It seems that most drills I see these days are done by putting out a bunch of targets and at the “beep” engaging every one of them. Now, I don’t think by any stretch that we are training to shoot everything when doing drills like that. I do think adding no-shoots should be used more often in our training. Being able to think on our feet in high stress situations is arguably more important than marksmanship.
My favorite drills are ones that make me think a little more, work a little harder and push me outside of my comfort zone a little. I spent a couple days thinking about this setup. I would mark every target with one of two colors. I would randomly be told what color target I should be going after. And while going after those targets I would encounter barricades, corners to pie, and maybe even a berm to climb over. Other added stresses like weather (it was hot), camera guy needing a re-do for various reasons (I think this was the 6th+ take of this whole drill) create exhaustion. I enjoy all of it.
This year I have been intentional about the target types I train with. As enjoyable as ringing steel is, I find that I get sloppy with my shooting. After-all I can tap the bottom left edge of a steel target and get a ring and be satisfied. If I see a hole in the bottom left had corner of an IPSC target I am less than thrilled. I like to mix in cardboard and paper targets nearly every time I hit the range. I find I slow down a little more and really take aim for that Alpha zone.
I hope you enjoyed the video and maybe you can take something from this and add it to your next range day. If you don’t have a range where you can do anything remotely like this I would encourage you to find a local USPSA, IDPA, 2 gun or 3 gun competition. In my experience competitions make you think on your feet and add stresses to overcome that you can benefit from.
Let’s hear your thoughts below!
Carry On, Graig