LADDER TRANSITION DRILL

Climb the pressure. Hold the precision.

The Ladder Transition Drill builds progressive stress and forces you to maintain discipline as complexity increases. You’ll start with one shot to the body and one to the head, then add more body shots each rep — but the head shot never changes. This is a test of control, pacing, and visual focus as your mind and hands speed up.

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Why this drill matters:

Most shooters can manage a clean body-head transition when the pressure is low. But as the string gets longer and faster, discipline starts to slip. This drill keeps you accountable when the pressure ramps up.

It also reveals key breakdowns:

• Rushing the head shot after long body strings

• Failing to maintain grip and recoil control

• Letting visual focus fall behind speed

If your accuracy falls apart as your tempo increases, this drill helps lock in your throttle control.

Set it up:

• Distance: 5 to 7 yards

• Target: A-zone (body) and head A-zone

• Rounds: Progressive, ending with 5 body shots + 1 head shot

• Reps: 1 ladder from 1 to 5

• Start Position: Full presentation

How to run the drill:

a.  From full presentation, fire 1 round to the body, then 1 round to the head

b. Repeat, adding 1 additional body shot before each head shot until you complete a 5-body to 1-head string

c. No resets between reps — climb the ladder smoothly without breaking focus

What you are actually training:

Progressive throttle control

You’re learning to maintain speed through the body shots while preserving the discipline needed for a clean head shot.

Visual focus under mounting pressure

As the reps get longer, this drill trains your brain to stay locked in on sight alignment instead of falling into cadence.

Grip endurance during extended strings

This drill challenges your ability to hold grip pressure across multiple recoil cycles without breakdown.

Transition timing and shot discipline

You’re reinforcing the habit of separating your head shot mentally and visually instead of treating it like just another round.

Mental pacing and control

The increasing shot count builds cognitive load, training your ability to stay calm and shoot with purpose.

Drill Tips

The head shot is your gate. If you rush it just once, restart the drill. Make every head shot count, no matter how many rounds come before it.

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The Ladder Transition Drill is used in Week 11 of the Fusion Targets 12 Week Pistol Program to build endurance, precision, and mental control under progressive pressure. It teaches you to maintain performance even as the reps get longer and the decisions harder.

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