POINT SHOOTING

POINT 

SHOOTING 

How To Hit Your Target When 

There’s No Time To Aim...

TARGET 

By Michael Martin 

ALIGNMENT 

On a typical day at the range or in the field, 

we’ll usually measure the effectiveness of the 

shots that we’ve fired based upon their accuracy 

rather than on how quickly we were able to get 

off the shot (missing fast when you were hoping 

to get that trophy buck won’t impress anyone, 

including the buck). 

In a defensive situation, however, we won’t 

have the luxury of taking an unlimited amount 

of time to get the “perfect” shot; instead, we’ll 

need to balance the two factors of speed and 

accuracy. Those two factors will constantly be in 

balance, and we’ll need to make a split second 

decision on which factor is most important for 

the specific circumstances in which we find 

ourselves. For example, if we’re trying to hit 

an active shooter in the middle of a crowded 

mall, accuracy will be ultra critical, but if a knifewielding 

attacker is already stabbing us, then 

speed will be critical, and a margin of error of ten 

or even fifteen degrees will still mean a hit. 

Your decision on speed versus accuracy will not 

only affect the outcome of the situation, it will 

also affect how you choose to align your muzzle 

to the target. 

Three primary methods are used for target 

alignment: using unsighted fire or “point” 

shooting (which prioritizes speed over accuracy); 

using a flash sight picture (which provides an 

equal balance of speed and accuracy); or using 

sighted fire (which prioritizes accuracy over 

speed). 

You shouldn’t necessarily think of each of these 

methods as being absolutely distinct; instead, 

you can think of them as being on a sliding 

scale. On one end is unsighted fire (which is not 

the same thing as un-aimed fire), which literally 

ignores the sights and gets the firearm up on 

target as quickly as possible, and at the other 

end is sighted fire, which requires us to focus 

on the front sight and precisely align the front 

sight, rear sight and target for as accurate a shot 

as possible. Everything in between, including a 

flash sight picture, is a combination of the two to 

one degree or another. 

Here’s the catch: During a violent attack, the 

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ain’s automated “fight or flight” responses 

might just limit how far we can move toward the 

accuracy end of the scale, since one of those 

automated responses will most likely include 

the motor cortex locking our head and eyes on 

what the brain perceives as the most critical part 

of the attack. Evolutionarily speaking, that might 

have meant the teeth of an attacking wolf; today, 

that might mean the knife or gun in the hand of 

the attacker. 

The net effect means that it may be difficult, 

or even impossible, to see our firearm’s sights, 

eliminating sighted fire as an option. That’s 

actually okay. Unlike a scored competition on 

the range, the goal of defensive shots isn’t to 

place rounds into a dime-sized hole. Instead, our 

goal is what’s referred to as defensive accuracy. 

Defensive accuracy can be thought of as any 

round that significantly affects the attacker’s 

ability to continue his attack. 

Defensive accuracy doesn’t mean that we 

need to place our shots in the same dime-sized 

hole that we might go for when we’re trying 

to impress our friends at the range, but it also 

means that we can’t simply “spray and pray” with 

no regard for where our shots land. 

The great news is that even when using 

unsighted fire, our accuracy can still be 

amazingly impressive at the close distances (with 

nearly 90 percent falling between 9 and 15 feet) 

that would typically accompany a violent attack. 

Working up the scale from speed to accuracy, 

let’s take a look at each of the three methods of 

target alignment. 

