By Rom Ranallo
IALEFI Control #20-01
Produced by Rom Ranallo, April 2020
As a firearms instructor, you are often judged by your peers on your ability to deal with “remedial shooters.” They exist in virtually every police department in the world. The purpose of this article is to define what a remedial shooter is, why they exist, review the fundamentals of marksmanship, and provide solutions that will decrease the number of remedial shooters in your department.
What Is a Remedial Shooter?
A “remedial shooter” can be defined in several different ways, but for the purpose of this discussion, it is a police officer who is not able to achieve the legislated standard, course of fire, for re-certification on a departmental authorized or approved firearm. The COF is essentially a “test” that legally entitles a police officer to possess and carry a firearm in the execution of his or her sworn duties. The COF test assesses your baseline marksmanship proficiency skills and basic gun-handling.
Any COF that is used to authorize police officers to carry a firearm in the course of their duties must be task-oriented on a photorealistic, humanoid target, requiring 100% hit accountability. An aggregate COF where a pass can be defined as 70%, 80%, etc. no longer has a place in our profession.
When it comes to “remedial shooters,” we need to expedite their learning curve so that they do not become a perennial problem. The less time we spend on remedial training equals more time doing the real training.
Why Do Remedial Shooters Exist?
I can assure you that every generation has had their fair share of remedial shooters. My first question is: “How were they taught?” My second question is: “What are you as firearm instructors doing about it?”
Remedial shooters exist for three primary reasons: high anxiety, negative attitude, and lack of understanding or poor execution of the fundamentals of marksmanship.
Every police recruit who is hired attends basic training. Some attend a police academy “outside” of their respective departments while others receive the training “in-house.” Regardless, the recruit training program will obviously consist of a firearms component. Granted, hours dedicated to firearms training has decreased in some regions over the years and most of us are being asked to do more with less. However, every police recruit must achieve the designated standard of firearms training and qualification.
There is a tremendous amount of anxiety some police officers experience when being “tested,” i.e., having to pass the COF.
According to psychologist Dr. David Cox, the outcome to any event is based on the following equation:
M x T(t) x P = O
M = Mental
T = Technical
t = Tactical
P = Performance
O = Outcome
A small percentage of remedial shooters simply do not have the right mindset, or mental focus, which is 85% of the process. They approach the firearm re-cert as an experience, unfortunately in their mind a negative one, instead of a performance. In my opinion, they lack the proper mental mindset.
Sadly, there is also a tiny percentage of police officers who were raised on a belief that firearms are bad and therefore have a mental aversion to shooting that impedes their ability to perform. The sound of the firearm discharging terrifies them. Regardless, they did “just enough” to pass while completing their recruit training but are not vested or committed. Others like the idea of being a police officer, but do not like the idea of having to carry a firearm or being tested on it for that matter. They are by far the most challenging remedial shooters to deal with because they simply do not want to be at the range and completely dread it.
Considering that shooting accurately is largely mental in nature, as highlighted in the outcome equation above, it is a topic that needs significant more exploration. I believe there is a lot to gain by linking up and involving sport psychologists in our firearm programs to develop innovative strategies that we can use to help motivate those officers who do not have the required mental focus. The few who persistently display a negative attitude need to be dealt with accordingly, either through informal action or formal process with your HR section. There needs to be accountability. Period!
When I started policing just prior to the turn of the 21st century, some of the firearm instructors I came across were mentally abusive. This behavior led to officers experiencing high anxiety and, in some instances, uncontrollable hand shaking when being tested.
There is a large percentage of remedial shooters that exist because they never established a solid baseline skill set or understanding as to how the fundamentals of marksmanship relate when they completed their initial firearms training. However, they performed well enough or on a level where little to no coaching was provided to them because instructors were too busy, and sometimes literally overwhelmed, dealing with the extreme problem shooters. They performed good enough in the recruit training environment, but after graduation were not able to transition and perform, or pass the COF, in their new environment.
Basically, they did not have a solid foundational skill set or true understanding, which leads to increased levels of anxiety. This anxiety, coupled with weaker or novice skill sets, is often enough to impede performance, resulting in not being able to pass the COF.
What Are the Fundamentals of Marksmanship?
When I started my career, I believed there were four fundamentals of marksmanship: stance, grip, sight alignment, and trigger control. Over the years, I came to realize that there were four more: draw, position, hold, and follow-through.
