Is The Doubles Drill A Waste of Time?

In this episode of *That Shooting Show With Steve Anderson*, Steve tackles the controversial topic of whether the doubles drill is a waste of time and ammo. Drawing from a thoughtful letter he received, Steve argues that the drill itself isn't inherently flawed—but its misuse by shooters is the real problem. He distinguishes between the drill’s intended purpose—training predictive shooting, split timing, and subconscious skill under stress—and the common misconception that it's simply about firing two shots on one sight picture. Steve emphasizes that the true value lies in developing the ability to call shots accurately at high speed, not just achieving fast splits. He warns that many shooters misinterpret the drill, blaming grip or trigger for poor shot placement when the root cause is often premature trigger pull due to poor sight picture discipline. He stresses that the most common reason for bad stages is firing on an unacceptable sight picture, a fixable issue between stages. Steve also critiques the term 'accuracy at speed,' arguing that accuracy should never be sacrificed for speed, and champions predictive shooting as a high-round-count, high-commitment skill built on deep familiarity with one’s gun and ammunition. The episode concludes with a call to action for the upcoming Mental Management class, framing mental coaching as essential for athletes of all ages.