Imagine you're in a scenario where a threat is rushing to attack you with a knife. The threat is running full speed at you with a deadly weapon and no intention to stop; it becomes clear in seconds you need to use deadly force to save your life. This situation is perfect for one sequence of shots, the Failure To Stop.

"Two to the Chest, One to the Head"

The Failure To Stop shooting drill, sometimes called the Mozambique Drill, was first introduced by Col. Jeff Cooper as a technique for combat when a mass center shot is not enough to take a target down. It consists of three total shots; two to the center of the chest and one to the head.

This drill was designed to put a stop to an advancing threat. If the attacker is wearing body armor, this drill is also highly effective due to the final shot in the head. If you are a John Wick fan, you will see him take down bad guys right and left using this method throughout the movies.

Clearly, with a name like Failure To Stop, it should end the threat, although it is possible it wouldn't.

It still helps to have a wealth of combat caliber and defensive expanding rounds like hollow points to ensure the job gets done. In case you have never attempted this drill before in its entirety, it has a lot to it, so we always advise you to start training slowly.

The Failure to Stop Drill: Step-by-Step

Step One

First, we recommend you draw your firearm and shoot one round into your target. The draw and that first shot are significant and must be done safely. Just make this a fast drill for later to start focusing on technique. Clearing your garment, a good grip, and a good presentation is necessary.

Step Two

The next step is to add those other two shots, one more to the chest and one to the head. We like using a Rubber Dummy target from Rubber Dummies to have clear aiming points, but a paper silhouette would also work.

Step Three

The most significant step to add would be to add steps, literally. Remember, in our imagined scenario, we have a threat rapidly advancing with a knife planning to kill you once he reaches you. This is a scary scenario; the odds would be in his favor since you still have to draw the gun and shoot.

So once you reach a comfort level with drawing, shooting, and trigger discipline, we recommend learning to retreat away from the threat with a backpedal. You need to be able to create some distance and buy yourself some time. This could save your life.

Step Four

To add mental strain to your threat, you can shout a command as you're drawing, aiming, and backpedaling, but before your shot. So as you're pulling your firearm, you can shout, "STOP!"

This can be very important for a couple of reasons. First, the threat might stop, and you wouldn't have to fire your gun.

Second, if you have to fire your weapon and kill the threat, shouting for them to stop would be valuable for a witness account. Shouting a warning shows that you used your gun as a last resort after trying to shout the subject down.

The Failure to Stop Drill is a great drill to improve skill and accuracy. It focuses on many skills in one training, which could save your life if faced with a rushing threat. This drill will help you understand the importance of proper technique when shooting for speed, which is vital for any defensive encounter.