Worlds Collide: Skill Development Gun Shooting Drills
Rob LeathamDescription
Worlds Collide is the video series that brings together the perspectives of defensive shooter Rob Pincus of PDN and competition shooter Rob Leatham of Team Springfield. During this trip to the range, the two Robs demonstrate skill development drills.
Although they do not agree on how to execute drills, they agree on where skill development drills fit in. After learning a skill, every type of shooter must develop their skills in order to become competent, and the way to do that is through drills. How do competition and defensive shooters perform gun shooting drills?
Competition Gun Shooting Drills
Rob Leatham says that the first skill taught in competition shooting is the draw, which is practiced hundreds and hundreds of times. The gun is in the holster, and the budding competitive shooter takes it out of the holster, brings it into firing position, and fires a shot. The next step is to add multiple shots to it, so the gun is drawn and two shots fired. Next is target acquisition: firing shots on two targets. Then it’s multiple shots on multiple targets.
Defensive Gun Shooting Drills
From a defensive standpoint, Rob Pincus skips the draw step. The novice defensive shooter starts with the gun in the ready position, not in the holster, and moves right to driving the gun out, kinesthetically aligning it and taking a shot, without using the sights. In defensive handgun training, the goal is to get hits in the torso of a human-shaped and sized target.
When the novice can get hits in that area, Pincus refines the process: simulating the startle response, drawing from the holster, taking multiple shots, moving while shooting, assessing and reholstering. This approach develops defensive shooting skills in context.
There’s much more in this extended video clip from two masters of their respective types of gun shooting drills.
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8 Responses to “Worlds Collide: Skill Development Gun Shooting Drills”
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For a guy that says his way doesn't have rules... He sure has a lot of rules. He just doesn't realize it. Lol..
Why do you train people to have a startle response? Training should be to eliminate unnecessary motion, not add to it. That is why we train.
Unbelievable ! In my humble opinion...best video Rob Pincus made TO make a point !. Thank you Rob .In case you don't know who Mr. Latham is...please, please go on YouTube and you'll see who the 'Beast' is :)). Thank you guys...
That was hilarious. Regardless of Rob's startle response, I wouldn't want to get in a gun fight with him.
Excellent video. And I like the way Pincus caught Leatham doing what competition shooters do when calling out the numbers during transition. What's interesting about that is that a professional like Leatham can still be taught something, and that he was humble enough to realize it. I hope to get in some training with these gentlemen one day.
Thanks for this video! Excellent detail and answers a lot of questions with regard to speed/competition style shooting and defensive shooting. Good Job!
Good video, it looks like you guy's had fun doing it.
Great lesson. Question - what is the distance you are conducting these drills at? What is the distance between the IDPA targets? Thanks for your help.