How can you improve your basketball shooting skills. What are the most effective drills for coaches and players. Which types of shooting drills should you incorporate into your practice routine. Discover 22 powerful basketball shooting drills to elevate your game.
Understanding the Four Types of Basketball Shooting Drills
To maximize your shooting skills, it’s crucial to incorporate a variety of drill types into your practice routine. Let’s explore the four main categories of shooting drills and their benefits:
1. Block Shooting Drills
Block drills involve repetitive practice of the same skill. These drills are excellent for:
- Developing proper shooting technique
- Establishing rhythm
- Building confidence
- Serving as warm-up exercises
Examples of block drills include shooting 10 jump shots from the right elbow or executing 10 consecutive jump shots off a curl cut from various spots, both without live defense.
2. Interleaving Drills
Interleaving drills incorporate multiple skills within a single exercise. These drills combine various elements such as:
- Dribbling moves
- Finishing techniques
- Passing
- Shooting
- Offensive plays (e.g., screen away)
By mixing skills, interleaving drills better simulate game scenarios and improve practice efficiency.
3. Random Practice Shooting Drills
Random practice drills work on multiple skills without a preset order. Each repetition is different, mimicking the unpredictable nature of game situations. These drills help transfer shooting skills and accuracy to actual games.
4. Game-Based Shooting Drills
Game-based drills are a form of random practice that incorporates defenders. These drills closely simulate actual game scenarios by:
- Forcing decision-making
- Randomizing shots
- Contesting shots
While game-based drills provide the most realistic practice, they typically result in fewer repetitions and may reinforce poor technique if not executed correctly.
Selecting the Right Shooting Drills for Your Skill Level
Choosing the appropriate shooting drills depends on your skill level and specific goals. Here’s a guide to help you select the most effective drills:
For Beginners and Youth Players
Focus on developing proper form and building confidence. Emphasize:
- Block drills to establish correct shooting technique
- Simple interleaving drills to introduce skill combinations
- Modified versions of more advanced drills to suit their skill level
For Intermediate Players
Incorporate a mix of all four drill types to develop well-rounded shooting skills:
- Start with block drills to reinforce proper technique
- Progress to interleaving drills to combine multiple skills
- Introduce random practice drills to improve adaptability
- Include game-based drills to simulate real game scenarios
For Advanced Players
Focus on refining skills and improving performance under game-like conditions:
- Use block drills sparingly for technique maintenance
- Emphasize random practice and game-based drills
- Incorporate complex interleaving drills to challenge multiple skills simultaneously
The Benefits of Varied Shooting Drills in Basketball Practice
Incorporating a diverse range of shooting drills into your practice routine offers numerous advantages:
- Improved skill transfer to game situations
- Enhanced decision-making abilities
- Increased shooting accuracy under pressure
- Better overall basketball IQ
- More engaging and challenging practices
By combining different types of drills, players can develop a more comprehensive skill set that translates effectively to real game scenarios.
Top 10 Basketball Shooting Drills for Rapid Improvement
Here are ten highly effective shooting drills to enhance your basketball skills:
1. The Star Drill
Set up five cones in a star pattern around the three-point line. Start at one cone, sprint to the basket, receive a pass, and shoot. Quickly move to the next cone and repeat. This drill improves conditioning, shooting on the move, and accuracy from various positions.
2. The 5-Spot Shooting Drill
Place five markers around the arc: corner, wing, top of the key, opposite wing, and opposite corner. Shoot five shots from each spot, tracking your accuracy. This drill enhances shooting consistency from different areas of the court.
3. Rapid Fire Shooting
Position yourself close to the basket with a partner. Take quick shots as your partner rebounds and passes the ball back. Focus on maintaining proper form while increasing your shooting speed. This drill improves shooting rhythm and muscle memory.
4. The Move and Shoot Drill
Start at the three-point line. Perform a specific dribble move (e.g., crossover, behind-the-back), then shoot. Vary the dribble moves and shooting locations. This drill enhances your ability to shoot off the dribble and improves ball-handling skills.
5. The Pressure Free Throw Drill
Shoot free throws while simulating game pressure. For example, run sprints between shots or have teammates create distractions. This drill improves focus and performance under stress.