UNSIGHTED FIRE 

Point or “intuitive” shooting doesn’t discard the 

idea of alignment; it simply makes the pistol’s 

muzzle an extension of the arms and hands 

and points the extended arms and hands at the 

target. Think of this as no different than how 

you’d extend your arm and point your finger at 

any object. At the close distances that would 

typically accompany an attack, you’d have no 

problem accurately pointing at an object much 

smaller than the size of a human being. If we’re 

thinking in terms of shooting platforms, the 

Isosceles Stance enables point shooting. By 

its nature — with the arms thrust straight out in 

front of us — it points the barrel of our firearm 

directly at the target. In other words, the firearm 

becomes an extension of our hands: Where our 

hands point, the gun points. When using this 

method, our advice is to focus on the exact spot 

where you want your rounds to land rather than 

focusing on the entire target. Just as pointing 

your finger at a spot on the wall is more specific 

than pointing at the entire wall, focusing on a 

spot on the target will enable more accurate 

shooting. (Speaking of accuracy, the average 

person’s margin of error with point shooting 

will deviate by only a few degrees from his 

or her natural point of aim, allowing for tight 

Whether we’re pointing a finger, a dart gun or a firearm, 

the human body is designed to point. With the arm, hand 

and finger at full extension, the body has a natural, straight 

line from the shoulder to the fingertip, and we’re born with 

the ability to point that straight line with a high degree of 

accuracy. When pointing a firearm, we should train to elevate 

the firearm up into our line of sight (regardless of our method 

of target alignment), which allows even more accurate 

pointing than if the firearm is below our line of sight. When 

point shooting, the firearm’s sights will be out of focus but 

should be visible on our target’s center of mass. Transitioning 

between point shooting and sighted fire (when our brain 

allows us) is then a matter of changing our focus from the 

target to the front sight.

shot groups at 10 to 15 feet, and even tighter 

groups at closer distances). Finally, think about 

point shooting in the same way you “shoot” a 

squirt gun: You don’t use the squirt gun’s sights 

and yet, more often than not, you can hit your 

“target” center of mass. 

FLASH SIGHT PICTURE 

When the situation you find yourself in pushes 

the requirements away from speed and toward 

accuracy, it may be necessary to use your 

firearm’s sights to achieve a more precise shot. 

For the most accurate shot, three indexes must 

be aligned: the front sight, the rear sight and the 

target. But, as mentioned earlier, the automated 

responses experienced during a violent attack 

may literally force your eyes to lock on the 

attacker, making It difficult (or impossible) to 

focus on the front sight. 

If you’ve trained to elevate the firearm up into 

your line of sight, it may be possible to at least 

gain what’s referred to as a “flash sight picture.” 

Put simply, a flash sight picture occurs when the 

shooter is able to get a rapid “overlay” of the 

sights on the target without focusing on the front 

sight and without taking the time to gain perfect 

sight alignment. A flash sight picture will have 

the target in perfect focus, with the front sight 

and rear sight both visible (but out of focus) on 

the target. As mentioned earlier, it’s important to 

look at the exact spot where you want the round 

to impact. Then, when the firearm is elevated 

into your line of sight, you’ll get that “flash sight 

picture” (the front and rear sights overlay the 

spot that you want to shoot) and you can press 

the trigger. 

SIGHTED FIRE 

If your brain allows it, the most precise shot 

will require that you switch your focus from the 

target (where the brain and eyes will want to 

focus) to the front sight. This is the best method 

to ensure perfect sight alignment. When you 

focuse on the front sight, it will be in complete 

Flash Sight Picture 

A “flash sight picture” occurs 

when the shooter is able to get 

a rapid “overlay” of the sights on 

the target without focusing on 

the front sight and without taking 

the time to gain perfect sight 

alignment. The shooter looks 

for a “flash” of the sights on the 

target to verify proper alignment 

rather than using the sights to 

gain proper alignment. 

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focus, the rear sight will be semi-blurred, and 

the target will be the blurriest thing in your sight 

picture. 

When targets are up close (9 to 15 feet), 

misaligned sights are more forgiving, but as 

your target pushes out beyond typical attack 

distances, even an alignment error of 1/16 of an 

inch will translate to more than 12 inches of error 

at 50 feet. Double the error in sight alignment (or 

double the distance), and you’ll double the error 

on target. 

Sighted Fire: Front Sight Focus 

When the requirements for precision require 

that you use sighted fire, it’s important to focus 

on the front sight rather than the target for the 

most precise shot. The front sight will be in 

complete focus, the rear sight will be semiblurred, 

and the target will be the blurriest 

thing in your sight picture. 

