Isolating skills to improve carbine performance
Throttle control drills require you to adjust the speed at which you press the trigger depending on how much sight confirmation you need on a target. It’s an excellent drill to isolate and develop vision and connection to the gun for speed and accuracy.
Size, distance and precision needed, as well as the student’s skill set, dictate the pace at which you engage your targets. So which targets can you shoot hard and fast? Which targets require a more refined sight picture? That’s throttle control.
Not every scenario is the same. For both defensive utility and performance value this drill will help you develop the ability to adjust your engagement pace on demand and on the fly. You want to be able to accelerate or decelerate to make acceptably accurate hits at different distances.
As an example, if at 10-20 yds, I can shoot more aggressively with minimal confirmation than at 30-40 yds, when I need slightly more confirmation to make the hits. When speed and accuracy both matter, you want confidence in your skill set which comes from a lot of dry fire and live fire practice.
There are many variations of throttle control drills. This is “The Accelerator” from Adaptive Rifle by Ben Stoeger. Set up three cardboard USPSA targets at 10, 25 and 50 yds, staggered one yd apart for minimal transition time. Face down range. From a depressed muzzle:
10 yd target, fire 2 rounds into A zone
25 yd target, fire 2 rounds into A zone
50 yd target, fire 2 rounds into A zone
See you on the range!
Prioritize your training.
Build on-demand performance through drills that develop and pressure test speed, accuracy, distance, and movement with your gun.