. Manage your sights, but don’t over aim. When you see the sight on target, squeeze the trigger. The high round count allows you to correct in real time, so let any bad shots go and focus on the shot you are firing. Shoot in the present tense. Good luck.