Integrating Shooting Drills into Your Practice Routine
To maximize the benefits of these shooting drills, consider the following tips for incorporating them into your practice routine:
1. Establish a Consistent Schedule
Set aside dedicated time for shooting drills in each practice session. Consistency is key to improving your shooting skills.
2. Gradually Increase Difficulty
Start with simpler drills and progressively add complexity as your skills improve. This approach helps maintain motivation and prevents frustration.
3. Track Your Progress
Keep a record of your performance in each drill. Monitoring your improvement over time can provide valuable insights and motivation.
4. Combine Drills for Efficiency
Create drill sequences that incorporate multiple skills. For example, combine a dribbling drill with a shooting drill to maximize practice time.
5. Simulate Game Situations
Whenever possible, add elements that mimic real game scenarios, such as time constraints or defensive pressure.
Common Shooting Mistakes and How to Correct Them
Even experienced players can develop bad habits in their shooting form. Here are some common mistakes and tips to correct them:
1. Poor Balance
Ensure your feet are shoulder-width apart and your weight is evenly distributed. Practice shooting from a balanced stance to improve accuracy.
2. Inconsistent Release Point
Develop a consistent release point by focusing on your shooting motion. Use the “shot pocket” technique, bringing the ball to the same spot near your shoulder before each shot.
3. Lack of Follow-Through
Complete your shooting motion by extending your arm fully and holding your follow-through. This helps maintain accuracy and develops muscle memory.
4. Shooting with Tension
Practice relaxing your shoulders and arms when shooting. Tension can negatively affect your accuracy and consistency.
5. Improper Arc
Work on developing a proper arc on your shots. A shot with too little arc is more likely to be blocked or miss the target.
Advanced Shooting Techniques for Experienced Players
Once you’ve mastered the basics, consider incorporating these advanced shooting techniques into your arsenal:
1. The Step-Back Jump Shot
Practice creating space by stepping back before shooting. This move can be highly effective against aggressive defenders.
2. The Floater
Develop a soft touch for shots in the lane. The floater is an excellent option when faced with taller defenders near the basket.
3. The Fadeaway
Work on shooting while fading away from the basket. This challenging shot can be a valuable tool in your offensive repertoire.
4. Quick Release Shooting
Practice releasing the ball quickly to beat defensive pressure. Focus on maintaining accuracy while reducing the time between catching and shooting.
5. Off-Hand Shooting
Develop proficiency in shooting with your non-dominant hand. This skill can be crucial in situations where your strong hand is well-defended.
By incorporating these advanced techniques and consistently practicing the shooting drills outlined in this article, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a more versatile and effective shooter on the basketball court.
22 Basketball Shooting Drills for Coaches & Players
Below, you’ll find 22 very effective shooting drills for basketball coaches to use during team practices or players to use during workouts.
For players, while there are many great training drills below, you can reference the Basketball Training Drills For Players page so you dont have to filter through the coaching drills below.
4 Types of Recommended Shooting Drills
We recommend you use a mix of block, interleaving, random, and game-based shooting drills in your basketball practices.
Heres an explanation of each type and why you should mix them…
Type 1 – With block shooting drills, you practice the same skill over and over. Block drills are excellent for developing shooting technique, developing rhythm, and building confidence. They can also serve as warm up drills. Here are a couple of examples:
Example 1 – Shoot 10 jump shots from the right elbow with no live defense.
Example 2 – Shoot 10 jump shots in a row off a curl cut from various spots with no live defense.
However, in a game, you rarely shoot the same type of shot twice in a row… your shots vary almost every time. And you rarely execute the same skill on every catch. In a game, you often mix skills between passing, shooting, and dribbling on every catch. And you rarely know exactly what you will do ahead of time on every repetition. Your outcome usually varies based on the defense, time, and score which determines whether your choose to shoot, dribble, or pass.
So block drills do not transfer skills as well as other drills.
Type 2 – With interleaving drills, you work on multiple skills at the same time. So you might work on dribble moves, finishing, passing, and shooting all in the same drill. Or you might work on passing, shooting, and a piece of your offense (ex: screen away). By mixing the skills, you’re better simulating what happens in a game and you’re improving practice efficiency.
Type 3 – Random practice shooting drills work on multiple skills (interleaving) and have no preset order. There is not a predetermined sequence. Each repetition is different.