Stance
When it comes to learning how to shoot a firearm, it is best to begin with a “fighting” stance, or default stance. Every police officer will have a slightly different stance. Do not try to impart your stance on someone else.
A solid standing stance is when the feet are shoulder width apart; dominant side leg is back; arms extended with wrists, elbows, and shoulders locked; head is upright; upper body leaning forward; and the firearm is brought in line with the eyes.
Grip
Maintain physical contact of the firearm with your hand or hands. Shooting hand placement must be established when drawing from the holster and is achieved when the web is placed so that there is contact with the tang, with no gap. The trigger finger is isolated and does not play a role in the grip.
The heel of support hand should be in full contact with heel of the shooting hand, closing the gap with no leakage. The support hand should form a mitten shape and curl into a clamp. Both thumbs should be placed on the same side of the pistol with the support thumb lightly touching the frame. The thumbs must point forward with the support thumb in line with the trigger finger. The support hand fingers must wrap around the shooting hand fingers with both hands applying equal grip force. The wrists, elbows, and shoulders must be locked. A proper grip is established when there are no adjustments between shots.
Sight Alignment
Sight alignment is the relationship of the front sight to the rear sight. The front sight must be in the middle of the rear sight. With open iron sights, the top of the front sight post must be level with top of the rear sight posts. There must be an equal amount of space, or light, on either side of the front sight when looking through the rear sight. The eye must focus on the top of the front sight. With closed iron sights, i.e., aperture, the top of the front sight post must be centered in the middle of the rear aperture.
Sight picture is defined as the relationship of sight alignment to the target. Just to be clear, if you refer to sight alignment, it has nothing to do with the target. Many instructors use these two terms interchangeably. They are not the same.
A shooter can have excellent sight alignment, but the gun is not aligned, or positioned, with the intended placement on the target, resulting in errors, or misses, because of an incorrect sight picture. At the end of the day, it all comes down to position. In other words, where is the muzzle pointing? The muzzle always has a direction and it is incredibly important. There is a reason why it is the second universal firearm safety rule: control muzzle direction at all times.
If I want to put a hole between the eyes of a photorealistic target, I must point the muzzle of my firearm in that exact direction. The only way to accomplish this task with a high degree of certainty is to ensure that I have proper sight alignment, sight picture, hold, and follow-through.
Trigger Control
Trigger control is the ability to press the trigger without moving the pistol, or muzzle. The placement of your trigger, or index, finger is typically on the “power crease” of the distal joint or the fat pad and toward the lower end of the trigger.
The pressure applied to the trigger must be even, smooth, and continual, like a pendulum. The trigger is to be pulled straight back until you experience a “surprise break.” Allow the firearm to fire, and do not force, or anticipate, the firearm to fire. Lastly, the trigger finger must maintain constant contact with the trigger during the entire shooting process.
Draw
Draw is the presentation of a firearm from a holster and involves four steps: grip; rotate and present; meet and greet; and extend and prep.
Before I explain each of the four steps, I must mention something that is often overlooked by firearms instructors, and that is the holster. The holster must be situated on a belt so that a “natural” grip can be achieved. The holster must be snug or tight on the belt and the belt must be snug or tight around the waist. Furthermore, the holster shank slits, loops, paddle, etc. must match the width of the belt. There can be no space.
I have seen way too many members wearing loose belts or holster shanks that do not match the belt, causing the holster to “swim,” resulting in holster hiccups when drawing the firearm. For a remedial shooter, this can be extremely problematic because their whole focus becomes fixated on whether their firearm is going to come out smoothly. They put so much effort in drawing the gun that they literally resort to the three Ps: point, press, and pray.
The issue with this approach is their “point” is more like a wild punch and they have no idea as to the direction of the muzzle. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the muzzle is not pointing anywhere near center of mass on the silhouette. A 1-2° angular error in the muzzle is inches down range. Clearly, the difference between a hit and a miss. Please check the holsters and duty belts of your remedial shooters before you have them fire a single round.
Position
Position is the spatial orientation, or direction, of the firearm, or muzzle, in relation to the intended point of aim on a target. Basically, it is the relationship of sight alignment and sight picture.
Hold
Hold is the position of a firearm at a designated point of aim during the entire shooting process and for 1-2 seconds post-firing.
