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Tactical Pointers
3 Drills for Unpredictable Situations
Živa Dvoršak
Apr 4, 2025
An unusual situation occurred at a recent Slovenian National League competition. The firing point in front of me was empty—a rare sight in a team event where shooters are expected to be present or at least substituted promptly. I wasn’t aware that another shooter from the same club was also missing a few firing lines further down.
As we finished our sighting shots, a loud noise came from the entry door, followed by two girls rushing down the tribune to join us at the range. Just as I was finishing my first series, the shooter in front of me took her position, clearly flustered. It’s easy to imagine how she must have felt—rushed, unfocused, and under immense pressure. Despite the chaos, she impressively completed her 60-shot match just three shots before I did, with more than enough time left on the clock.
Talking to the two late competitors after the match, it became clear that they had been panicking from the moment they realized they were running late. Had they taken a moment to breathe and settle into position? Had they checked the clock and planned their time distribution? Not really. Their mindset was already locked in survival mode from the moment they got in the car.
Unpredictable situations like this happen more frequently than we dare to think. It’s natural to react with stress, but can we prepare for such moments in advance? While we can’t recreate the exact stress these competitors felt, we can discuss potential scenarios and have a plan in place. We have put together three drills to help you prepare for some unpredictable situations.
Drill 1: Arriving Late to A Competition
Imagine arriving at the range just as the referee announces the start of the sighting period or worse, the start of the match. You now have 90 or 75 minutes to get dressed, set up, and start shooting without any warm-up time.
This situation closely mirrors the one described in the introduction. Your heart rate is up, your mind is racing, and there’s an overwhelming urge to catch up. How do you handle it?
Adapting to the situation starts the moment you begin getting ready. Instead of letting adrenaline turn into severe anxiety and dwelling on how late you are, shift your mindset into a proactive state and start readjusting immediately. While still being quick with setting up your equipment, you can still take some deep breaths to calm yourself. Even if you don’t have the luxury of sitting down, you can still focus on relaxing your body and quieting your mind.
Additionally, when such a situation occurs, reckless rushing can negatively impact your balance. Instead of panicking, fix your mind on maintaining a stable and firm posture. Visualize yourself standing strong and composed on the firing line. This mental reinforcement can significantly improve your control over the situation.
Once you reach the firing point, check the clock and quickly calculate how much time you have left. If the sighting time is still active, use it to sight in as effectively as possible. If the competition time has already started, assess the remaining minutes and divide them logically across your series. This will help you maintain a structured approach and track your pace throughout the match.
No matter how much time you have, take a few moments to settle into position and activate some of the S.O.S. Exits we discussed in the past. While this competition may not turn out to be one of your top performances, you can still leave the shooting line as a winner—someone who successfully battled their inner chaos and adapted under pressure.
Drill 2: Equipment Failure – Your Firearm Breaks
One of the most dreaded moments in any shooter’s career—your rifle or pistol falls to the floor. Whether it’s just a minor misalignment or a significant issue, you must adapt quickly. Sometimes, this means borrowing a sight from a teammate and adjusting it as fast as possible. In extreme cases, you might even need to borrow an entire firearm.
During practice, intentionally swap sights with your teammate and quickly sight in. You can even turn this into a small practice competition, where the winner is the one who sets it up fastest or in the fewest shots. This not only makes the drill more engaging but also helps you develop efficiency under pressure.
In some cases, borrowing a sight won’t be enough. Take it a step further by switching to a completely different rifle or pistol. If you can find someone with the same model as yours, consider what parts of your firearm you can move and adjust onto the borrowed one to match your usual setup. If you want to challenge yourself even more, try using the borrowed one with minimal adjustments—keeping all the original parts and only making minor tweaks. This forces you to adapt to the new feel rather than relying on familiar settings.
This drill will sharpen your adaptability and problem-solving skills under pressure. The more comfortable you become with unexpected changes, the more confident you’ll feel in real competition scenarios.