5 

Point Shooting 

Violent attacks will be fast, and they’ll be close. Your 

motor cortex will very likely lock your eyes and your 

focus on the weapon in the attacker’s hands. 

Sight Shooting 

Forcing your eyes to change focus from a 6-foot-tall 

attacker to a 3-millimeter wide front sight may simply 

not be possible. 

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DRILL Shooting On The Move 

BY KEVIN MICHALOWSKI 

MASTER THIS BASIC SKILL ONE STEP AT A TIME 

»IF YOU THINK A GUNFIGHT is going to be a static event with you standing 7 yards from the 

bad guy putting round after round into a stationary target, you are likely going to die during a gunfight. 

If there is one word to choose 

to describe a gunfight, that 

word is “dynamic.” People will 

be moving, so you had better 

be moving. You need to get 

to cover. You need to make 

yourself a more difficult target. 

In short, you need to move — 

and before you can move, you 

need to learn how to move 

effectively. 

We’ll start by moving straight 

toward the target and straight 

back, because we want to 

master the basic elements 

first. For those of you asking, 

“Why would I move toward the 

target?” think of it like this: You 

might have good cover in front 

of you. Get to that cover to 

stop the incoming rounds and 

win the fight. 

WALK THE LINE 

The typical shooting stance, 

if there is one, puts your feet 

about shoulder-width apart. If 

you try to walk that way, you 

will basically waddle and the 

intense side-to-side motion will 

cause some serious accuracy 

problems. Your goal is to keep 

the front sight on or as close to 

the target as possible. That’s 

right … you will experience 

some sight movement as you 

shoot on the move. This is 

inevitable. What you want to 

do is reduce that movement to 

the point that you can maintain 

combat-effective fire. We will 

get to that in a minute. First 

we must get the walking part 

correct. 

Let’s assume we are first 

working on moving forward. 

Being a former military guy, I 

always start moving with my left 

foot. So, pick up that foot and 

put the heel down a comfortable 

length in front of your right foot. 

Try to imagine that you are 

walking on a balance beam. 

You don’t have to be perfect on 

this; just make sure you’re not 

waddling. What is important is 

that you come down on your 

heel and roll your foot forward 

smoothly. 

Before you even start training 

to shoot, bring your unloaded 

gun up on target and practice 

walking forward, on the line, 

setting your heel down first and 

rolling to your toe. Pay attention 

to the stride and to the front 

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DRILL Shooting On The Move 

sight. Focus on taking smooth 

steps and maintaining the 

front sight on the center of the 

target. This is a great time to try 

some dry-fire practice to bring 

all the components together, 

but remember this: Live-fire 

will give you the most accurate 

and immediate feedback about 

where and when you are 

dropping the hammer. 

Now that you are walking 

forward slowly and smoothly and 

focusing on the front sight, it is 

time to introduce live ammo to 

this equation. Remember, slow 

for form. 

Starting about 15 yards from 

the target, get your sight picture 

and start walking the line with 

your heel-toe rolling steps. Start 

shooting after your second step. 

To fire accurately, take up your 

trigger slack and, as you see the 

front sight on the center of the 

target, finish your trigger press. 

You need to be able to take up 

and fire smoothly (yet quickly). 

I’m not telling you to jerk the 

trigger; I’m suggesting you 

think about combat accuracy, 

not match-grade accuracy. We 

only need “minute of bad guy” 

groups. Just think about this: 

Every time you see your front 

sight on the center of the target, 

finish your trigger press. At this 

range, you should be making 

good hits if you are going slowly 

and working on your form. 

BACK IT UP 

The best thing about shooting 

on the move as you go 

backward is that you will quickly 

notice that you can shoot better 

going backward than you can 

going forward. This is a good 

thing, because you get the 

double benefit of getting farther 

away from danger while you are 

putting rounds on target. The 

downside is that you can’t see 

where you’re going. So, once 

again, I urge you to start slowly 

and only attempt to pick up 

speed once you have mastered 

the basics. 

