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​1-2-R-3
Range: 5yd
Target: Download here -->
Start position: holstered with three rounds in the pistol
Rounds fired: 6
Shooter begins the drill with three rounds in the gun. Using a shot timer, give yourself a seven second PAR time. On the buzzer, draw and fire six rounds as follows:
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one round at the 1″ square
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two rounds at the 2″ circle
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perform a reload
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three rounds at the 3×5 rectangle
1-RELOAD-2
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Range: 5yd
Target: torso zone (IPSC A-zone, IDPA zero-down, 8″ plate, 8.5×11 paper)
Start position: gun aimed in on target
Rounds fired: 3
This is a close-range drill that should allow you to practice your reload and re-acquisition of the target as quickly as possible. Remember, don’t go so fast that you miss the target regularly.
The drill begins with the shooter aiming at the target, finger on the trigger. On the start signal, fire a single round at the target. Then perform a reload and fire two more rounds at the target. This is an improvement over the traditional 1-reload-1 drill because by requiring two shots after the reload, the shooter is forced to get a good grip and visual awareness of the pistol after the reload in order to control the gun and get two accurate and fast hits.
Depending on how you perform the drill, your reload can be a slidelock (aka emergency) reload, a speed (aka in-battery) reload, or a retention (aka tactical) reload.
10-8 PISTOL TEST
Range: 7yd
Target: IDPA target
Start position: varies (see below)
Rounds fired: 65
This test is to be conducted using either:
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a concealed holster, with standard start position being hands relaxed at sides, or
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retention duty holster, with standard start position being an interview stance or long gun ready
All strings of fire are shot using a PAR time.
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basic level: 8.0 second PAR for all strings
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intermediate level: 6.5 second PAR for all strings
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advanced level: 5.0 second PAR for all strings
Strings of fire for the test are as follows:
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start holstered; on the buzzer draw and fire 4 rds to the body then 1 round to the head, all strong hand only
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start from a 2-handed ready position; on the buzzer transfer the pistol to the support hand then fire 4 shots to the body and 1 shot to the head, all weak hand only
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start with an empty chamber, high ready; on the buzzer rack slide to chamber a round using the strong hand only, then fire 4 head shots all strong hand only
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start with an empty chamber, high ready; on the buzzer rack slide to chamber a round using the weak hand only, then fire 4 body shots followed by 1 head shot all weak hand only
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start with the pistol aimed at the target, slide locked open, empty mag, strong hand only; on the buzzer reload strong hand only and fire 1 shot to the body strong hand only
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start holstered; on the buzzer draw and fire 7 shots to the body and 1 to the head
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start with 7 rounds loaded in the pistol, holstered; on the buzzer draw fire 7 shots to the body, reload from slide lock and shoot 1 to the head
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start holstered; on the buzzer draw and fire 8 shots to the head
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start from high ready with 3 rounds loaded in the pistol; on the buzzer from a high ready, fire 2 shots to the body and 1 shot to the head, reload from slide lock and repeat the 3 shots
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start with 2 rounds loaded in the gun, holstered; on the buzzer draw and fire 1 shot to the body and 1 shot to the head, reload from slide lock and repeat the 2 shots
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start with 4 rounds in the pistol, high ready; on the buzzer fire 4 shots to the body, reload from slide lock and then fire 4 shots to the head
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start with 1 round in the pistol, holstered, plus two spare magazines with 1 round each; on the buzzer draw and fire 1 shot to the body, reload from slide lock, fire one to the body, reload again, and fire another round to the body
Once you can break 58-60 points on a given par time, you are ready to move to the next par time. You are doing quite well if you can break 60 points on the 5 second par, shooting per the protocol.
10 ROUND ASSAULT COURSE
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Range: 25yd, 15yd, 7yd, & closing
Target: NRA B8 replacement center
Start position: holstered
Rounds fired: 10
​​Target is a standard NRA B8 bullseye replacement center. Scoring is for actual points so a 10-ring hit is worth a lot more than peripherals.
Start from the holster at 25yd.
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On the buzzer, draw and fire two rounds (2).
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Advance to the 15yd line keeping gun safely in control, fire two (2) rounds.
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Advance to the 7yd line keeping gun safely in control, fire three (3) rounds.
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Fire three (3) more rounds while advancing forward from the 7yd line.
Score is simply listed as points and time. Ethan recommends using 80 points in 20 seconds as a passing score.
Using a B8 target center instead of the big zone of an IPSC/IDPA target is what makes this such an interesting drill. Being able to turn in precision at speed (especially at the 25 and 15yd lines) is very representative of the performance standards Ethan and his military colleagues expect in their real world day jobs.
26662 DRILL
Range: 3yd – 7yd
Target: Download here -->
Start position: holstered
Rounds fired: 5
This is a more advanced variation on the Changing Gears drill. It uses a target with two 2″ circles and one 6″ circle.
Range can be anywhere from three to seven yards depending on shooter skill level.
Draw and fire one round at the top 2″ circle, three rounds at the 6″ circle, and then one round at the bottom 2″ circle. Shoot the circles in that specific sequence. Record your time and establish a good par time for yourself. Then start to chip tenths of a second off the par to improve your speed. Once you are consistently getting all of your hits within 3-4 seconds, try putting the target out another yard or two and starting again.
To keep the drill from getting stale and to keep you from getting too familiar with the specific movement from circle to circle, rotate the target to a different orientation each range session. So sometimes the little dots will be on the right, sometimes of the left, sometimes on top, and sometimes on bottom.
The 26662 drill will help you develop a good, precise draw and the ability to change between high accuracy shots and high speed shots seamlessly.
3-TWO-1
Range: 3yd – 7yd
Target: Download here -->
Start position: holstered
Rounds fired: 30
3-Two-1 is a close range drill focusing on speed and precision as well as the ability to change gears seamlessly. It uses a 3×5″ rectangle, a 2″ circle, and 1″ square. For simplicity’s sake, we have created a target specifically for this drill.
