Some Thoughts on Point Shooting

The objective is to align the barrel of the firearm with the target. There are two basic methods for doing this; visual and kinesthetic. 

Within visual alignment we have several different methods, starting with aimed fire using the sights on the weapon.

Next, one can bring the pistol up to eye level and use the entire weapon as a sight (Cirillo).  

Many point shooting techniques align the pistol visually by catching it in the peripheral vision, whether the pistol is at or below line of sight (Israeli, Dee Woolem’s stereoscopic).  A great many hip shooters who believe they aren’t visually indexing the pistol are in for a surprise when a sheet of cardboard is placed under the chin, blocking the pistol from sight, and their accuracy deteriorates markedly.  

Another form of visual alignment is attempting to create a consistent mechanical relationship between eyes and pistol by locking the joints between them in a repeatable manner (Sykes, Fairbairn, Applegate).  Naturally, the more joints involved, the less repeatable the relationship is going to be.  Locking the pistol against the torso (close contact, McGivern hip) or using both hands with the elbows locked against the torso would seem to give the most consistent lockup. 

Kinesthetic alignment means using a feel for the pistol to align it with no visual reference beyond an initial identification of the target.  This is similar to how one throws a ball.  There are no sights on the ball and the throw need not be identical for each toss but some accuracy is attainable.  Kinesthetic alignment is what most people are describing when they refer to “instinct” shooting.  

Bill Jordan used kinesthetic alignment and then transitioned through peripheral visual alignment up to sighted fire as range increased.  Bat Masterson- as well as Jordan and McGivern- said there were three elements necessary for effective point shooting; a firearm that pointed naturally, lots of practice, and some natural ability.  

For each of these alignment methods stress reactions and natural abilities are going to determine the suitability and effectiveness.  In addition, the amount of training time necessary to develop proficiency comes into question.  There are obvious differences in the requirements for training an individual versus an entire department.  There are also questions about the suitability of a given weapon.  I find the best pistol for instinct shooting (and yes, I’m going to continue to use the term as it refers to the pointing or throwing instinct rather than an instinctive grasp of the mechanical operation of the firearm) is the Colt 1860 percussion revolver.  This is a purely subjective matter and other people will find other firearms fit them best. Besides the general unsuitability of a cap and ball revolver for defense (note that it’s not useless just less effective than some modern arms), the task of outfitting an entire department with pistols that feel right to everyone is problematic.  You must work with whatever you’re issued.  

I am a skilled point shooter but I rely on the Modern Technique (including the close contact position) and a semi-auto for defense. It's interesting to note that virtually all of the above techniques have been used successfully in combat.  

Practice (repetition) is necessary to develop accuracy with point shooting.  Some sort of feedback is needed for the practice to be meaningful.  Live ammo, plastic/rubber/wax loads, and Simunitions are all excellent with varying degrees of cost involved.  I’m not fond of mirror practice or lasers as I’ve seen otherwise honest fellows unconsciously adjust their aim after the shot and believe it was spot on.  

The advantage of using the sights in practice is that you get positive feedback of your shot without the expense of using ammunition.  

The presentation used in modern technique is point shooting.  The flash sight picture is a training tool first, and then provides a final alignment check while shooting if the sights are visible.  If the sights aren’t visible, the repetition will allow you to get a hit anyway.  The alignment is made physically and the sights are only used as a final check.  If the sights are off target sufficiently to require changing your aim, you probably should practice more.  Point shooters won’t know if they’re off target until after the shot, and then only if the results are visible on the target which won’t be very often on live targets.  A point shooter must practice sufficiently to be absolutely confident in his shot placement under any and all conditions and regardless of any visible results on his target.  

I’ve seen the term “muscle memory” used to describe several phenomena with varying degrees of technical accuracy.  

The first is the tendency of a tensed muscle or set of muscles to return to their original position when moved by an outside force.  Memory here is used in the same fashion as the term memory-plastic and doesn’t mean the retention of information.  Muscle tension bringing a pistol back on target out of recoil has been described as muscle memory.  

The memory of how a physical position or set of movements feels has also been described as muscle memory.  Obviously the memory isn’t in the muscles.  This is part of kinesthetic awareness and this sort of “muscle memory” is a necessary natural ability for the point shooter.  I’ve met individuals with tremendous ability who picked up point shooting instantly.  I’ve met others who lacked the coordination and were never going to get the hang of things.  These latter folks had best learn to use the sights.  And, a department or unit had best take less kinesthetically aware individuals into account when adopting a training program or technique.  

When learning occurs, connections between the nerve cells in the brain grow and multiply.  Strong visualization can cause this growth which is why experiments have shown similar improvement in groups that practice physically versus groups that only visualize their practice.  As physical movements are repeated over time, this nerve growth strengthens the memories of how the actions are accomplished and the movements become more and more reflexive.  Similar, though lesser, growth occurs in the nerves in the spinal column and, to a still lesser extent, in the nerve paths all the way down to the muscles that are performing the actions.  This is what McGivern was trying to describe when he talked about “burning a pathway” in the nervous system through repetition.  This last phenomenon is closest to “muscle memory” as most people seem to be using it.  The more reflexive a movement becomes, the less prone to breakdown under stress it becomes and the more free the brain is to carry on higher functions while performing the movement.  

Using the sights to verify physical alignment was part of Col. Cooper's original description of the flash sight picture and what differentiates it from a target shooter's sight picture.  Initially the sights are used to train the body so that that physical alignment is achieved.  If you still need to realign the pistol after the presentation, you need more practice.  I'm not sure why people didn't understand this the first time around.  

Kinesthetic shooting is being aware (visually or otherwise) of the spatial relationship between yourself and the target and using your feel for the weapon- irrespective of your body positioning- to get it on target without visual reference between the weapon and target.