8 The Firearms Instructor Issue 50 marksmanship skills and weapon handling into reaction-time components effectively programming reflexes to achieve the balance between speed and accuracy. Training on steel targets facilitates combat speed and accuracy training by consistent repetition and feedback. Shooters quickly improve and gain confidence in their ability to quickly and accurately engage targets. This provides a cycle of repetition and feedback that supports the learning and training goals of adult learning theory. In order to develop combat accuracy, fire- arms instructors need to ensure students understand the difference between accuracy and precision: 1. Accuracy – Making hits on your intended target or target zone. Accuracy does not necessarily mean putting one round on top of another. Accuracy is hitting a general target zone such as the upper thoracic area. Accuracy may mean using an acceptable as opposed to a “perfect” sight picture or directing shots by body positioning. 2. Precision – This is putting one round on top of another. Speed is secondary when precision is intended. This means pressing the trigger while attempting to obtain and maintain the “perfect” sight picture. The goal of this kind of training is to develop combat speed and accuracy. Officers should not be concerned with shooting tight groups (precision). Rather, they should be ACCURACY focused on obtaining combat hits (accu- racy) at combat speed. If instructors notice tight groups are being shot, encourage those shooters to speed up. Back to the Basics Periodically during this type of training, require your shooters to return to the basics. Combat speed and accuracy training can lead to the development of bad shooting habits if instructors are not careful. Watch your stu- dents for problems with trigger control and follow through. If you start seeing problems with trigger control, have them spend a few minutes working on their fundamental skills by delivering precision shots at reasonable distances upon demand. As Jeff Hall, Force Options, likes to say, “We have sacrificed accuracy on the alter of fire power.” The One Hole Drill is a good break from working on combat speed and accuracy because it focuses the shooter on the fun- damentals of marksmanship. Depending on the skill level of your student, the One Hole Drill can be performed from the three to seven yard line. Tell your student ahead of time that they can only perform this drill one time. This tends to focus their attention and concentration on the drill. One-Hole Drill – 5 round limit • Five rounds in one hole, no time limit • 3 – 7 yards (depending on skill level) • More distance increases the difficulty Use of Force Decision Making at Combat Speed Once our officers have developed the skills of combat speed and accuracy, we need to take those skills to the next level by requir- ing them to make use of force decisions at combat speed. There are many ways to accomplish this goal and firearms instructors would be well advised to employ as many of these methods as possible. The use of non-threat targets on the range can help officers refine their use of force decision making skills in combination with their combat speed and accuracy. These tar- gets can be mixed with threat targets in shoot houses, general range courses and moving target courses. The addition of pneumatic target stands makes these targets even more PRECISION “An invaluable tool for firearms instructors and shooters is the addition of a shot timer. Without a shot timer, a draw and shot that feels fast may be slow due to wasted motion. Conversely, a draw that feels slow, but is smooth with no wasted movement, may be fast. A properly functioning shot timer does not lie.”