Free shooting drills

Show up with a plan.

Clear, repeatable drills with the setup, procedure, scoring, and standards you need to make the session count.

14 published drillsAccuracy, speed, consistencyFree, no account required

Training library

Choose the work.

Open any drill for the full procedure and scoring standard.

  1. 01

    3-3-3 Drill

    <h2>Overview</h2><p>The 3-3-3 Drill is a basic defensive competency check: 3 rounds at 3 yards in 3 seconds from concealment. It simulates the most common self-defense encounter parameters and is an excellent test of your everyday-carry draw speed and close-range accuracy.</p><h2>Setup</h2><ul><li><strong>Target:</strong> IDPA or USPSA silhouette target (or 8-inch circle for a harder standard)</li><li><strong>Distance:</strong> 3 yards</li><li><strong>Round count:</strong> 3 rounds</li><li><strong>Start position:</strong> Gun concealed, hands natural at sides</li></ul><h2>Course of Fire</h2><ol><li>On the buzzer, draw from concealment and fire 3 rounds at the target.</li><li>All rounds must land in the scoring zone within the 3-second par time.</li></ol><h2>Scoring</h2><p>Time is your primary score — lower is better. Record both your time and points scored. All hits in the -0 / A-zone with a time under 3.0 seconds is a passing run. This drill is best performed cold as a first-round assessment.</p>

  2. 02

    5x5 Drill

    <h2>Overview</h2><p>The 5×5 Drill is a clean, simple benchmark: 5 rounds into a 5-inch circle at 5 yards in under 5 seconds, from the draw. It is an excellent warm-up drill and a quick way to check that your fundamentals are dialed in.</p><h2>Setup</h2><ul><li><strong>Target:</strong> 5-inch circle (or a 5-inch paper plate stapled to a backer)</li><li><strong>Distance:</strong> 5 yards</li><li><strong>Round count:</strong> 5 rounds</li><li><strong>Start position:</strong> Gun holstered, hands relaxed at sides</li></ul><h2>Course of Fire</h2><ol><li>On the buzzer, draw and fire 5 rounds at the 5-inch circle.</li><li>All 5 rounds must be inside the circle for a clean run.</li></ol><h2>Scoring</h2><p>Time is your score — lower is better. The par time is 5.0 seconds; beating it with all hits inside the circle is a passing run. Sub-3.5 seconds clean is advanced; sub-2.5 seconds is expert-level.</p>

  3. 03

    B-8 Bullseye (25 yards)

    <h2>Overview</h2><p>The B-8 Bullseye at 25 yards is a classic slow-fire accuracy benchmark. Shooting 10 rounds on a B-8 repair center at distance strips away speed and exposes your true ability to hold a sight picture and press the trigger cleanly.</p><h2>Setup</h2><ul><li><strong>Target:</strong> B-8 repair center (the 5.5-inch black bullseye scoring rings)</li><li><strong>Distance:</strong> 25 yards</li><li><strong>Round count:</strong> 10 rounds</li><li><strong>Start position:</strong> Low ready or from the holster (your preference)</li></ul><h2>Course of Fire</h2><ol><li>Fire 10 rounds at the B-8 bullseye with no time limit.</li><li>Take your time — this drill is about precision, not speed.</li></ol><h2>Scoring</h2><p>Score each round by the ring it lands in. The center X-ring and 10-ring are worth 10 points each, then 9, 8, 7, and so on. Maximum score is 100. A score of 90+ is considered excellent; 95+ is expert-level. Many agencies and instructors use this as a marksmanship qualification standard.</p>

  4. 04

    Bill Drill

    <h2>Overview</h2><p>The Bill Drill is a classic speed-shooting exercise that tests your ability to draw and deliver six rapid shots into the A-zone of a single USPSA target. It is one of the most widely used benchmarks for raw draw-and-split speed.</p><h2>Setup</h2><ul><li><strong>Target:</strong> 1 USPSA cardboard target</li><li><strong>Distance:</strong> 7 yards</li><li><strong>Round count:</strong> 6 rounds</li><li><strong>Start position:</strong> Hands relaxed at sides, gun holstered</li></ul><h2>Course of Fire</h2><ol><li>On the buzzer, draw and fire 6 rounds at the target as fast as you can.</li><li>All 6 rounds must hit inside the A-zone to count as a clean run.</li></ol><h2>Scoring</h2><p>Time is your score — lower is better. Only clean runs (all A-zone hits) should be recorded. A competitive benchmark is under 2.0 seconds; sub-1.5 seconds is elite.</p>

