Calling the shot with a perfect sight picture is indeed an important skill, however at speed, a perfect sight picture is rarely possible or necessary. Movement also complicates the process of getting a perfect sight picture.

In IPSC, given the size of the A zone, the range of sight pictures that would yield an acceptable shot (A zone hit) on the target is relatively large. The important thing to remember is that you only need to hit the A zone, not the actual A .

The question of the acceptable sight picture for a given target then comes up and becomes a critical part of calling the shot.

If you break a shot on the edge of the A zone with perfect alignment, will it be an A zone hit? What about if you break a shot with a centered sight picture and the front sight all the way to the left in the rear sight notch? What about the same mis-alignment at 10 yards and 20 yards? How about 50 yards?

The answers to the questions above are critical to developing the skills of calling shots at speed.

In order to learn the skills it is critical to experiment with slow fire using intentional mis-alignment, to learn the implications of breaking a shot with an imperfect sight picture at various distances. This will help develop the skill of calling the shot. As the skills improve, increase the speed and eventually it will become second nature.

The important thing to remember is that it is critical to know where a shot actually went, even if it didn’t go where you wanted it to go.

Everything we need to know can be learned by reading the sights at the instant that the shot breaks. We need to make sure we call every shot in practice, so that it becomes second nature to know exactly where every shot went, even if we didn’t see a perfect sight picture.

Based on the above, I had been diligently training to use both eyes under all circumstances. I had good success with shorter distances, but was still having issues (target ghosting etc.) at distances > 25 yards.

Listening to a conversation between Angus Hobdell and Matt Burkett changed all that and opened the topic up again.

In Episode 2 of Practical Shooting Radio, Angus mentioned that he shot with both his eyes fully open only when shooting targets at less than 10 yards. In fact he mentioned the following for different ranges.

Angus was kind enough to respond to an email I sent him regarding that interview. The following quote is extracted from his email response.

Squinting the eye also helps to focus down on the sight, the more distance involved the more necessary the strong clear sight picture no focusing back and forward. Sharp sight blurred target.

— Angus

At shorter distances, the peripheral vision provided by the other eye helped with target acquisition etc.

Bruce Gray uses one eye for all his shooting and is not convinced that having both eyes open while breaking the shot (even up close), provides significant benefit. The following is a quote from Bruce.

I’m unconvinced that actually making shots with both eyes matters that much in practical shooting. Target acquisition and most other tasks that benefit from full, binocular vision can still be performed with both eyes; the final alignment of the sights for each discrete shot can be done with one or both equally quickly in my experience.

The issue of not seeing everything in combat is a valid one on it’s face, but I’m not convinced it’s a really persuasive argument in favor of imposing a two-eyed shooting technique for many people. This is for a somewhat subtle reason that I’ll try to explain.

It’s not like we’d possibly fight with one eye closed constantly in any event, right?

On the other hand, developing the crucially important kinesthetic relationship between the hands, sights and target is best accomplished with the clearest and most precise feedback from the sights, not the target. That suggests actually shooting with the best sight picture possible.

I’ve tried it both ways, plus with both eyes closed. Big Grin

I can tell you that most everyone I have ever worked or trained with shot more accurately and more consistently when the non-dominant view was obscured to some degree. That means they also developed an enhanced capability to hit even when they don’t see the sights at all for whatever reason, by relying upon that kinesthetic index skill that comes from a lot of precisely sighted shooting and dry firing.

Having said that, please remember that highly critical aiming is otherwise relatively unimportant to accurate shot placement in practical shooting, other than to cue a higher order of trigger control skill.

Ideally, we aim so that we will press the trigger in a subconsciously controlled manner when the sights appear on the target, per our training. (We obviously should also train ourselves to fire using other cues.) As long as you can see the aligned sights, go for it. I and most other shooters see the sights more clearly and with more contrast with my left eye partially closed, or with a bit of tape across the lens.

I hope this helps you!

— Bruce

Matt also mentioned that he closed his non-dominant eye completely for long distance precision shots and when using a shooting positions with narrow vertical ports.

The reason for closing the non-dominant eye when shooting through narrow vertical ports is to make sure that the gun is actually shooting through the port. If you’re not careful, you can end up in a position where the fusion between the images from the two eyes leads to the appearance of the sights on the target, when in fact the gun is not even pointed through the port.

I have noticed a benefit in shooting with both eyes open at close targets and will continue to train that way. For targets that require more precision, I will obstruct the view of my non-sighting eye based on the amount of precision needed for the shot.

It’s a relief to learn that I don’t need to worry about using both eyes at distances greater than 25 yards, where I currently have significant issues.

Included below is a posting by Ron Avery on the Brian Enos forum that goes beyond treating focus points as discrete entities.

Where to focus is a constant source of learning and enlightenment as we try to focus speed and precision. Brian Enos talks about 5 levels of focus in his excellent book. I have done experiments over the years with different types of focus and what I came to learn was that there is an infinite number of focal points that one can go to between the target and the front sight. I call this the “focal continuum” To say that we only focus on the target or on the front sight is a misnomer. The reality is that, when we are shooting well, we see the relationship between target and sight well enough to make certain of the hits.

