When you purchased your first handgun, shooting from the ground probably wasn’t part of your plan. Admit it, you saw yourself as a suave John Wick, didn’t you? Most of us picture ourselves exiting our classic muscle car, while throwing perfectly timed shots at targets all around us. All with a suppressed gun that makes barely audible laser sounds. Sound about right?
Unfortunately, real life rarely cooperates with Hollywood scripts. The truth is, when danger strikes, you might find yourself flat on your back, unprepared, startled, and reacting without thinking.
When incidents occur, our brain tends to take over, and the body reacts the best it can for survival. The more we train and build up good muscle memory, the better.
This means if you have never practiced shooting from the ground, it may be a good time to start. Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind the next time you train on or off the range.
Dynamic Shooting: Spin, Twist, and Turn
Knowing how to shoot from unconventional positions isn’t just cool, it’s potentially lifesaving. This is why people practice shooting from a vehicle, while moving, and in other dynamic situations. The movies make it look easy, but they are scripted. When incidents happen in the real world, they are chaotic and happen very quickly. There are no do-overs until you get it right, like the movie stars get.
You could be injured, trip over things around you, or simply need to take cover when things go bad. Putting in range time is a good habit, but you also want to build a diverse training program.
If you have ever fired a gun while lying on the ground, you know it’s much different, and harder, than standing up facing a target.
Rich Graham has a great training program for this. In his video “Dynamic Pistol Drills,” he demonstrates how you can move in circles, on your back, while keeping your firearm trained on the target.
He also covers how you can move from your side or another position to getting back on your feet while engaging a target. Again, it sounds easy to just stand up, but when you’re trying to watch a suspect or engage a target, there are things to consider.
Shoot from the ground
We naturally use our hands to push ourselves off the ground when standing up. We also end up facing the ground during part of this motion. It’s important to practice standing up while keeping a firearm trained at a target and keeping that target within sight the entire time.
This is no different than anything else we do. It makes sense and doesn’t sound all that difficult, but when something happens and your body reacts, it will only do what you have trained it to. Otherwise, it makes stuff up, and that’s not always a good thing.
You may not have time to stand up once you’re on the ground. This is another reason to train firing from the ground. Practice shooting from the ground, changing positions, and standing up when possible.
In Graham’s video, he covers how to move your feet to move your body from one position to another. You may not have time to stand up if you’re in the middle of a self-defense situation. Check out the video and try some of his drills. I would recommend using a training system in your gun, like the Dry Fire Mag, before you attempt this on a range.
draw from your holster, on the ground
Graham’s video covers a lot of good stuff when it comes to moving around on the ground and keeping your target in sight. It’s also a good idea to add some holster training to your ground game.
Drawing your handgun while standing up is relatively straightforward. You’ve probably practiced it thousands of times at the range, or in the mirror at home…
But what happens when you’re lying flat on your back or twisted awkwardly on your side? Do you know the best way to turn or move to gain access to your holster? Remember, if the muscle memory is not there, your body will make stuff up.
Performing some drills like this isn’t hard; it’s just more inconvenient than standing. When you are just practicing drawing from your holster, it can be done at home, so that makes it a little more convenient, right?
When I do these drills, I like to start by lying flat on my back and draw as I sit up to engage a target. After that, I move from one side to the other and practice drawing and “firing” at a target. Remember, if you’re on the same side as your gun, you will need to shift in order to draw the gun.
I also practice from a prone position and while sitting on the ground. Just like drawing while standing up or sitting in a car, the more you do it, the more efficient you will become. Just pay attention to where the muzzle is pointing as you draw the gun. Maybe record yourself so you can analyze your training afterwards.
The Foot Flipper Drill
If you’ve never heard of the Foot Flipper Drill, it’s because it’s made up by some old-timer I met at the range. And of course, there isn’t actually any “flipping” going on, that’s just what he called it. When I saw him, he was doing more of a spin from one side to the other and firing a round each time. The guy was quick and was hitting all of his targets.
This movement is somewhat like Graham does in his video, but more focused on just moving from one side to the other, instead of full circle. I like to keep one leg straight out for leverage while I lift myself up to shoot with my other foot. After you fire, “flip” both feet in front of you and pivot your torso to the other side.
Fire each shot when each shoulder is touching the ground. That means right-side, pew-pew, left-side, pew-pew, then start over.
For this drill, start on your side with your gun pointed at the target. On the beep, fire one round at the target before spinning your body around to the other side and firing again. Repeat this five times (or however many you would like) and record your time. Each time you perform the drill, you can try and beat your fastest time. I like to add 3 seconds onto my time for each shot that I miss.
Initially, you might feel awkward, struggling with smooth transitions and consistent accuracy. That’s entirely normal! The goal is to build consistency and muscle memory, so your body instinctively knows what to do under stress. Over time, you’ll notice dramatic improvements in speed, fluidity, and accuracy.
The main point of the drill is to get used to moving, while making it fun. This would be a good drill to perform as you work up to moving in a full circle as Graham does in his video.
The Crunch Drill
The crunch drill isn’t about achieving six-pack abs, but it might give you a small taste of gym-like exertion. In this drill, you’ll practice engaging a target from your back while sitting partially upright.
Start this drill flat on your back, with your feet slightly bent and spread apart (like you are preparing to sit up). Hold your gun in a ready position and on the beep, sit up just enough to see the target and engage it. After you fire two rounds, lie back down, then sit up and fire two rounds again.
When I do this drill, I like to run through an entire mag. You’re basically doing crunches or sit-ups, but stopping just long enough to fire twice at the peak of the crunch.
This drill improves core strength, stability, and your ability to engage accurately from compromised positions. It also simulates situations where you may need to quickly assess your environment from a prone position.
Training requires more than just shooting
There isn’t a perfect way to shoot from the ground. Everyone is different, and you may need to adjust how you move or shoot from the ground.
When you try any of these drills, you realize very quickly how important it is to keep your body in shape. Being able to point and pull a trigger may not always be enough. Stretch daily and work out on a regular schedule if possible.
If your body has limits, work within the confines of those limits, but the point is to do something. Expand your shooting skills and muscle memory as much as possible, so if the unthinkable happens, you will be ready.
