This drill was the pistol-training.com Drill of the Week for 25-May-08 and 1-Jun-08.
designed by Todd Louis Green
Range: varies (start at 3yd)
Target: two 3×5 cards (slow version) or two 8″ plates (fast version)
Start position: ready position, strong hand only
Rounds fired: varies
(safety notice: as with any drill involving transfer from one hand to the other, please remember to be careful. If you should drop the gun during the drill, let it fall to the ground and do not try to catch it in midair. If you try to catch it, the odds are very good that you’ll snatch the trigger and discharge the gun accidentally)
The purpose of this drill is to improve both accuracy and speed when shooting one-handed. There are two versions of the drill, a slow version which is focused primarily on accuracy and a fast version which balances accuracy and speed. Both drills require the shooter to use a shot timer with a PAR time of 10 seconds.
Slow version:
Place two 3×5 cards at least one foot apart at a range of three yards. Starting position is normal ready position for strong hand only (SHO) shooting. On the buzzer, engage the right card slowly until you get one hit. Then carefully transition the pistol to the weak hand only (WHO) and engage the left card until you get one hit. Keep transitioning back and forth from SHO to WHO until the PAR time runs out.
Practice until you are getting at least two hits on each card in the PAR time. Then, increase the distance to 5 yards and start again. Keeping adding distance until you can no longer get the necessary hits in the allowed PAR time.
Fast version:
Similar to the above except you will use two larger targets, such as 8″ plates or 8.5×11 sheets of paper. On the buzzer, engage the right target with two hits shooting SHO. Once you get your two hits, carefully transition to the WHO and engage the left target until you get two hits. Transition back and forth as many times as you can until the PAR time runs out.
Practice until you are getting at least four hits per card at 3yd within the 10 second PAR, then increase the distance to 5yd. Keeping adding distance until you can no longer get the required number of hits within the PAR time.
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.