Shoot This Drill – 5-5-7 Exercise
All shooting is a balance between speed and precision. By that I mean you can shoot as fast as you can or as accurately as you can, but not really both at the same time. If the threat is close and the need for precision is not as great, speed is probably most important. If you have the luxury of a little more time due to distance or circumstances, then precision can and may need to be applied. Even if you shoot fast, only hits that cause significant injury are likely to act quickly to end the fight.
Because of this, I have always been on a quest to close the gap between speed and precision. In my search for ways to train and practice this, I feel that training a task to a higher standard helps to ensure a higher level of performance during an incident. The 5-5-7 Exercise isn’t easy, but as you get better at it you will see very noticeable improvements in the rest of your defensive shooting. Five rounds in five seconds at seven yards was chosen because this mirrors many of the commonly held understandings of defensive shooting engagements. The two-inch circle was chosen to make it a challenge.
Things You Need
- The target
- Shot timer with 5-second par time.
- Pistol
- Holster
- 2x 15-round magazines (or 30 rounds)
Distance to the target is seven yards.
On the beep, draw and fire five shots into the upper left circle. Do this six times for a total of 30 shots fired, reloading as needed but not in mid-string.
All misses and shots fired after par (even if it was a hit) count as minus one point. A perfect score for a clean run is 30. At least 50% of the bullet holes must be inside the circle to count as a hit.
When starting out, if seven yards is too difficult, you can get closer and move back once you are shooting it clean. If seven yards becomes easy, take a step back or shorten your par time.
Have fun with it, and push yourself.
Text by Don Edwards. Illustrations by Charles “Chip” Lasky
About The AuthorDon Edwards is a 20+ year veteran of U.S. Army Special Operations and is the founder, owner and lead instructor of Greenline Tactical. He began his career in the 3rd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment, where he was a participant in Operation Just Cause in Panama. He retired from 20th Special Forces Group, where he served as Team Sergeant during combat operations in Iraq and Intel Sergeant while deployed in Afghanistan. He served for five years as the Use of Force training manager and primary instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, instructing in tactics as well as firearms. Edwards has worked as tactical adviser in the field to the Department of Defense since 2008, serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and is a FLETC cer