Shooting on the move to 

the rear is almost exactly like 

shooting on the move going 

forward — except that, as you 

step backward, you must put 

your toe on the ground first and 

roll to your heel. Continue to 

try to walk that line, dropping 

one foot a comfortable distance 

behind the other as you roll 

your toe-heel step. Start this 

drill about 5 yards from the 

target and shoot on the move 

until you are about 15 yards out. 

If you really want to add some 

next-level ninja stuff to this, 

remember that as you move 

backward, don’t shift your 

weight off the stationary foot 

until you are sure you have firm 

footing beneath your mobile 

foot. It is best to practice 

moving to the rear on a flat, 

smooth range at first. If you 

want to add in some obstacles 

to your movement, only do 

so during dry-fire practice. 

Consider that while backing 

up things like curbs, parking 

lot barriers, and other items 

could block your path. It pays 

to learn how to navigate these 

obstacles, but please use 

dry-fire practice to master the 

footwork. It is just safer. 

THE WRAP-UP 

This drill starts with a single 

target on a flat, open range. 

When moving forward, start at 

15 yards and fire until you are 

as close as 5 yards. Then start 

moving backward. Once you’re 

comfortable putting rounds 

accurately on one target, put 

up a second target and perform 

the Look/Shoot Drill while 

moving forward and backward. 

›› Rolling the foot from heel to toe is 

the smoothest way to advance while 

shooting, and rolling from toe to heel 

will take you in reverse with similar 

steadiness. Start slow for form. 

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DRILL Shooting On The Move: Laterally! 


SHOOTING 

ON THE 

MOVE: 

LATERALLY! 

GET TO A POSITION OF ADVANTAGE 

AND MAKE YOURSELF A MORE 

DIFFICULT TARGET 

You should have realized 

pretty quickly that these movements 

have limited benefit. 

Whether you are going directly 

forward or straight to the rear, 

you are still in the line of fire. 

That’s a bad thing. Ideally, you 

want to move laterally. Get off 

the X while you engage your 

attacker to make him think 

about something other than 

putting his rounds on target. 

We taught forward and rearward 

movement as the foundation 

for shooting on the move. 

If you have not mastered those 

two elements, go back, review 

and train until you have them 

mastered. Once that is done, 

we can start to work on shooting 

while moving laterally. 

First, let’s review the twofold 

goal of shooting on the move. 

You are shooting on the move 

so you can get to a position of 

tactical advantage and to make 

yourself a more difficult target. 

If you are ready, let’s jump in. 

The overriding concept guiding 

effective lateral movement 

is to never cross your feet. 

Crossing your feet in some sort 

of Broadway dance move is a 

recipe for falling down. If you 

have fallen down, you can’t be 

moving toward your position of 

tactical advantage. You might 

be a more difficult target because 

you have “gone prone,” 

but if you have gone prone 

unexpectedly, you run the risk 

of dropping your gun, hurting 

yourself or being involved in 

a negligent discharge — thus 

sending a round somewhere 

you did not intend for it to go. 

So, never cross your feet. 

Instead, point your feet in the 

general direction you want to 

travel and walk just like you 

did when you trained to move 

forward: heel-to-toe steps moving 

smoothly. Walk in a fairly 

straight line and move your 

torso as though it were a tank 

turret. 

How you grip your firearm is 

dependent on your direction of 

travel, yet this is where some 

trainers differ. Let us assume 

for the purposes of this drill 

the target is 10 yards away and 

directly in front of you and you 

are a right-handed shooter. If 

you are moving to your right, 

you can aim and fire with a 

standard two-handed pistol 

grip. To maintain your muzzle 

discipline (only pointing your 

gun at something you are 

willing to destroy), execute the 

following sequence: 

1. Draw and acquire the standard 

two-handed grip. 

2. Keeping your muzzle 

pointed downrange at your 

target, pivot on the balls of 

your feet so both feet are 

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pointed 90 degrees to the 

right, relative to your target, 

and begin walking by moving 

your left foot first. 

3. Press the trigger fully to the 

rear each time the front sight is 

on the target. 

Some trainers have told me I 

should only fire between steps. 

