Trigger Control Is Not One Speed: Precision, Reset, and Defensive Shooting

Media Description

Three Trigger Speeds for Three Different Shooting Problems

A lot of shooters are taught one way to press the trigger. They are told to find the wall, stop, and press smoothly to the rear. That method matters. It builds control, precision, awareness, and discipline behind the gun.

But real-world shooting is not always that simple.

In this lesson with Edgar Gonzalez from Tactical 21, we worked through three different approaches to trigger control: slower precision shooting, a faster controlled reset, and a more aggressive trigger press for close-range defensive work. The point was not to say that one method is always right and the others are wrong. The point was to understand when each method applies.

That is a very important distinction. Good training should not create one answer for every problem. Good training should develop judgment. The shooter must understand distance, time, target requirement, threat level, skill level, grip quality, and the amount of precision needed in that moment.

In other words, the situation helps determine the method.

Training With Tactical 21

I have had the opportunity to work with the Tactical 21 team in Virginia Beach for a number of years. I am one of the instructors with Tactical 21, primarily in the areas of combatives and executive protection, and I often have the opportunity to do defensive tactics and shooting events with their team.

Tactical 21 has become one of the training partners connected to my work and the Capability Academy. That matters because the Academy is not built around one subject. Martial arts, firearms, defensive tactics, physical culture, leadership, and self-education can all become learning environments when they are taught correctly.

The Tactical 21 team brings real experience, practical teaching, and a strong commitment to helping people become more prepared, more responsible, and more capable. They are not just teaching people how to shoot. They are teaching safety, responsibility, discipline, judgment, and the ability to perform under pressure.

That is why I value the relationship. When you find people who are serious about training and serious about helping students, you pay attention. You put yourself near them. You learn what you can, share what you can, and continue to build better training environments together.

Who Is Edgar Gonzalez?

Edgar Gonzalez is the Founder, CEO, and Lead Firearms and Heavy Weapons Instructor for Tactical 21. He was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and grew up in a family with a long history of military service.

Edgar served in the United States Navy as an Aviation Ordnanceman, specializing in weapons and armament systems. He had a 14-year military career, with 9 of those years spent in the Naval Special Warfare community. His background includes multiple combat deployments from Desert Storm into Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Today, Edgar’s work is focused on helping people build the knowledge, tactics, and responsible training needed to protect themselves and their families. His instructor background includes USCCA certifications in firearms, defensive shooting fundamentals, first aid, active shooter instruction, and range safety, along with additional medical and instructor certifications.

That kind of background matters because it brings weight to the lesson. When someone has spent years around weapons systems, military environments, instruction, and pressure, their teaching is not coming from theory alone. It is coming from experience.

The First Gear: Slower Precision Shooting

The first method Edgar walked through was the slower precision press.

This is the version most shooters are introduced to early in their training. The shooter presses through the wall, holds the trigger to the rear after the shot, feels the reset, confirms the sights, and then takes the next shot.

This method is valuable because it teaches patience and awareness. It helps the shooter understand what the trigger is doing, where the reset is, what the sights are doing, and how the gun feels during the shot cycle.

This is also the method that makes sense when the target is farther away or when the shot requires more precision. In that situation, you may have a little more time. You may need to confirm more. You may need to slow down enough to make sure the shot meets the requirement.

The lesson is not that slow is always better. The lesson is that precision requires discipline. When distance increases or the target requirement becomes smaller, the shooter must adjust.

The Second Gear: Catching the Reset

The second method was faster and more connected to the trigger reset.

Edgar described the idea of allowing the trigger pad to come forward and meet the finger at the reset. Instead of coming completely off the trigger, the shooter learns to feel where the gun resets and begins preparing the next press as the gun cycles.

This is where the shooter begins to run the gun faster while still maintaining control.

In the lesson, the idea was described as “catching the trigger.” That is a useful way to think about it. You are not abandoning the trigger. You are not waiting passively. You are learning the timing of the gun, the movement of the trigger, and the moment when the next shot can be taken responsibly.