Using a shot timer, give yourself a four second PAR time. On the buzzer, draw and fire six rounds as follows:
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three rounds at the 3×5 rectangle
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two rounds at the 2″ circle
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one round at the 1″ square
Repeat the drill for a total of five runs. This should give you:
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fifteen hits in the 3×5 rectangle
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ten hits in the 2″ circle
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five hits in the 1″ square
For an added challenge, you can begin a string on a different shape. Note that the PAR time becomes more constraining when you have to draw to a smaller target. You can also change the orientation of the target from practice session to practice session so you don’t just build “muscle memory” moving in one direction.
Range can be anywhere from three to seven yards depending on shooter skill level. Start at a distance where you can hit all three of the targets when there is no time limit, and then push yourself to meet the PAR time. Record your results for each target (rectangle, circle, square) and work until you are getting good hits within the PAR time. Then increase the distance.
3BY3
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Range: 5yd or 7yd
Target: 8″ circle, 3×5 card, and 2″ dot
Start position: concealed
Rounds fired: 9
This is a type of changing gears drill. There are three strings of fire. A shot timer is used for the first two, while the third is shot with no time limit.
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Draw and fire three to the 8″ circle. Record the time, add 0.30 seconds for each miss.
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Draw and fire three to the 3×5 card. Record the time, add 1.00 seconds for each miss.
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Draw and fire three to the 2″ dot. No time measured, but add 3.00 seconds for each miss.
As for range:
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If you can reliably hit a 2″ dot at 7yd slow fire, use 7yd as your distance.
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If you can reliably hit a 2″ dot at 5yd slow fire, use 5yd as your distance.
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If you cannot reliably hit a 2″ dot at 5yd slow fire, use 5yd as your distance but replace the 2″ dot with a second 3×5 card (no time limit, 3 seconds per miss).
3X5 CARD DRILL
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Range: 3yd, 5yd, 7yd, 10yd, & 15yd
Target: 3×5 card
Start position: any
Rounds fired: 6 at each distance
Shooter fires six rounds at the target at his own pace for maximum accuracy. For traditional double action guns, three shots should be double action and three shots should be single action in alternating sequence (double, single, double, single, double, single).
At three yards, the goal is to have all six bullet holes touching. After that, all shots need to hit the card. If all six shots hit the card, increase to the next distance.
For added challenge, use three cards and perform the drill freestyle, strong-hand only, and weak-hand only at each distance.
4567 DRILL
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Range: 7yd
Target: Download here -->
Start position: varies, see below
Rounds fired: 20 rounds
The 4567 was inspired by Gila Hayes’s “5×4” drill and the various iterations thereof.
The drill is run four times, five rounds each, on a six inch circle, at seven yards. A shot timer is used to begin each string of fire. The four strings of fire are:
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draw and fire 5 rounds from concealment, two-handed
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draw and fire 5 rounds from concealment, strong hand only
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from the ready position fire 5 rounds, weak hand only
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draw and fire 5 rounds from concealment, two-handed (repeat of string 1)
For any shot outside of the 6″ circle, add 1 second to your time. Total the times (and penalties) for all four strings to determine your overall score:
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Basic score total time with penalties is 4+5+6+7 = 22 seconds
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Intermediate is 5+6+7 seconds = 18 seconds
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Advanced is 6+7 = 13 seconds
4X20 TRANSITION DRILL
Range: 10yd
Target: four steel chest plates (or similar)
Start position: holstered
Rounds fired: 20
This drill is best run with four steel plates, but you can also use paper plates, sheets of paper, etc. Targets are placed at least two feet apart edge to edge at a range of ten yards. You will need a shot timer.
On the buzzer, draw and engage one shot per target back and forth for 20 rounds. Note that you do not “double” the targets on the end, you shoot them once and then reverse direction. So the sequence is: T1-T2-T3-T4-T3-T2-T1-T2, etc. There are no makeup shots. If you miss a shot, it’s a miss … move on to the next target.
The goal is to get all twenty hits in under 10 seconds.
5X5 SKILL TEST
Range: 10yd
Target: standard IDPA target
Start position: Hands at your sides facing target. No concealment garment necessary.
Rounds fired: 25
Another quick and easy to set up/score shooting test by Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat. It is intended for a service pistol of 9mm caliber or larger, concealed carry suitable holster and ammunition with a power factor (bullet weight x velocity) of 125,000 or more. Scoring is standard Vickers with a half second penalty per point down.
There are four strings of fire, each for time:
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Draw and fire 5 shots freestyle.
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Draw and fire 5 shots SHO (strong hand only).
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Draw and fire 5 shots freestyle, reload from slidelock and fire 5 more shots freestyle.
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Draw and fire 4 shots to the body and 1 shot to the head freestyle.
Suggested scoring:
Grand Master: 15 seconds or less
Master: 20 seconds or less
Expert: 25 seconds or less
Sharpshooter: 32 seconds or less
Marksman: 41 seconds or less
Novice: 50 seconds or less
Not proficient enough to carry a handgun: Over 50 seconds
99 DRILL
Range: 7-15yd
Target: 4×6 card (advanced: 3×5 card)
Start position: holstered concealed, hands relaxed at sides
Rounds fired: 99
This was developed as a way to practice fundamentals (marksmanship at speed, draws, and reloads) with limited time and ammunition. Individual drills are shot multiple times to provide actual training benefit rather than just serving as a test of current skill level.
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7 yards, 2.5sec PAR: draw and shoot three (10 times, total 30 rounds)
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7 yards, 5.0sec PAR: draw, fire one, reload, fire two (10 times, total 30 rounds)
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10 yards, 3.5sec PAR: draw and shoot three (10 times, total 30 rounds)
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15 yards, 5.0sec PAR: draw and shoot three (3 times, total 9 rounds)
Either 4×6″ or 3×5″ cards can be used as targets. The 3×5 version is obviously significantly more difficult. All shots must be fired before the end of the PAR time; shots fired after the PAR count as misses.
BALL & DUMMY DRILL
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Range: 3yd
Target: small (3×5 card, 3″ dot)
Start position: any
Rounds fired: varies
This drill has been used for decades to help shooters overcome problems anticipating recoil and jerking the trigger. It’s a staple of every instructor’s diagnostic toolbox.
