Performance shooting is your opportunity to demonstrate discipline with every press. It’s the discipline that cashes out as accuracy. One of the most challenging aspects of accountable accuracy is establishing control early enough in your drawstroke to bring usable stability to alignment. Although easy to understand, it can be difficult to execute: Build stability before you press.
Our drill this month trains you to form a stable firing platform early enough to gain optimal control before the shot breaks. Timing is of the essence. Stability comes first; the press follows. This drill consists of three progressive tiers, all run from the 3-yard line.
The purpose of this drill is to develop the control it takes to put two rounds precisely where you want them, from the holster, in a timely manner. Speed will come—but only if mental, visual and mechanical discipline are built correctly first.
This laser-focused two-rounder is not only an efficient ammo saver but also a powerful skill-builder of control, repeatability and applicability at any distance. The goal is simple: make this level of performance transferable to any target, anywhere on the range.
Stability precedes speed, discipline precedes accuracy. Having the control to hit snake eyes at or about par without conscious effort is what allows your performance to consistently show up on demand when it counts.
Here’s the Drill
Set up a paper target (T1) with a clearly visible A-box in the head. Measure exactly 3 yards from the target. A timer will be needed in later tiers, but not for the initial runs.
There are three tiers to this drill:
Tier One
Start with a holstered pistol, hands below your gun belt. On the buzzer or “go” signal, draw from the holster and bring the pistol to the visual center of the T1 A-box head while establishing stability.
The first stable point is your strong-hand weld, followed immediately by your two-hand weld. Together, these welds form a stable frame anchored by your upper torso. This frame is the crux of the drill and must be established before the trigger press.
Press off two rounds (snake eyes) into the center of the A-box head only after you have built stable alignment with an acceptable arc of wobble. It’s nowhere near as easy as it sounds because it takes a heaping scoop of discipline to time the stability correctly. (Do not time this until the next tier. What’s the sense of measuring something you can’t do untimed?)
Tier Two
After successfully repeating Tier One at least three times cleanly, you’re ready to measure your performance. Start with a holstered pistol, hands below your gun belt. On the buzzer or “go” signal, draw from the holster to the T1 A-box head and press off two rounds. To keep yourself honest, only record the time if your run is clean.
Tier Three
After at least five successful timed runs, begin working toward par times. Maintain the same process: rapidly build stability, bring it to alignment, then press. Push speed on the front end by building your frame faster—not by rushing the trigger.
Three aggressive par times are provided as benchmarks:
• Two clean A-box hits from the holster in 2 seconds or less is considered evidence of good control.
• The same hits in 1.5 seconds or less is considered excellent control.
• Consistent A-box hits at 1 second (or slightly more) is considered total control.
