{"id":7489,"date":"2026-08-20T08:32:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T08:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/?p=7489"},"modified":"2026-08-19T17:32:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T17:32:36","slug":"el-presidente-shooting-drill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/el-presidente-shooting-drill\/","title":{"rendered":"El Presidente Shooting Drill"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s tempting when writing about El Presidente, one of the most famous drills in the history of pistol shooting, to refer to it as \u201cThe El Presidente\u201d drill, but then you just end up saying \u201cThe The President Drill\u201d which sounds insane. The most common way this popular drill is referenced is to call it \u201cEl Pres\u201d or \u201cEl Prez\u201d depending on your preference. But what\u2019s the history of this incredibly popular drill and how has it changed over time?<\/p>\n<h3>Shooting the Modern El Presidente Drill<\/h3>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The modern El Pres is probably best defined by its usage as a United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) classifier. Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll need to set this drill up and shoot it in its most recognized format.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Three USPSA style targets<\/li>\n<li>Handgun, belt, holster, and at least one spare magazine\/speed loader and pouch<\/li>\n<li>Shot timer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Setup<\/h4>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Place the targets 30 feet downrange from you and three feet apart shoulder to shoulder. Center yourself on the center target in the array.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7506\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/DSC3432-Web.jpg\" alt=\"Three targets lined up for El Presidente drill\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/DSC3432-Web.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/DSC3432-Web-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/DSC3432-Web-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/DSC3432-Web-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/DSC3432-Web-750x500.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Procedure<\/h4>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Starting position is facing uprange (away from the targets.) You want your gun loaded with only six rounds, and your wrists above your shoulders (commonly called the surrender position). On the audible beep, turn and engage each target with 2 rounds in any order. Then, perform a slide lock reload, and re-engage each target with two rounds each for a total of 12 rounds.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protip: most shooters turn towards their holster side. A right-handed shooter will turn towards his holster and engage the targets initially from left to right. The reason for this is because it\u2019s faster to turn towards your holster than away from it. When a right handed shooter turns away from their holster, they\u2019re turning all the way across their body before they can clear the holster. After engaging the targets from left to right, once I complete the reload I like to shoot from left to right again.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scoring<\/h4>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In USPSA, the goal is to shoot the highest hit factor possible. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/uspsa-scoring\/\">Hit factor<\/a> is your total points on target divided by your time. We\u2019ll dispense with that here and instead give you target times to hit and shoot all a-zone hits. With all A-zone hits, a solid time is 9 seconds assuming you\u2019re using a mostly stock with an optic. Shrink that time by two seconds down to 7 and you\u2019re at a level that indicates high proficiency. If you shrink that time even further to a 6 second run, you\u2019re at an equal level of skill to a USPSA Grandmaster on this drill.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the revolver people, the times change a bit. Your \u201cgood\u201d scores start at around 13 seconds and run in a range from there to about 10 seconds. Anything in that 10-13 range is good to great, depending on where you\u2019re at. Your \u201cgreat to Grandmaster\u201d range starts at about 9 seconds, with a GM level time popping out at 8.2 seconds, so anything faster than that is absolutely blazing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Again, all you\u2019ll need to run this drill is three targets, your gun, belt, holster, mag pouch, 12 rounds of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/ammunition.php\">ammo<\/a> and a shot timer. It\u2019s a great drill to practice drawing, reloading, and transitioning the gun on multiple targets. The current USPSA version is probably the \u201cbest\u201d that\u2019s out there right now in terms of being easy to set up and shoot. But there are some options for the El Pres you could try.<\/p>\n<h3>Common El Presidente Variants<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7507 size-full\" title=\"Shooting El Presidente Drill\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/DSC3625-Web.jpg\" alt=\"The author shooting the El Presidente drill at the range\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/DSC3625-Web.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/DSC3625-Web-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/DSC3625-Web-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/DSC3625-Web-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/DSC3625-Web-750x500.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second most common El Presidente variant is called The Vice Presidente. That&#8217;s the same drill but eliminates the turn and draw component, starting with the shooter already facing downrange at the targets. All other elements are the same. This is useful in environments where turning and drawing isn\u2019t feasible due to shooter skill levels, range conditions, or other factors.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another common variant is the IDPA El Presidente, which was part of the old IDPA 90 round classifier. To set this variant up requires three IDPA targets set up 10 yards away from the shooter. However, unlike the USPSA version, the IDPA version spaces the targets much further apart, with six feet separating them from shoulder to shoulder. Additionally, the IDPA targets are staggered in height. Designating the targets T1-T3 from left to right, T1 is 6 feet tall, T2 is 4 feet tall, and T3 is 5 feet tall. The variation in target distance and height makes this version slightly more difficult than the \u201cstandard\u201d version.