You will need some snap caps or dummy rounds to do this drill. Have a shooting partner load your pistol magazine or revolver cylinder with about two-thirds live ammunition and one-third dummies, randomly mixed. (alternatively, revolver shooters can just leave 1-3 chambers empty)
Using a small but close target as outlined above, aim and shoot. You should have no idea whether you’re pulling the trigger on a live round or a dummy, so treat every trigger press as if it were going to fire. When you get to a dummy round, the pistol should stay perfectly still as you press the trigger. If you jerk the trigger or anticipate recoil, you’ll immediately see it because the gun will move off target.
If you do jerk the gun on a dummy, stop and fire ten perfect, deliberate dry-fire shots without jerking the trigger or anticipating any recoil. Then do the Ball & Dummy Drill again.
This drill is only valid when you are shooting slowly and deliberately, working 100% on accuracy and zero on speed. As you start to shoot faster, it’s easy to mistake proper recoil management for “anticipation” and make you believe you are doing something wrong when you’re not.
ACCELERATION
Range: varies (start at 7yd)
Target: 8″ paper plate, 8.5×11 sheet of paper, or similar
Start position: mid draw
Rounds fired: varies
The purpose of this drill is to improve speed and in particular speed during the press-out segment of the draw stroke. The drill requires a shot timer. Shooter begins seven yards from the target. Start position is the point where you normally make contact with your support hand during a draw. The gun will be relatively close in to your body, pointed at the target, both hands on the gun.
Set the PAR time on your shot timer to 1.0 seconds. On the buzzer, press the gun out and press the trigger, working on your sight alignment and timing so the shot breaks at the moment you reach full extension of your arms. If you finish with plenty of time left, slow yourself down and work on breaking a more accurate shot without going over the PAR time. Go through one or two magazines depending on whether you have a double- or single-stack mag.
Next, put up a new target. Without changing the par time, do the same drill except fire two shots per iteration. This might be easy for you, or it might require you to push yourself to break that first shot a little faster. Again, the goal is to get the most accurate shots you can without going over PAR. Fire the same number of drills (so you’ll fire two times as many shots).
If you were getting two shots in the 1.0 seconds, next try three, then four, and keep going until you can no longer get all your hits within the PAR time. You’ll have to speed up a little more each time. This drill should take you from smooth accurate single shots to pushing yourself to the very limit of your speed & accuracy.
BILL DRILL
Range: 7yd
Target: standard IPSC target
Start position: gun in holster, hands at surrender position
Rounds fired: 6
The Bill Drill is intended to improve speed without sacrificing accuracy. The details listed above are the traditional version, but any 6-shot drill done at speed on a single target can achieve the same basic goal.
Six shots are fired as quickly as the shooter can achieve six hits on the target. The drill teaches sight tracking, proper visual reference, recoil management, and trigger manipulation.
One important aspect of the Bill Drill is learning to follow your sights during recoil so that you can fire your next shot as soon as you have an adequate sight picture. Usually, this means pulling the trigger as soon as the front sight comes back down onto the scoring zone without waiting for precise alignment or for the sight to stop movement in the middle of the target. At full speed, the front sight is constantly moving, never coming to rest until the drill is over.
BILL DRILL 2
Range: 7yd
Target: standard IDPA target 8″ -0 zone
Start position: gun in holster, hands at sides
Rounds fired: 15
This is a new version of the classic Bill Drill developed by Bill Wilson with a goal toward working the draw and different numbers of shots on target. Scoring is standard Vickers with a half second penalty per point down.
There are five strings of fire, each for time:
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Draw and fire 1 shot.
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Draw and fire 2 shots.
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Draw and fire 3 shots.
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Draw and fire 4 shots.
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Draw and fire 5 shots.
10-second total score as a goal.
3-SECOND HEAD SHOT STANDARDS
Range: 5yd
Target: three IDPA or IPSC targets
Start position: varies (see below)
Rounds fired: 9
Targets are placed at least two feet apart shoulder to shoulder at a range of five yards. PAR time is set to three seconds for each string. There are three strings of fire.
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Fire one (and only one) shot at the head of each target, going from left to right
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Fire one (and only one) shot at the head of each target, going from right to left.
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Fire one (and only one) shot at the head of each target, beginning with the middle target and then finishing with the two outside targets in any order.
A round anywhere in the scoring zone for the head (meaning both A and B zones for the IPSC target) counts as a hit. Shots fired after the 3-second PAR time count as misses. In total, you will fire nine rounds (three shots in three seconds, times three strings of fire).
Hackathorn considers a passing score to be seven hits, minimum.
Try the drill first from a standard ready position. If you can get all your hits, try it from a holster. If you can get your hits from the holster within the PAR time, try it from concealment.
BULLSEYE 1000
Range: 25yd
Target: NRA B-16 and NRA B-8
Start position: freestyle
Rounds fired: 100
NRA B-16 targets are used for Slow Fire segments; alternatively, the shooter may choose to use B-6 targets at a range of 50yd.
NRA B-8 targets are used for the Timed Fire and Rapid Fire segments.
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Slow Fire Match
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10 rounds Slow Fire (10 minutes) — freestyle
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10 rounds Slow Fire (10 minutes) — strong hand only
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10 rounds Slow Fire (10 minutes) — weak hand only
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National Match Course
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10 rounds Slow Fire (10 minutes) — freestyle
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5 rounds Timed Fire (20 seconds) — freestyle
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(repeat) 5 rounds Timed Fire (20 seconds) — freestyle
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5 rounds Rapid Fire (10 seconds) — freestyle
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(repeat) 5 rounds Rapid Fire (10 seconds) — freestyle
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Timed Fire Match
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5 rounds Timed Fire (20 seconds) — freestyle
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(repeat) 5 rounds Timed Fire (20 seconds) — freestyle
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5 rounds Timed Fire (20 seconds) — strong hand only
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5 rounds Timed Fire (20 seconds) — weak hand only
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Rapid Fire Match
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5 rounds Rapid Fire (10 seconds) — freestyle
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(repeat) 5 rounds Rapid Fire (10 seconds) — freestyle
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5 rounds Rapid Fire (10 seconds) — strong hand only
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5 rounds Rapid Fire (10 seconds) — weak hand only
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CATCH 22
Range: 15yd
Target: MGM Auto-Popper or 8″ plate
Start position: varies (see below)
Rounds fired: varies (see below)
All you need is a steel target and a shot timer.