Others have told me only to 

fire when both feet are on the 

ground. I have found it does 

not matter. If the front sight is 

on the target, I will get suitable 

combat accuracy while moving. 

Now, for the right-handed 

shooter moving to the left, we 

get into some differences of 

opinion. I have trained with 

instructors who demanded I 

keep both hands on the pistol, 

and I have trained with instructors 

who have told me to fire 

one-handed with my left hand 

tight against my body to keep 

it out of the way. I shoot and 

teach the one-handed technique 

for two reasons. The first 

reason is because that is how 

the Wisconsin Department of 

Justice Training and Standards 

Bureau teaches it for my LEO 

qualifications. The second reason 

is that I find it easier to stay 

on target. 

If the first rule of a gunfight is 

to not get shot, the second rule 

is to put rounds on target to 

end the fight quickly. So I suggest 

that you do what works 

for you in that area. 

My sequence for moving to 

the left is as follows: 

1. Draw and acquire the standard 

one-handed grip. Cant 

the gun about 15 degrees to 

the left. Put your left hand on 

your chest. 

2. Keeping your muzzle pointed 

downrange at your target, 

pivot on the balls of your feet 

so both feet are pointed 90 

degrees to the left, relative to 

your target, and begin walking 

by moving your right foot first. 

3. Press the trigger fully to the 

rear each time the front sight is 

›› Shooting on the move 

becomes increasingly 

difficult when lateral 

movement is added to 

the equation. Not only 

does foot motion change, 

your grip on the sidearm 

should change as well. For 

right-handers, switch to 

a one-handed grip when 

moving to the left, and, 

when moving to the right, 

maintain a two-handed 

grip. This keeps your 

shoulders from getting in 

the way of each other.


on the target. 

When training to shoot on the 

move, it is of utmost importance 

that you start slowly and 

establish good form. This is 

true for your body position and 

your focus on the front sight. 

Once you have mastered this 

drill moving slowly, you can begin 

to pick up speed. But you 

have a decision to make. 

THE BIG DECISION 

Should you fire while on the 

move? As we said before, 

shooting on the move does 

two things: It allows you to get 

to a position of tactical advantage 

and it makes you a more 

difficult target. 

Notice that I didn’t say anything 

about improving your accuracy. 

Shooting on the move 

does not improve your accuracy. 

You are still liable for every 

round you put downrange. It 

might be better for you to simply 

move quickly to cover and 

start shooting from there. 

You might need to shoot on 

the move, and if you decide 

that you need to shoot on the 

move, pay extra attention to 

your surroundings and what is 

behind your target. Every decision 

in a fight is your responsibility. 

A deadly force incident 

is dynamic by nature, and this 

skill should be mastered before 

it is employed. If you need 

to use such a skill to save your 

life, don’t hesitate. But if there 

is a greater danger to bystanders, 

move and then shoot. 

›› The first step in not getting hit by a train is to stay off the tracks, and the first step in not getting shot by an attacker is to 

not be the last place they saw you standing. Movement is absolutely essential to surviving a lethal force encounter, and 

a little will go a long way. As soon as you are not a static target for your attacker, their chances of hitting you with a bullet 

drop significantly, and the more you train, the more likely you will be able to stop the attack while moving to safety. 

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DRILL Crowded House: Move To Find Your Targets 


»LIFE IS MOVEMENT. Our world is not a static place. You can pretty much count on the 

fact that any deadly force incident will be dynamic and perhaps a bit confusing. You cannot 

train for every eventuality, and you cannot hope to simulate the rapid violence of a deadly 

attack, but if you don’t even try, you are certain to fail in the face of such adversity. 

If you restrict your training 

to stationary targets engaged 

from the 7-yard line, you will 

likely die while standing still. If 

you don’t at least try to negotiate 

a busy shooting scene, 

you will likely be paralyzed by 

indecision and die while standing 

still or be overwhelmed by 

the activity and make mistakes 

you might regret for the rest of 

your life. 

ABOUT THE DRILL 

This drill is not designed to be 

an accurate representation of 

what it might be like to engage 

multiple opponents in a crowd. 