  5. 05

    Casino Drill

    <h2>Overview</h2><p>The Casino Drill is a 21-round exercise that progressively tests your accuracy under pressure. You fire at circles that get smaller with each string while adding more rounds — the difficulty ramps up as your accuracy demands increase. A perfect score of 21 is the goal.</p><h2>Setup</h2><ul><li><strong>Target:</strong> Casino Drill target — 6 circles of decreasing size: 6", 5", 4", 3", 2", and 1" (or draw circles on a blank backer)</li><li><strong>Distance:</strong> 5 yards</li><li><strong>Round count:</strong> 21 rounds total</li><li><strong>Start position:</strong> Low ready or from the holster</li></ul><h2>Course of Fire</h2><ol><li><strong>6-inch circle:</strong> Fire 6 rounds.</li><li><strong>5-inch circle:</strong> Fire 5 rounds.</li><li><strong>4-inch circle:</strong> Fire 4 rounds.</li><li><strong>3-inch circle:</strong> Fire 3 rounds.</li><li><strong>2-inch circle:</strong> Fire 2 rounds.</li><li><strong>1-inch circle:</strong> Fire 1 round.</li></ol><h2>Scoring</h2><p>Each hit inside its designated circle scores 1 point. Maximum score is 21. A perfect 21 is a "clean run." Time is recorded as a secondary metric. The real challenge is maintaining accuracy as the circles shrink — most shooters drop points on the 2-inch and 1-inch circles.</p>

  6. 06

    Cold Start / First Shot

    <h2>Overview</h2><p>The Cold Start drill (also called the First Shot drill) measures your real-world readiness — can you draw from concealment and land a single hit on demand? This is the most honest test of your everyday-carry draw stroke because there is no warm-up.</p><h2>Setup</h2><ul><li><strong>Target:</strong> 8-inch circle (or an 8-inch paper plate)</li><li><strong>Distance:</strong> 7 yards</li><li><strong>Round count:</strong> 1 round</li><li><strong>Start position:</strong> Gun concealed, hands natural at sides</li></ul><h2>Course of Fire</h2><ol><li>On the buzzer, draw from concealment and fire 1 round at the 8-inch circle.</li><li>Record your time and whether the round hit inside the circle.</li></ol><h2>Scoring</h2><p>Time is your primary score — lower is better. The round must hit inside the 8-inch circle for the run to count. A miss is a failed attempt. Benchmark: under 2.0 seconds from concealment is solid; under 1.5 seconds is advanced. Run this drill cold — first thing at the range, no warm-up shots.</p>

  7. 07

    DOPE Drill

    <p><strong>Distance</strong></p><ul><li><p>Shoot at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards</p></li></ul><p></p><p><strong>Score</strong></p><ul><li><p>A=5, C=3, D=1, M= -10</p></li></ul><p></p><p><strong>Record:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Distance (yd), Time (sec),Score for each turn.</p></li></ul><p></p><p><strong>Total:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Hit Factor = Total Score / Total Time</p></li></ul><p></p>

  8. 08

    Dot Torture

    <h2>Overview</h2><p>Dot Torture is the gold standard for handgun accuracy assessment. This 50-round drill covers every fundamental skill — draws, reloads, transitions, strong-hand-only, and weak-hand-only — all fired at close range where misses reveal genuine deficiencies in trigger control and sight alignment.</p><h2>Setup</h2><ul><li><strong>Target:</strong> Dot Torture target (ten 2-inch dots)</li><li><strong>Distance:</strong> 3 yards (move back to 5, 7, or 10 yards as you improve)</li><li><strong>Round count:</strong> 50 rounds</li></ul><h2>Course of Fire</h2><ol><li><strong>Dot 1 (5 rounds):</strong> Draw and fire one round, holster. Repeat 5 times.</li><li><strong>Dot 2 (5 rounds):</strong> Draw and fire 2 rounds (×2 strings) + 1 round.</li><li><strong>Dots 3 &amp; 4 (8 rounds):</strong> Draw and fire 1 round on Dot 3, transition to Dot 4 and fire 1 round. Repeat 4 times.</li><li><strong>Dot 5 (5 rounds):</strong> Strong hand only. Draw and fire 5 rounds.</li><li><strong>Dots 6 &amp; 7 (8 rounds):</strong> Draw, fire 2 on Dot 6, transition, fire 2 on Dot 7. Repeat twice more (with reload between strings).</li><li><strong>Dot 8 (5 rounds):</strong> From ready, fire 5 rounds weak hand only.</li><li><strong>Dots 9 &amp; 10 (8 rounds + 6 rounds):</strong> Various draw-and-fire strings with transitions.</li></ol><h2>Scoring</h2><p>Each hit on its designated dot scores 1 point. Maximum score is 50. A perfect 50 at 3 yards means it is time to push back to 5 yards. Scores of 45+ are considered solid; below 40 indicates fundamentals that need work.</p>

  9. 09

    El Presidente

    <h2>Overview</h2><p>El Presidente is one of the most famous shooting drills ever created, designed by Jeff Cooper. It tests drawing, target transitions, reloading under pressure, and accuracy — all in a single timed run. It is the benchmark drill for well-rounded shooting skill.</p><h2>Setup</h2><ul><li><strong>Targets:</strong> 3 USPSA cardboard targets, spaced 1 yard apart (center-to-center)</li><li><strong>Distance:</strong> 10 yards</li><li><strong>Round count:</strong> 12 rounds (two magazines of 6)</li><li><strong>Start position:</strong> Facing away from targets (180-degree turn), hands at sides or surrendered</li></ul><h2>Course of Fire</h2><ol><li>On the buzzer, turn to face the targets.</li><li>Draw and fire 2 rounds on each of the 3 targets (6 rounds total), left to right or right to left.</li><li>Perform a slide-lock or speed reload.</li><li>Fire 2 more rounds on each of the 3 targets (6 rounds total).</li></ol><h2>Scoring</h2><p>Scored by Hit Factor: total points divided by total time. Each A-zone hit = 5 points, C-zone = 3, D-zone = 1, miss = 0. Maximum raw score is 60 points. A hit factor above 5.0 is competitive; above 7.0 is GM-level.</p>