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Draw and fire (freestyle) until you get a hit on the target. Record your time. Repeat for a total of five draws.
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Draw and fire strong hand only until you get a hit on the target. Record your time. Repeat for a total of five draws.
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Draw, transfer gun to weak hand and fire weak hand only until you get a hit on the target. Record your time. Repeat for a total of five draws.
Remember, you fire however many shots you need to get a hit. At the end of the drill you should have a total of fifteen times recorded. Add them all together to get your score. All fifteen runs — 5 freestyle, then 5 SHO, then 5 WHO — have to be shot consecutively with no “free passes” or excuses.
The target needs to be put up against the berm to prevent rounds skipping out of the range on a bad draw. The target needs to be steel because you continue engaging it until you score a hit. If you used a paper target and realized after the fact that you missed a shot, you have no way to score your time for that run.
Dave considers anything under 23 seconds to be a Grand Master level score. His personal best is 20.71! If you are drawing from concealment, the “GM standard” is 26 seconds.
(For a more “tactical” drill, you can do a standard weak hand only draw but keep in mind that this will be significantly slower for most people than the strong-to-weak transfer. Unless you have specific professional training in the safe execution of a weak hand only drawstroke, do not attempt it with a live gun.)
CHANGING GEARS
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Range: 7yd
Targets: 3×5 card, 8″ plate
Start position: holstered
Rounds fired: 4+
This drill is intended to help shooters learn to change speeds as the situation requires. It uses two different size targets, a small (3×5 card) and a large (8″ plate). A shot timer is used set to a par time that pushes the shooter to shoot as quickly as possible while still getting hits. 3-4 seconds is a good start; once the shooter is getting a total of 5-6 hits per run, reduce the par time for a greater challenge.
There are two variants of the drill. Both should be practiced:
Slow-to-Fast
Draw, fire two rounds at the small target, then as many hits on the large target as possible before the par time runs out. This emphasizes a very precise draw and first shot, which is especially important on Traditional Double Action (DA/SA) guns. After hitting the smalltarget twice, the shooter must speed up to get as many hits on the large target as possible within the par time.
Fast-to-Slow
Draw, fire two rounds at the large target, then as many hits on the small target as possible before the par time runs out. This emphasizes control, because the first two shots should be very fast and then the shooter should slow down to get his hits on the smaller target.
Alternative targets: other targets can be used to get the same effect (for example, the head box of an IDPA/IPSC target and the torso zone of the same) or two identical targets can be placed at different distances (e.g., 5 yards and 15 yards).
A more advanced version of this drill is the X-Drill.
CIRCLE DRILL
Range: 7yd
Target: 8″ plate
Start position: any
Rounds fired: 36
The Circle Drill is intended to teach students the relationship between speed and accuracy, and how time affects marksmanship fundamentals.
The drill begins by firing six rounds at the plate at a slow pace (1 shot per second). Repeat. This is fundamental marksmanship with little or no time pressure.
Next, pick up the pace. Fire six rounds at a moderate pace (2 shots per second). Repeat. This speed is the “comfort zone” for most shooters, they should still get reasonably good hits.
Finally, maximize speed by firing six rounds at a pace of about 4 shots per second (or as fast as possible if 4/second is faster than the gun can be kept under control). Repeat. This pace should push a shooter outside of his comfort zone and force him to work harder at recoil management and sight tracking. Accuracy will suffer but the goal is to keep 90%+ hits on the plate.
For added challenge, also perform the drill one-handed both strong- and weak-hand. Note that the times, especially the “fast” time, may need to be adjusted for one-handed shooting. The goal remains the same. First speed is slow marksmanship, second speed is a steady comfortable cadence, and finally maximum speed without losing control of the gun.
F.A.S.T. (FUNDAMENTALS,ACCURACY & SPEED TEST)
Range: 7 yards
Target: 3×5 card (head), 8″ plate (body)
Start position: weapon concealed or in duty condition with all holster retention devices active; shooter facing downrange in relaxed stance with arms down at sides
Rounds fired: 6
Shooter loads gun with a total of two rounds. On start signal, shooter draws and fires two rounds at the head target; performs a slidelock reload; and fires four rounds at the body target.
Ranking:
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10+ seconds: Novice
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less than 10 seconds: Intermediate
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less than 7 seconds: Advanced
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less than 5 seconds: Expert
If shooter is using a retention holster and flap (covered) magazine pouches, subtract 0.5 seconds from the recorded time. If shooter is using an open-top retention holster (e.g., Blackhawk SERPA or Safariland ALS) with no concealment, add 0.50 seconds to the recorded time.
DOT TORTURE
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This is a great marksmanship drill that came from David Blinder
Start at 3 yards. You have to get all 50 hits to pass. Once you can shoot the whole drill without a single miss, either increase the distance or add time pressure. For instance, try to finish the entire drill in under 5 minutes while maintaining 100% accuracy.
DOWNLOAD TARGET HERE
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Dot 1 – Draw and fire one string of 5 rounds for best group. One hole if possible, total 5 rounds.
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Dot 2 – Draw and fire 1 shot, holster and repeat X4, total 5 rounds.
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Dots 3 & 4 – Draw and fire 1 shot on #3, then 1 shot on #4, holster and repeat X3, total 8 rounds.
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Dot 5 – Draw and fire string of 5 rounds, strong hand only, total 5 rounds.
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Dots 6 & 7 – Draw and fire 2 shots on #6, then 2 on #7, holster, repeat X4, total 16 rounds.
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Dot 8 – From ready or retention, fire five shots, weak hand only, total 5 rounds.
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Dots 9 & 10 – Draw and fire 1 shot on #9, speed reload, fire 1 shot on #10, holster and repeat X3, total 6 rounds.
There is also a dedicated TDA (Traditional Double Action, aka “DA/SA”) version created by Sean Leffler:
DOWNLOAD TARGETHERE
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Dot 1 – Draw and fire two pairs (first shot DA, second shot SA) for best group. One hole if possible, total 4 rounds.
