I am a new shooter and have some doubts about focusing the eye on front sight or on target.
I know all manuals and articles related to this issue afirm that the focus has to be on front sight and I’ve been trainning this way.
But an older shooter recently told me this is an old techinique and that the top shooters are using another one. Something like this: the shooter raises his pistol above the target, checks his posture and muscular tone, looks to the sights and fix the sight alingment and then lowers the pistol to the shooting zone. In this moment, lowering the pistol, he transfers his focus to the target and starts pressing the trigger. So he keeps the focus on target and does not look to the sights again.
He said this is related to the “last picture the brain can hold” and biomechanical things.
It is just the opposite of the other techinique!
Sorry if this is a silly question, but I would aprecciate to know your opinion about that.
Thanks.
Faduka
Focus on sights or on target?
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Focus on Front sight
You focus on the front sight. This is achieved with the help of shooting glasses and a weak positive lens (0.5 -0.75 diopter).
This puts your focus with relaxed eye muscles a metre or so in front of your foresight so that the eye will automatically tension and bring the foresight into focus. the target is blurred and the rear sight is slightly blurred.
Yes, you can raise your arm above the target, set up your sight alignment (with no target in view to distract you), then lower into the aiming area still concentrating on the forsight and break the shot.
The front sight/rear sight alignment is much more critical than front sight/target aligment.
To prove it try this- shoot say Airpistol with a target reversed (blank) concentrating on sight alignment and general area aim. Look at the group size. Use glasses to defocus if you have them.
Then shoot on a normal target, open the rear sight up to its maxium width to lessen the rear sight importance and look at the target.
Now compare the groups, this will answer you question.
This puts your focus with relaxed eye muscles a metre or so in front of your foresight so that the eye will automatically tension and bring the foresight into focus. the target is blurred and the rear sight is slightly blurred.
Yes, you can raise your arm above the target, set up your sight alignment (with no target in view to distract you), then lower into the aiming area still concentrating on the forsight and break the shot.
The front sight/rear sight alignment is much more critical than front sight/target aligment.
To prove it try this- shoot say Airpistol with a target reversed (blank) concentrating on sight alignment and general area aim. Look at the group size. Use glasses to defocus if you have them.
Then shoot on a normal target, open the rear sight up to its maxium width to lessen the rear sight importance and look at the target.
Now compare the groups, this will answer you question.
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F. Paul - In Denver
Faduka,
I completely agree with what David M. just said.
I have never heard anyone recommend the technique you described (focus on the target instead of the sights).
I would ask myself these two questions in deciding the issue:
What benefit can be gained from focusing on an object (the target) that WILL NOT change or move?
What benefit is there in focusing on an object (the target) which YOU CANNOT CONTROL.
On the other hand, rear/front sight alignment CONSTANTLY CHANGES and is completely under your CONTROL.
And as David said, proper sight alignment is far more critical to a good shot than the position of the sights on the target. I'm sure the experiment David suggested will bear this out.
As a new shooter, try focusing on the time proven fundamentals of sight alignment and trigger control. Develop your own personal shot plan and then build on it, tear it down and re- build until you find one that works for you.
A good shot plan is one that incorporates good trigger release when your sight alignment is at its best. If you do not focus on your front sight, then you cannot know when the sights are aligned as best as possible.
I think we should always keep an open mind to new ideas and even the re-examinination of old ideas. However, watching the target instead of of the sights has been disfavored for a very long time by the world's very best shooters.
Take care and good shooting to you.
F. Paul
I completely agree with what David M. just said.
I have never heard anyone recommend the technique you described (focus on the target instead of the sights).
I would ask myself these two questions in deciding the issue:
What benefit can be gained from focusing on an object (the target) that WILL NOT change or move?
What benefit is there in focusing on an object (the target) which YOU CANNOT CONTROL.
On the other hand, rear/front sight alignment CONSTANTLY CHANGES and is completely under your CONTROL.
And as David said, proper sight alignment is far more critical to a good shot than the position of the sights on the target. I'm sure the experiment David suggested will bear this out.
As a new shooter, try focusing on the time proven fundamentals of sight alignment and trigger control. Develop your own personal shot plan and then build on it, tear it down and re- build until you find one that works for you.
A good shot plan is one that incorporates good trigger release when your sight alignment is at its best. If you do not focus on your front sight, then you cannot know when the sights are aligned as best as possible.