Random practice better simulates what actually happens in a game, which helps transfer your shooting skills and accuracy into games.
First round of drill:
- Repetition 1 – Curl cut then shoot a midrange shot.
- Repetition 2 – Straight cut then shoot a 3-point shot.
- Repetition 3 – Curl cut, catch and immediately pass, relocate to another spot on the floor, receive another pass then shoot.
Second round of drill:
- Repetition 1 – Straight cut then shoot a 3-point shot.
- Repetition 2 – Straight cut, make a dribble move, pass to someone else, relocate to another spot on the floor, receive another pass, take one dribble then shoot.
- Repetition 3 – Straight cut, make a dribble move, then shoot.
Incorporating decision cues are a great way to incorporate random practice into your shooting drills. Also, adding defenders to shooting drills is a great way to incorporate random practice, which leads to…
Type 4 – Game based shooting drills are a form of random practice that utilize defenders.
This is the closest you can get to simulate an actual game. The defenders force decisions, randomize shots, and contest shots. Game-based drills help connect the dots in your brain and do what really matters make shots during a game
situation! However, with game based drills, it takes much longer to get high reps, and if your technique is bad, you’re just practicing bad shooting technique over and over.
When to Use Each Type of Drill?
With these four different types of drills in your coaching toolbox, you can pick the tool that works best for the job or problem you need to solve..
If your players primarily need to improve technique or build confidence, you might spend more practice time on block drills and interleaving shooting drills.
On the other hand, if your players make shots in practice but struggle in games, you might spend more time on both random and game-based shooting drills.
With intermediate and advanced teams, you might use all of the drill types for shooting in one practice. You definitely want to use game-based drills in each practice.
- Start with block drills to engrain good shooting technique, develop rhythm, and build confidence.
- Then move to interleaving skills to mix skills with shooting.
- Next, go to random practice & game-based drills where you practice multiple skills with no preset sequence. Game-based shooting drills put the skills to the test and simulate real game situations.
Beginner or Youth Shooting Drills
Youth coaches are often searching for drills for their youth team. With minor adjustments, you can use the same shooting drills for youth and advanced players. The only difference is you should spend more time on technique with youth players, stay closer to the basket, use the appropriate size/weight ball, and adjust the hoop height as needed.
This is an important adjustment to ensure your players learn proper shooting form… since youth players do not have the strength to shoot properly from long distance or with a full size ball.
Form Shooting Drills
1. 6 Step Form Shooting Progression
2. Form Shooting with a Team
3. 5 Unique Form Shooting Drills
Block Shooting Drills
4. Ray Allen Shooting Drill
5. Elbow Shooting Drill
6. 555 Shooting Drill
7. Short-Long Shooting Drill
8. Three Competitive Shooting Drills
9. 2 Ball Shooting
10. Fastbreak Shooting Drill – 12 Players, 1 Hoop
Interleaving Shooting Drills
11. “Rocker” Shooting Drills
12. Motion (Screen Away) Shooting Drill
13. Wichita State Attack Series
14. 4 Spot Fastbreak Shooting Drill
15. Drop Step Shooting Drill
16. The Multi-Purpose Offense and Shooting Drill
Random Practice & Game-Based Shooting Drills with Defenders
17.
2 Player Shooting – Basketball Decision Training Drills
18. Shooting Off The Dribble – 30 Point Drill
19. Pressure Free Throws Game
20. 1 on 1 Away Screen Shooting Drill
21. 3 Competitive Dribble Penetration Shooting Drills
22. Competitive 1 on 1 Shooting Drill To Teach Curls & Fades
23. Basketball Pick and Roll Drills
24. Shooting Drill – Improve Decision-Making Off The Catch
25. Half Court 3 v 2 + 1
26. The ONLY Shooting Drills Resource You EVER Need
5 Most Effective Basketball Shooting Drills for a Quick Release
Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson set the record for the most threes scored in a single half: 52 points on January 23, 2015. Seattle Storm shooting guard Jewell Loyd set the record for most points scored in a WNBA Finals game: 38 points on October 4, 2018. Part of both players’ key to success is their ability to get their shots off quickly: watch Klay’s release here and Jewell’s release here.