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Dot 2 – Draw and fire 1 shot (DA), holster and repeat for a total of 4 rounds.
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Dots 3 & 4 – Draw and fire 1 shot on #3 DA, then 1 shot on #4 SA, holster and repeat three more times, total 8 rounds.
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Dot 5 – Draw and fire three pair (first shot DA, second shot SA each pair), strong hand only, total 6 rounds.
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Dots 6 & 7 – Draw and fire 2 shots on #6 (first shot DA, second shot SA), then 2 on #7 (both SA), holster, repeat three more times, total 16 rounds.
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Dot 8 – From ready or retention, fire three pairs (first shot DA, second shot SA), weak hand only, total 6 rounds.
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Dots 9 & 10 – Draw and fire 1 shot on #9 (DA), reload, fire 1 shot on #10 (SA), holster and repeat two more times, total 6 rounds.
EL PRESIDENTE
Range: 10yd
Target: three IPSC targets spaced 1yd from each other shoulder to shoulder
Start position: back to targets, hands above shoulders (“surrender position”), pistol concealed
Rounds fired: 12
At the start signal, turn, then draw and fire two rounds at each of the three targets. Perform a reload, then fire two rounds at each target again. There should be four hits on each target for a total of twelve.
The classic standard was to perform the drill in under ten seconds with all A-zone hits. Any run with less than 12 A-zone hits was a failure.
There have been many variations of this drill, including the “Vice-Presidente” which begins with the shooter facing the targets and which is usually performed at 7yd instead of 10yd distance.
EXTEND PREP & PRESS/ALTERNATING TARGET AREA
Range: 5yd – 10yd
Target: body zone (IPSC A-zone, IDPA -0 zone, 8″ circle, etc.) and head zone (IPSC A-zone, 3×5 card, etc.)
Start position: high ready (where hands meet after draw)
Rounds fired: 40
This is a Changing Gears type drill designed to get you focused on making proper choices in terms of your visual control of the pistol as you alternate between high- and low-percentage targets.
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From High Ready on the sound of the timer, extend the gun while managing the sights and trigger (visual shift and verification), and fire two (2) shots on the body.
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On the next repetition go through the same process and fire two shots on the head.
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Alternate back and forth between target areas for a total of 20 repetitions (10 to the body, 10 to the head).
When assessing hits, each target area should have 20 shots on it.
HACKATHORN STANDARDS
Range: varies (see below)
Target: three IPSC (or IDPA) targets spaced 1yd apart at heights (from left to right) of 5′, 6′, 4′.
Start position: varies
Rounds fired: 60
The Hackathorn Standards have become a mainstay of practical pistol performance evaluation. Designed by Ken Hackathorn in 1993, the “Hack Standards” formed the blueprint from which the IDPA Classifier was developed.
Scoring of the targets:
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anywhere in the head, 5 points
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A-zone (-0 on IDPA target), 5 points
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C-zone (-1 on IDPA target), 3 points
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D-zone (-3 on IDPA target), 2 points
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miss, 0 points
Any time a head shot is required, a hit anywhere else on the target counts as a complete miss. Any time no target zone is specified, or body shots are specified, hits to the head box still score 5 points. Shots fired more than 0.30 seconds after the PAR time count as misses. (Ken grants a 0.30 second grace period on the PAR times. In other words, if a string calls for a 3.00 second PAR, any shot fired within 3.30 seconds counts for score.)
There is no concealment requirement. Strings of fire are shot from the holster unless specified otherwise.
No extra (“make up”) shots are allowed.
There are thirteen strings of fire, download them here :
2H = two hands, freestyle
SHO = strong hand only
WHO = weak hand only
A score of 250 or more is considered Excellent. From 200-249 is Acceptable. Below 200 is Needs Improvement.
HALF & HALF
Range: 5-20yd
Target: IPSC A-zone or IDPA -0 zone
Start position: (see below)
Rounds fired: 30
The Half & Half is an easy to administer assessment of speed and marksmanship. There are three strings of fire. With each subsequent string, you reduce the distance and the par time by half. The “official” version of the drill is dumbed down from the original carbine drill and is shot from the ready position:
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10 rounds at 20 yards, 12 second PAR time
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10 rounds at 10 yards, 6 second PAR time
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10 rounds at 5 yards, 3 second PAR time
All shots must be fired before the end of the PAR time; shots fired after the PAR count as misses.
For a significantly better challenge, the “pistol-training.com version” of the Half & Half is run using the original carbine times, and also fired from either concealment or a retention holster:
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10 rounds at 20 yards, 10 second PAR time
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10 rounds at 10 yards, 5 second PAR time
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10 rounds at 5 yards, 2.5 second PAR time
Hits inside the scoring zone are 10 points each. Misses, shots fired after the PAR time, or unfired shots score zero. Maximum possible score is 300.
HUMBLER (700 POINT AGGREGATE)
Range: 25yd
Target: NRA B-8
Start position: varies
Rounds fired: 70
The Humbler is the nickname for what is otherwise known as the 700 Point Aggregate. As of this writing, no one has ever claimed a perfect 700 on the drill.
The drill uses NRA B-8 bullseye targets at a range of 25 yards. A fresh target is used for each string to minimize scoring errors. Rounds impacting outside the marked scoring zones are zero points.
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Stage 1: Slow Fire
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10 rounds
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freestyle
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time limit: ten minutes
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Stage 2: Timed Fire from the holster
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5 rounds
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freestyle from the holster
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time limit: 20 seconds
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repeat a second time for total of 10 rounds fired
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Stage 3: Rapid Fire from the holster
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5 rounds
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freestyle from the holster
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time limit: 10 seconds
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repeat a second time for total of 10 rounds fired
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Stage 4: SHO Slow Fire
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5 rounds
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strong hand only
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time limit: five minutes
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Stage 5: SHO Timed Fire from the holster
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5 rounds
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strong hand only from the holster
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time limit: 20 seconds
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Stage 6: SHO Rapid Fire from the holster
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5 rounds
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strong hand only from the holster
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time limit: 10 seconds
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Stage 7: WHO Slow Fire
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5 rounds
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weak hand only
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time limit: five minutes
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Stage 8: Kneeling Slow Fire
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5 rounds
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kneeling freestyle
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time limit: five minutes
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Stage 9: Kneeling Timed Fire from the holster
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5 rounds
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begin standing, draw and kneel at buzzer
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time limit: 20 seconds
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Stage 10: Prone Slow Fire
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5 rounds
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prone freestyle
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time limit: five minutes
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Stage 11: Prone Timed Fire from the holster
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5 rounds
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begin standing, draw and go prone at buzzer
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time limit: 20 seconds
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As of 06DEC22, no one has ever claimed a perfect 700 on the drill.