Follow-Through
Follow-through is holding a firearm on target with the index finger on the trigger, tactile feel, as it is being released to the reset point while re-establishing sight alignment and sight picture.
What Are Some Solutions for Dealing With Remedial Shooters?
One of the best things you can do as a firearm instructor is to pose the following question to your remedial shooter or shooters:
Do you control when a bullet leaves the muzzle?
Many remedial shooters believe they do because they do not understand “internal ballistics.” They need to know that the only time they have control of where the bullet will go is when it exits the muzzle. In other words, the muzzle must be pointing in the direction of where they intended it to be when they made the decision to shoot and pressed the trigger.
When the trigger is pressed, there are a series of events that take place within the firearm that the shooter has absolutely no control over. I will begin at the event when the firing pin strikes the primer on the cartridge to avoid any confusion between hammer and striker fire pistols. The propellant ignites a flame; the flame burns the gun powder; gases expand inside the cartridge; increased gas pressure drives the projectile forward down the barrel; projectile exits the muzzle, or path of least resistance.
Remedial shooters have the impression that when they have sight alignment and sight picture and the trigger is pressed, the bullet exits the muzzle at that exact moment in time. They remove their index finger by “flying off” the trigger and “move” the firearm off the target so quickly by bringing it to a combat tuck or low ready position immediately after the shooting sequence. Shortly after that, they are completely puzzled as to why they missed.
They have no concept of hold, which I believe is one of the most important fundamentals of marksmanship and is often overlooked or not discussed at all by firearm instructors. Even with minor sight alignment errors and a poor sight picture, if the muzzle is pointing at the silhouette during the entire shooting process and 1-2 seconds after, combat hits will be achieved. Period.
A) Trigger Exemplar Drill #1: Ranallo’s Version
- Place a blank paper target at 5m.
- Select one of the remedial shooters.
- Advise the class to pay close attention to your index finger, which maintains contact with the trigger during the entire shooting process, and the pistol, which is held in position.
- Instruct the shooter to align the sights on the paper while indexing their trigger finger on the frame.
- Place your index finger on the trigger and face backwards, up range.
- Remind the shooter to keep the firearm pointed toward the target and not move it while maintaining sight alignment.
- While the shooter points the pistol at the target, press the trigger.
- Ask the shooter the following question: “Are you aligned on the original hole?”
- Only press the trigger when the shooter answers: “Yes.”
- Repeat the last two steps three times.
As this drill is being conducted, you will typically hear the non-shooters laugh with joy as they observe the “magic.” They are in total amazement trying to figure out why an instructor with his index finger on the trigger, facing away from the target, is able to produce a 1-2” group, often times even smaller, with their fellow officer holding the firearm.
At this point, you ask the following question to the class: “Does that look like a remedial shooter to you?” The answer is always, “No.” Most times someone will shout, “You have a good trigger press. That is why the shooting was so good.”
This is where you drive home the following message: The firearm must not move during the shooting process and the finger must maintain contact with the trigger all the way to the end of follow-through.
Remedial shooters believe the key to shooting well is having a “good trigger press.” I will probably shock a lot of you here and say that is BS. A shooter can slap, jerk, snap, or crush the trigger all they want. The real key to shooting well is holding the firearm in place and not moving it during the shooting process.
If the firearm moves, or changes direction, the muzzle moves. The bullet can only go where the muzzle is pointing at the time it exits. If you were to put a firearm in a vice so that the frame is clamped down and you slammed the trigger as hard as you can or as slow as you wish, the bullets will go in the exact same place, one hole, because the firearm, or muzzle, does not move.
To further demonstrate this, I take possession of the remedial shooter’s pistol selected to do the exemplar demo and unload a full magazine by pressing the trigger as fast as I can at the same target. The grouping is 3-4”, sometimes tighter. Once again, the class is in awe. I then reload another full magazine and do the exact same thing except that I move the gun and the result is the “discount house of worship.” Half my fired rounds or more are not even on paper.
Just to be clear, tell your remedial shooters: “Do not move the gun. Hold it in position.” Both you and your remedial shooters will be amazed by the results once they accept the fact that the firearm cannot move and must be held in position during the entire shooting process.
B) The 9/10ths Drill
- Place a blank target for each shooter at 5m.
- Shooter fires one round anywhere on the target.
- Shooter establishes sight alignment on the original hole.
- Instructor advises shooters to pull the trigger 8/10ths and then back to the reset without losing tactile feel with the trigger.
