Assessment, Mental Acuity and Reaction Time Drill

Drills that focus on assessment, mental acuity and reaction time, make us better shooters and these drills are very important in helping us grow and evolve as concealed carriers. 

Here is a drill that you can do with a friend at your range.  This drill can be as simple and as complex as possible, and requires at least two people to do this drill. 

Take a paper target, turn it around, and draw three to six inch circles in line going across, and down; essentially giving you three rows of three or more depending on the size of the circles.

As a beginner, start with one target, write numbers in each circle, but not in numerical order. As you progress you can add numbers, letters and shapes. Have one shooter turn their back to the target and the buddy will call out a series of 2 to 4 numbers. The shooter will then turn and engage those numbers in the order called, with at least two rounds each. 

Again, as you progress, you can add letters, shapes and more targets. You can also call out more numbers, letters and shapes as you progress.  This is a variation of a drill Kyle Defoor came up with, so credit goes to Kyle for coming up with such a great drill. If it is just you and another shooter, have two separate targets, one that you will shoot, and one that your buddy will shoot. 

You can also prepare three different targets apiece and randomly utilize each target for the shooter you are calling for to help avoid “gaming,” and or memorizing the target(s). This drill will help with assessment, mental acuity and reaction time. 

After each engagement, holster, turn around and wait for the next series of number, letters and/or shapes. Start simple and work your way up using this drill. 

In closing, I just want to remind those that carry to focus on the key factors of being a responsibly armed citizen. Those key factors are safe firearms handling, quality training, quality practice, to include fundamentals and dry firing. These elements will help you build a solid shooting foundation.