SWITCH HITTING
This drill was the pistol-training.com Drill of the Week for 25-May-08 and 1-Jun-08.
designed by Todd Louis Green
Range: varies (start at 3yd)
Target: two 3×5 cards (slow version) or two 8″ plates (fast version)
Start position: ready position, strong hand only
Rounds fired: varies
(safety notice: as with any drill involving transfer from one hand to the other, please remember to be careful. If you should drop the gun during the drill, let it fall to the ground and do not try to catch it in midair. If you try to catch it, the odds are very good that you’ll snatch the trigger and discharge the gun accidentally)
The purpose of this drill is to improve both accuracy and speed when shooting one-handed. There are two versions of the drill, a slow version which is focused primarily on accuracy and a fast version which balances accuracy and speed. Both drills require the shooter to use a shot timer with a PAR time of 10 seconds.
Slow version:
Place two 3×5 cards at least one foot apart at a range of three yards. Starting position is normal ready position for strong hand only (SHO) shooting. On the buzzer, engage the right card slowly until you get one hit. Then carefully transition the pistol to the weak hand only (WHO) and engage the left card until you get one hit. Keep transitioning back and forth from SHO to WHO until the PAR time runs out.
Practice until you are getting at least two hits on each card in the PAR time. Then, increase the distance to 5 yards and start again. Keeping adding distance until you can no longer get the necessary hits in the allowed PAR time.
Fast version:
Similar to the above except you will use two larger targets, such as 8″ plates or 8.5×11 sheets of paper. On the buzzer, engage the right target with two hits shooting SHO. Once you get your two hits, carefully transition to the WHO and engage the left target until you get two hits. Transition back and forth as many times as you can until the PAR time runs out.
Practice until you are getting at least four hits per card at 3yd within the 10 second PAR, then increase the distance to 5yd. Keeping adding distance until you can no longer get the required number of hits within the PAR time.
iHACK
Range: 5yd
Target: Download here -->
Start position: varies (see below)
Rounds fired: 9
The iHack is an indoor range friendly version of the famous Hackathorn 3-Second Headshot Standards. The targets are much closer together but also significantly smaller than the regular version of the drill. Most shooters find this variation harder than the original so don’t be discouraged if your score is less than you expect the first time you try it.
PAR time is set to three seconds for each string. There are three strings of fire.
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Fire one (and only one) shot at each target, going from left to right
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Fire one (and only one) shot at each target, going from right to left.
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Fire one (and only one) shot at each target, beginning with the middle target and then finishing with the two outside targets in any order.
Shots fired after the 3-second PAR time count as misses. In total, you will fire nine rounds. A “passing” score is 7 out of 9.
Try the drill first from a standard ready position. If you can get all your hits, try it from a holster. If you can get your hits from the holster within the PAR time, try it from concealment.
RELOAD DRILL
Reload DrillRange: 7yd
Target: torso (8″ plate, sheet of paper, IPSC or IDPA target, etc.)
Start position: from the holster or ready position
Rounds fired: 4
At the start signal, present the weapon to the target, fire two rounds, reload, and fire two additional rounds.
(a common variation of this drill fires 1, reload, then 1 round; however, firing a second shot each time guarantees that the student is aiming and exercising proper shooting technique rather than rushing too fast)
To practice slidelock reloads, it is easiest to load your magazines with four rounds each, except for the first magazine in the gun which should obviously hold only two rounds. This way you can perform the drill and you’ll have two rounds left in the magazine at the end, allowing you to repeat the drill immediately.
LANGDON 3.5 SECOND STANDARDS
designed by Ernest Langdon
Range: varies (see below)
Target: three IDPA targets
Start position: from concealment
Rounds fired: 80
For this drill, you will need three IDPA targets placed at shoulder height with at least two feet of separation between each target. You will also need a shot timer, set to a 3.5-second PAR time. Each string has a 3.5-second PAR time. You must get all “-0” hits within the PAR time for each run. Dropping any points or going past the PAR time is considered a failure.
T1 is the left target; T2 is the center target, T3 is the right target.
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Head-Body-Head: 7yd
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two body T1; two head T2; two body T3.
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two body T3; two head T2; two body T1.
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two head T1; two body T2; two head T3.
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two head T3; two body T2; two head T1.
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Two-Reload-Two: 7yd
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two body T1; reload; two body T1.
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two body T2; reload; two body T2.
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Shooting on the Move: 5yd to 10yd
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two body on each target left to right while moving from 10yd to 5yd.
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two body on each target left to right while moving from 5yd to 10yd.
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two body on each target right to left while moving from 10yd to 5yd.
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two body on each target left to right while moving from 5yd to 10yd.
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SHO & WHO: 7dy
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2 body on each target left to right, Strong Hand Only.
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2 body on each target right to left, Strong Hand Only.
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2 body on each target left to right, Weak Hand Only (start from low-ready).
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2 body on each target right to left, Weak Hand Only (start from low-ready).
At the end, you should have 24 hits to the bodies of each T1 and T2; 20 hits to the body of T3; and four hits to each head. To get a passing score, Ernest requires the entire drill to be run twice with no misses and no shots fired past the PAR Time.
HUMBLER (700 POINT AGGREGATE)
designed for SFOD-Delta
popularized by Larry Vickers
Range: 25yd
Target: NRA B-8
Start position: varies
Rounds fired: 70
The Humbler is the nickname for what is otherwise known as the 700 Point Aggregate. As of this writing, no one has ever claimed a perfect 700 on the drill.
The drill uses NRA B-8 bullseye targets at a range of 25 yards. A fresh target is used for each string to minimize scoring errors. Rounds impacting outside the marked scoring zones are zero points.
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Stage 1: Slow Fire
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10 rounds
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freestyle
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time limit: ten minutes
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Stage 2: Timed Fire from the holster
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5 rounds
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freestyle from the holster
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time limit: 20 seconds
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repeat a second time for total of 10 rounds fired
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Stage 3: Rapid Fire from the holster
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5 rounds
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freestyle from the holster
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time limit: 10 seconds
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repeat a second time for total of 10 rounds fired
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Stage 4: SHO Slow Fire
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5 rounds
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strong hand only
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time limit: five minutes
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Stage 5: SHO Timed Fire from the holster
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5 rounds
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strong hand only from the holster
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time limit: 20 seconds
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Stage 6: SHO Rapid Fire from the holster
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5 rounds
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strong hand only from the holster
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time limit: 10 seconds
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Stage 7: WHO Slow Fire
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5 rounds
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weak hand only
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time limit: five minutes
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Stage 8: Kneeling Slow Fire
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5 rounds
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kneeling freestyle
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time limit: five minutes
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Stage 9: Kneeling Timed Fire from the holster
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5 rounds
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begin standing, draw and kneel at buzzer
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time limit: 20 seconds
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Stage 10: Prone Slow Fire
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5 rounds
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prone freestyle
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time limit: five minutes
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Stage 11: Prone Timed Fire from the holster
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5 rounds
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begin standing, draw and go prone at buzzer
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time limit: 20 seconds
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As of 2010-Sep-22, no one has ever claimed a perfect 700 on the drill.
PRESS 6
designed by Todd Green
Range: 3yd – 7yd
Target: Download here -->
Start position: holstered
Rounds fired: 62
Press Six is a multi-string drill that will help you improve both your press-out skills and your ability to hit low probability targets at speed. It utilizes six 2″ circles.
Range can be anywhere from three to seven yards depending on shooter skill level.
The six strings of fire are:
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Top left dot. Draw and fire one shot, focusing on a proper press-out.
No time limit.
Repeat ten times. -
Top center dot. Draw and fire one shot, focusing on a proper press-out.
3 second PAR time.
Repeat ten times. -
Top right dot. Draw and fire one shot, focusing on a proper press-out.
2 second PAR time.
Repeat ten times. -
Lower left dot. Draw and fire two shots, focusing on a proper press-out and good sight tracking.
No time limit.
Repeat five times. -
Lower center dot. Draw and fire two shots, focusing on a proper press-out and good sight tracking.
3 second PAR time.
Repeat five times. -
Lower right dot. Draw and fire three shots, focusing on a proper press-out and good sight tracking.
3 second PAR time.
Repeat four times.
Start at a distance where you can reliably get all of your hits on the slow strings (1 and 4), then push yourself to develop the speed necessary to make the PAR times. Once you are getting all of your hits on every dot, add a yard or two to the distance.
PYRAMID
designed by “mlazarus”
Range: 5yd, 10yd, 15yd, 20yd, and 25yd
Target: 8″ paper plate or similar
Start position: holstered
Rounds fired: 10
Target is a standard 8″ paper plate. At the five yard line draw and fire two rounds into the plate as fast as you can make the hits. Move back to the 10 yard line and repeat this. Again from the 15, 20 and 25 yard line. This can also be run in reverse, starting at the 25 yard line and moving closer.
The purpose of the drill is twofold. One, develop the same draw speed for targets at all ranges and two, develop a sense of the sighting needs and front sight focus from various distances.
TRI 10
This drill was the pistol-training.com Drill of the Week contest winner for August-08 and was the Drill of the Week for 24-Aug-08.
designed by “Gunslinger”
Range: 10yd
Target: Tran Star-II similar
Start position: holstered
Rounds fired: 10
(safety notice: as with any drill involving transfer from one hand to the other, please remember to be careful. If you should drop the gun during the drill, let it fall to the ground and do not try to catch it in midair. If you try to catch it, the odds are very good that you’ll snatch the trigger and discharge the gun accidentally)
Set your shot timer to a PAR time of 10 seconds. On the buzzer, draw and engage the target as follows:
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fire 4 shots freestyle (both hands)
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transition gun to strong hand only
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fire 3 shots strong hand only
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transition gun to weak hand only
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fire 3 shots weak hand only
If the drill is too hard or too easy, you can adjust the size of the scoring zone, the distance, and/or the time limit. But the “official” version is 10 shots in 10 seconds at 10 yards.
TRIPLE NICKEL
This drill was the pistol-training.com Drill of the Week for 3-Aug-08.
designed by a Dept of Homeland Security agency’s firearms training unit
Range: 5yd
Target: five Tran Star-II or QIT targets.
SHOP FOR TRAN STAR II HERE
SHOP FOR QIT TARGET HERE
Start position: holstered & concealed
Rounds fired: 10
Five targets are placed five yards from the shooter with at least 1.5 feet between each target.
Shooter begins with weapon concealed. On the buzzer, shooter must draw and engage each target with two shots. After the first target is engaged but before the last target is engaged, the shooter must perform a reload.
For a shot to count as a hit, it must be completely within the 4/5 scoring zones of a Tran Star-II target or within the bottle of a QIT target. Hits touching the line or outside the scoring zone are considered a miss.
​The drill is called the Triple Nickel because the agency uses a five second standard to complete the drill. Shooters who can successfully perform the drill in under five seconds three times in a row with 100% hits are awarded a special commemorative coin. That is a draw from concealment, a reload, and ten hits on a total of five targets in under five seconds!
TRIPLE 6
This drill was the pistol-training.com Drill of the Week contest winner for June-08 and was the Drill of the Week for 8-Jun-08.
designed by Max Michel, jr of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit
Range: 7yd, 15yd, and 25yd
Target: standard IPSC target
Start position: holstered
Rounds fired: 18
Set up 3 targets [USPSA targets prefered]. There are three strings of fire.
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7 yards – draw and fire 6 rounds [record time]
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15 yards – draw and fire 6 rounds [record time]
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25 yards – draw and fire 6 rounds [record time]
For each hit in the C zone add .20 seconds.
For each hit in the D zone add .50 seconds.