This drill is designed to force 

you to focus on the basics 

of dynamic shooting and the 

skills needed to control your 

environment. Like all good 

training drills, this drill will force 

you to think, move, shoot and 

communicate. As always, start 

slowly for form and then pick up 

speed as your skills improve. 

This is not a race. It is a training 

sequence designed to make 

you think about many different 

things at once. 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED 

Start this drill with at least 

three targets. Five targets 

would be better. If you can 

make two of the targets reactionary, 

that would be even better. 

For this drill, we used two 

polymer Popper Targets from 

Newbold (newboldtargets.com) 

and three standard cardboard 

targets. 

The Newbold Poppers represent 

the bad guys, and the 

cardboard targets are the good 

guys. These cardboard targets 

are the “no-shoot” targets. 

Arrange the targets into a close 

group with at least one noshoot 

target directly in front of 

one of the Poppers. 

Your goal is to move around 

the periphery of the target 

group, shooting the Poppers 

only when you have a clear 

shot and only when a passthrough 

shot will not impact 

one of the no-shoot targets. 

Your goal is to drop the Popper 

targets and leave the cardboard, 

including the target legs, 

untouched. 

MAKING IT WORK 

Run this drill more than once. 

Begin from various positions 

and move targets to make the 

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DRILL Crowded House: Move To Find Your Targets 

shooting more difficult. In order 

to be successful, you will need 

to move effectively to change 

your shooting angles to create 

open shots at your bad-guy 

targets. 

While you are on the move, 

you should be giving verbal 

commands such as “Don’t 

move! Drop the gun!” Continue 

to move until you have found 

an open firing lane and can 

make a clear shot with no danger 

to any of the “bystanders.” 

To make things more realistic, 

put an element of simulated 

cover on each side of the target 

area and “fight” your way to 

that cover, barking your orders 

and taking only open shots 

on your way to or from behind 

the simulated cover. It could 

be that, in a real situation, your 

need to get to cover is more 

important than your need to 

engage the shooter. 

In the real world, you might 

also be forced to hold your fire 

because you are never afforded 

a clear shot. This is not so much 

a shooting drill as it is a decision-making 

drill that combines 

several elements of pistolcraft 

into a series of actions. 

SAFETY 

CONSIDERATIONS 

Keep things close to the berm. 

Remember, you will be moving 

and shooting, very likely using 

your entire 90-degree field of 

fire. If you wish, you can start 

your target setup by drawing or 

painting a line on the ground 

to serve as a safety reminder. 

It is also a good idea to have a 

Range Safety Officer overseeing 

the shooting sequence with 

a good, loud whistle to signal 

cease fire should it appear that 

any shooting angles even come 

close to breaching your safety 

zone. 

I cannot stress enough that 

this drill is not about speed. It is 

about movement, shot selection 

and paying attention to the 

front sight. This drill teaches the 

shooter to deal with multiple elements 

throughout the training 

sequence. Do not rush it. 

Many public ranges will not 

allow this type of training, but 

the scenario is easy to set up if 

you have the space and a safe 

shooting location. Again, this is 

not a static training event. Use 

extra caution. 

WHY DO THIS? 

If there is one element oft 

repeated by anti-gunners, 

it is that concealed carriers 

will run amok shooting innocent 

people during a deadly 

force incident. Drills like this 

will help reinforce your decision-making 

skills. If you don’t 

have a shot, just get to good 

cover and do what you can 

to stay alive. If, during this 

drill, you don’t have a good 

shot, do the same. Then, if 

you wish, reset the targets to 

provide the opportunity for a 

shot. Learn what it takes to 

make that shot. 

Be realistic. If you figure out 

during training that you are 

not capable of making such 

a shot, you will know that, 

during a real incident, you 

should hold your fire. 

12 

›› It cannot be overstated that 

movement needs to be incorporated 

into your training regimen, and this 

is one of the most fundamental and 

important drills in the game. 

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DRILL The Flying Wedge 


›› The Flying Wedge is an ideal move-and-shoot drill 

for individuals of all ability and mobility levels. It can 

be run at any pace as long as the shooter doesn’t 

violate range safety protocol. 

