Live Fire: Extend, Touch, Press with Up Singles and Up Multiples

Whether you're navigating confined spaces or taking up a defensive position, the most effective ready position is crucial. In this episode of Drill of the Month, Travis Frazier and Steve Fischer demonstrate three ready positions for use with your Defensive Shotgun.

This month, Steve Hendricks demonstrates how you can use the half & half drill to reinforce shooting fundamentals and increase confidence while shooting fast.

In this Drill of the Month, Steve Hendricks will demonstrate the Sight Alignment Secrets Drill, which illustrates how misaligned your sights can be and still achieve effective hits at common defensive distances.

In this episode of Drill of the Month, Graham Hunt takes Steve Fischer through a drill that will help you to safely prepare for shooting from retention.

In this Drill of the Month, Steve Fischer and Jack Shepard demonstrate the 2-2-4 drill, originally developed by Colonel Cooper, which will help you to develop and improve your trigger discipline, target transitions, speed and accuracy.

The Shoot 1, Reload, Shoot 2 drill focuses on preforming an emergency reload while engaging a target with your defensive handgun.

In this drill Mark and Gavin work through remedial actions for some of the most likely shotgun malfunctions.

The Accelerator drill strengthens you ability to balance speed and precision while engaging targets at decreasing distances.

The Triple Threat drill will challenge you with balancing speed and precision, target transitions and emergency reloads.

Gavin and Mark walk through a drill demonstrating multiple options for getting ammo into your shotgun during a dynamic critical incident.

The Flying V is a dynamic drill that will challenge you with varying distances, shooting from cover and movement.

The Load 1 Shoot 1 drill will help you to improve your shotgun handling skills in the context of a critical dynamic incident.

In a life-or-death situation, you’re in a race for survival.

It’s not about how often you can shoot perfect groups at the range. It’s about whether or not you can quickly and effectively defeat your attacker.

So what are you doing to improve your speed and precision now? How can you track your growth to ensure you are improving over time?

The One to Five Drill will challenge you to accurately shoot an incrementally increasing number of rounds in as short a period of time as possible. With the use of a shot timer, you can increase the stress of shooting under pressure and track your progress.

Learn how to use the One to Five Drill to:

Instinctively master proper grip, stance, sight alignment, sight picture and trigger control with every shot

Stay calm under pressure while still hitting your target with every shot

Effectively increase your shooting speed and accuracy over time

The One to Five Drill is a perfect way to ensure you are adding self-defense value to your range training. It’s also a great drill to do with a range buddy, competing against each other. This will force you to balance good marksmanship with lifesaving speed.

As always, we also recommend you reach out to a USCCA Instructor or Partner Range to find additional training options near you.

Featured Trainers: Steve Fischer, Mark Critchlow, Justin Peters

Five yards, five seconds, 5-inch targets, five rounds each … but with a twist.

It’s never too soon to start shooting better. There are no second chances in a self-defense incident, so the best place to make mistakes and correct them is on the range before you ever face a deadly threat.

While speed is essential, it can be costly for your accuracy. This version of the 5×5 Drill will test your speed using a shot timer for added pressure. But it will also allow you to diagnose your errors and improve as you complete the drill.

Learn how to use the 5×5 Drill to:

Diagnose your own accuracy errors no matter how experienced you are with the repetitive nature of this drill

Adjust your shooting technique to improve accuracy without stopping your training

Measure your ability to improve speed and accuracy over time

We recommend you have an experienced instructor observe you as you complete this drill. They can help you diagnose any errors that you can’t see: improper stance, shooting too fast, recoil control or flinching while you shoot.

As always, we also recommend you reach out to a USCCA Instructor or Partner Range to find additional training options near you.

Featured Trainers: Steve Fischer, Mark Critchlow, Justin Peters

Based on the drill originated from Gila Hayes (Claude Werner adapted this drill and added repetitions)

Basic handgun marksmanship fundamentals are crucial to building a strong foundation to work from as a responsibly armed American. For this Drill of the Month, we are working through the USCCA Qualification Level 1 shooting requirement. For this shooting qualification, you will employ the basic handgun marksmanship principles while engaging a target at 5 different distances. Starting at 3 yards and working your way back to 15 yards.There will be NO time limits. As the distance increases your target will help you to see, and a qualified firearms instructor to identify, which of the handgun marksmanship fundamentals that you may need to work on improving

Required Gear & Supplies: You will need (1) USCCA Silhouette Target (available in the USCCA Store) with 9-inch center, (50) rounds of ammunition in any caliber and your firearm.

Course of Fire: You will now engage the target with 10 rounds at each of 5 distances that increase incrementally. There will be NO time limits. Be sure to focus on safely employing the basic fundamentals of handgun marksmanship. Proper: stance, grip, sight alignment, sight picture, trigger control, breathing and follow through.

Stage 1: Put your target 3 yards away from you on the range. Fire 10 rounds at the 9-inch center circle.

Stage 2: Move your target until it is 5 yards away from you. Fire 10 rounds at the 9-inch center circle.

Stage 3: Move your target until it is 7 yards away from you. Fire 10 rounds at the 9-inch center circle.

Stage 4: Move your target until it is 10 yards away from you. Fire 10 rounds at the 9-inch center circle.

Stage 5: Move your target until it is 15 yards away from you. Fire 10 rounds at the 9-inch center circle.

The goal: Successfully score hits with not less than 70% of your shots (35 or more) inside the 9’’ center target. (“Inside” does not include breaking the ring; shots must fully be inside the ring to count.) The successful completion of this drill serves as fulfilling the shooting qualification portion of your USCCA Qualification Level 1.

