Dot Torture

[boyscoutg36]

Thanks Todd for starting this forum, I've been a follower of the blog for a few years and it has been a great resource.

I tried dot torture for the first time this week, it was deceptively challenging. I hung two shots, one strong and one week hand. It was a great indicator for me of what I need to focus on in my training sessions. I also think it would be a great tool with recruits to help them identify training weaknesses and adjust their training accordingly.

In the next few weeks I'm going to try to get into the FAST drill in earnest, I've had the best success on this drill with my duty M&P9, I'm curious to see the time difference between that pistol and my G26.

[ToddG]

Absolutely agree, boyscout, it is much more challenging than people realize until they've done it. Once you have the shooting fundamentals learned well enough, you also need to have the focus and discipline to pull off fifty shots with an error. I've failed to go 50-for-50 demonstrating in class more than once!


Dot Torture

(credit to Dave Blinder at personaldefensetraining.com for first publishing and popularizing this drill; all I did was make a fancy looking target)

[Jay Cunningham]

I like to use the Dot Torture as a diagnostic tool - which means this should only get shot every other week or so. I also like to use a variation which uses a shot timer on the parts where a draw is required. On the parts shot from the ready, I like to have people step back an additional two yards or so. This is all on a graduated scale, of course. Starting a n00b at 7 yards on a shot timer wouldn't be real productive.

[willowofwisp]

The dot torture is one of my favorite drills/practice targets i shoot on the range, I even use it during my PPC practice...a little easier when your shooting with this..but still a challenge at 7-10 yards.

[JohnN]

Oops...

[JohnN]

And it gets tougher still when you have classmates watching you shoot the FAST drill and Dot Torture.

[Kyle Reese]

As others have stated, DT looks deceptively easy, until it's actually done. I start every handgun training range session with two DT's (minimum), and if I do not get at least 46/47 the drill is repeated. Some range sessions I feel like a samurai pistolero & others I want to shake my head and ask why I bothered to come to the range.

It's an excellent training tool & those serious about their progress with a handgun would be remiss to not include it in their training regimen.

[JV_]

if I do not get at least 46/47 the drill is repeated

Still doing that drill at 3 yards eh?

[Kyle Reese]

Still doing that drill at 3 yards eh?

Funny guy you are.

[jar]

Shot a slightly modified version with my 617 at 5 yards and scored 41 and 46. I shanked a few strong hand on the second one because my finger didn't want to pull the heavy DA trigger any more. I took a break before finishing.

I modified it as follows to be more 10 shot revo friendly: 3-4 5x instead of 4, shot 8 right after 5, did 67, 67, 910 2x without the reload on 9-10. I plan to shoot it this way with the 617 for a while and then shoot it with my M&P as written.