Question about Initial Pistol Training for Novices

[220]

Many top shooters, 2600 level have told me that they knew they were focused on the front sight and nothing else. Some where between 2600 and 2650 they came off the firing line with a totally astonding expression and said in amaziment " The front sight was so wide and black that I was amazed and realized that I had never been focused on it until today. The same thing happened to me when I really began to shoot over the 2650 mark. It also happened with the free pistol when I started shooting at near the 560 mark All my top scores occured when the front sight magically grew in size and blackness. The corners of the front sight.were amazingly sharp and easy to center and allign with the flat top of the rear. Scores improved and it was really easy to shoot tens. The 8' and 7's just stoped happening as long as I did my part in delivering the shot. I had told all my coaches that I was focused on the front sight and really believed what I was telling them. But I wasn't !!! Keep trying harder to see every bit of the front sight , especially the very top that you have to level with the top of the rear sight. Good Shooting Bill Horton

Something I can agree with you on Bill. One of the things that is holding me back. If I stay 100% focused on the front sight the shot will be a 9 at worst even given what appears to be a very unsteady hold or a trigger squeeze not quite perfect. But I find myself drifting of the sights I'm not looking at the target but somewhere past the front sight, 7's and 8's are the result. Typical 10 shot group would be 3 tens, 4 nines, and 3 sevens and eights. 10's and 9's are a nice round group with the 7's and 8's anywhere.

[ColinC]

A trick I was taught at a coaching clinic was to not look at the target and not pick up the front sights too early. The coach urged me to raise the pistol above the black and to consciously look at my wrist hairs or something thereabouts. (My Morini air pistol has a nice large screw just under the rear sights and that is what I look at.)
As you lower the pistol into your area of aim, you then move your focus to the front sight which should be large, black with sharp edges like Bill talks about.
His reasoning was that it was easier to shift your focus the small distance from the wrist-rear sight area to the front sight, than to come back from 25m or 50m away to the front sight. Doing it this way, tends to eliminate the tendency to focus down range somewhere.
It works well for precision matches but I struggle to do it with rapidfire where I still tend to focus too much on the targets as they turn and often my first shot is the worst.

[RobStubbs]

It works well for precision matches but I struggle to do it with rapidfire where I still tend to focus too much on the targets as they turn and often my first shot is the worst.

For rapid try 'focussing' midway down the range, looking at the floor. This will be above the guns sights and below the targets. But you can still see the targets turn, as you need to. You can then pick up the sights as you raise the gun, thereby reducing the temptation to focus on the target. Especially in the 4 sec rapid string, you don't have time to mess about refocussing.

Rob.