Larry Vickers — Two-Yard Torture Drill

When you need a good drill to improve your shooting, Larry Vickers is always a good source. He delivers again with what he calls the “Two Yard Torture” drill. It’s simple to do, but
it’s far from easy. It’s also flexible, so it can be adjusted for different levels of shooters. In the video, Larry just uses a basic pistol target, but this drill can be run with whatever you have. You can run this drill with a paper plate taped to a cardboard box if that’s all you have.

Larry runs the drill with his students from either the ready position or from the holster.

Here’s a quick rundown of how it works:

  • Start at the two-yard line.
  • Each stage moves back two yards, all the way to twenty yards.
  • At each stage, the student has three seconds to fire two shots from the ready, finger straight, or four seconds to fire two shots from the holster.
  • Once the student has fired from twenty yards, he starts back toward the target in the same two-yard increments.
  • Again, the student fires two shots into the target at each stage, ending up back at the two-yard line.
Larry Vickers (R) runs Daniel Richardson of Richardson Precision and Training through his Two Yard Torture Drill.
Larry Vickers (R) runs Daniel Richardson of Richardson Precision and Training through his Two-Yard Torture Drill.

Larry notes that the drill typically becomes much more difficult once the student reaches the ten-yard line. New or less accomplished shooters can shorten the drill. “If the wheels come off at ten, just go to eight and back.” He does caution the shooter not to allow more time and to stay with the two-yard increments. As the shooter improves, the distance, still in two-yard increments can be extended until the drill is being run out to the full twenty-yard distance.

The shooter starts the drill from the ready, finger straight, as shown, or from the holster.

Larry scores the drill as follows:

  • In the black: minus zero
  • White paper: minus one
  • Brown cardboard: minus three
  • A complete miss: minus five
  • Good shooters who put everything, or most everything, in the black can use the scoring ring

In the video linked above, Larry takes Daniel Richardson, of Richardson Precision and Training, through the first part of the drill to demonstrate how to run it properly. Larry uses a shot timer and Daniel shoots from the ready. As a safety measure, Daniel holsters his firearm when moving between stages.

The shooter focuses on good fundamentals while firing two shots into the target at each stage.
The shooter focuses on good fundamentals while firing two shots into the target at each stage.

When commenting after running the abbreviated drill, Daniel says, “It’s a great drill. I can definitely see how once we get, even on that ten-yard threshold or so, that’s when you’ve
really got to pay attention to your fundamentals. Can’t get slap happy on the trigger and you’ve got to find your sights as best you can, especially when you get out there in no man’s land, fifteen or twenty yards, you’ve still got to come back, so you can’t totally screw up. You’ve got to stay really disciplined. Great fundamentals drill. I love it.”

two yard torture test target
Daniel is a good shooter, so he can use the scoring ring. Larry Vickers has an alternate scoring system as well.

Obviously, this drill is better in a class or if you have a place to shoot by yourself or with a friend. Most ranges will not allow you to move back and forth on the target, nor would it be safe to do so with other shooters doing other things. But you can get creative. If you shoot indoors, move the target further out for each stage. If you have the stuff to do it, maybe set four or five targets at the two-yard intervals and transition between them. Not everyone has a shot timer, but you can still focus on your fundamentals and your time will naturally improve. If your range won’t allow you to draw from the holster, you can shoot from the ready, as Daniel does in the video.

The Two-Yard Torture is a simple and flexible drill that stresses fundamentals. No matter what your setup is, you can probably find a way to run this drill, even if it doesn’t look exactly like what Larry and Daniel do in the video. So, what are you waiting for? Happy shooting, y’all.

William "Bucky" Lawson is a self-described "typical Appalachian-American gun enthusiast". He is a military historian specializing in World War II and has written a few things, as he says, "here and there". A featured contributor for Strategy & Tactics, he likes dogs, range time, and a good cigar - preferably with an Old Fashioned that has an extra orange slice.

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