Drill of the Week: The Draw

This week, we work on the draw, or presentation, of the pistol from a holster.

The last two Drills of the Week have involved learning to track our sights during recoil so that we can break a shot as quickly as possible but still know we’re going to get a good, aimed hit. We’ll apply many of the same principles to the draw.

You’ll need two different targets, a small one and a large one. You can use a 3×5 card and 8″ plate, or the head & body of an IDPA/IPSC target, or whatever else is handy. The important thing is to have two targets that are significantly different in size, so we can also continue to build on the lesson from last week.

First, practice drawing the gun and hitting the small target. Do this ten times, working on two important aspects of the technique: (1) smooth economy of motion, and (2) accuracy of your shot. Don’t try to go fast. Try to perform the draw without wasted movement. Move slowly and perfectly. Try to find your sights before your arms are at full extension. You can actually aim the gun as part of the draw. As soon as your sight picture is good, press the trigger and get your hit. If you’re doing everything right, the gun shouldn’t stop moving until you break the shot (or, put another way, you should break the shot before or at the moment the gun stops moving).

Next, move to the larger target. Because you have a bigger target, you won’t need as fine a sight picture to get your hit. Draw and shoot the large target ten times. Don’t get sloppy, move just as slowly as you did with the small target. Work on moving in a smooth, deliberate, efficient way to the gun, then out of the holster and up, punching towards the target while lining up the sights and breaking the shot.

Then repeat the entire drill a couple more times, doing ten on the small target followed by ten on the large target. Just like last week with the Changing Gears drill, you should find that you are breaking your shot faster on the large target. The small target will force you to be more precise as you punch the gun toward the target, line up your shots, and press the trigger. The large target will give you a chance to move faster and work on making things happen smoothly and quickly. Both are important parts of perfecting your draw stroke.

Training with firearms is an inherently dangerous activity. Be sure to follow all safety protocols when using firearms or practicing these drills. These drills are provided for information purposes only. Use at your own risk.