Intermediate Drills

[Duane Thomas]

I've noticed most of the drills offered here are for the advanced shooter. And that's cool, there's certainly a place for that. I thought it might be useful here to offer some drills/standards to shoot for (pun obviously intended) for the intermediate shooters, the ones who already have a reasonably solid grasp of basic gun handling skills, who want to get better and faster. These are the the graduation drills from Greg Hamilton's Intensive Handgun Skills course at InSight Training Center in Bellevue, Washington.

All shoting is done at seven yards. You'll do six different drills, five runs apiece, for a total possible 30 Passes. In order to get a Pass on a particular run, you must meet the time standard and all your shots must impact in the target center. Three out of five good runs are necessary to be considered to have Passed a particular drill. If you use an IPSC target, all shots must be in the A-zone, on an IDPA target in the 8" circle. I use as targets a lot of the time 8-1/2" x 11" sheets of typing paper stapled over the center of an IPSC target, just because it makes scoring really easy. If it hit in the brown, it was a Miss. Sure, that gives me a slightly wider "good" target area than if I used the A-zone, but hey, no system is perfect. It also makes taping targets really easy. I don't tape targets unless I hit outside the white. Instead, when the target center gets too shot up, I just staple a new sheet of paper over it and drive on.

The drills are:

(1) Double tap one target

   Time standard: not more than .50 second between shots

(2) One shot on one target, transition to a second target, one shot on the second target

   Time standard: not more than .50 second between shots

(3) Speed Reload, start aimed in, one shot, reload, one more shot on the same target

   Time standard: not more than 3.0 seconds between shots

NOTE: The first three drills only measure shot-to-shot speed so it's not necessary to go right on the buzzer. The last three drills measure reaction time as well, so you will have to go on the timer's buzzer.

(4) Ready postion, start with the gun at either the High or Low Ready, your preference, at the timer's buzzer raise the gun and fire one shot

   Time standard: not more than 1.0 second

(5) Draw from the holster, fire one shot

   Time standard: not more than 2.0 seconds

(6) Draw from the holster and fire one shot on three targets

   Time standard: not more than 3.0 seconds

Obviously there's a lot more that goes into being a good IPSC or IDPA shooter than what we have on these drills (for instance, you'll note there's no movement required here) but these are the core gun handling skills. By the time you can do all this to the time standards indicated, it should take you through C-class, I would think, at least as far as your basic gun handling skills go.

[38supPat]

Most of the drills posted are good for new to intermediate shooter, obviously the times aren't. But in the interest of new/freshman shooters I'll find and post our list of quals for the basic IPSC course. If you make the times and scores you pretty much make C class.

Pat

[38supPat]

Sorry I hadn't yet, but I'll list them now (as much as I can recall, I'll add any missed ones later)

1) Draw and fire 1 shot 7 m no time limit -  6 X (6 times)

2) Draw and fire 2 shots 7 m no time limit - 6 X

3) Draw and fire 2 shots 7 m in 2 sec.     - 6 X

4) Draw and fire 2 shots 15 m in 3 sec.    - 6 X

5) Draw and fire 2 shots reload 2 shots in 7 sec. 10 m - 6X

6) Draw and fire 1+1 reload 1+1 in 7 seconds (1+1 is one shot each on two targets) 10 m - 6 X

7) Turn and draw 2+2+2 reload 2+2+2 in 12 sec (El Prez)10 m  - 1 X

8) draw 2 shots move 2 shots move 2 shots NTL (no time limit)* - 1 X

9) Draw 2 shots move and reload 2 shots move and reload 2 shots NTL*  - 1 X

10) Draw strong hand only 2 shots 7 m in 3 sec - 6 X

11) Draw transfer to weak hand 2 shots 7 m in 5 sec - 6 X

12) Draw fire 6 shots right hand barricade reload 6 shots left hand barricade 15-20 m NTL - 1 X

13) Draw go Prone fire 1 shot 25 m NTL - 6 X

14) Draw go kneeling fire 1 shot 25m NTL - 6 X

* - Set up three shooting boxes or fault lines in a pattern like this

   O   O         O

      ___

      ___

                 ___

                 ___

     

    ___

    ___

use three targets shoot ( marked O, looks like new targets...lol) 2 on each farthes target should be about 20 m, middle about 15 m, close 10 m.

Pat

(Edited by Pat Harrison at 2:50 pm on June 18, 2001)

[benos]

Duane and Pat,

Thanks for putting up those drills. Good stuff.

BTW Pat,

what's a 20 m? 20 mondos?

[Jon Merricks]

Thanks Pat is 5,6,7 at 15 and 12 at 25.

Thanks again.

[38supPat]

Doh! left distance out. m is a Canadian thing eh! Meters kinda like yards but farther.

Pat

[jswan]

Regarding the InSights standards that Duane posted, it's important to note that the reload is not done IPSC style. It's done from slide-lock, and the slide must be released by racking, not with the slide stop. This accounts for the long time interval.

