Tuesday Tips

Drills Edition-
By Pudge

Last week we discussed creating a training plan for the range to make sure we made the most out of our time and ammo. So today I’d like to talk about a few drills that I like and use to measure performance. A quick search on the all-knowing internet will inundate you with so many drills it is hard to know where to start. If you’ve seen it or read about it, I’ve probably tried it out. But after lots testing, I’ve narrowed it down to the ones that I believe are best. I’ll still run other drills but just not as often as the ones mentioned below. (These can be used for handgun or rifle. Time standards and distance may adjust based on chosen weapon system.)

Warm-up Drills-

Eleanor Drill by Sage Dynamics- (https://www.sagedynamics.org/) This is meant to be shot cold as you show up to the range. The goal is to not miss under 2.5 seconds. It is a good combination of first round accuracy and speed. (video of drill- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiW4Az7buVw&t=17s)

Baer Standards Drill by Baer Solutions- (https://baersolutionsllc.com/freetargets) Like the Eleanor, this is meant to be shot cold as well, but should also be shot at the end to see progress from your training session. (video of drill- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7yecZPunGY)

Training Drills-

Dot torture- (https://pistol-training.com/drills/dot-torture) I will always do this drill anytime I get a new handgun and will usually use it as a metric for that handgun until I can run the drill clean. (video of drill- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guxSc0o6lAU)

Cadence Standards by Sage Dynamics- (https://www.sagedynamics.org/) Great drill to make sure you have a solid grip during cadence strings of fire. (video of drill- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBsOcJVoX6s)

Assault Course Drill- (https://pistol-training.com/drills/10-round-assault-course-2) Good drill to get moving and shooting from varying distances. (video is in description link)

Cool-down Drills-

25 meter Bull- Some people use this for warm-up but I like to use it as a cool down to rehash the fundamentals and really drive them home as the last thing I do. It also makes me have to stay focused after potentially a long day in the sun. This drill is usually shot using a B8 target, 10 rounds in 10 minutes. Yes, this is a long time for 10 rounds but the point is pure focus on accuracy. You can shoot a round, dryfire a few times, load and shoot, repeat until all 10 rounds are fired. (I’ll usually complete the drill in 2-4 minutes because too long creates adverse effects.)

As I previously stated, there are so many drills out there it is hard to decide what is useful and what is just some fake operator kung fu. https://pistol-training.com/drills is a good place to start. The best advice I can give you is to try a bunch out, decide which ones assess the skills you deem most critical and stick with them. Now get out there and get better.