Ice, Snow, and Bad Footing
Dry-Fire · At Home
Verified clear. Stand on a rug that slides, in socks, or outside on poor ground. Fifteen draws with a wide stance, bent knees, and short steps. On bad footing you shuffle rather than stride, and you keep your weight low.
Live-Fire · At the Range
Twenty rounds at 7 yards, two per string, taking one short shuffle step before each string if your range allows movement. Keep your knees bent throughout.
Service Pistol
Boots and a duty belt on ice is a real hazard. Short steps, and keep your hands free when you can.
Concealed Carry
A fall with a gun in your hand is the danger. If you are going down, the finger is off the trigger and the muzzle is away from you.
Carbine
With a carbine, sling tension keeps the rifle on you if you slip.
AUX (when ready): step and draw to a first hit in under two and a half seconds from poor footing.
On ice, staying on your feet comes before everything else.
Your Daily Callout — By Archetype
You move hard and fast. On ice that puts you on the ground.
Look at the ground as part of reading the scene.
If you fall, you cannot help anyone. Short steps.
Choose winter footwear for traction and you have solved most of this ahead of time.
Layer: dry only, practice going to one knee on purpose and presenting from there.
- Treat every firearm as if it is loaded — always, no matter what you think you know.
- Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you have decided to fire.
- Be sure of your target — and everything beyond it.
Dry-fire: no ammunition in the room. Verify the firearm is clear — twice. Use a safe backstop. When you finish, say it out loud: “Dry fire is over.”
The Four Universal Safety Rules
Non-negotiable. Every drill, every rep, every time. This applies to live fire and dry fire.
- Treat every firearm as if it is loaded — always, no matter what you think you know.
- Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you have decided to fire.
- Be sure of your target — and everything beyond it.