For any misses add 1.0 seconds.
Add the three raw times plus any scoring zone penalties.
A good goal to shoot for on this drill with a stock type production/SSP gun would beunder 9.0 seconds after all penalties are added. (editor’s note: Max Michel’s personal best is reported to be 5.5 seconds total!)
TYPEWRITER
drill designed by “CCT125US”
Range: 5yd
Target: six 2″ dots (download free 8.5×11 target PDF)
Start position: holstered
Rounds fired: 24
On the beep, draw and fire one round at each of the six 2″ circles in order from #1 to #6 and then immediately repeat from #1 to #6 again for a total of twelve rounds fired. Record your time.
Then starting from the holster again, on the beep draw and fire one round at each of the six 2″ circles in reverse order from #6 to #1 then immediately repeat from #6 to #1 again. Record your time.
You must shoot the targets in proper order each time.
Your score is the number of hits you made (out of 24) divided by your total time for the two strings of fire. So for example if you get 23 hits and shoot it in 25.55 seconds your score is:
23 ÷ 25.55 = 0.80
This drill is not capacity-neutral. If your handgun holds less than 12 rounds, you will need to reload during the drill. If your pistol holds less than 6 rounds, you will need to reload more than once. The time for the reload counts toward your score.
TRI 10
This drill was the pistol-training.com Drill of the Week contest winner for August-08 and was the Drill of the Week for 24-Aug-08.
designed by “Gunslinger”
Range: 10yd
Target: Tran Star-II similar
Start position: holstered
Rounds fired: 10
(safety notice: as with any drill involving transfer from one hand to the other, please remember to be careful. If you should drop the gun during the drill, let it fall to the ground and do not try to catch it in midair. If you try to catch it, the odds are very good that you’ll snatch the trigger and discharge the gun accidentally)
Set your shot timer to a PAR time of 10 seconds. On the buzzer, draw and engage the target as follows:
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fire 4 shots freestyle (both hands)
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transition gun to strong hand only
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fire 3 shots strong hand only
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transition gun to weak hand only
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fire 3 shots weak hand only
If the drill is too hard or too easy, you can adjust the size of the scoring zone, the distance, and/or the time limit. But the “official” version is 10 shots in 10 seconds at 10 yards.
WALL DRILL
developed by George Harris, SIGARMS Academy
Range: 0yd
Target: blank wall
Start position: any
Rounds fired: 0 (dry fire)
This is a dry-fire drill; all weapons must be completely unloaded and double-checked before the start of this drill.
Shooter stands with muzzle at eye level less than one inch from a blank wall. There should be no aiming points (targets, holes, light switches, etc.) to distract the shooter.
Shooter practices proper sight alignment, front sight focus, and trigger manipulation without the distraction of a target. Two-handed, strong-hand, and weak-hand shooting should be practiced. For TDA (traditional double action) pistols, both the double- and single-action trigger pulls should be practiced.
The goal is to maintain focus on the front sight, pulling the trigger without upsetting sight alignment.
The Wall Drill was the Drill of the Week and you can read that entry for further discussion
WARREN ADVANCED 3 SECOND STANDARDS
designed by Scott Warren
based on the Ken Hackathorn 3-Second Standards
Range: varies (see below)
Target: three IPSC or IDPA targets spaced at least two feet apart shoulder to shoulder
Start position: holstered
Rounds fired: 63
A shot timer with PAR time set to three seconds is used for each string. There are three strings of fire for each stage of the drill:
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Fire one (and only one) shot at the head of each target, going from left to right in 3 seconds.
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Fire one (and only one) shot at the head of each target, going from right to left in 3 seconds.
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Fire one (and only one) shot at the head of each target, beginning with the middle target and then finishing with the two outside targets in any order in 3 seconds.
This set of three strings is conducted for each of seven stages:
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From the holster, freestyle at 5yd.
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From the holster, freestyle at 7yd.
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From the hoslter, freestyle at 10yd.
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From the holster, freestyle at 15yd.
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From the holster, strong hand only at 5yd.
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From the ready position, support hand only at 5yd.
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From the holster, while moving. (advance from 10yd to 5yd on string 1, retreat from 5yd to 10yd on string 2, and advance again from 10yd to 5yd on string 3)
A round anywhere in the scoring zone for the head (meaning both A and B zones for an IPSC target) counts as a hit. Shots fired after the 3-second PAR time count as misses. You may not take any extra shots. In total, you will fire 63 rounds: three rounds per string, three strings per stage, 7 stages.
A score of 49 or above (averaging at least 7 hits per stage) is a real accomplishment.
​X DRILL
Range: 7yd
Targets: two targets each with a head (3×5 card) and torso (8″ plate) scoring zone
Start position: holstered or ready
Rounds fired: 32
This is another variant of the Changing Gears drill. The purpose of this drill is to build realistic multiple target shooting skills, and to further develop a shooter’s ability to regulate the balance between accuracy and speed necessary to get hits against different size and distance targets.
You’ll create two targets, A and B. Each target will have a 3×5 card as a head zone, and an 8″ plate as a body zone. It should look like this:
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Shooter draws and fires two rounds at each target zone in an “X” pattern. Drill is repeated four times, starting with a different zone each time.
1. A-head, B-body, A-body, B-head
2. B-head, A-body, B-body, A-head
3. B-body, A-head, B-head, A-body
4. A-body, B-head, A-head, B-body
A key point in teaching and evaluating the X-Drill is that pairs fired at large body zones should be faster than pairs fired at small head zones. Shooters should learn to adjust their cadence to get off shots as fast as they can appropriate to the range and size of the target. If your head shots are just as fast as your body shots and you’re getting all hits, you need to be taking the body shots faster. Shoot at the speed the target allows.
CADENCE DRILL
Range: 10ft,20ft,30ft
Targets: Download here -->
Start position: Ready
Rounds fired: 12
Read each box starting from left to right and use that cadence to fire the 4 rounds into that zone. Start at 30' for the box on the left. Move to 20' and use the second box. Finish at 10' with the box on the right.
PISTOL DRILLS
Here are some common pistol drills to take with you to the range. Train with purpose and post your results on Social Media, we would love to see it!
