Ace of Diamonds Shooting Drill

Statistics say you have a greater than 50% chance of facing multiple attackers in a defensive situation, and that’s what the Ace of Diamonds Drill trains for. Join Todd Fossey of Integrative Defense Strategies for another long-play video lesson, this one featuring overhead birds-eye videography that gives a clear view of one of our favorite pistol drills.

SHOOTING IN 360 DEGREES

At most shooting venues, you can only shoot downrange during live-fire pistol drills. The Ace of Diamonds Drill lets you practice more realistically, focusing on transitioning onto multiple targets between 90 and 180 degrees. There are four targets, each spaced 90 degrees apart, forming a diamond shape.

This tactical shooting drill can be practiced with blue guns, SIRT, or dry fire in a safe place, including in your home or outside on your property. Todd presents different iterations of this drill to give an idea of how many layers it has and how it incorporates various skills.

The Ace of Diamonds Drill can be practiced alone, with a partner giving the commands, or with multiple people in the room.

RUNNING THE DRILL

Todd performs the drill, firing two shots at each of four targets, one in front of him, one in back, one to his left, and the other to his right. Each target is roughly 15 feet away from Todd. As this drill is valuable for private citizens who utilize concealed carry, Todd draws his pistol from concealment.

TECHNICAL SKILLS PRACTICED

In addition to the tactical skills this drill gives valuable practice for, as with other pistol drills, several technical shooting skills are also practiced:

• 1. Drawing from concealment at a realistic distance
• 2. Trigger reset, trigger work, and double taps due to firing two rounds at each target
• 3. Making sure the trigger finger is in a safe position as you transition
• 4. Leading with your head and eyes and going through the OODA Loop
• 5. Good stance, posture and basic shooting skills
• 6. Muzzle management — especially for citizen defenders, there may be innocents in the area, so ensuring the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction between shots is critical
• 7. Ending with a search and assess

CONCLUSION

With his expertise in pistol drills, Todd gives much more information in the video than is detailed here, so be sure to watch the entire video, then get ready to try the Ace of Diamonds Drill yourself!