- Instructor has the shooters do the same for 8 1/2, 8 3/4, and finally 9/10ths.
Note: For striker fire pistols, instructor advises shooters to press with 3 lbs. of pressure followed by 4 lbs., 5 lbs., 6 lbs., and 7 lbs.
This drill continues until each shooter has fired five rounds into the original hole, or close to it.
The purpose of this drill is to further demonstrate that the firearm must not move and there must be tactile feel with the trigger during the entire shooting process. This drill is also excellent to correct those remedial shooters who have significant anticipation problems. It is virtually impossible to gauge 9/10ths and therefore the shooters will experience what a “surprise break” feels like.
The key here is that shooters need to understand that they cannot force or anticipate the shot. They must concentrate on pressing the trigger until the “surprise break” and then controlling the release of the trigger by maintaining contact to the reset point.
C) The Eyes Closed Drill
- Place a blank target for each shooter at 5m.
- Have the shooters point the pistol at the target.
- With the pistol pointed at the target and finger on the trigger, have the shooters hold the position, close both eyes, and fire one round.
- Instruct the shooters to maintain contact with the trigger to the reset point.
- The shooter can only open their eyes when they complete follow-through for each shot.
- This drill repeats until 10 rounds are fired.
Conclusion
As a firearm instructor, dealing with remedial shooters will be one of your most challenging, frustrating, and yet rewarding experiences. It is only a matter of time before the next remedial shooter will require your undivided attention.
Gaining new information as to the reasons why some police officers struggle with their shooting, including high anxiety, negative attitude, or a lack of understanding on the fundamentals of marksmanship, will help you in your relentless pursuit to find the most appropriate solutions.
Considering how difficult some remedial shooters can be, it is your passion, commitment, patience, knowledge, and coaching skills that can make all the difference the next time they are required to pass the course of fire, or COF. A police officer having a positive experience on a remedial session could be the link to future and lasting success. Imagine a remedial shooter who year after year fails the COF and suddenly, with your renewed guidance, never fails another one again.
References
Cox, Dr. David. “Decision Making When it Matters.” Use of Force Experts Workshop. Vancouver, British Columbia. 2020.
Smith, Jay; Hynek, Darren; and Mark Fettinger. “International Association Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors-Firearms Instructors Course.” Vancouver, British Columbia. 2019.
Sajnog, Chris. “How to Shoot Like a Navy Seal: Combat Marksmanship Fundamentals.” First Edition. Centre Mass Group. San Diego, California. 2013.
Miller, Bank. “Advanced Tactical Pistol Course.” Tactical Training Centre. Vancouver, British Columbia. 2012.
Willis, Brian. “Harnessing the Winning Mind and Warrior Spirit Seminar.” Tactical Training Centre. 2012.
Lewinski, Dr. Bill. “Force Science Certification Course.” Force Science Institute. San Jose, California. 2011.
Hamblin, Lou Ann. “Master Instructor Development Program-Pistol Module.” International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI). Cortland, New York. 2011.
Garland, Bill. “Instructing and Coaching Basic Handgun Marksmanship.” International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI) Regional Training Conference (RTC). Bend, Oregon. 2010.
Turner, Joel. “Mental Mechanics of the Shot.” Washington State Law Enforcement Firearm Instructors Association Annual Training Conference. Richland, Washington. 2010.
Crane, Gary. “Modern Firearm Training Principles Course.” Tactical Training Centre. Vancouver, British Columbia. 2010.
Hayes, Marty. “Instructor Development Course.” Firearms Academy of Seattle. Onalaska, Washington. 2008.
Miller, Steve. “Firearms Instructor Understudy Course.” Justice Institute of British Columbia. New Westminster, British Columbia. 2005.
About the Author: Rom Ranallo is the current Range Master for the Vancouver Tactical Training Centre (TTC) and has 16 years of experience as a law enforcement firearms instructor in multiple disciplines, including pistol, shotgun, and carbine. He was part of the Provincial Firearms Working Group where he was instrumental in establishing pistol training and qualification standards.
He has trained peace officers at the provincial, national, and international level. Rom holds a Master of Science degree from the University of British Columbia and most recently presented at the 2019 IACP Conference & Expo in Chicago and the 2019 IALEFI-ATC in West Palm Beach. He can be reached at romolo.ranallo@vpd.ca
