You"ve probably heard this statement before: Fire two shots to the assailant"s chest and then another to the head. However, many people don"t know why we say this or where it comes from. This article will explain the popular drill known as two the chest, one to the head, also known as the Mozambique Drill.

You are watching: Two in the chest one in the head

This drill was popularized by Jeff Cooper after he heard a story from a mercenary who fought in the Mozambique wars of the 1960s.

According to the story, the shooter fired two shots into the torso of an attacker who continued to approach. Surprised that the two shots to the torso had not disabled the attacker he then took a more deliberate shot to the head and stopped the attack.

Since the head is a much smaller target, shooters are trained to always aim for the torso. The torso is a more consistent, not to mention larger, target that is filled with vital organs. While there is a good chance of a bullet hitting one of these organs, there is no guarantee that a person fueled by adrenaline will stop an attack after being shot in the torso.

The only shot placement guaranteed to fully disable an attacker is in the brain. That said, since the skull is very hard to penetrate, the shots need good placement even on the head in order to fully disable the attacker.

And so, with this in mind Jeff Cooper created and taught the “Mozambique Drill.” He taught his students to take two quick shots to the torso and then a slower and more deliberate shot to the head.

To train this drill place your target between 7 and 10 feet out. Use a silhouette target or use two separate targets for the torso and the head. Start slowly with deliberate motions and then increase speed. Focus on taking a pause before the head shot to really ensure accuracy.

When this becomes easier add a second target to the side and practice the drill on both targets. You may try shooting all 4 torso shots and then returning for the head shots. Remember the idea here is to stop the attacker with the 2 shots to the torso then re-assess the situation, only taking the head shot if necessary.

Make sure you practice this from the holster, as well as in your dry fire training if you have a device like a SIRT Pistol that allows you to reset your trigger.

See more: How To Mute People On Fortnite Can They Still Hear You? Fortnite: How To Mute Other Players

For more pistol shooting drills, make sure you check out our Handgun Shooting Drills Volume 1 DVD that does an excellent job of explaining different drills you can do to up your shooting proficiency.


About Jacob PaulsenJacob S. Paulsen is the President of provides in-person and online firearm training for American gun owners. The Company is currently teaching in-person classes in 25+ states with a team of more than 55 instructors. Jacob is a NRA certified instructor & Range Safety Officer, USCCA certified instructor and training counselor, Utah BCI instructor, Affiliate instructor for Next Level Training, Graduate and certified instructor for The Law of Self Defense, and a Glock and Sig Sauer Certified Armorer. He resides in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with his wife and children.