Remember, handgun fundamentals are your building block for effective defensive shooting. Every shot group on your target can help you, with the assistance of a quality firearms instructor, diagnose accuracy-killing mistakes so that adjustments can be made that will result in improving your shooting skills.. Challenge yourself with this drill. If you failed to get at least 35 shots inside the 9-inch center, consult with a certified firearms instructor who will be able to diagnose any issues you may have with your basic fundamentals of handgun marksmanship and help you correct them. Then shoot your qualification drill again.

As always, we also recommend you reach out to a USCCA Instructor or Partner Range to find additional training options near you.

Featured Trainers: Steve Fischer, Mark Critchlow, Justin Peters

Every round you fire is your personal responsibility. This drill will hold you to that.

So are you ready to achieve 100% accuracy while shooting under the pressure of time? What if we also throw in the requirement to reload and clear malfunctions during your drill?

Your Qualification level 2 Drill is actually three drills in one. Each drill will include an added step such as reloading or clearing a malfunction under stress. We’ll simulate this stress by timing each drill.

You’ll engage your target at a realistic self-defense range of just 3 yards.

This drill will teach you how to:

Rapidly engage a target with effective self-defense hits every time

Learn how to rapidly reload your firearm and reengage the target under stress

Overcome malfunctions so you can quickly get your gun back into the fight

The goal: If you successfully placed 100% of your shots (15) inside the 7’’ center target in under the required times, you have completed your Level 02 USCCA Qualification for the range.

Required Times

Loading Drill Time: 6 seconds

Reloading Drill Time: 12 seconds

Malfunction Drill Time: 15 seconds

As always, we also recommend you reach out to a USCCA Instructor or Partner Range to find additional training options near you.

Featured Trainers: Steve Fischer, Justin Peters

As your shooting skills advance, you should be pushing yourself to the next level for speed and accuracy.

We’ve broken your Qualification Level 3 training into two parts. This will truly allow you to focus on each element of speed and precision. This first portion of your Qualification Level 3 Drill will force you to sharpen your speed at increasing ranges. You’ll have to achieve 100% accuracy to pass the test.

Every drill will be timed to increase the difficulty.

Discover how to:

Increase your shooting speed without sacrificing effective accuracy

Learn how to shoot under pressure to achieve better self-defense results

Completing this drill also means you’ve successfully completed the first half of your Protector Academy range test for Qualification Level 3

The goal: Achieve 100% accuracy by hitting the center target in the allotted times.

Even expert shooters can find this drill difficult. So continue to sharpen your handgun fundamentals and revisit this drill over time.

As always, we also recommend you reach out to a USCCA Instructor or Partner Range to find additional training options near you.

Featured Trainers: Steve Fischer, Mark Critchlow, Justin Peters

The balance between speed and precision can be as much a mental game as physical skill. This drill will force you to slow down and truly focus on your ability to shoot accurately with every shot.

We’ve broken your Qualification Level 3 training into two parts. This second portion of your Qualification Level 3 Drill will force you to focus on absolute, one-shot precision. You’ll have to achieve 100% accuracy on each target to pass.

There will be no timer for this test. Instead, you’ll need to fight through the urge to rush your shots. You may find this mental test is even more difficult than shooting under the pressure of time.

Discover how to:

Master trigger control and grip to achieve new levels of accuracy

Truly focus on every shot and learn to adjust to hit your next targets

Completing this drill also means you’ve successfully completed the second half of your Protector Academy range test for Qualification Level 3

The goal: Achieve 100% accuracy by hitting each target in order.

Shooting can really be a thinking man’s game. It’s easy to lose focus when trying to execute the elements of handgun marksmanship. Revisit this drill regularly to get more out of your range time and achieve your accuracy.

As always, we also recommend you reach out to a USCCA Instructor or Partner Range to find additional training options near you.

Featured Trainers: Steve Fischer, Mark Critchlow, Justin Peters

Dry fire drills are a great way to practice with your gun without the need for ammo or going to a range. Dry fire drills require less time and money while still improving your fundamentals. In this episode of the USCCA Protector Academy Drill of the Month we will discuss and practice both the tactical reload and emergency reloads.

Tactical Reload Steps

While in a safe position, with your support hand grab your spare magazine and hold it with your thumb and index finger. While still holding your spare magazine and holding the bottom of the magazine in the gun, use your strong-hand thumb (or middle finger for left-handed individual using a “right-handed” gun) to press the magazine release button, do not let the magazine fall, hold the magazine between the pad and your remaining fingers creating a “V” with the two magazines. Insert the full magazine into your gun, put the spare magazine back into the position you store your spare magazine. At this point, you can re-establish your grip and remain in the high compressed ready position reassessing your environment or re-engage your target.

Emergency Reloads Steps

As soon as your pistol reaches slidelock, you should start moving offline from the line of attack, bring your gun back toward your ready position, remove your support hand from the gun and use your strong-hand thumb (or middle finger for left-handed individual using a “right-handed” gun) to press the magazine release button. Your magazine should drop free from your gun as you get the gun into your high compressed ready position, with your support hand find your spare magazine and follow the contour of your body up to the magazine well, inserting the new magazine firmly. Without losing contact with your gun, rotate your support hand up and grab the top of the slide behind the ejection port. Pull the slide back fully and release the slide, allowing it to move forward freely, chambering a new round. At this point, you can re-establish your grip and remain in the high compressed ready position reassessing your environment or re-engage your target.