ENG – Building Solid Structures and the Capacity to Handle Distance

As mentioned, mechanics begin development at 3 meters, alternate between targets of various shapes but very small in size.Once that area is stabilized, the shooter progresses to 5, then 8, 10, and finally 15 meters. All these distances should initially be tackled from a neutral condition with the platform already drawn, then progressively through the full draw phase.Depending on the drill or training program, fire phases will vary by cadence, number of rounds, number and type of targets, size, and transitions.Beyond the 15-meter threshold, the work shifts. Movement and dynamics come into play.

Short Range Enables Clear Mechanical

Diagnosis Training at short distances enables much more effective mechanical diagnosis.Every error is visible. Every deviation is readable. A skilled trainer can isolate and highlight each dysfunctional component, working specifically on grip, trigger management, front sight control, stance, and focal condition.From the shooter’s perspective, every shot’s placement is perceivable in real time, facilitating self-correction.All it takes is a basic paper target and a marker to create diagnostic tools that are strategically valuable, allowing us to track platform movement during vertical recoil, lateral inertial motion, or any element of the mechanical structure starting with grip.

Distance as an Error Multiplier

For a novice, distance can be the most dangerous error multiplier.Every structural flaw, every biomechanical deficiency, or sequence asymmetry gets amplified with increased distance.Shooting at 20 or 25 meters with a base as unstable as that of a beginner means projecting error into a zone where it is no longer visible or correctable.Distance distorts it, fragments it, and masks it, making the learning process slow and vulnerable to major mechanical errors and bad habits, the kind that eventually form what we call training scars, structural fractures in shooting mechanics

The Three Enemies of the Rookie Shooter: Distance, Speed, and Haste

Three factors can undermine, delay, or contaminate the mechanical structures of a beginner:

• Distance

• Speed (V3, Mechanical Speed)

• The urge to progress without consolidating the previous step.

Speed, when introduced before biomechanical stability, introduces errors in the sequence, corrupts correct movement, undermines effectiveness, and makes it harder for a trainer to visually analyze the gesture or motion.Haste is a real pathology, influenced by mindset, personal traits, training approach, and goals.Skipping a step or overestimating progress leads to illusions of competence.

Sampling: The False Positive in Distance Mastery

Believing you have mastered a distance like 15 meters just because you hit 5 out of 5 Alpha shots is statistically irrelevant because the sampling is completely insufficient.If you were to fire another 95 rounds, bringing the sample size to 100, and only land 10 Alpha hits total, with 5 of those being in the initial 5-shot string, your effectiveness would drop from 100% to a mere 10% over 100 shots. To truly assess mastery of a step, you need a broad and continuous base.The wider the sample, the more reliable the data.This is why every shooter should maintain a Training Book, recording every training session.That is what serious, professional training looks like.

Conclusion: When Distance Becomes Diagnosis

Once structures are correctly built, stabilized, and consolidated, once platform manipulation is effective and movement and dynamics are integrated, you can operate at any distance that is technically compatible with your conditions and platform.Distance is a powerful parameter, but it must be respected.You do not master distance by using it; you master it by building it.Only when the technical structure is stable, movement is coherent, and the gesture is readable, can distance be used as a stability test, not as a visual stunt.Yes, it is entirely possible to shoot at 50 or even 100 meters. I have personally gone up to 300 meters with a G17 Gen3 (you can find the video on the page) to test mechanical structure, but remember, the real work, the hard work, is done on 1 or 2 millimeter targets at 3, 5, or 7 meters.