I think we should always keep an open mind to new ideas and even the re-examinination of old ideas. However, watching the target instead of of the sights has been disfavored for a very long time by the world's very best shooters.
Take care and good shooting to you.
F. Paul
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Nano
Focus the aims
Faauka:
I had an intermediate technique. Focus well the sights, an instant before the shot, focus the target and executed the shot, this technique was a knack that I was made alone.
I have ended up shooting 555 with that way of shooting but I have not been able to improve, at the moment I am in 550 but alone focus in the sights (and I am going up), it costs a lot to lose a bad habit but definitively there is not another technique for this sport, focus the sights.
Nano
I had an intermediate technique. Focus well the sights, an instant before the shot, focus the target and executed the shot, this technique was a knack that I was made alone.
I have ended up shooting 555 with that way of shooting but I have not been able to improve, at the moment I am in 550 but alone focus in the sights (and I am going up), it costs a lot to lose a bad habit but definitively there is not another technique for this sport, focus the sights.
Nano
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Jack
Once upon a time....
I occasionally (well. once or twice) got it together to shoot a near perfect series. Now that I am older, it is harder to do. I believe with absolute certainty that your (1)eye focus and attention on the front sight, (2) trigger control, and (3) a simple, uncomplicated mental (I'm not sure of the best word to describe) state, are the absolute most important things in a performing good shot.
Focus on sights or on target?
Let me express my opinion in this way:
The sights, rear and front and the target is important, when shooting at 50 meters one must see the target (and the number above) by using an adjustable iris you can get everything relatively sharp. But now the tricky part, once on target let the subconscious make you stay there and concentrate on sights alone. The very last thing you remember after the shot should always be how your sight picture was. If you remember where you were on target, take a brake.
A blur target will not be the same as a reversed target, sights will be relative to something.
You must keep focus on your sights the last half sec. If you are drifting away from target that half sec. your stance and/or grip can be improved.
Try this: If everything locks OK, close your eyes for 1 sec and open your eyes again, the picture has not changed much relative to target, the sights have changed though, they need constant monitoring.
I have not mentioned trigger but you should have reached let off point during the famous half sec. and let your body do the last job. If the half sec will be 3 sec. it is OK if more start all over again.
Kent
The sights, rear and front and the target is important, when shooting at 50 meters one must see the target (and the number above) by using an adjustable iris you can get everything relatively sharp. But now the tricky part, once on target let the subconscious make you stay there and concentrate on sights alone. The very last thing you remember after the shot should always be how your sight picture was. If you remember where you were on target, take a brake.
A blur target will not be the same as a reversed target, sights will be relative to something.
You must keep focus on your sights the last half sec. If you are drifting away from target that half sec. your stance and/or grip can be improved.
Try this: If everything locks OK, close your eyes for 1 sec and open your eyes again, the picture has not changed much relative to target, the sights have changed though, they need constant monitoring.
I have not mentioned trigger but you should have reached let off point during the famous half sec. and let your body do the last job. If the half sec will be 3 sec. it is OK if more start all over again.
Kent
If you don't see flaming crud and smoke coming out of the barrel, then you probably aren't looking at the front sight when to gun fires. One of the reasons I chose PCP over CO2 for air pistol was because the CO2 cloud was distracting. Peeking at the target is a sure way to shoot badly. I know, I do it all too often.
Larry
Larry
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Pradeep
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thenikjones
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Mon May 03, 2004 6:59 am
- Location: Wrexham, UK
I was shooting a PCP 25m match at the w/e, had a number of fliers I couldn't explain. The shooter next to me suggested I wasn't focussing on the sights, probably letting my focus drift slightly in front/behind them. I was a bit doubtful, then he asked if I saw the pellet in flight? I had for most, if not all, of the fliers - this, he said, was proof - if you can see the pellet, you aren't concentrating on the sights. I paid extra attention to the sights on the next 2 cards - no pellets seen, no fliers.
This has reinforced to me that focussing on the sights - particularly foresight - is crucial. Oh, and that talking to experienced shooters on the line (between cards!) is rarely time wasted.
Nik
This has reinforced to me that focussing on the sights - particularly foresight - is crucial. Oh, and that talking to experienced shooters on the line (between cards!) is rarely time wasted.
Nik
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Faduka