Where the visual focus needs to be depends on four things:

• Target size
• Range to target
• Visual ability of the shooter
• Kinesthetic ability of the shooter

Target size and range:
Big targets up to 10 yards can be shot using a soft focus. Put in a head shot and the vision must move back towards the front sight to ensure correct alignment. This takes care of items one and two.

Visual ability and training:
Younger eyes can accommodate a wider depth of field than older eyes. You will be able to see the sights and the target with reasonable clarity of each as you play with the peripheral vision field and acceptable sight picture. Older shooters will have to trade off with a compromise. I use different types of lenses to give me a picture that is acceptable for most shooting that I will be doing.

Remember, under stress, attention shifts and the brain may not be registering the same picture that the lens is producing when you are relaxed and things are going well.
Specific conditioning is needed here to ensure quality control of the imagery.

When in doubt, go with front sight focus to save your day. Sometimes it only feels slow when you focus on the front sight. The reality is that it can happen extremely fast if you train it correctly.

Kinesthetic ability:
Here I am speaking of the ability to hold the sight alignment without specifically looking at it. This is how you must do it if you do not look at a hard front sight focus. Training here is what allows you to shoot using soft focus at extended distances. I did some demonstrations of this at 50 yards on one of the tapes just to illustrate it. I am not saying I would do it at that distance in a national or world match with winning on the line. Again, stress and its effects can change coordination and make the easy, difficult.

In the best of all worlds, kinesthetic works with visual to allow superior performance than either alone.

A final thought:
It is not what you see that is important so much as what registers on your brain at the moment the shot is fired. The eyes are the lens but the brain is the film.

It all comes down to having sufficient information to accurately place and call the shot.

It is important to note that the call is simply visual awareness. Calling the shot tells you where the bullet went at the moment the shot broke and has nothing to do with where you wanted the shot to go.

This point is key.

Calling a shot is mentally identifying the exact location or orientation of the sight picture the moment the rifle fired.

— David Tubb

As described in the post on Mastering Fundamental #3, we are talking about a different state of mind.

Brian Enos describes it effectively in the following post on his forum:

It’s your will or intention that attempts to hit the “good part” of the target, but it’s your awareness of what is actually happening (in the moment) that calls the shot. They’re totally different mental states. Often, a poorly finished or executed shot results from leaving “too much attention” on trying (will) to hit the target in a particular place. During high-speed, coordinated activity it’s usually better to become an observer rather than a “tryer.”

First, we should clearly establish what we’d like to happen (in our mind before we shoot). Then, once the activity begins, it’s usually beneficial to turn our attention to simply witnessing what is actually happening, thereby allowing our body to manifest the training it has undergone.

I’ve noticed, from beginner to Master class, not knowing how to apply their mind in this manner (keeping the will and the witnessing separate) limits many competitors. This is what’s behind – “Trying to hit the target can be the greatest hindrance to doing so.” Once the activity begins, we’re usually better off to let our personal will go (trying to hit the target) by way of directing our attention to directly witness what is actually happening. You know, watch the magic unfold. Trying or thinking of any kind impedes awareness. When one is, the other isn’t.

When you get the hang of “calling,” you’ll see it has nothing to do with aiming.

Calling a shot using a pistol equipped with optics is significantly easier, since all you need to do is remember the position of the dot or cross-hairs on the target the moment the shot broke. With iron sights the principle is still the same, however you need to read the relationship between the sight alignment and sight picture at the moment of truth.

In order to train this skill, place an IPSC target downrange with either an X or a 2″ dot taped to the target. This target is simply a reference to help with remembering the position of the sights at the moment the shot broke and is not to be used for “aiming”.

• After establishing a hold on the target, trigger the shot with your attention on the sights.
• Try and remember the exact alignment of the sights and their position on the target.
• Using a spotting scope, check the difference between where the shot actually went and where you thought it went.

With practice you will be able to call the exact position of the shot.

It may be helpful to initially shoot the drill with the gun supported on sand bags, in order to take hold out of the picture.

Saul Kirsch wrote a great book called Perfect Practice that provides a number of drills to improve IPSC shooting in general. Drills 6-10 deal with Calling the Shot and are great practice.

It is important to note that the point of impact may vary from what the sights tell you because of distance. You need to know what the sight picture needs to look like at 50 yards to score an A and what it needs to look like at 10 yards to score an A. Practice the drill at various distances to get an accurate view of the point of impact based on point of aim.

Train by accepting your hold and developing the visual awareness to remember the position of your sights when the gun fires. The eyes are the lens and the brain is the film.

In summary, Calling the Shot is about knowing where the shot went, not where you wanted it to go.

Update (May 23, 2007): I’ve added part two of this post.

Update (May 30, 2007): I’ve added a post on followthrough that would be of interest in this context.

It’s important to understand the difference between Sight Alignment and Sight Picture since it is critical to understanding the post below.

