Intermediate
Pistol
Vertical Transition
Source: Common dry-fire training standard
3s
Par Time
5 yd
Distance
10
Reps
Vertical Transition isolates the up-and-down gun movement that you rarely think about until it shows up on a stage. You set one target high on the wall and one low — close to the floor or against the baseboard. From the start, you engage each target in both orders: low-to-high and high-to-low. The drill is simple, but it surfaces a subtle problem.
The problem is your own arms. When the gun is high, your forearms are close to your eye line and clear of the lower target. When the gun drops, your forearms can briefly block your vision of the low target. This is uncomfortable but normal — accept it, train through it, and learn what your sight picture should look like when your peripheral vision is partially occluded.
Most shooters discover they prefer engaging the low target first because that avoids the moment of arm-blocked vision on the drop. Train both orders deliberately. In a match you do not always get to pick. Vary which target you engage first, and once both feel natural, start adding tighter par times to push the transition speed.
Range Setup
Setup
One target high on the wall (eye level or above), one target low (knee height or floor). Pistol confirmed unloaded, holstered or low-ready. Shot timer.
Scoring
At the par beep, both targets must have been engaged in sequence with stable sight pictures. Lost sight picture during the vertical sweep = failed rep. Alternate engagement order every few reps.
Tips
Your forearms will pass through your line of sight. That is normal. Train through it instead of around it.
Progression
Set a comfortable par, then chop in 0.1 second steps. Once smooth, add a partial as the low target (forces a tighter sight picture during the most awkward part of the transition).