Refinement and Repetition

Author: Steve Anderson

Overview §

Steve Anderson, a competitive shooter who achieved the rank of Grand Master in USPSA within a year, developed this book. The manual comprises 38 dry-fire drills that Anderson personally used to reach this level of proficiency. The drills are organized into three categories:

Note:

• Do the drills below 3-5 minutes at a time.

• Drills 1-7 do not involve pulling the trigger. Your goal is to get an acceptable sight picture with the finger on the trigger without going past the wall.

• Core Drills (1–14): Fundamental skills such as presentation, grip, and trigger control.

  • (1) Sight Picture Confirmation — Practice smooth, consistent draw and presentation of the firearm to target.
    • Do this at 15 feet.
    • Do not press the trigger.
    • GOAL = 0.6, Grandmaster speed
  • (2) 10 Yard Index — Same as drill #1, but at 30 feet.
    • GOAL = 0.9
  • (3) 10 Yard Surrender Index — Wrists above shoulder.
  • (4) Turn and Draw — Hands below waist.
  • (5) Strong Hand Index — Shoot with dominant hand.
  • (6) Weak Hand Index — Shoot with support hand.
  • (7) Burkett Reloads — Release mag, bring new mag to the point of no return (do not do a full reload).
    • 30 feet
    • GOAL = 0.6
  • (8) 6 Reload 6 — Three targets, 2 shots each, reload, 2 shots each.
    • 30 feet
    • GOAL = 4 seconds
  • (9) Surrender 6, Reload 6 — Same as drill #8, but start with hands above shoulders.
  • (10) El Prez — Same as drill #6, but back facing the targets
  • (11) 6 Reload Strong — 3 targets. Same as drill #9, but with dominant hand.
  • (12) 6 Reload Weak — 3 targets. Same as drill #9, but with support hand.
  • (13) Front sight forward — Walk forward while keeping sight picture, walk backward while keeping site picture. You can also go side to side
  • (14) Front sight turn — Not sure.

• Competition Drills (15–27): Techniques aimed at improving match performance.

  • (15) 2 Reload 2 — Fire two shots with proper recoil management and trigger control.
  • (16) Bill Reload Drill — Practice follow-up shots under time pressure.
  • (17) Head Shot Sight Picture — Complex accuracy and precision drills on small targets.
    • 30 feet
  • (18) Table Draws — Classic USPSA drill for target engagement and reload.
  • (19) 1 X 6 — Five shots on a single target from a draw, focusing on speed and accuracy.
  • (20) 3 on 3 — Two shots to the body, one to the head; focus on target transitions.
  • (21) Box to Box on the Side — Practice presentation and shooting with obstacles.
  • (22) Box to Box forward — Alternate and integrate strong and support hand shooting.
  • (23) Enter the Box — Maintain shot accuracy while increasing speed.
  • (24) Upper 6 on the Move — Develop instinctive aiming without relying heavily on sights.
  • (25) Forward 6 on 3, 3 on 3 — Simulate stress conditions to maintain control.
  • (26) Walking the Triangle — Efficient reloads when out of ammo mid-stage.
  • (27) Walking the Square — Complex movement patterns combined with accurate shooting.

• Plate Rack Drills (28–38): Exercises focused on speed and accuracy.

  • (28) Plate Index — Engage six steel plates in sequence, focusing on speed.
  • (29) Straight Plates — Engage plates while moving laterally.
  • (30) Plate Transitions — Reload mid-drill and continue shooting plates.
    • Draw and engage plates 1,6,2,5,3,4 in that exact order.
  • (31) Plate Loads — Simulate clearing malfunctions during plate drills.
  • (32) Plates on the Move — Engage plates from low positions.
  • (33) Moving Plate Loads — Complete plate rack using only the support hand.
  • (34) Plate Reload Strong — Complete plate rack using only the strong hand.
  • (35) Plate Reload Weak — Rapid target transitions on the plate rack.
  • (36) Turning Plate Index — Complete the plate rack within a strict time limit.
  • (37) El Platenzente — Combine all elements: movement, reload, speed.
  • (38) Shoot Off — Integrate multiple advanced shooting skills during the drill.

The goal is to make essential gun-handling skills subconscious, allowing shooters to perform tasks like drawing, aiming, and firing without deliberate thought, thereby increasing speed and accuracy.