This requires familiarity with your firearm. Different guns have different triggers. The reset may feel different. The pressure may feel different. The travel may feel different. The shooter has to spend enough time with the firearm to understand how it behaves.

This is where repetition builds useful awareness. The shooter learns the tool. The tool begins to give feedback. The body begins to recognize the timing.

The Third Gear: A Faster Defensive Trigger Press

The third method was more aggressive and more connected to close-range defensive shooting.

In a close defensive problem, the shooter may not be using the same trigger process they would use for a slower precision shot. The speed of the problem changes the method. The need to stop the threat quickly may require a faster trigger press, and that faster press may create more movement in the gun.

That does not mean the shooter becomes reckless. It means the shooter must understand what is happening and how to manage it.

Edgar made an important point here: grip becomes critical as speed increases.

If the trigger is being pressed faster, the shooter must have enough structure in the hands, body, and presentation to manage the gun. Without that grip, speed creates unnecessary movement. With a better grip, the shooter has a better chance of controlling the gun while increasing the pace.

That is one of the big takeaways from this lesson. Trigger control and grip are not separate subjects. They influence each other. The faster the shooter begins to run the trigger, the more important the grip becomes.

Accuracy, Distance, and the Problem in Front of You

One of the most useful parts of the lesson happened when we walked down and looked at the target.

The slower precision shots were tighter. The controlled reset began to open up a little. The faster defensive press created more movement on the target.

That is important feedback.

The question Edgar asked was simple: at that distance, does a two-inch or two-and-a-half-inch deviation matter in the same way it would matter at a longer distance?

The answer depends on the context.

At closer defensive distances, a slightly larger group may still be acceptable if the speed is necessary and the hits are still where they need to be. At greater distances, that same level of movement could become unacceptable because the target requirement changes.

That is why judgment matters.

The shooter has to understand what the problem requires. How far away is the target? How much time is available? What level of precision is needed? What is behind the target? What is the consequence of a miss? How much control does the shooter actually have at that speed?

These questions matter because defensive shooting is not just marksmanship. It is decision-making with consequences.

The Correct Answer: It Depends on What Is in Front of You

At the end of the lesson, Edgar asked which trigger method I would choose.

The answer was: it depends on what is in front of me.

That was the right answer because a capable shooter should not be trapped inside one method. They need options. They need understanding. They need enough training to know when precision matters more, when speed matters more, and when grip has to compensate for a faster trigger press.

That is the same idea we talk about throughout the Capability Academy. Capability is not just knowing one technique. Capability is knowing how to adapt your knowledge to the situation in front of you.

In shooting, as in martial arts, context changes the answer.

If the distance changes, the answer may change. If the time available changes, the answer may change. If the target requirement changes, the answer may change. If the shooter’s skill level changes, the answer may change.

That is why training must go beyond memorizing one rule.

Rules are useful. Fundamentals are useful. But the goal is not to become a person who repeats rules. The goal is to become a person who can use principles to make better decisions under pressure.

Why This Matters Beyond the Range

A good firearms lesson is not only about the firearm.

It is about responsibility, attention, discipline, pressure, consequences, and judgment.

That is why firearms training can become a Capability Environment. It is a place where knowledge is applied against resistance. The tool gives feedback. The target gives feedback. The instructor gives feedback. The situation forces the student to pay attention.

On the range, you cannot simply pretend you are more capable than you are. The target will show you what happened. The gun will show you what your grip did. The shot placement will show you whether your speed exceeded your control.

That kind of feedback is valuable when it is handled correctly.

The goal is not ego. The goal is improvement.

The goal is not looking fast. The goal is becoming useful, responsible, and accurate enough for the problem you are training to solve.

That is why I appreciate training partners like Tactical 21. They help create environments where people can test, learn, adjust, and develop capability under responsible instruction.

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