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I practice both
When I shoot one of my Self Defense handguns, it is for both the enjoyment of shooting, and also to practice my skill at self defense shooting.
The first shots I take are quick acquisition, rapid fire. I start with 12 rounds in the mag, and a 7 - 10 yard sillouette target. I grip the gun in a low-ready one handed position at my waist at about holster level. After a pause, I bring the weapon up quickly into a two handed grip, get a flash picture, and squeeze off 3 rounds as quickly as I can. I lower the weapon to holster position, and repeat until the mag is empty. I do this to judge my skill from a cold, unpracticed condition.
I then usually shoot about 50 rounds of slow accurate bullseye type shooting, sometimes with a one-handed grip (true bulls-eye stance), sometimes with a two handed grip.
I then start shooting faster, and shoot another 100 rounds just like I shot the first 12... bringing the gun up from waist level and rapidly shooting 3 rounds. My range does not allow drawing from a holster, so I practice that at home when I dry-fire practice. At the range I start with the gun at waist level.
If I am shooting at a 7 yard target, I just use the front sight. at 10 yards, I slow down a bit and get a flash sight picture. I also always shoot a mag full left handed.
Over the years I have found that slow target shooting is a great aid in learning to shoot quickly. If I only practice rapid fire, I actually get worse as the shooting session progresses. By doing bulls-eye first, I gain both accuracy and speed.
This is what I have been doing for 25 years. I have never taken a class, and I have never shot a handgun competitively. Based on what I see at the ranges, I shoot better than 80% of the people there... the folks who shoot better than me usually shoot WAY WAY better then me, and are obviously competitive shooters.
This is what works for me, if someone finds it helpful, great !
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