A quick release allows you to get your shot off before the defense can react, giving you a better chance of scoring. This is particularly important when you have a limited amount of time on the shot clock. So today we’ll reveal a few of our favorite basketball shooting drills for a quick release.
Discover the most effective shooting drills for a quick release
The best ways to develop a quick release for basketball all involve putting constraints on yourself during drills which means playing against a clock or a partner. So grab your best outdoor or indoor basketball and let’s get to work! (If you need a new ball, we recommend the Evolution – size 7 for men, 6 for women, 5 for kids.) Keep track of how you do with each drill below (one of the best basketball apps – Nike’s Homecourt can easily help you track your release speed on every shot – and the basic level is free!) so you can see your progression over time.
1. Block to three reaction drill
This is a partner shooting drill.
One player stands on the block at the key, the other stands at the three. The player at the three is the shooter. They dribble in place. The player on the block is the defender. Whenever the defense wants, they run at the shooter for a close out. The shooter tries to make the shot. Switch positions if it’s a miss. If it’s a make, the shooter gets to go again. Play up to whoever gets 3 points first (all threes are 1 point).
2. Foul line to mid-range reaction drill
This drill is also a partner drill and very similar to the first one. This time the defender starts at the middle of the foul line, while the offensive player is in a mid-range spot. The other difference is that this time play starts on the offensive player’s go. The offensive player dribbles in place. Then whenever they want, they get into a side-step shot. The defense tries to block the shot. Switch positions if it’s a miss. If it’s a make, the shooter gets to go again. Play up to whoever gets 3 points first (all threes are 1 point).
3. NBA 1-minute endurance drill
This basketball shooting drill is super simple but effective. And you don’t need a partner. In this drill, you’re going to shoot as many threes as possible in one minute. You can shoot from the same spot or multiple spots. Keep track of your makes, and try to get better each time you do it. As an added challenge, you can also do this same drill with one-dribble pull ups from three or mid-range.
4. 1 v 1 at the three shooting drill
For this drill, you’ll need a partner. You’ll both start at the three line, about 10 feet away from each other. Your goal is to get by the other player and get to their starting spot and make a three first. Your partner’s goal is the same thing. As you dribble by each other, on the way to your new spot, you can both try to knock each other’s basketballs away. Play up to whoever gets 3 points first (all threes are 1 point). Watch this video created by True Point Guard showing this drill in action.
5.
Leg weave reaction drill
Part of having a good release is developing great, consistent shooting form. This drill will help you do that. Start at the top of the three, with the ball in your non-shooting hand. Get in a low seated position, and pass the ball from your off hand to your shooting hand under your leg (on the side you’re shooting on). Not a bounce under the leg, literally pass the ball in the air from your left hand to your right under your right leg, for example. This forces you stay low and stay in your seat, so it’s easy to rise right into your shot off the one-drill pull up. Pass the ball through your leg, take one dribble with your shooting hand, and then shoot. Get 10 makes to the right and 10 makes to the left. Now, for an extra challenge and to work on your release timing, add in defense if you have a partner. Have the defense start on the lane block and on the offense’s go, rush at you to close out. Switch positions if you don’t score. And play up to 3 points (each basket is one point).
Here are a few more basketball shooting drills for quick release:
- Balance shooting drill – need a partner
- Shooting off the pound dribble – solo
- Between the leg shots – solo (second example in this video)
Try basketball shooting drills for a quick release
The best day to start improving your release speed is always the current day! So get out there, and get after it. To improve all aspects of your shot, check out the best shooting drills, or basketball shooting drills to increase your range.
4 exercises that allow you to make the first shot in 1.3 seconds
LESS DISTANCE, MORE SPEED
Author: Richard Kries
Hundredths of seconds are not decisive in a gunfight. In reality, life depends on the speed of the shot. I have been an instructor for over 25 years and have noticed that shooters who are looking at the target all the time hit the target faster than those who look at the sights .
I want to talk about a few exercises that will increase the speed of the first shot.
Contents
Shot mechanics
Consider the mechanics of a shot in baseball or tennis. As soon as you see a ball flying in your direction, you only look at it, and then “boom!” – hit him. In other words, you hit the ball with hand-eye coordination. You are not looking at a bat or a racket, you are looking at a flying ball.
