3, 7 and 15 yards. What does it actually mean?

3, 7 and 15 yards. What does it actually mean?

It seems that most traditional shooting ranges are marked in increments of 3, 7, 15, and 25 yards. Not all of them of course but enough that these are fairly common markings at shooting ranges. I'm sure there is some reason for these specific ranges. The police have to qualify at different distances and their methods often leak in to civilian training. I sure don't know what that reason is.

All of us are fairly accurate at judging or estimating these short distances. We shoot from these distances and consider them when evaluating our accuracy. Some take it further and arbitrarily treat these distances as "lines in the sand" when considering their response in the martial sense. More on that later.

So what exactly is 7 yards for instance? I pose this question to people I train with. The usual response is "Well, it's 21 feet". Another may add "it's the distance used in the Tueller drill". "I understand that but what is 7 yards or 21 feet in your life?". The usual response is "I don't know". Do you want to add some realism and a touch of urgency to your training and skills maintenance? Look at these ranges through your lens and add valuable perspective to your arsenal.

Let's briefly go through some distances that are applicable to me as a martial civilian. By “Martial” I am implying you take your safety and training seriously. You are dangerous to foes that my target you.

A common parking space is about 9 feet wide. From the garage door to the door of your car parked in the garage is about 12 feet. The railing of a balcony to the ground is about 14 feet. A flight of steps leading to a second floor, depending on pitch, is approximately 21 feet. The two lane road in front of my house is about 28 feet wide. From my kitchen to the front door is about 18 feet. From my front door to the street is 20.

Of course this could go on indefinitely. The point of all this is to add some perspective to different distances you shoot from. Adding the movement component can drastically change these ranges. Shooting a target at 7 yards is not just 21 feet. It's the distance someone would have to cover when charging up or down a flight of stairs to reach you. 3 yards can be the distance of a shot over your vehicle and 4 yards is how much time you have to react if an assailant approaches you thru the open garage door as you are getting in or out of your vehicle. It's about 20 yards from my front door to my car. Not only is that a potential distance to have to shoot within but depending on how fast I cover it, it's the amount of time an attacker has to set off their ambush before I drive away.

I've had students describe training they've had where arbitrary distances are offered up as mythical, go-no go zones for use of a firearm for protection. Previous instructors have told them that if they are 30 feet, 50 feet, whatever, from their attacker they are not allowed to protect themselves because they can easily run away. Flawed logic obviously and a dangerously limiting view.

Lastly, proximity negates skill. An unskilled but physically capable attacker within bad breath distance armed with a steak knife is far more dangerous than the static range shooter carrying the newest wonder pistol in his holster.

If you see the benefit of this exercise get some measurements from within your own area of operation and tailor your training to mimic these distances. This is where we can build perspective. Perspective is an often overlooked but critical byproduct of good training. It also has an indefinite shelf life.