5–10 yd
Distance
4
Rounds
5
Reps
20
Total Rounds
The Anchor Drill is a deceleration drill disguised as a shooting drill. Competitive and defensive shooting on the move looks athletic because it is, and the single biggest skill separating fast shooters from slow ones isn’t the draw or the trigger press — it’s the ability to stop the body under control. This drill isolates that skill across four directions so you can’t hide in the one you’re already good at.
Set two cones 10 yards apart and place a single target 5 yards off the near cone. Start at the far cone with the pistol in low ready. Sprint to the near cone, chop your feet as you approach, sink your hips to bleed momentum, and drive the gun up as your platform settles. Break one round to the A zone. Run 5 reps in each of the four directions — forward, lateral, diagonal forward, diagonal backward — for 20 rounds total. No par time. The clock here is control.
Score by honesty: did you actually stop, or did you fall into the shot? A clean rep means feet planted, shoulders squared to the target, and an A zone hit broken from a stable platform. Work each direction until it feels natural before you chain them together or add a timer. This is the movement foundation for Tactical Games, USPSA, IDPA, and any dynamic discipline where you have to engage from a stop.
Range Setup
Setup
1x target (IPSC or USPSA cardboard). 2x cones set 10 yd (9 m) apart in a straight line. The near cone sits 5 yd (4.5 m) from the target. The cone line orientation changes per variant: for forward, the cones run away from the target; for lateral, the cone line is perpendicular to the target; for diagonal, the cone line is angled. Pistol in low ready at the far cone. Shot timer optional — not used for par.
Scoring
1 round per rep, 5 reps per direction, 4 directions = 20 rounds total.
Score by form, not time. Each rep is either a pass or a fail.
Pass: feet planted at the near cone, shoulders squared, A zone hit broken from a stable platform.
Fail: firing while still drifting, hit outside the A zone, or the stop is uncontrolled.
No par time — this is a skill builder, not a benchmark.
Scoring: Hit Factor (HF) = points ÷ time. USPSA target zones: A = 5, C = 3, D = 1, Miss = −10. Higher HF = better performance.
Tips
Eyes on the stopping point 1-2 yards before you get there. Your lower body does the deceleration — chop the feet, drop the hips — while your upper body delivers the shot.
Progression
Once every rep feels controlled, add a shot timer and log the sprint-to-shot split per direction.
Chain two directions back to back (forward then lateral) for a compound rep.
Run controlled pairs to the A zone instead of singles.
Increase the sprint distance from 10 yd to 15 yd.
Start from concealment draw instead of low ready.
Run the same progression with a rifle.