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#Post#: 6--------------------------------------------------
Double tap
DIR By: allmanav
Date: December 28, 2016, 6:06 am
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Competitors in IDPA, USPSA and ICORE know that the vast majority
of paper targets require two scoring hits. The shooting
technique used to make them can significantly affect their
score.
Some targets, especially those with No Shoots or Hardcover
snuggled up next to them, will require slowing down to deliver
precision shots. [Note: See Chris Christian’s previous training
article “Focusing on Precision” for background information on
precision action shooting.] But the targets that are wide open,
which will be the majority of targets, can be shot a lot faster.
There are two handgun techniques that can deliver those two
rapid hits—Controlled Pairs (CP) and Double Taps (DT).
Even a hard cover target can be double tapped if the shooter is
confident of the range.
With the Controlled Pair technique the shooter achieves a sight
picture for the first shot, triggers that, and then allows the
front sight to settle back down for an acceptable sight picture
before triggering the second shot (the split). The advantage to
CPs is they allow a shooter to achieve A or 0 Zone accuracy over
varying distances. Those varying distances will also affect the
split time. As target distances increase, so does an ‘acceptable
sight picture’, which results in longer split times. For
experienced shooters the split times on CPs will run from .45 to
.80 seconds during the course of a match with varying target
distances. An average split time of .60 seconds is realistic.
A true Double Tap (called ‘Hammers’ in the tactical world) is
two rounds triggered from one sight picture. The gun is
presented to the target, the sight picture achieved, and the
trigger pressed twice as fast as the trigger finger will move.
There is no attempt to reacquire the sights for the second shot.
The theory is that at closer ranges the recoil will not throw
the second round very far from the first.
The advantage to DT is pure speed. There are some shooters who
can get their split times down into the sub-.20 second range,
but for most shooters the splits will fall into the .25 to .35
second range; with revolvers nearing the upper end. Most
shooters can easily achieve a .30 split with minimal practice.
That fraction of a second difference in split times may not look
like much at first glance. But in a 100 round match, with all
paper targets that require two scoring hits, there will be 50
splits. The shooter running .30 second DT splits will spend .15
seconds of their score achieving them. A shooter using all CP
splits (with a .60 average time) will be spending around .30
seconds to achieve their second hit. That .15-second difference
is huge in the final standings! And a clear advantage to the
Double Tap.
Unfortunately, there is also a drawback. That .15 second scoring
advantage is only realized if the DT split hits are of equal
scoring value to those achieved by the CP shooter. If they start
wandering into significant penalty zones, or miss the target
entirely, the penalty points make that advantage disappear
quickly and become a negative.
The key to gaining the Double Tap time advantage, and avoiding
the penalty pitfalls, is to determine the maximum target range
where the second shot will land close enough to the first shot
to score well. The maximum distance at which a shooter can keep
their DTs within the no penalty target zone is as far as they
want to push that technique. After that distance is determined,
Controlled Pairs become a better scoring bet. The drill to find
that target distance is easy to do.
Start at five yards. Some shooters with a background in Bullseye
will have trouble making themselves trigger two rounds on one
sight picture. It goes against all previous training and
experience. Their mental computer is not programed to do it. I
suggest starting from Low Ready position. Bring the gun up and
make yourself trigger those two rounds from the first sight
picture. It can be a new learning experience and one has to
reprogram their ‘mental computer’. It becomes easier with
repetition. Once the computer is‘re-programmed’, shooters can
then shift to a holstered start.
The pre-stage walk through allows shooters to visualize the
targets, and their distances, to determine the best shooting
technique for each target.
The targets can be appropriate for the discipline being shot. Or
just use a 6 x 9 inch piece of paper. That mimics the sweet spot
on IDPA, USPSA and ICORE targets. The target can be taped to any
cardboard backing.
Shooters with a sloppy grip may find this five yard distance
eye-opening, and prompt them to correct their grip. But with a
bit of practice virtually any shooter can achieve good scoring
pairs at this range. Then it is time to begin stepping back to
find the range where they can’t do it.
Some shooters may find 10 yards is their maximum effective
distance. Others may be able to push the DT to the 12 to 15-yard
range. Regardless of the personal limitations, that knowledge is
valuable.
As shooters in all the above disciplines approach a stage they
will be given a walkthrough to look things over. Savvy shooters
use this to establish their “stage plan”—where to move, where to
reload, and how to get through the stage in the fastest possible
time. Knowing their effective DT distance also tells them the
shooting techniques they need to use on different targets.
Even if target distances only allow them to use the Double Tap
for half of the targets, that’s still six to eight seconds off
their score. That will move them up the leaderboard.
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