Pistols are fitted with sights, which are of course very important… But not at 7 meters or closer, unless you want to make a super-accurate shot. In a real firefight, victory, as a rule, will go to the one who first hits the enemy.
Now imagine that the opponent is a ball and the gun is a bat. Draw the pistol without taking your eyes off the target.
The following exercise will give you a feel for how effective this principle can be: Look at the doorknob for 15 seconds, then, without taking your eyes off the doorknob, quickly raise your hand and point your index finger at the handle .
It was fast, wasn’t it?
During my years in law enforcement, I have had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of law enforcement officers who have been in gunfights. All but two of them told me that they did not see sights during the firefight (with the exception of those who used rifles).
They also said that when they saw the enemy’s pistol, they couldn’t take their eyes off him. They drew their pistols from their holsters as usual, but contrary to what they had done hundreds of times in training on the range, they did not see the sights while pulling the trigger.
You don’t need a front sight and a rear sight at distances up to 7 meters. « Fire contact » most of all happens at this distance. Regarding cases of self-defense with 9 weapons0011 , I analyzed 120 examples – the distances are the same, and in 14 cases the shooting was carried out at a distance of up to 3 meters.
When I teach new shooters “ defensive tactics inside the 7 meter zone ”, I say: “ Keep your eyes on the threat, bring your weapons to it! As soon as you see your gun, pull the trigger “.
Below is how you can improve the speed of the first shot .
Optimal technique for fast and accurate shooting
The following exercises will increase ‘s rate of fire and survive in the real world:
Exercise One
Train your brain. Stare at a target, a doorknob, a picture on the wall, or a television for 15 seconds. Then quickly “poke” with your index finger at the center of the target. Repeat this simple exercise as often as possible.
Exercise two
Do the same exercise, but use an unloaded or airsoft gun. Before you start the exercise, make sure that there are no people around who may be frightened by your actions. Warn them, or practice when no one is around you.
Exercise three
Fire 50 dry shots at the firing range or firing range as described above. After you feel comfortable, load one cartridge. Do one “combat” shot for 50 “dry”.
Exercise Four
Now that you’ve got the skill, add movement – mimic moving away from the line of attack, and fire two or three shots.
A moving target is harder to hit.
Reaction speed
These exercises are the main component of my training methodology. In practice, I have found that by doing these drills, the average shooter can produce a scoring first shot in 1.3 seconds or less.
Two years ago I had the opportunity to work with licensed concealed carry shooters. At the shooting range, I asked them to draw their weapons from their holsters and fire. The average time of the first shot turned out to be 2.1 seconds. I asked them to fire 25 dry shots and then 25 live shots. I took the timer again and their average time was 1.5 seconds.
These students improved their rate of fire by 0.6 seconds in just 30 minutes of training. And as I said, in a real shootout everything is decided by a split second!
And finally. Friends, to protect yourself and your family, train hard and wisely !
About the author:
Richard Kreis served as a sniper in SWAT for 32 years, as an officer in the motorcycle group, as head of the police department.
He is currently a senior instructor at the police academy. He is a firearms/self-defense/survival instructor.
Translated by Yuri Paladin
Breaking the boundaries of speed
The article was provided by the site: Arms shop “Hunter on Kievsky”.
Author : Anastasia Chernenko.
The most common approach says that speed comes with time, gradually increasing with the development of shooting skills. Do everything slowly, correctly and smoothly, gradually the smoothness will develop into speed. The main secret of speed is in the accuracy of movements, or, in other words, in the absence of unnecessary movements. Doing it slowly but correctly, gradually memorizing the only correct version of the movement, the hands will gradually begin to do the same, but faster and faster. The main and practically the only tool in this way are “idle” training – repeated repetition of the correct movement until it becomes automatic. This is how you can work out pulling out of the holster, transfers, changing the store.
With the consolidation of the correct skill, you can gradually increase the speed, carefully monitoring the correct execution of the movement.
However, there is another approach – this is targeted training for the development of speed. There are various methods for training the increase in speed, tested on many shooters and time-tested. It is best if the coach decides how and when to conduct speed training. It is worth giving speed exercises one workout per week or month. Maybe a couple of weeks before the competition, in order to accelerate and work out the speed before the match. It can be one workout or a training session of several sessions. You can also combine speed training with core training. At master classes, to save time, everything is usually mixed on the same day, in ordinary everyday work they are often separated.
