Live Fire Drill: THE ACCELERATOR
We all want to shoot faster without sacrificing accuracy. The ability to do this has a lot to do with “throttle control, ” or knowing when to speed up or slow down as the target distance changes.
On that note, very few shooting drills do better at honing this skill than ‘The Accelerator’.
HOW TO SETUP THE DRILL
You’ll need three targets: One at 7 meters, another at 15 meters, and the last one at 22 meters. The width between each target is roughly 1m to 1.5m. Don’t make this distance too broad as you want this exercise to be about site alignment rather than transitioning between targets.
HOW TO SHOOT THE DRILL
Draw your pistol and fire two shots at each target as fast as you accurately can. Start with the closest target, then the middle target, and then the furthest target. Do this a few times before shooting the drill in “reverse”: 22m, 15m, then 7m.
You may find that when you start with the 7m meter target, you tend to rush the 15m and 22m targets and drop accuracy. That’s normal. Most people do a better job of the drill when they start with the furthest target and end on the closest one. That’s because it’s usually easier to start slow and speed up rather than start fast and slow down.
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Here’s what far-to-near “sounds” like:
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Pew……Pew
Pew…Pew
And here’s what near-to-far “sounds” like:
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Pew……Pew
Pew….……Pew
The ability to throttle down and throttle up is integral to knowing how to shoot fast (at varying distances) without sacrificing accuracy.
IMPROVE SPEED AND ACCURACY
Many new shooters struggle with this concept as they tend to fire at the same speed regardless of the distance. Alternatively, they spend too much time perfectly aligning their sites on a 7m target as they would at 22m. The more you practise the Accelerator Drill, the more you can instinctively gauge how strictly your sights need to be aligned at various distances.
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What’s more, don’t get bogged down by the specifics. Try the same drill at 10m, 20m, and 30m. Or 5m, 10m and 15m. The numbers aren’t that important. The drill is about developing your ability to adjust your shooting speed and sight-picture accuracy as the distance increases / decreases.
ALTERNATIVE SHOOTING DRILL
You can also try several variations of the drill by performing a mag change between each target. Alternatively, throw in a mag change after the last / third target and reshoot all three. Like this:
Pew…Pew
Pew……Pew
Pew….……Pew
*Mag Change*
Pew………..Pew
Pew……Pew
Pew…Pew
Happy shooting!
Looking for proficiency training? Click here to view our course prices.