» I AM ONE TO GIVE CREDIT where it is due. During a recent trip to the SIG Sauer 

Academy, I was forced to shoot the Star Drill. In fact, the chief instructor there, Steve Gilcreast, 

schooled me on the Star Drill by shooting it faster while walking than I could while running. 

Knowing I didn’t really have 

enough space to set up the Star 

Drill properly and, not wanting 

to completely steal the training 

idea from a guy I really like, I 

decided to modify the drill into 

something that would take up 

less space and perhaps be a 

bit more flexible. I came up with 

the Flying Wedge. 

THE SET UP 

You will need a timer or stopwatch, 

a steel target and three 

orange cones. 

Place the target downrange 

and measure 15 yards, placing 

the first cone directly in front of 

the target. The second and third 

cones are to be placed 5 yards 

to the right and left of the first 

cone and 5 yards forward. This 

gives you the wedge. You will 

be shooting from 15 yards at the 

center cone and from 10 yards at 

the right and left cones. (Actually, 

if you set up the wedge exactly 

right and run the math, you will 

be shooting from 11.18 yards at 

the offset cones.) 

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DRILL The Flying Wedge 

THE DRILL 

Load 10 rounds into a magazine. 

Starting at the center 

cone, load and make ready. 

On the start command, fire one 

round with a two-handed grip. 

When you hit the target, move 

to the right. When you arrive at 

the right cone, fire one round 

at the target using only your 

right hand. Return to the center 

cone. Fire one round with a 

two-handed grip. Move to the 

left cone and fire one round 

with your left hand. Return to 

the center cone and fire one 

round with a two-handed grip. 

Continue this sequence until 

you have fired all 10 rounds. 

SCORING 

Only hits count. A miss is registered 

as a 15-second penalty. 

Failure to score a hit with the 

last round in your magazine 

results in a disqualification. The 

fastest time wins. 

These are harsh penalties to 

ensure you focus on the objective. 

This is objective-based 

training, and the objective is 

to hit the target as quickly as 

possible. That means hitting 

the target is the most important 

element. 

TIPS 

Safety first: Remember muzzle 

control and trigger finger discipline. 

Move in the low ready 

with your finger off the trigger. 

Don’t try to sprint from one target 

to the next, stop, set up and 

fire. Instead, as you get close 

to each cone, get your gun up 

and on target and take the shot 

as you step behind the cone. 

This will be very difficult as you 

come back to the center cone 

but very easy as you move to 

the outlying cones. 

WHAT THIS TRAINS 

Of course, you see that you 

will be forced to work both 

strong-hand and other-stronghand 

shooting. You are also 

training to move and shoot, 

which means you have to divide 

your attention between the 

two elements: getting to your 

spot and getting your sights 

on target. If you follow the tip 

above, you will also be putting 

your sight on the target while 

you are moving. This helps to 

prepare you for shooting on the 

move. 

VARIATIONS 

The variations of this drill are 

many. You can do just about 

anything you want here. One of 

the best variations is to introduce 

a magazine change. Run 

the drill with two five-round 

magazines and see how well 

you do. 

Instead of cones, you can put 

cover elements on the outside 

edges. The simplest is a blue 

plastic drum, but anything that 

represents cover can work. 

Shoot the center position from 

kneeling. 

Use a cardboard or paper 

target and score the evolution. 

Open with a head shot from 

15 yards. Then get moving. Be 

harsh when you score. If you hit 

the line, it’s a miss. 

IMPROVE YOUR TIMES 

This training drill helps to reinforce 

the skills needed to effectively 

move and shoot. It makes 

you focus on the fundamentals 

of one-handed shooting and 

reinforces the basics: Focus on 

the front sight and run the trigger 

smoothly. It also makes you think 

about more than one thing. Just 

like in a gunfight, there is a lot going 

on in this drill. You need to do 

everything correctly to improve 

your times. 

