One of the most legendary Shooting drills of all time is known as the Failure to Stop Drill. It’s also known as the Failure Drill or, most famously, the Mozambique Drill. It dates back to legendary firearms instructor Jeff Cooper.
The Failure to Stop Drill might be old, but it is still very relevant and is still taught to various police and military forces. I first heard of it during my time in the Marine Corps and later learned of its history and usefulness.
History Of the Failure to Stop Drill
Jeff Cooper created the Modern Technique, one of the first systems designed for combat pistol use. Prior pistol training was largely based around slow-fire Bullseye techniques, which didn’t translate well to combat-style shooting. Jeff Cooper helped modernize shooting; most of the Modern Technique comes from real-life experience.
A mercenary named Mike Rousseau once relayed a story to Jeff Cooper. Rousseau was a Rhodesian Mercenary who fought in the Mozambican War of Independence. During a firefight, Rousseau encountered an enemy fighter and fired two rounds from his Browning Hi-Power into the man’s chest.
These shots didn’t stop the fighter, so Rousseau fired a final shot to the fighter’s head. This created the basis of the Failure to Stop Drill, which Jeff Cooper named the Mozambique Drill. In this drill, you fire two quick rounds to the chest and then a well-aimed shot to the head of the threat.
LAPD SWAT trained with Jeff Cooper, and they adopted the Mozambique Drill and changed the name to the more professional Failure to Stop Drill when training LAPD Officers.
From there, the drill exploded in popularity. It’s since become a foundational drill for combative shooting. It’s even popular in movies. Films like Heat and Collateral famously used the Failure to Stop Drill.
The Failure to Stop Drill: Equipment Needed
This drill doesn’t take a whole lot of gear. You need a handgun, one magazine, and three rounds in total. Beyond that, you need your eye and ear protection, but not much else, depending on the variation you shoot.
I’m going to run this drill from the holster. Specifically, I am going to use the Safariland Ballast holster.
You’ll need a target with a distinguished head and body portion. Sage Dynamics’ free printable targets are a great option. Print a head and torso, and you have a cost-effective way to shoot the Drill.
To measure your performance, I’d suggest using a shot timer. Again, this only makes the drill better and gives you a second piece of performance data to pull from. I’d bring more than three rounds because you’ll want to shoot this drill several times.
With your gear in tow, let’s head to the range.
Shooting The Failure to Stop Drill
Traditionally, the Failure to Stop Drill is fired from seven yards. You can change this to increase the difficulty by increasing the range or make it easier by decreasing the range. We shot the Drill from the seven-yard line.
With the gun holstered, you’ll start facing the target. At the beep of your shot timer, you’ll draw and fire two rounds quickly to the torso. There are two distinct ways of firing two rounds quickly.
We have the classic double tap or hammer pair, which uses two rounds for one sight picture, and the controlled pair, which uses two sight pictures with two rounds fired. You could use either technique, but I prefer the classic double tap for a close-range drill like this.
Next, we will fire a well-aimed headshot. Well-aimed is the key here. That doesn’t mean slow, but you shouldn’t press the gas pedal to the floor if you can’t land an accurate shot in the center of the head.
Shoot as fast as possible, but make sure it’s well-aimed.
There has never been a par time standard. Like all combat shooting, you should want to go as fast as possible. An acceptable par time is around 2.5 seconds. Faster is always better, as long as your shots hit their targets.
Possible Modifications
The Failure to Stop Drill has been around for so long that it has been modified extensively over the years. It’s grown and grown over the years, and a number of adaptations have been produced to meet modern needs. Here are a few of the more common modifications.
Low Ready
An easier variant for new shooters involves firing from the low ready rather than a holster. This method is perfect for newer shooters and removes a degree of complication.
The Pelvic Girdle
A modern modification of the Failure to Stop Drill has you shooting two rounds to the chest and another to the pelvic girdle. This technique can be used when a headshot isn’t possible or the angle could endanger another person. A shot to the pelvic girdle can cripple an enemy.
With that said, a handgun is very unlikely to cripple a threat by a shot to the pelvic girdle. The pelvic girdle option makes more sense when using a long gun that can destroy the pelvic girdle.
Rifle Version
Using a rifle isn’t much different than using a handgun. The difference is that shooters should practice at distances greater than seven yards. To use the rifle, practice at 7, 15, and 25 yards.
Shotgun Version
The shotgun version isn’t much different than the rifle or handgun version. Instead of firing two to the chest, we’ll fire one round to the chest and transition to the head. The fact a round of buckshot has 8 to 9 pellets means two shots to the chest aren’t necessary.
The shotgun version is most applicable when the threat is wearing body armor. Shotguns do poorly against body armor, and the first round to the torso can pause the threat to allow for the headshot.
Box Drill
The Box Drill is a more complicated adaptation of the famed Failure to Stop Drill. This version involves two threats placed within five yards or less of each other. Two threats are critical, and you have to shoot quick and straight to avoid being harmed when outnumbered.
When the timer goes beep, you’ll draw and fire two rounds to the chest of one target. You can choose which one to shoot first. Regardless of which target, shoot your first target twice in the chest.
Now, transition to the second target and fire two rounds to the chest. Keep your sights on the target, and now transition to take that well-aimed headshot. After making that headshot, transition to the other target and take a well-aimed headshot.
That’s the box drill.
The Failure To Stop
The Failure To Stop Drill is a classic that’s remained in most training inventories for a reason. It works. It’s a tactical training drill that focuses on shot placement and stopping the threat. It’s practical, simple, and perfect for the defensive shooter.
Give it a spin, and you’ll see why it works and why it’s been around for so long.