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lastly, there\u2019s the \u201call steel\u201d variant, which as you might imagine uses all steel targets. You\u2019ll most commonly see this run with A\/C steel targets, which use the entire A and C zones of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/ipsc-100-target-barn-cardboard-targets-1.php\">USPSA target<\/a>. This version tends to be easier and result in faster times, as the available scoring area are larger.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now you\u2019ve got everything you need to set up and run El Presidente, one of the most popular shooting drills of all time! However, if you\u2019re interested in the history of the drill, keep reading.<\/p>\n<h3>Origins of El Presidente<\/h3>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">American Handgunner, 1979. Jeff Cooper, who founded Gunsite three years earlier publishes a column describing a drill that he called \u201cEl Presidente.\u201d Cooper developed the drill while training the security detail for a Latin American head of state and used it as a pass\/fail standard for that training.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">El Pres quickly found a home at Gunsite, where it became part of the standard course curriculum, and still is today. During its early years at Gunsite, they used a 10 second pass\/fail par time. You had to get all 12 hits in the \u201cA-zone\u201d of the notoriously difficult to shoot Gunsite target in that 10 second par time. At the time, shooters considered one of the tougher drills out there.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">El Pres existed pretty much solely at Gunsite until the USPSA updated its classification system in 1999. They included it as one of the standard courses of fire. It\u2019s still part of that system today but adding it to USPSA\u2019s listed classifiers exposed it to a broader audience than Gunsite attendees and American Handgunner subscribers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The modified IDPA version referenced above was part of the IDPA classifier for nearly the entire lifetime of IDPA, and exposed thousands of shooters to this classic drill. But the real explosion of El Presidente happened when the internet, and Youtube, became ubiquitous.<\/p>\n<h4>Is El Presidente Still Relevant?<\/h4>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might be able to say that El Pres was the first \u201cviral\u201d shooting challenge. They\u2019re everywhere today, FAST Coins, Black Belt patches, Turbo pins, all manner of tests and standards for people to try their hand at, but for those of that were both active on the internet in the mid 2010s and active in the shooting sports, we\u2019ll all remember Travis Thomasie, then of the AMU ripping a 3.93 with a stock M&amp;P with iron sights. He shot an all-steel version but this video triggered an arms race of people trying to get sub 5 and sub 4 times on El Pres. About 8 years ago, USPSA Grand Master Tim Herron posted what I believe is the iron sight record, a 3.79 clean on paper targets using a 1911.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My own personal claim to fame with this drill is owning the high hit factor in ICORE Classic Division on the drill, with a time of 13.59 clean.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, El Presidente has faded in <em>online<\/em> popularity as a drill, because it does require a bit more setup than other drills, and the fact that starting uprange means you can\u2019t do it on some ranges. But it is still an excellent test of shooting skills. A good, clean time on El Presidente indicates that a shooter can acquire a target, draw, fire well aimed shots, transition, reload, and fire again while transitioning all in a rapid time. That is an extremely useful set of practical skills, and it\u2019s why El Presidente is still relevant today, and why it will be with us for some time.<\/p>\n<div class=\"b-share-calltoaction\">\n<div class=\"b-share-calltoaction--text b-share-calltoaction-text\">\n<div class=\"b-share-calltoaction-text__header\">\n<h2>Share this article with your friends!<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<ul class=\"b-social-icons clearfix\">\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\"\n               href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/el-presidente-shooting-drill\/\"\n               class=\"social_icon facebook\">&nbsp;Facebook<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\"\n               href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/home?status=https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/el-presidente-shooting-drill\/\"\n               class=\"social_icon twitter\">&nbsp;Twitter<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\"\n               href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;url=https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/el-presidente-shooting-drill\/\"\n               class=\"social_icon linkedin\">&nbsp;LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\"\n               href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/el-presidente-shooting-drill\/\"\n               class=\"social_icon pinterest\">&nbsp;Pinterest<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s tempting when writing about El Presidente, one of the most famous drills in the history of pistol shooting, to&hellip;<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-item-meta\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-content\/themes\/generatepress_child\/svg\/clock.svg\" width=\"14\" height=\"14\" alt=\"\"><time class=\"published\" datetime=\"2026-08-20T08:32:17+00:00\">Aug. 20, 2026<\/time><\/span><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-content\/themes\/generatepress_child\/svg\/comment.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"\">No comments<\/span><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/el-presidente-shooting-drill\/\"><span>Read more <\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-content\/themes\/generatepress_child\/svg\/chevron-right.svg\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":7504,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-range-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7489"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7508,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7489\/revisions\/7508"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}