Developmental Drill: The NSS

Back in its heyday, an oft-group out of Las Vegas, Nevada known as the Zombie Eradication Response Team (ZERT) used the term “zombie” as a metaphor for preparedness and drew members worldwide. Assuming you could get past the whole “zombie” sales pitch (which was very hard to do), the group actually had a good list of shooting drills that members could use as a fair and balanced system, the core of which was known as the National Shooting Standard (NSS). Today the group has deteriorated some, with its website domain registering a 404 Error, its Facebook page having been reconstituted twice, and little cohesive activity. But in this month’s Developmental Drill I will attempt to reconstruct the group’s core shooting drills, beginning with the NSS.

Intended to emphasize handgun accuracy and fundamentals over speed, the NSS is untimed (if you should choose) and was meant to be shot using a ZERT silhouette target. But you can easily replicate it using a cardboard USPSA/IDPA target and 3×5 index cards in the described configuration:

• Card T1: Head
• Cards T2-T4: Across shoulders
• Card T5: Pelvis

Stage 1: (1×3-round magazine)

• Start position: From the holster.
• Sequence: 1 shot to head T1, reholster.
• Repeat three times.

Stage 2: (1×6-round magazine)

• Start position: From the holster.
• Sequence: 2 shots to left shoulder T2, reholster.
• Repeat three times.

Stage 3: (1×3-round magazine)

• Start position: From the holster.
• Sequence: 1 shot to center chest T3 strong hand only, reholster.
• Repeat three times.

Stage 4: (1×3-round magazine)

• Start position: Starting from weak hand.
• Sequence: 1 shot to right shoulder T4.
• Repeat three times.

Stage 5: (1×3-round magazine, 1×1-round magazine)

• Start position: From the holster.
• Sequence: 3 shots to pelvis T5, conduct reload, 1 shot to T1.
• Repeat three times.

Pass/Fail: Any shot off of the cards is considered a fail.

For added complexity/stressor use a timing device such as a CED7000 to measure total time.