Point Shooting????

[mc1911]

"When I walk through a USPSA stage, I don't think "I'm going to point shoot this target and use my sights on that" because after practicing nothing but sighted fire I "know" where to stick the gun to get hits on close range targets. There are times, both in competition and real life where it will make perfect sense to point shoot stuff."

This.

What I've experienced in Caleb's scenario is that it wasn't until after the stage that I realized I hadn't used my sights on some targets. But the hits were there. If you practice enough, you get your subconscious to the point where it makes the decision for you based on what it knows you can do. It isn't because you practiced point shooting but rather because you practiced, period.

[TCinVA]

I believe a wise man coined the phrase "subconscious competence" as a descriptor of that phenomenon...ingraining something through deliberate practice that becomes literally something you do without any conscious thought.

[DrFlsGood]

With enough practice what we may attribute to point shooting is actually muscle memory. We retain and remember fine motor skills and the more we practice, the more our muscle memory and reflexes begin to function and "point" to target.

I've found in some run & gun stages, I will run the stage and start in low ready while not using my front sights for paper targets and still get consistent hits while indexing with my thumbs in a proper grip. (Maybe more luck than skill) but what the hell, I still fun putting lead downrange and get good hits!

[ford.304]

The concealed carry course I went to recommended point shooting, but I thought the way they did it made a fair amount of sense. They were still teaching a correct press-out, but were emphasizing a quick first shot without finding the sights.

For people who are possibly new to firearms and are not going to shoot a couple thousand rounds a year, that seems like a decent compromise to get someone as ready as they're going to be for most self-defense scenarios. You're still building the basic muscle memory of a correct stance and press-out, but you're simplifying what the students have to be thinking about drastically so you can get something on the target. For a "barrel goes toward bad guy" level of competency, it seems like a good first step. It seemed to work well enough - at that level of skill, most of the students' groups weren't significantly worse point-shooting than the bullseye style aiming we did beforehand, but they were much faster and they seemed to feel more comfortable with it.

Not sure it's quite as much of an advantage for people who are taking the time to go to multiple advanced courses and work on their press-out until they can hit an index card in under 2 seconds from concealment.

[JV_]

until they can hit an index card in under 2 seconds from concealment.

Distance makes a big difference here.

[Kyle Reese]

I'm not sure I'd use the term "point shooting" with total novices, either.

[ford.304]

I don't think they used it, either, I just recognized it as such.

We did the training following an hour of traditional bullseye shooting.

[Mitchell, Esq.]

Point shooting seems to me to be an advanced skillset that works best when used in conjunction with the shooter's own base of skill as a shortcut around using the sights.

It's not a stand alone skill - it's an application of an already developed skillset.

That's where I thing the problem is - people trying to use it when they don't already have the skills to really employ it.

Also, most shooters aren't english majors, so the verbal skills they use to describe what they are doing aren't always spot on, nor are they people with an education background, so conveying the information to people who learn differently isn't always done effectively.

It ends up in simplistic terms and "You just don't understand..."

No shit. Because you may be a great shooter...but you are fucking terrible at the english language or conveying information in a verbal or written format!

[41magfan]

Distilled to the simplest of terms, shooting is a hand/eye coordination skill and some folks are blessed with a lot more natural ability than others. While some forms of training can certainly enhance your natural ability to "point" a handgun, it is no substitute and the Ted Williams of the world will always make up a small percentage of the populous.

The three variables - (a) size of the target, (b) distance to the target, and (c) the real or imagined perception of time to execute - will always determine how much "pointing" you can get away with versus "aiming". The goal of ALL shooting is hitting. Sometimes that can be accomplished by pointing, and sometimes it requires aiming. An accomplished shooter learns what measure of each is required for a particular shot.

[DonovanM]

If all you ever practice is sighted fire, you'll have built up a good index so that if you need to point shoot something, you'll likely be able to with a reasonable chance of success.

This sums up my thoughts on the matter perfectly.

Specifically practicing point shooting is foolish, IMO.