In any case, the coach, like a doctor, for each shooter will choose his own only true way of training speed. For those who do not have a mentor and guide in shooting skills, and who are looking for their own path, the proposed material should be interesting.
Starting to write this article, I looked through a lot of available materials on training in high-speed shooting. The most accurate and detailed speed training is described in the American Shooting School. Everything has already been calculated, weighed and verified for each level of training.
I offer my free translation of one of the most authoritative articles about high-speed shooting “Speed kills” – “Speed kills”
“Too often instructors tell shooters that speed comes naturally as shooting skills evolve. However, the facts are that if only slow, precise shooting with perfect technique is practiced, then it will forever remain slow shooting with perfect technique. Speed ”out of nowhere” will not arise. If you want to learn how to shoot fast, then in training you need to set aside time to work on speed. Just like in any other action, the only way to learn how to shoot fast is to shoot fast.
As we all know very well, accuracy and speed are in opposition.
If you give advantage to one of these aspects, then the second will certainly worsen. That is, if you are really going to learn how to shoot quickly, then the shooting accuracy will drop for a while – this is normal.
The most common speed-of-fire exercise is the BillDrill, a six-shot exercise fired from a fully holstered starting position at a cardboard target from 7 yards (6.4 meters). That is, an exercise to make 6 shots at maximum speed, but one that will allow you to make 6 good hits. In training, the logic is simple – if you do 6 alphas, then you shoot slowly and you can shoot faster. If alpha is less than 3, then the assumed speed is too high for you at your current shooting skill level. The ideal result in training will be one hit in C. Take this as your ideal pace for today, and improve it. The main thing is to look at the behavior of the front sight during recoil – it determines your speed.
As mentioned earlier, learning to shoot quickly (and accurately) is more difficult than just shooting accurately.
Shooting fast means learning to do things faster than you did before. You need to learn to handle the trigger faster, see the sights faster, control the recoil of the gun better. Learning to shoot faster means losing control a little.. I’m not at all calling for closing your eyes and pressing the trigger as quickly as possible. But in training for the development of speed, one miss out of ten can be allowed, that is, the remaining nine shots must be on target. Just because you’re just “booming” as fast as possible doesn’t mean you’re learning to shoot fast. And of course, allowing misses only works when you train the speed skill separately.
So where to start?
As obvious as it may seem, you should start with the rack. From the point of view of practical shooting, we can only talk about the stance in relation to the body, only the upper body. We cannot count on perfect foot placement, we cannot even guarantee that we will stand still while shooting. In practical shooting, the legs just need to be comfortable.
But the body and the entire upper body should be facing the target, forming a fixed structure. Elbows should not be locked, as this can lead to joint pain over time. If the body has been adjusted, the next step should be to grab the pistol. For accuracy, the grip must be firm. For speed, it must be stably unchanged and constant throughout the shooting. Grab the pistol as high as you can without interfering with the action of the bolt. A strong hand should grip the gun like a handshake, hard, but not too much, so as not to pinch the muscles responsible for the movement of the finger on the trigger. A weak hand must provide real support, so it must hold as tightly as possible without creating a tremor from overexertion. The arms should form a complete encirclement of the pistol grip, with the bases of the palms touching to complete the 360 degree envelopment. Finally, squeeze the gun inward with both hands, engaging the chest muscles. This will significantly reduce barrel vibration during recoil.
Fly control. To shoot faster, you need to learn to distinguish perfectly adjusted sights from those that are acceptable for a specific target at a specific distance. With practice (by forcing yourself to shoot faster than you are comfortable with), you will realize that even rough aiming can produce quite good hits. You will learn how the target’s size and distance dictate your speed based on how you see the front sight.
Escapement technique never changes. You must always handle the trigger by pushing the trigger in a straight line, from the beginning to the end of the pistol, so that the front sight is stationary. If you do it quickly, then you have to admit that the processing will not be as perfect as if you pressed the trigger calmly and slowly. You assume that you won’t get the smallest group of hits possible because your goal is to hit the big A zone or the popper’s head, but fast. Another aspect of trigger manipulation that is important for high-speed shooting is the trigger release mechanism.
