Shoot This Drill: The 10 Second Showdown Drill

Static-position shooting is great for practicing marksmanship and its fundamentals, but those who are in the professional field understand that practicing single-position shooting is just the beginning. Shooter movement and changing target distances require specific training and drills to become proficient. That’s where the 10 Second Showdown (10SS) drill comes in handy.

Drill creator and noted instructor Justin Dyal of Dialed in Training fills us in on why he created this drill: “I wanted a drill that was super efficient, challenging, and that combined many important skills weighted correctly At the time I designed this drill, there were very few drills that had movement to create changing distances (and resulting shot difficulty). The Showdown gives seven unique shot difficulties in 10 total shots. In about 10 seconds it works a draw, a reload, movement into and out of shooting position, and shooting on the move while presenting those different shots.

“Combining these skills on the clock tends to give a better picture of a shooter’s on-demand ability than smaller, static drills. However, the 10SS isn’t so complex that the shooter can’t accurately reflect on his or her run and self-critique.”

Setup: The 10 Second Showdown

Target: IDPA or similar silhouette with 8” circle and 3”x5” index card in head box.

Distances: 13/10/7/7 to 3 yards

Round Count: 10

1) Start holstered with two rounds in the pistol at 13 yards.

2) On buzzer, draw and fire two shots at the 8” circle.

3) Step toward the 10 yard line while reloading with a magazine of 8 rounds.  

4) At the 10-yard line, fire another two rounds at the 8” circle, then move to the 7-yard line, firing two to the body and one to the head once arriving there.  

5) Step off and fire another failure drill on the move. Time stops on the tenth shot and there are no extra or make-up shots allowed. 

Scoring: Scoring is time plus penalties. Shots out of the 8-inch or index card are +1 second each per point down. A shooter can use adjusted time for score, but it’s intended for use on a scale: 9 seconds is a perfect 100 and every tenth slower is minus one point. Ten seconds is a 90 and makes the cutoff for an “A” grade (hence the name). The drill can be performend much faster, but even master-level guys shooting it cold tend to land in the 90s. 

About the Instructor

A noted shooter, trainer, and writer, Justin Dyal is a retired Marine Raider with an extensive background in and passion for training. A lifelong shooter, Lt. Col. Dyal spent large portions of his career in uniform and was responsible for some of the Corps’ most advanced schoolhouses. Since leaving active duty he has worked regularly with special units, teaching on a variety of topics, as well as within the firearms industry. Dyal is known equally for innovative training designs and helping experienced shooters and instructors accelerate their development.

Text by Justin Dyal (Dialed in Training) and illustrations by Charles “Chip” Lasky