This page has a fairly complete list of defensively-oriented drills and standards:

http://www.kuci.org/~dany/firearms/all_drills.html#standards

Jay

[Duane Thomas]

"Regarding the InSights standards that Duane posted, it's important to note that the reload is not done IPSC style. It's done from slide-lock, and the slide must be released by racking, not with the slide stop. This accounts for the long time interval."

jswan,

Where did you get that idea? Nope, the long time interval is accounted for by the fact that most intermediate shooters are going to find getting two A-hits with less than 3.0 seconds between shots a decent challenge even with the slide forward.

[jswan]

Duane,

I got that idea in InSights' Intensive Handgun Skills course.

I agree that 3 seconds is a good goal for intermediate shooters with whatever technique, but if we're talking about the InSights curriculum, it does not include an IPSC style speed reload.

My student guide for IHS (from 1998) doesn't actually list "pass times" like your list does; rather it lists a chart of par times for various percentile groups. The scores you list appear to come from the 70% column.

Jay

(longtime InSights student and IPSC newbie)

[Duane Thomas]

I first attended the IHS course in, if memory serves me correctly, 1994, and went through it a second time about a year later. At that time Greg was teaching a speedload from a slide forward position in IHS, and had a Pass/Fail system set up. It sounds like he's modified the doctrine over the years. And that's cool - good shooters and instructors (and Greg Hamilton definitely falls into both those categories) are constantly learning, updating, experimenting with new concepts. It would be pretty sad if something HADN'T changed in the intervening 8 or 9 years. I remember talking to Greg about 4 or 5 years ago, and he was noodling over coming up with the standards chart you mention. Guess he went ahead and did it, huh?

The 70th percentile sounds like a good goal on these drills for the intermediate shooter. BTW these days I'm doing it in the 1.3s to 1.4s. Just out of curiousity, where does that fall, percentage-wise, on the new standards?

[jswan]

Are you doing the slide-lock-rack (not using the slide release)? If so, you're in the "pretty damn fast" category: 100% is 1.5 seconds.

I haven't timed myself on reloads recently, but my notes in the student guide show that in '98 I was around 75% at 2.7 seconds. Right now my best times on the other drills are at around 90%, but I suspect my reloads are much slower. There are also par times listed for stoppage drills, El Presidente, and John Farnam's DTI drill.

If I remember right, Greg said that he wanted the 100% par times to be representative of a high A class or low Master class IPSC shooter using realistic concealed carry gear. Here are the 100% times I have listed:

2-on-1 (starting on target)     .20 between shots

1-on-2 (starting on target)     .20 between shots

CQ Ready to 1                        .50

Draw to 1                               1.0

1 speed reload 1                    1.5 between shots

Tap-Rack-Bang                       2.0

Tap-Rack-Lock-Rip-Work         6.0

Draw to 1-on-3                       1.5

Draw to 1-on-2                       1.2

El Presidente                          5.1

DTI Drill                                   5.7

I took a bunch of InSights classes between 95 or 96 and 2000; there have been a number of interesting curriculum changes during that time. Most of the standards drills now include a sidestep, for example, and the low ready has been largely eliminated in favor of a muzzle-depressed close-quarters-ready.

[Duane Thomas]

Thanks for the info. That's really interesting. Maybe I should take the IHS course again.

It's been awhile since I've done the IHS drills, though I used to make them a part of my normal range workout. I'll drag out some old paperwork and see what my times were like the last time I did this, and post again. Be aware that this will be before I got into IPSC shooting heavily, and my times have come down considerably since then.

[Duane Thomas]

Back again. Sorry that took so long.

I had to go back three years to find the last time I did the IHS drills from concealment. When looking at these times, please bear in mind this was three years ago i.e. pre-IPSC; I was firing a totally stock handgun out of a concealment appropriate holster; the draws, speedload and Draw/Hit Three Targets drills were done from concealment; the sun was in my eyes; I had a headache; and the phase of the moon was wrong. And if you don't like those excuses, I have others. Looking over these times years later....God I was slow!

I did get 30 out of 30 Passes here, which is always nice. This is from the brief period of time my carry gun was a CZ-75.

CZ-75, 28 July 1998.

Drill #1, Two Shots on One Target

.27 - .29 - .29 - .27 - .28

Average:  .28

Drill #2, One Shot on Two Targets

.42 - .45 - .44 - .50 - .43

Average: .45

Drill #3, Speed Reload

2.29 - 2.21 - 2.21 - 2.23 - 2.30

Average: 2.25

Drill #4, Ready Position

.61 - .66 - .62 - .57 - .58

Average: .61

Drill #5, Draw from Concealment

1.72 - 1.76 - 1.69 - 1.72 - 1.68

Average: 1.71

Drill #6, Draw from Concealment and Hit Three Targets Once

2.80 - 2.78 - 2.85 - 2.94 - 2.89

Average: 2.85

Obviously my skills here were intermediate. Of course they're still intermediate - they're just a higher class of intermediate. So just where on the new scale do these times post?

[Downrange58]

I've noticed most of the drills offered here are for the advanced shooter. And that's cool, there's certainly a place for that. I thought it might be useful here to offer some drills/standards to shoot for (pun obviously intended) for the intermediate shooters, the ones who already have a reasonably solid grasp of basic gun handling skills, who want to get better and faster. These are the the graduation drills from Greg Hamilton's Intensive Handgun Skills course at InSight Training Center in Bellevue, Washington.

All shoting is done at seven yards. You'll do six different drills, five runs apiece, for a total possible 30 Passes. In order to get a Pass on a particular run, you must meet the time standard and all your shots must impact in the target center. Three out of five good runs are necessary to be considered to have Passed a particular drill. If you use an IPSC target, all shots must be in the A-zone, on an IDPA target in the 8" circle. I use as targets a lot of the time 8-1/2" x 11" sheets of typing paper stapled over the center of an IPSC target, just because it makes scoring really easy. If it hit in the brown, it was a Miss. Sure, that gives me a slightly wider "good" target area than if I used the A-zone, but hey, no system is perfect. It also makes taping targets really easy. I don't tape targets unless I hit outside the white. Instead, when the target center gets too shot up, I just staple a new sheet of paper over it and drive on.

The drills are:

(1) Double tap one target

   Time standard: not more than .50 second between shots

(2) One shot on one target, transition to a second target, one shot on the second target

   Time standard: not more than .50 second between shots

(3) Speed Reload, start aimed in, one shot, reload, one more shot on the same target

   Time standard: not more than 3.0 seconds between shots

NOTE: The first three drills only measure shot-to-shot speed so it's not necessary to go right on the buzzer. The last three drills measure reaction time as well, so you will have to go on the timer's buzzer.

(4) Ready postion, start with the gun at either the High or Low Ready, your preference, at the timer's buzzer raise the gun and fire one shot

   Time standard: not more than 1.0 second

(5) Draw from the holster, fire one shot

   Time standard: not more than 2.0 seconds

(6) Draw from the holster and fire one shot on three targets

   Time standard: not more than 3.0 seconds

Obviously there's a lot more that goes into being a good IPSC or IDPA shooter than what we have on these drills (for instance, you'll note there's no movement required here) but these are the core gun handling skills. By the time you can do all this to the time standards indicated, it should take you through C-class, I would think, at least as far as your basic gun handling skills go.

Duane, I applaud you for the help you offer all shooters, but especially us beginners who are thirsty for knowledge and practice! Thank you for the time you take in supporting our sport! I just started reloading and I just joined a range that is USPSA practice friendly and these are going to be fun!!

[Downrange58]

Sorry I hadn't yet, but I'll list them now (as much as I can recall, I'll add any missed ones later)

1) Draw and fire 1 shot 7 m no time limit -  6 X (6 times)

2) Draw and fire 2 shots 7 m no time limit - 6 X

3) Draw and fire 2 shots 7 m in 2 sec.     - 6 X

4) Draw and fire 2 shots 15 m in 3 sec.    - 6 X

5) Draw and fire 2 shots reload 2 shots in 7 sec. 10 m - 6X

6) Draw and fire 1+1 reload 1+1 in 7 seconds (1+1 is one shot each on two targets) 10 m - 6 X

7) Turn and draw 2+2+2 reload 2+2+2 in 12 sec (El Prez)10 m  - 1 X

8) draw 2 shots move 2 shots move 2 shots NTL (no time limit)* - 1 X

9) Draw 2 shots move and reload 2 shots move and reload 2 shots NTL*  - 1 X

10) Draw strong hand only 2 shots 7 m in 3 sec - 6 X

11) Draw transfer to weak hand 2 shots 7 m in 5 sec - 6 X

12) Draw fire 6 shots right hand barricade reload 6 shots left hand barricade 15-20 m NTL - 1 X

13) Draw go Prone fire 1 shot 25 m NTL - 6 X

14) Draw go kneeling fire 1 shot 25m NTL - 6 X

* - Set up three shooting boxes or fault lines in a pattern like this

   O   O         O

      ___

      ___

                 ___

                 ___

     

    ___

    ___

use three targets shoot ( marked O, looks like new targets...lol) 2 on each farthes target should be about 20 m, middle about 15 m, close 10 m.

Pat

(Edited by Pat Harrison at 2:50 pm on June 18, 2001)

Thank you for posting this Pat! This is going to be fun and thank you for taking the time to look after us newbies with a desire to learn and on top of that you are giving us good examples of how to give back to the sport as you have!

[Flexmoney]

The drills are:

(1) Double tap one target

Time standard: not more than .50 second between shots

What's a double tap ??!

[Jake Di Vita]

Holy thread necromancy.

10 years.

Looks like someone used the search engine.