Learn to let go of the trigger and be ready to shoot again when the front sight is just coming back from the recoil. Not only does this save time, but it usually reduces the distance you need to push downhill before your next shot is fired. This, in turn, will reduce the chance of making a mistake during trigger handling on the next shot.
Rapid Shooting is the same skill as Accurate Shooting. And if the only thing you care about is hitting the bullseye with every shot, then you are missing out on one of the most important aspects of practical shooting. The only way to shoot fast is to learn how to shoot fast. Train yourself, control every shot, have fun!”
Now for the practical application and some useful exercises.
1. F.A.S.T.
- Minimum number of shots: 6
- Distance: 7 yards (6.4 meters)
- Starting position: pistol fully loaded, holstered.
- Order of execution: at the timer signal, draw the pistol from the holster, fire two shots at the upper target (rectangle), make a mandatory reload and fire 4 more shots at the lower target (circle).
To begin with, I bring to your attention one of the standard F.A.S.T. speed tests. This test is part of the standard training in American pistol-training.com courses. The shooter who can complete the exercise without misses within 5 seconds twice receives a reward. The current record of 3.56 seconds is held by Dave Savigny.
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2. BillDrill exercise
- Minimum number of shots: 6
- Distance: 7 yards (6.4 meters)
- Starting position: pistol fully loaded, holstered.
- Order of execution: at the signal of the timer, draw the pistol from the holster, fire 6 shots into the scoring area.
- Exercise 1 Accelerator
- Exercise 2 Five to go
- Exercise 3 Outer limits
- Exercise 4 Pendulum
- Exercise 5 Rounabout
- Exercise 6 Showdown
- Exercise 7 Smoke&hope
- Exercise 8 Speed Option
One of the basic speed exercises, as mentioned above. Bill Drill trains several skills at the same time – instant holster draw, fast trigger handling and recoil control at speed, grip stability during a series of shots.
According to shooting legend, the BillDrill exercise was invented by Bill Jordan, one of America’s greatest shooters of the last century.
One of the founders of the NRA, a multiple winner of shooting competitions, he was also the designer of the S&W Combat Magnum revolver. The six-shot drum revolver served as the starting point for creating an exercise of 6 shots in the shortest possible time.
Bill Jordan
A standard IPSC target is used for the BillDrill event, but only zone A is considered a scoring zone, all shots past the alpha are a miss. The unspoken gradation of the result is approximately the following: a good shooter fits in 4 seconds, a master – in three seconds, a grand master performs an exercise in up to 2 seconds.
If desired, the exercise can be made more difficult. For example, increasing the distance to 10, 20, 30, 50 meters. Or increasing the number of shots – 12, 18, 24 and so on.
3. Steel
Speaking of high-speed shooting, one cannot fail to mention steel matches. It is common knowledge that shooting at paper targets is more of a training in accuracy, while shooting at steel targets is more of a training in speed.
Both the Russian Steel matches and the American Steel Challenge classic of steel matches are all speed competitions. Champions of the Steel Challenge are directly awarded the title of World Speed Shooter – the world champion in high-speed shooting.
Each of the Steel Challenge exercises is easy to build even in the smallest shooting range, as it consists of 5 metal targets. The design of the exercises is verified to the smallest detail, the construction schemes are available on the Internet. Official exercise schemes can be found on the main website of the Steel Challenge Association:
4. Russian Steel
While collecting information for this article, I came across several times on American forums that shooters complained that they were getting bored with shooting the same type of Steel Challenge exercises.
I think if you offer them exercises of Russian steel, they would gladly start shooting them. The exercises of Russian steel, combining the advantages of steel matches, are much more diverse: movements, shooting on the move, uncomfortable positions, shooting with a weak and strong hand. As conceived by the creator of the match, V.A. Kryuchin, Russian Steel contains all the most necessary and common elements of practical shooting.
For the last three years, the match has been held in the “Object” in February, has the status of a level 3 match. Detailed exercise briefings can be requested from the Federation. A general description for shooters is available on the Object website from the Russian Steel 2011 competition.
It is tacitly considered that a shooter who has accumulated less than 100 seconds can be called a master. The record is currently held by Max Michel, who set it with an open class pistol in Finland in 2012.
Finishing the conversation about speed, we can say that after all, when choosing between accuracy and speed, most shooters will choose accuracy.
