Stressed and Unstressed Shooting Performance
G. Anderson, D. Plecas and M. Trump

Today, police recruits in the United States and Canada face
courses of fire as a requirement in their police academy curriculum
and in-service officers encounter periodic qualification and training
courses. Firearm qualification is a well-established and apparently
credible manner that departments and law enforcement agencies
attest to officer competence. “The universal acceptance of both
the process and product of handgun qualification today strongly
implies that officers exceeding the prescribed minimum
performance standards are proficient” (Morrison and Vila, 1998, p.510).

Discussion:

Results:
Heart rates were significantly higher in the stressed shooting
condition. Shooting performance was significantly worse at 3, 7
and 25 meters in the stressed, as compared to the unstressed
condition.
Table 1: Average distance from centre of mass.

Police managers who rely on officer’s qualification scores as an
indicator of their ability to function in a critical incident in the field
are making the assumption that the firearms training program rests
upon apparently defensible content and practices
practices. Caution should
be used in drawing such an inference. Studies have indicated the
hallmarks of marksmanship and firearm qualification; stance,
breath control, trigger squeeze, etc, are not the factors that
generally characterize deadly force encounters (Baratta, 1999).

Target
Distance

Unstressed
Shooting
Score

3 Meter

.8

1.2

.00

7 Meters

1.8

2.6

.04

15 Meters

3.6

4.4

.28

25 Meters

5.5

7.6

.02

Stressed
Shooting
Score

Significance

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of prior
stress on shooting performance in qualified police recruits.

Differences between stressed and unstressed shooting results can
be observed in Figure 1 (average distance from centre of mass)
and
a
d Figure
gu e 2 ((number
u be o
of missed
ssed targets).
a ge s)

Methods:

Figure 1: Average distance from centre of mass.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Unstressed
Stressed

3 Meters

Research is critical of present firearms training and qualifying
standards globally. Like Morrison and Vila (1998) the present study
suggests there are biological limits to handgun-shooting accuracy
that substantially limit performance I stressed conditions. There is
a need to develop new and valid criteria for police firearms training
and qualification.

7 Meters 15 Meters 25 Meters
Distance

References:

Figure 2: Number of missed targets.

20

Morrison, B.G. and Vila, J. B. (1998). “Police handgun qualification:
practical measure or aimless activity?” Policing: An International Journal
of Police Strategies & Management. 21, 3:510-33.

Fifteen meters

25
Missed Targets
(% of shots)

Course of fire included five rounds fired at standard 20x32 inch
targets at 3, 7, 15 and 25 meters. Heart rates were
collected using Polar Heart Rate
Monitors during both conditions.
Targets
g
were scored as a distance
from centre of mass in inches.
Significance (p<0.05) was explored
using paired t-tests.

The liability factor associated to police constables missing their
intended target can lead to both financial and public relation issues
to the departments involved. Weller (2003) suggests that requiring,
or even training officers to fire at distances beyond 15 meters with
a handgun is tactically unsound as the weapon is intended for
sudden, unexpected threats at close proximities. As the probability
of missing the intended target increases dramatically at greater
distances, especially in highly dynamic encounters involving
movement low light and survival stress
movement,
stress, using a handgun at these
distances may become a serious liability issue.
Conclusion:

Seven meters

Inches o
off of centre
off mass

Twenty one police recruits performed a 20 round course of fire
under two experimental conditions: no physical exertion, no time
constraint, and following the POPAT with time constraints.
Unstressed: optimal conditions with no physical exertion, no time
limits Stressed:
limits:
Stressed following
follo ing a ssub
b4
4:00
00 Peace Officer Ph
Physical
sical
Abilities Test (POPAT); all shots within 2:00 minutes.

Annual firearms training and qualifications vary greatly across
North America for general duty police officers, as there are many
different firearms requirements distinctive to the specific
assignments in policing. However, despite this training, low fieldshooting accuracy by police in deadly force situations has been
repeatedly reported. This is in accordance to the present results
that found significant decrements in shooting performance
following a physical stress, in a time-limited shooting qualification.
The increased hit off centre of mass ranged from 67 – 82% with an
increase in the number of missed targets in the stressed condition.

Unstressed
Stressed

15

Weiler, J. (2003, April). “Canadian police need patrol carbines”. Blue Line
Magazine. 15 4: 14.

10
5
1 missed shot

0
15 Meters

25 Meters

JUSTICE INSTITUTE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA