The Critical Role of Pistol Marksmanship in Armed Security Work
- Jacob Spencer
- Aug 27
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 30
In the field of armed security, proficiency with a handgun is more than just a skill—it can be a decisive factor in both preventing and responding to threats. Precision and speed under stress, confidence in your ability to hit what you aim at, and consistent, deliberate technique are essential. Poor marksmanship can lead to misjudged shots, ineffective threat neutralization, collateral damage, or worse. For armed security professionals, accurate shooting isn’t a luxury—it’s a responsibility. Each round fired must be intentional, controlled, and justified.
That’s why ongoing training and skill maintenance are so important. One of the best tools I’ve found for hammering in fundamentals, especially trigger control and sight focus, is the Dot Torture Drill. It’s a simple but brutally effective 50-round exercise that forces shooters to slow down, really think about each shot, and build consistency under pressure.
What is the Dot Torture Drill?
The Dot Torture Drill consists of ten 2-inch dots on a target, each with a distinct “course of fire” designed to stress different shooting fundamentals like controlled drawing, single-hand shooting, reloads, and weak-hand shots. The idea is to hit every dot cleanly—without missing. Even one miss means you don’t pass. Once you can do that reliably at a given distance, you can increase the challenge by moving farther out or adding a time constraint.
Here’s a typical shooting sequence for the classic Dot Torture Drill (from about three yards to start):
Dot 1: Draw, fire 5 rounds slowly and carefully.
Dot 2: Draw, fire 1 round, holster, then repeat 4 more times (5 rounds total).
Dots 3 & 4: Draw and fire 1 round at Dot 3, then 1 at Dot 4, holster, repeat to make a total of 8 rounds.
Dot 5: Draw and fire 5 rounds with your strong hand only.
Dots 6 & 7: Draw, fire 2 rounds on Dot 6, then 2 on Dot 7, holster, repeat to total 16 rounds.
Dot 8: From the ready position, fire 5 rounds weak-hand only.
Dots 9 & 10: Draw, fire 1 shot on Dot 9, perform a speed reload, fire 1 shot on Dot 10, holster, and repeat two more times (6 rounds total).
If every shot lands cleanly inside the dot, the drill is considered “clean.” From there, you can ramp up the challenge by moving back, reducing the allowed time, or combining it with movement or transitions. Trigger PressersInside SafarilandPistol TrainingCentennial Gun ClubBlue Alpha Belts
Why Dot Torture Helps Armed Security Professionals
Trigger Control: By forcing the shooter to focus on steady, predictable trigger press without disturbing sight alignment, the drill builds muscle memory for smooth, consistent shots. Trigger PressersInside SafarilandBlue Alpha BeltsPistol Training
Mindful Practice: Because a single miss means failure, shooters learn to slow down and consciously execute every shot with discipline. Inside SafarilandBlue Alpha Belts
Versatility: You work from various starting conditions—holster draws, single-hand shots, speed reloads, weak-hand only. That variety helps simulate real-world conditions for armed security and builds competence under different constraints. Inside SafarilandPistol TrainingBlue Alpha Belts
Scalable Challenge: It starts at a manageable distance, but you can increase difficulty by extending range or adding time pressure. That allows armed security professionals to push their skills gradually and track improvement over time. Inside SafarilandCentennial Gun Club
Training Tip
For armed security personnel, I recommend incorporating the Dot Torture Drill into your regular range sessions—perhaps once per month as a fundamentals check. Start slow and deliberate, focusing on clean hits and perfect technique, not speed. Once you can shoot it cleanly without time pressure, introduce a timer or step back a yard or two. Track your progress and use it to identify consistent weak spots (for example, your weak-hand accuracy or reload speed).
By combining solid foundational training drills like Dot Torture with scenario work, decision-making training, and stress inoculation (e.g. shooting under time constraints or simulated distractions), armed security professionals can build and maintain the kind of pistol marksmanship that not only enhances performance—but also confidence and safety on the job.
If you like, I can expand this into a full longer blog post, provide printable Dot Torture targets and training logs, or even suggest complementary drills and training progressions tailored for armed security work. Just say the word.
Free Dot Tourture Download
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