” 

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DRILL Bad Guy Cover 


BAD GUY 

COVER 

KEEP SOMETHING BETWEEN 

THE THREAT AND YOU 

» THE HARD TRUTH IS that most deadly force encounters happen at very close range and 

often involve more than one attacker. Your positioning can go a long way in keeping you alive in 

such a scenario, especially if you practice using any cover available — even one of your attackers 

— to protect you from incoming rounds. 

TARGET STACKING 

If your assailant has a sidekick 

and you are forced to 

engage both of those attackers, 

the best course of action 

is to engage the closest threat, 

then put that threat between 

you and the next threat. This 

is called “target stacking” and 

is not very complicated. It is, 

however, something you really 

need to think about and train 

for. Hence, this drill. 

KEEP IT SIMPLE 

For this drill, we used Target 

Marking Rounds from Ultimate 

Training Munitions. This allows 

us to set up a tactical range just 

about anywhere. The training 

could also be done with Laser 

Ammo or any other laser-indicating 

device, like a SIRT pistol. 

The most important part is the 

movement. At such close range, 

combat accuracy should be 

fairly simple. 

Place two (or more) targets 

on the range with one in front 

of you and at least one offset 

as though in the “sidekick” 

position. The position doesn’t 

really matter much because you 

can’t always dictate the position 

of your adversary. Adapt to it. 

Move the targets often while 

training. Just make sure you 

have a safe backstop. 

Run this drill only as quickly as 

you can safely and accurately 

draw, move and fire. Focus on 

the basics. Get the gun safely 

out of the holster. Keep your 

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DRILL Bad Guy Cover 

non-gun hand away from the line 

of fire. Don’t cross your feet as 

you move. Come to full extension 

if you have to engage the second 

or subsequent targets. I say “if 

you have to” because you should 

always assess before firing. Don’t 

train yourself to fire when you 

don’t need to fire. 

Continually rearrange the targets 

during this training drill to force 

yourself to move in different directions 

and different distances in 

order to engage Target 2. By varying 

the location of the targets and 

your starting point, this drill forces 

you to think ahead and choose 

the best possible angle for cover 

and concealment during the 

engagement. Never run this drill 

exactly the same twice in a row. 

Mix it up because you can never 

predict how things will happen on 

the street. 

KEY CONCEPTS 

This drill requires you to effectively 

connect several elements of 

defensive shooting, including the 

draw, firing safely from a weapon-retention 

position, movement 

and combat accuracy. It also requires 

situational awareness and 

the ability to rapidly develop and 

execute a plan of action. 

Master the four-step draw. Ensure 

your off-hand is clear of the 

line of fire as you engage the first 

target. Never cross your feet as 

you move. Index your firearm on 

the center of the second target 

before you fire. Repeat this until it 

becomes second nature. 

BY THE NUMBERS 

Step 1: Arrange two targets 

in an offset position. 

Step 2: Using all safety 

practices, prepare your 

training area. 

Step 3: At a distance of less 

than 3 yards, engage the 

closest target to you. Draw 

and fire from Position 3 of 

the draw. Do not come to full 

extension at this distance. 

Index the firearm on center 

mass and fire twice. 

Step 4: Take a large step 

to one side or the other, 

keeping Target 1 between 

Target 2 and you. Come to 

full extension, assess and 

fire if required. 

People Often Ask Us Why We Do What We Do. 

Our Answer Is Simple... 

“ SO YOU CAN PROTECT 

WHAT REALLY MATTERS” 

After you’ve defended the lives of your family, you shouldn’t have to worry about your justified 

acts of self-defense costing you everything you’ve worked for. Your USCCA Membership will give 

you peace of mind knowing every decision you make–before, after, AND during a self-defense 

incident–is the right decision. 

16 

16 WWW.USCCA.COM 

The USCCA provides up to $1,125,000 in insurance-backed coverage to over 146,000 responsibly 

armed Americans just like you who’ll do whatever it takes to ensure the ultimate protection of their 

loved ones. 

Get Protected Now: www.USCCA.com/ProtectThem or 1-877-677-1919 

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POINT SHOOTING

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