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Thread: First attempts at FAST

  1. #1

    First attempts at FAST

    Got back from the shooting pit in the woods. There were a few other shooters out there when I first got there, which meant I couldn't really safely do any close range shooting initially. But I kind of took my time and once the rain started to roll in, they decided to pack up, and I decided to get more serious about the drill of the month.

    It was frustrating at first. Kept missing on either my first DA shot or the transition shot at the 3x5 card. The shot timer app on my phone was not the best. I think I may have to look into a dedicated shot timer. My draw is slow. My best first shot time was 2.24 seconds. My best overall time without misses was 9.21 seconds. So, I have a lot of work to do on smoothing things out.

    I ran the drill with both the Beretta Px4 compact and the TP9V2. The best time was put in with the Px4 , but I've been working with that pistol pretty heavily lately. The TP9V2 held its own. Best clean run time was 10.48 seconds.

    What could possibly be holding me back (Yep, get ready for the excuses.). I was using a pretty Generic IWB holster in the Appenfix position, but it puts the pistol a bit deep, making getting a good grip a bit of a challenge. I forgot to bring a mag pouch, so reloads were from the front pocket. The rain shell I keep in the truck fits a bit close, and snagged a few times.

    All of these are good data points for things to watch for in day to day carry.

    Px4 target with first clean run I managed.

    (I don't count hits in the fluted edges of the paper plate since the plats are 9.5 inches and the test specifies an 8" circle. Most of the other hits were long range shots at 50 and 75 yds, while I was waiting for a safe lane of fire for 7yd shooting.)



    First clean run with the TP9V2


  2. #2
    The draw and the reload are the two major time components of the fast.

    Would you mind sharing your splits and reload time as well?

    Having a dedicated mag pouch that allows you to get a consistent grip will automatically reduce time off your total.

    The FAST is unforgiving. It puts all the fundamentals together and requires you to do them under time pressure. Don't beat yourself up. Now you have a baseline. There's nowhere to go but up from here!

    You can get faster without ever firing a round by just dry firing at home. Practice your draw and reloads until you no longer have to think about how to do them.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    "Shooting is 90% mental. The rest is in your head." -Nils

  3. #3
    This is awesome! A real shot timer, mag pouch, and dry weather will all help you get better. Dry fire is where real improvement happens though.

    The FAST is something that I run 3 times at the start of every range session. It's a quick gauge of my progress. Because I run it only 3 times, and use it as a reflection of where I am progress wise, I always make sure to right down every time. Draw, split, reload, split, split, split. It gives a good measure of my draw, precise follow up, reload, and quick splits. That is a lot of things to measure in only 6 rounds. Nothing has helped me like dry fire. and I can tell when I'm getting lax because my FAST will show it.

    You're beating everyone who just shows up and makes noise.

    -Cory

  4. #4
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Illinois
    Ran a few pseudo FAST drills myself. As a diagnostic, it's very useful.

    Once you get a shot timer you start feeling like Bruce Willis..."Dear shooting skills, now I have a timer. ho-ho-ho"

    Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

  5. #5
    Hokey / Ancient JAD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Kansas City
    As much as I love the fast and run it way too often, I try not to get wrapped around the axle on it. It weights reload speed grossly out of proportion with its significance. I am interested in measuring what I can do in two seconds, and I push on those values.

    But I do fastbag a bit, just in case fortune finds me in a Langdon class.
    Ignore Alien Orders

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by 1776United View Post
    The draw and the reload are the two major time components of the fast.

    Would you mind sharing your splits and reload time as well?

    Having a dedicated mag pouch that allows you to get a consistent grip will automatically reduce time off your total.

    The FAST is unforgiving. It puts all the fundamentals together and requires you to do them under time pressure. Don't beat yourself up. Now you have a baseline. There's nowhere to go but up from here!

    You can get faster without ever firing a round by just dry firing at home. Practice your draw and reloads until you no longer have to think about how to do them.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    I don't recall my split times. The phone app I was using ( or really my lack of a good way to place and use my phone "hands free" was kind of frustrating, I didnt use the save feature. I don't think it tracked my reload time.

    I think a dedicated shot timer and a lot of dry fire practice with my draw, first shot, and reload are in my near future.

    It does indeed place a baseline. I am awaiting my JM Custom holster as well which I think will help in establishing initial grip.

  7. #7
    Member SsevenN's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Live Free or Die
    I love running the FASTest, just about every time I go out, but as others have stated it's disproportionately anchored around the slidelock reload. There is a second component for success - which is some basic gear, don't need to say much more you felt how punishing the test can be sans mag carrier and fast holster.
    "I'm checking out, somebody throw me in the trash"

    t. Frank Reynolds - IASIP

  8. #8
    Best time I ever ran was 4.91 from concealment with hands in the surrender position.

    Best from duty holster (LE rig with flap mag carriers) was 5.60.

    Usually, I averaged mid 5s concealed and mid 6s from duty rig. I devoted just about every first hour range session to practicing this drill. When I finally beat 5 seconds clean I started a different drill which called for more than 2 shots at the beginning. Sure enough, I had developed a huge training scar and stopped shooting after 2 shots. Bad juju for what I do for a living.

    So I got away from FAST and I'm back to shooting full mags and transitioning targets instead. I do distance targets mixed with closer targets, some light body weight work to get the heart rate up, and placing guns in different stages of malfunctions that I have to run to and clear and then shoot. I also do a lot of barrier work as I clear a lot of buildings at work.

    But for me, the FAST drill was all about the draw and the reload. My drawstroke first shot time was usually 1.6-1.8 which I consider pretty slow. That was where I focused most of the work. Hitting the 3x5 and the 8 inch plate were simple and quick splits were easy for me.

    Regards.

  9. #9
    Thanks for the additional input.

    I try to mix drills up so I don't get into one pattern for too long.

    I got word, my holster should be arriving today from JM Custom Kydex. Mag pouch is inbound as well.

    Father's day netted my a dedicated shot timer.

    So, in all I have more tools to add to the practice sessions. Now it is up to me to use them and improve from my baseline. I need to get better about logging my practice sessions as well. I've been documenting ammo usage for the pistols I am using just to keep track of preferred loads, any stoppages or malfunctions and total round counts and last cleanings.

    Thanks again for the input.

  10. #10
    Took a lot of the contructive input here and applied it. Got a shot timer for Father's Day. My JMCK holster also arrived for the Px4 and I got another holster for the TP9V2 along with a mag pouch. I also went through dry exercises before hitting the range again.

    Still trying to learn how to use my shot timer and failed to realize it would dump data. But I had taken some notes on first shot times and splits shown in the main display. I was able to run clean drills in under 9 seconds. Hanging mostly around 8.28 seconds for total time. First shot times hanging around 1.72-1.78. Don't know my reload times, as I was planning on reviewing the shot strings when I got home to figure out where my big pauses were. Data, gone.

    When I really pushed I got to 7.19 seconds but dropped shots.

    All in all to see my times go from being north of 12 seconds with no first shot times under / seconds before upgrading some of the equipment and running some dry drills, I'm happy to be heading in the right direction.

    Thanks for the advice.

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