U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Ken Hackathorn is one of the legends of the training and competition world. He is a founding member of both IPSC and IDPA, was one of the first instructors at Gunsite Academy, and has been instrumental in training both professional and private citizens in armed defense. One of his contributions I’ve been working on lately is Ken’s Wizard Drill. Ken considers the Wizard Drill to be his go-to for determining whether someone is simply armed or actually competent with their concealed pistol. A gold standard to see if you are capable of facing a lethal threat. So what exactly is the Wizard Drill?
Setting Up the Drill
The setup for this drill is fairly simple. You need a single target, calling for an IDPA silhouette, though similar targets such as an IALEFI-Q should suffice. Shooters will need their pistol in a concealment holster, a timer, one magazine, and five rounds of ammunition. If shooting with a pocket holster, shooters start with their hand on the gun in the pocket. No reloads are necessary.
There are no handicaps for optics, different calibers, or carry methods other than inside the waistband. Ken Hackathorn specifically uses his carry ammunition when shooting this drill, though I used FMJ ammo for my attempts.
Scoring the Wizard Drill
Scoring is a very binary pass or fail system. The par time for each string of fire is 2.5 seconds. Any shots that fall completely off the target is a fail. Any shots fired after the part-time is a DQ. So you have to get all of your hits in 2.5 seconds every time for the drill to count. In total, shooters can drop 2 points and still pass, giving you a little wiggle
