8 seconds faster because “Smooth is Fast”. If you watch the video and keep track of the time, you’ll see that this shooter, C.S. (our shooter in the drill) is about 8 seconds faster than the majority of the other shooters. Listen to how long gunfire from other shooters continue after she completes her drill.
Let me explain why: Our student, C.S., does quite a few things correctly in her movements, all of which makes her efficient and safe as she engages the targets. Her muzzle is kept in a safe direction and it doesn’t seem to waver from a Horizontal Shooting Plane. Her combined shooting stance and grip allows her to manage recoil and the handgun barely moves between shots, allowing for on target repeat shots (as per the drill). Her finger comes off the trigger when not shooting; look at the conclusion of the drill and the magazine change. Her magazine change is robotically efficient; as the old magazine is being ejected, a new magazine is being brought to the handgun. During the magazine change the handgun is held at eye level, allowing constant visual contact with the threats/targets. Finally, at the conclusion of the drill she stops to reassess the targets, instead of automatically holstering. C.S. has all of the elements and mechanics to efficient and accurate shooting ingrained. For her, it’s just a matter of refining these skills for speed and accuracy.
Becoming a fast and accurate shooter, is a combination of acquiring skills and understanding efficient human movement. Speed and accuracy does not have to comprise safety, it should augment it. Learning to shoot fast and accurately is an acquired and appreciated skill. It takes time, instruction, practice and the development of skill to acquire it; and it will depreciate if it not maintained.
The Colt advertising saying goes, “God didn’t make all men equal, but Samuel Colt did”. Maybe that saying should be rephrased to “God didn’t make all men equal, Samuel Colt tried, C.S. trained smarter and some of the men cried!”
