While it may be a great stress reliever to just go to the shooting range and blast away, that won’t get you very far in learning, practicing and perfecting defensive techniques. Here are some drills that are very effective at enhancing your defensive skill set. Handguns are challenging to master because they have short sight radiuses and triggers that require tremendous pressure to fire.

Trigger Control Drills

One of the hardest techniques to learn is pressing the trigger directly to the rear. Shooters have a tendency to over-grip the gun with their firing hand, which in turn curves the finger as the trigger is pressed. Commonly referred to as “smearing the trigger”, this causes your shot to swerve to the support side.

There are drills to help you press the trigger consistently and forcefully. Place a pencil between your thumb and forefinger in the “web” skin. The eraser end should be pointed toward your trigger finger. Next, slowly press the pencil toward you while you keep it steady in between your thumb and forefinger. This drill really helps you visualize a successful trigger press.

Here's our favorite OWB holster for the range.

You know you’ll miss your shot the more you move the trigger, so this trigger press drill is great for teaching you to keep the slack out. “Slack” means the distance the trigger will travels prior to you firing the gun, and many gun owners don’t control the trigger. Instead it slips forward after that initial squeeze. Empty your weapon. Press the trigger. Rack the slide and relax that trigger finger. You should only let the trigger move forward a little bit for that initial reset. You need to do repeated dry-fire practices of this drill to become comfortable with your gun’s trigger operation. Don’t let your trigger finger slip, come off, or move all the way forward. With practice, you’ll get it.

Unload your weapon, remove the magazine, and do this next drill with a partner’s help. On your gun’s front sight, have your partner place a small piece of brass there. It should be balanced on the gun. You then will cleanly press the trigger. If you’re smooth, the front site shouldn’t dip and the brass will stay put. Did the brass fall off? If so, you are definitely jerking the trigger and that equates to missed shots.

Follow-Through Drills

Follow through is another technique that is hard to master. New shooters tend to anticipate the next shot by flinching, which causes the muzzle to dip and decreases accuracy. A classic follow-through drill is the ball and dummy. It’s best done with a partner. 

The shooter turns away and the partner readies the gun. The partner turns the shooter back around and gives him or her the gun to point at like shooting at a bullseye. The partner observes whether the muzzle stays put or dips. The trick is to repeat this over and over; the partner will sneak in a live round every once in a while to help you overcome the anticipation.

The gun should be empty 75% or more of the time. A drill called Single Shot is similar to ball and dummy and you can do it by yourself. Load one round then remove the magazine. Fire on a target, then prepare for your second shot and fire. Is your front sight dipping down? If so, keep practicing!

Sight Drills

Sight drills are also great practice. Front sights should be very clear while rear sights should be slightly blurry; the target should be blurry too. Shooting from a benched position can help you start shooting better. When sitting, you don’t need to stabilize yourself as much as you would standing up; this drill builds confidence and excellent sight alignment skills. 

If you’re a novice shooter, you also might feel that your sights seem like they’re all over the place just as you’re trying to make your shot. It is just a perception and is a very common problem for new shooters. At a distance of about 6 yards, point at your target, remove the slack from the trigger and move your front sight in a figure eight pattern over the bullseye at about 6 to 8 inches. Break your shot when you see the target, then do a trigger reset for the second shot. Do this five or six times and you will see that you improve accuracy.

Stay Safe & Keep Training!

Always remember to stay safe at the range. Keeping the major weapons safety rules in mind at all times will keep you and those around you safe. Those are:

1. Treat every weapon as if it were loaded.

2. Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot.

3. Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire.

4. Keep your weapon on safe until you are ready to fire.

5. Know your target, and what lies beyond it.

Another way to keep training is by using the Urban Carry Virtual Reality Trainer. We developed an app called Urban Carry Academy that allows you to train any time, any place. All you do is slide your smart phone into the VR Headset, and you're immersed into your "training world."

Training with VR allows your mind to better recall shooting and defense techniques when under pressure by activating more neurons than just regular dry firing. This is great if you can't make it to the range every day, but want to keep honing your skills. Check out the Urban Carry VR Trainer here.

Let us know how these drills work for you! Comment below or better yet, share your drill results with us on social media, using #UrbanCarryCo so we can see your photos or videos.