The Firearms Instructor Issue 50 7 own time. The reality is that most Firearms Instructors are gun-guys. We like guns. We like shooting guns. We like talking about guns. We generally like cleaning our own guns. We read books and magazines about guns. Conversely, most law enforcement offi- cers aren’t gun-nuts. They have other inter- ests such as working traffic, drugs, K-9, nego- tiations and crisis intervention, working with children in the schools and doing complex criminal investigations. While I agree officers should be spend- ing some of their free time at the range improving their skills, I believe many officers grow to dislike firearms training because it becomes boring, repetitive and leaves them feeling like failures. Rather than leaving the range confident in their ability to make the shot to save their own or someone else’s life, they leave the range feeling dejected, embar- rassed and disgusted with firearms training. They refuse to practice on their own time because of these experiences. No one likes to feel embarrassed and incompetent. Before we blame our law enforcement officers for failing to train, we need to examine what we, as Firearms Instructors, are doing that may be enabling and reinforcing their dislike of firearms training. Is our training material still relevant? Are we boring our officers? Are we embarrassing our officers in a misguided attempt at motivation? Are we service-ori- ented, or are we doing this job to satisfy our own ego? After everything is said and done, there will always be a few people who dislike fire- arms training. However, a positive training environment will stress officers to improve their performance without resulting in feel- ing dejected and embarrassed. This increases the likelihood of them going to the range and practicing on their own time. Once they enjoy going to the range, they are more likely to approach firearms training with a differ- ent attitude and will begin to take the train- ing seriously. They may even decide to try a competitive shooting match such as those offered by organizations like the NRA, IDPA or USPSA. Once this occurs, you have helped make a problem shooter into a shooter with a passion to train. Developing Combat Speed and Accuracy – Dry Fire Now that we have analyzed our training programs, ourselves and our law enforcement officers, we can focus on developing combat speed and accuracy to better prepare our students for the realities of a gunfight. One way to develop combat accuracy and speed in your shooters is to work them through sev- eral dry fire practice drills. A word of caution here: do not overuse dry fire practice drills. Dry fire practice drills must be done perfectly in order for shooters to develop skills that can be recalled on demand. If shooters get lazy or just go through the motions, their skills will not develop and it wastes training time. By keeping dry fire practice time short and effi- cient, you will maintain their attention and the shooters will benefit. The first step in establishing combat speed and accuracy is developing the skills neces- sary to draw and present the weapon in a manner that maximizes economy of motion. Because of the short duration and timeframe of law enforcement gunfights, officers must be trained to draw and present their weap- ons in a condensed period of time. Dry fire practice emphasizing “perfect” draws will greatly decrease the time required for an accurate first shot. Remember, the draw and presentation of the weapon should be “per- fect.” If necessary, break the draw and pre- sentation down into step-by-step numbers to ensure officers are presenting the weapon “perfectly.” These three drills will take less than ten minutes, but they provide a solid base of knowledge and skill. Setting a foundation using these simple drills will better prepare your officers for the next step – live fire com- bat speed and accuracy training. Developing Combat Speed and Accuracy – Live Fire Using the foundation established by the dry fire drills, firearms instructors should consider using a “building-blocks” approach to developing combat speed and accuracy in their students. An invaluable tool for fire- arms 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 move- ment, may be fast. A properly functioning shot timer does not lie. The first drill helps shooters develop com- bat speed and accuracy from the holster. The second drill builds off this by incorporating potentially lifesaving movement. Once these skills can be repeated on demand, firearms instructors can begin incorporating addi- tional officer movement, additional rounds, headshots, multiple threat targets, the addi- tion of non-threat targets, moving targets or a combination of all the above. Once this basic foundation is built, the use of steel targets in firearms training is one of the best ways to develop combat speed and accuracy. Steel targets also help achieve a balance between these two critical factors. In terms of adult learning theory, steel targets allow the development of shooting skills at the subconscious level of awareness. The subconscious mind can learn to reflexively control the shooting process through the use of positive, instant feedback. This is done by providing instant visual feedback when the bullet impacts the steel target and the target falls, retracts, or drops. At the same instant, the audible feedback generated by the sound of the bullet hitting the target provides assurance of accuracy. This compresses basic I. Drill #1 • 8-10 correct draw strokes with no trigger press. Do these perfectly. NO SHORTCUTS! Present the gun from the holster and align with the target. Focus on smooth draws and presentation. II. Drill #2 • 8-10 correct draw strokes with no trig- ger press. Add speed but keep them smooth. III. Drill #3 • 8-10 draws just like the previous one but add complete trigger press. A proper draw and presentation from the holster should allow officers to be on target before they present the gun to full arm extension. Hold the trigger press to the rear, then slowly re-set the trigger. I. One Round Timed Drill 1 to 3 yard line – 10 rounds • Draw and fire one round from the holster. • Goal: 1 round in 1.25 seconds or less. II. One Round Step Drill 1 to 3 yard line – 10 rounds • Draw and fire one round from the holster while taking one step left or right. • Goal: 1 round in 1.25 seconds or less. III. Two Round Timed Drill 1 to 3 yard line – 10 rounds • Draw and fire one round from the holster. • Goal: 1 round in 1.5 seconds or less.