The Mozambique Drill - When Center Mass Isn't Enough

"Speed is fine, but accuracy is final." — Wyatt Earp

That old gunfighter wisdom captures exactly why I teach the Mozambique Drill to every executive protection client who comes through Grey Man Academy. Two shots to the chest, one to the head. It's not about being flashy—it's about being final.

The Mozambique Drill trains you for the moment when your "A-game" still isn't stopping the threat.

Here's the tactical logic: It’s good practice to always engage center mass first—the chest presents the largest target with vital organs. Under stress, when your fine motor skills diminish and threats are moving unpredictably, you need the highest probability of effective hits. Simple physics and anatomy.

But what happens when those chest shots don't stop the threat fast enough? Maybe body armor is involved—increasingly common in active shooter situations. Maybe the threat is chemically enhanced or is running body armor. This is where hope becomes a liability.

The head shot isn't random. I'm targeting the ocular region specifically—the area between the eyebrows and upper lip. This provides the most direct path to the medulla oblongata at the brain stem. A hit here means instant incapacitation without muscular clenching reflexes.

The technical execution matters as much as the concept. Trigger reset discipline, minimal travel between shots, and rapid target transition from chest to head. My cold demonstration time of 2.37 seconds isn't my best time, and it sure isn’t showing off—it's about proving the technique works under realistic conditions.

For armed professionals and responsible citizens, the Mozambique Drill isn't about tactical theater. It's about building systematic problem-solving habits when stopping a determined threat becomes absolutely necessary. Because in a real defensive encounter, speed might get you started, but accuracy—at the right target—is what gets you home.

Mozambique/Failure Drill

Creator: Mike Rousseau (experience), popularized by Jeff Cooper

Target Setup: