Week 335: Grounded Reaching
Results may be posted until September 23rd, 2019.
Designed by: Gabe White
Range: Shooter’s choice
Target: USPSA upper A-zone
Par time: Shooter’s choice
Start Position: Holstered – see below for alternatives
Rounds Fired: Varies
The title (and goal) of this drill refers to a productive application of your existing skill level. The task is to select a distance and time where you can draw and hit a USPSA upper A-zone at least three times consecutively – and there’s a little more to it than that.
Procedure: Hang the target at a distance of your choice. Set the par time of your choice. The handgun starts loaded and holstered – if restricted by range rules, you can start at ready instead. At the start signal, draw/present and fire one shot to the upper A-zone. If you draw/present and hit the upper A-zone three times consecutively AND under the par time, you have successfully completed the drill and it is over.
Each time the shooter fails – whether on accuracy, time, or both – add one to the number of consecutive successful repetitions required to complete the drill. Example: The shooter sets the target at 25 yards and chooses a 5-second par time. The shot misses the upper A-zone and is fired at 7.5 seconds, which fails on both accuracy and time. The shooter now must perform four repetitions successfully in order to complete the drill. If the shooter fails again, they must now complete five consecutive repetitions to complete the drill, and so on.
Change the distance/time parameters anytime you wish. Same example continued: The shooter who set the target at 25 yards and used a 5-second par might conclude that they are unlikely, having failed once, to complete (now four!) consecutive attempts. Rather than continuing to dig a deeper hole by attempting more shots that are not certain enough, the shooter might sensibly conclude that they should try a distance and time that they can realistically make three times consecutively.
Here’s a little math to drive the point home: If a shooter has a 50% success rate on a given shot, that shooter has a 12.5% chance of making three consecutive hits right out of the gate (.5 x .5 x .5 = .125). That is not a good bet. That shooter is highly likely to stack up more and more required successful reps to complete the drill. They would be better served by selecting a distance and time where they have a lot higher than 50% success rate.
At the other extreme, a shooter might select a task that is SO far within their skill level that the drill essentially contains no challenge. The reason not to do that lies between the shooter, their pride, and the internet. I personally would like to post success on a drill that was at least somewhat challenging to me, rather than so easy that there was basically no risk of failure. Pick the toughest shot that you think you can make three times in a row. This will require skill, a realistic frame of reference of that skill, and humility.
Please report the following when you post your results in this thread:
Starting position (concealed, holstered, ready)
Starting distance and par time
Any changes to the distance or par that you made along the way
How many successful consecutive reps you ended up needing to make
Pass (successfully completed the required number of consecutive reps) or Fail (fell in a hole, didn’t get out, and gave up)
Anything you noticed
Training with firearms is an inherently dangerous activity. Be sure to follow all safety protocols when using firearms or practicing these drills. These drills are provided for information purposes only. Use at your own risk.