Marksmanship and self-defense shooting are two very important but wonderfully different disciplines in shooting. Each one serves a purpose requiring many of the techniques followed or used, and ways of training. These fine distinctions will be discussed below with their respective methodologies and ways of conducting the training regimen.
Precision shooting has at one time or another been referred to as the ‘art of marksmanship’. It is a very precise discipline that requires an application of the fundamentals of shooting: stance, grip, sight alignment, trigger control, breathing, and follow-through. Of these, the two most important factors are sight alignment and trigger control.
Aiming is the most fundamental principle in marksmanship. It’s the act of purposefully aligning the firearm’s sights and carefully placing each shot one at a time. This skill allows the shooter to watch the sights and concentrate on applying sight alignment, sight picture, trigger press, sight movement, recoil, recovery, and Blink Control to call the shot, showing control and precision.
Shooting in self-defense, or combat shooting, there is a very clear emphasis on immediate, aggressive shooting to kill or incapacitate the attacker very, very quickly. Techniques such as point and flash sight methods are employed up to a decisive halt in the threat.
Point shooting, also known as instinctive shooting, is a method used in firing without aligning the sights of the firearm. On the contrary, one uses instinct, body alignment, and muscle memory of the shot in the body. This would work best when in close quarters and there is no time to align the sight.
Flash sight involves a gross sight alignment of the firearm’s sights with the target but is not precisely lined up as in marksmanship. This is a balance between speed and accuracy, being able to take the shot much more quickly and much more accurately than in point shooting.
Normal Some of the major differences between these shooting styles include the use of sight, applicable distances, and the balance between speed and accuracy that each of the styles brings. In point shooting, no sights are used. The shooter uses his natural pointing abilities to aim at his target, and it is best used at extremely close distances. Flash sight shooting, on the other hand, uses the sights to align quickly and roughly and is suitable for various distances over slightly greater distances.
The ability to shoot both marksmanlike as well as for self-defense purposes accurately requires training in both. Marksmanship helps a shooter build an understanding of how to use basic shooting techniques in a controlled environment to produce accurate results. Practice for self-defense shooting teaches the student to adapt these basics to speed and efficiency.
Work on perfecting the basics: aiming the sights, placing special emphasis on trigger pull and sight alignment; take your time to make sure each shot is as close to perfection as possible.
DYNAMIC DRILLS: Add this technique, which mimics a real situation. Train to quickly draw your gun, engage targets at different distances, and apply point shooting among other flash-sight techniques to improve your reaction time and accuracy under stress.
Defense Shooting Drill (Non-Aimed Shooting)
Objective: To work on defensive accuracy through point shooting.
Range set-up: Target @ 13 feet
How it’s Done: Load 3 rounds, draw on command, and shoot 3 rounds as fast as you can at the center mass of the man-sized target.
Focus: Speed and defensive accuracy without the use of sights
Marksmanship and self-defense shooting are two very different types of target shooting, but both are very important skills for any gun owner. Marksmanship lays down a good foundation of skills in shooting while, on the other hand, people are prepared during self-defense shooting when confronted with a life-threatening situation: speed on the effective neutralization of a threat becomes their main consideration. Through knowledge and familiarity with both, shooters can learn to be better prepared for eventualities and confidently versatile in the abilities they possess.