The greatest obstacle in shooting a pistol accurately offhand is produced by the movement of the gun in the hand (wobble) combined with the movement of the wobble on the target (hold). These all too observable visual inputs distract us from what is important, the aforementioned third fundamental of shooting – releasing the shot without disturbing the gun’s hold.

This can help: imagine your pistol is in a machine-rest even though you are holding it offhand. Now imagine the target is moving (in the same pattern/manner as your hold). Now, ask yourself – what can you do?

Knowing this, it’s best to begin by shooting from a bench rest, or other supported position. Bag your pistol so that it’s rock solid. Aim into the backstop and then direct ALL your attention to building the pressure on the trigger until the gun fires. After you become comfortable with the feeling of firing the gun with all your attention on the trigger while simply watching the sights lift in recoil, place a target at 25 yards and repeat the above procedure with the following addition: Use this “order” to fire the shot:

1. Align your sights in the center of the target.
2. Shift all your attention to your previous feeling of your finger building pressure on the trigger until the shot breaks.

During #2, you are still looking at the sights; however, you are looking in a detached manner. Which means: Your concern is not in trying to shoot a particular spot; you are simply looking with the intention of remembering where the sights were aligned at the moment the shot fires.

Only after you’ve mastered “bench rest calling,” begin shooting offhand. Again, begin by shooting into the backstop with no intention of hitting anything in particular. This will allow you to focus all your attention on what is important – “releasing” the shot without disturbing the gun’s hold. Relax your attention into the gun, look at the sights without staring, and then shift all your attention to the previously mastered feeling of your finger on the trigger; with great determination and purpose, increase pressure on the trigger until the gun fires – “FEEL” the shot off. At the moment the gun lifts, recall the sight alignment, again, this is what you must see and remember. After mastering this, when you put a target behind your sights, you simply recall the “sight picture” – (sight alignment plus their relationship to the target).

Now to shoot a “good shot” (one that actually goes where you intended it), you must combine the feeling of releasing a perfect shot with the feeling of “willing the gun still” as you build pressure on the trigger. Eventually, with training, this becomes ONE FEELING.

The following text is extracted from a post on Calling the Shot, but it applies here

Once reading the sights is firmly ingrained, practice to preserve this most important of all fundamental while increasing your shooting speed by projecting your attention into your sights as you shoot. When you master this, everything else will vanish – even “you.”

Since Brian tends to choose his words very carefully, the choice of the words “into your sights” as opposed to “onto your sights” is an interesting one. Brian’s response in another post provides the subtle difference.

I am suggesting a different meaning when I said into vs onto. Into implies a “deeper” level of attention in which the “self” (the self in this case meaning – “someone” seeing “something”) dissolves, and only awareness remains.

This Zen approach to shooting reminded me of the following Quote:

When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

— Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

The removal of self from the equation removes or should remove ego from the equation. The removal of ego leads to the removal of conscious impulse to “control” what is happening.

First, we should clearly establish what we’d like to happen (in our mind before we shoot). Then, once the activity begins, it’s usually beneficial to turn our attention to simply witnessing what is actually happening, thereby allowing our body to manifest the training it has undergone.

Trying or thinking of any kind impedes awareness. When one is, the other isn’t.

The post is talking about 2 distinct states of mind that need to be developed and you should only be in 1 state at a given time. Being an “observer” as opposed to a “tryer” during the execution of a high speed activity is more conducive to success. Wow!

Since no one can hold a gun perfectly motionless, all guns will move when held unsupported.

The area the front sight describes on the target as it moves is called the wobble zone. More experienced shooters may have a smaller wobble zone, however all shooters will have a wobble zone.

Most people have ability to shoot a group significantly smaller than their wobble zone.

Most new shooters (including me initially) tend to use a technique commonly referred to as the “now” impulse where they yank at the trigger at the instant the sights appear to be aligned on the target. This generally causes issues with the third fundamental.

In order to address the “now” impulse Randy Lee taught me the following technique that has served me well.

Fact: The gun will wobble across the target.

Assumption: You have a good sight alignment (Please refer to the post on sight alignment vs. sight picture) for details.

The key to this technique is to not attempt to control this wobble – Let the gun move.

• As the sight picture starts to look acceptable, add a little bit of pressure to the trigger.
• When the natural movement of the gun makes the sight picture un-acceptable, keep the pressure on the trigger where it is. Do not remove the pressure from the trigger.
• When the sight picture looks acceptable again, increase the pressure slightly and repeat the process until the gun fires

The discharge of the gun should come as a complete surprise.

It generally takes me 4-5 oscillations before the gun fires.

Hope this works for you as well.

Update (April 21, 2007): I just read an article by Dave Sayler that provides a clear explanation for why this works. This explanation of the conscious mind living in the recent past, ties in well with what Bruce Gray talks about in his article Dry Fire Secrets of the Pros.

What you need is trigger control at speed, an immediate, smooth and subconscious controlled release of the shot upon the appearance of the correct, acceptable sight picture on your target.

This is what makes dryfire with visualization so critical. I thought it was a speed thing. As is always the case with Bruce, there is a ton lurking below the surface of what he says.