Drill 3: High Heart Rate Simulation
Illness, nerves, or external factors described above can elevate your heart rate before a match. Some shooters unknowingly make it worse by consuming caffeine, whether through coffee, tea, or energy drinks, which can further increase their pulse and negatively affect their performance. However, there are safer and more effective methods than experimenting with caffeine or energy drinks to simulate a high heart rate in practice. One such approach is to engage in short bursts of physical activity before shooting. Run up and down the stairs, do squats or push-ups, and then immediately step onto the firing line. This method allows you to experience an elevated heart rate in a controlled manner while also training yourself to regulate breathing and maintain stability under physical stress.
Competitions don’t always go as planned. Stress, equipment failures, and unforeseen circumstances can challenge even the most experienced shooters. However, by incorporating these drills into your training, you can prepare yourself to handle unpredictable situations with confidence. The key is physical readiness and mental resilience—learning to stay calm, adapt, and make the best decisions even when things don’t go according to plan. Remember that you can always rely on a clearly defined shot process. By visualizing it and holding onto it in moments when things go wrong, you can refocus your mind on the task at hand and ensure that every shot counts.
Next time you train, try these drills and see how well you can manage the unexpected! Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation during your shooting career? How did you overcome it? We’d love to hear your experiences—share them in the comments below! 👇
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2 thoughts on “3 Drills for Unpredictable Situations”
As a shooter/coach, I often find myself in situations where I have to go on the firing line right after I’ve been coaching my junior shooters, so the ability to regroup, refocus and recenter is of utmost importance for me. It’s a skill that can be developed and practiced, but it also starts with an intent – do I choose to switch effectively and do the best I can with the physical resources and mindpower that’s still left in me or I let this become an excuse as to why I wasn’t able to perform the way I would have liked.
There have been many instances where “things go wrong” before the match (I’m always notoriously late and rushing, for one thing), but there’s one particular instance that stands out in my memory. I was watching online as a dear friend (you know who you are :P) shot 3P at the Tokyo Olympics. She was doing really well and I was glued to the screen, excited to see her contending for the final. Sitting there still in my underwear, I was acutely aware that I had a match of my own that was starting shortly (I was 3 km from the range at that time and had to run or bike to get there), but I was undressed, unprepared, not warmed up, overexcited and frankly in no position to shoot. I was considering skipping the competition once I saw that my friend had made it to the finals. I wanted to be present for this moment. But at the same time, I felt like I also wanted to not sacrifice my shooting for it, but instead celebrate the shooting sport by being present at my competition. So I made a decision to finish watching the qualification and then use my getting to the range as a workout/warmup. I knew it would be close, I would get to the range a few minutes before I was called to the line (I usually plan to be at the range at least and hour before the match), so I had to make a choice to not rush nor panic, but be determined and efficient instead. The “plan” worked, physically I made it there on time and was at the firing line ready to go. Well, not quite ready. I had to do something with my head. I was there, about to shoot, knowing that my friend is about to shoot the final at the Olympics. This is huge. I needed to let that excitement go, or at the very least manage it, and bring myself fully back to the present, where I was shooting. It was a Sport Pistol precision stage and we were shooting into paper targets, which meant going down range after the sighters and every 10 shot serie to change the targets. Now, normally I NEVER change my own targets – it tends to break my focus and interrupt the workflow. So I stay in position, do lifting exercises with my left hand, visualise, breathe and prepare for the next serie. But today I needed a change of routine to snap me out of my head. Rather than to stand there “doing nothing” with my head so dangerously full of excitement and thoughts, I needed to give myself something to do to clear my head. And so I chose to change my own targets, awkwardly walking in my shooting shoes the 25 m length to change the target and back, retaking my position right before the command load. I didn’t have a ruler at the time and I used to struggle getting into position consistently, but this was the price I was willing to pay in order to sort out a larger, more pressing issue. My students were confused (they are usually the ones who change my targets), “She’s changing her own targets? Since when? What?” But it worked. It was an “overcoming” that I’m really proud of and I managed to do really well in that match. I kept my thoughts and excitement at bay, but the first thing I shouted across the range the moment I was done, was, “HOW DID SHE DO??” Somebody check!”
Thank you for sharing this with us, Kristina! No matter what the situation, you stayed true to yourself as a shooter and decided to enter the competition, even though you knew it would not go according to your usual plan. But as you wrote, you were aware of this from the start and managed to adapt, which shows immense awareness and knowledge of your (shooting) routines. And these also come with conscious training. Congratulations on being adaptable in the moment!