  10. 10

    Failure to Stop (Mozambique)

    <h2>Overview</h2><p>The Failure to Stop drill — also called the Mozambique Drill — trains the classic defensive response: two rapid shots to the body followed by one precise shot to the head. It teaches shooters to transition from speed to precision under time pressure.</p><h2>Setup</h2><ul><li><strong>Target:</strong> 1 USPSA or IDPA silhouette target with a defined head zone</li><li><strong>Distance:</strong> 7 yards</li><li><strong>Round count:</strong> 3 rounds</li><li><strong>Start position:</strong> Hands at sides, gun holstered</li></ul><h2>Course of Fire</h2><ol><li>On the buzzer, draw and fire 2 rounds to the chest (A-zone / center mass).</li><li>Immediately fire 1 round to the head box.</li></ol><h2>Scoring</h2><p>Time is your score — lower is better. All three hits must be in their designated zones (2 body, 1 head) for a clean run. Benchmark: under 2.5 seconds is solid; under 2.0 seconds is advanced. The head shot separates good shooters from great ones.</p>

  11. 11

    FAST Drill (Langdon)

    <h2>Overview</h2><p>The FAST Drill (Fundamentals, Accuracy, Speed Test) was created by the late Todd Louis Green and is now maintained by Ernest Langdon. It is a compact 6-round drill that tests draw speed, accuracy on a small target, emergency reload, and transitions — all in one string of fire.</p><h2>Setup</h2><ul><li><strong>Target:</strong> 1 FAST target — a 3×5-inch head box above an 8-inch body circle (or use index cards and paper plates on a backer)</li><li><strong>Distance:</strong> 7 yards</li><li><strong>Round count:</strong> 6 rounds (2 in the first magazine, 4 in the second)</li><li><strong>Start position:</strong> Gun loaded with only 2 rounds, concealed, hands at sides</li></ul><h2>Course of Fire</h2><ol><li>On the buzzer, draw and fire 2 rounds into the 3×5-inch head box.</li><li>Perform an emergency (slide-lock) reload.</li><li>Fire 4 rounds into the 8-inch body circle.</li></ol><h2>Scoring</h2><p>Time is your primary score — lower is better. Any round outside its target zone adds a penalty: +2 seconds per miss on the body circle, +5 seconds per miss on the head box. Classification par times: <strong>Advanced</strong> — under 7 seconds clean; <strong>Intermediate</strong> — under 10 seconds clean. Record whether the run was clean (pass) or had penalties.</p>

  12. 12

    iHack

    <h2>Overview</h2><p>The iHack drill is a quick 6-round exercise that tests your draw, splits, and target transitions. It is a staple in competition-oriented practice and a great way to measure practical speed on multiple targets.</p><h2>Setup</h2><ul><li><strong>Targets:</strong> 3 USPSA cardboard targets, spaced roughly 1 yard apart</li><li><strong>Distance:</strong> 7 yards</li><li><strong>Round count:</strong> 6 rounds</li><li><strong>Start position:</strong> Hands at sides, gun holstered</li></ul><h2>Course of Fire</h2><ol><li>On the buzzer, draw and fire 2 rounds on each of the 3 targets.</li><li>You may engage targets in any order.</li></ol><h2>Scoring</h2><p>Scored by Hit Factor: total points divided by total time. A-zone = 5 points, C-zone = 3, D-zone = 1, miss = 0. Maximum raw score is 30 points. A hit factor above 4.0 is competitive.</p>

  13. 13

    Time based drill

    Lower is better. Track total time in seconds (2 decimal places).

  14. 14

    Wizard Drill

    <h2>Overview</h2><p>The Wizard Drill tests accuracy and transitions across multiple distances. With 5 targets spread from 3 to 20 yards, it forces you to shift between close-range speed and mid-range precision within a single run.</p><h2>Setup</h2><ul><li><strong>Targets:</strong> 5 USPSA cardboard targets at staggered distances — 3, 5, 7, 10, and 20 yards</li><li><strong>Round count:</strong> 10 rounds (2 per target)</li><li><strong>Start position:</strong> Gun holstered, hands at sides</li></ul><h2>Course of Fire</h2><ol><li>On the buzzer, draw and engage each of the 5 targets with 2 rounds each.</li><li>You may engage targets in any order, but most shooters work near to far or far to near.</li></ol><h2>Scoring</h2><p>Scored by Hit Factor: total points divided by total time. A-zone = 5 points, C-zone = 3, D-zone = 1, miss = 0. Maximum raw score is 50 points (assuming a 5-point scoring system with max 10 per target). A competitive hit factor depends on the exact target arrangement — track your score over time to measure improvement.</p>