For rapid target acquisition, many instructors teach "flash sight picture".
Is this really practical?
Flash Sight Picture - Defined
Flash Sight Picture is a technique used for rapid target acquisition. The principles of it indicate that you should point at your target and press the trigger as soon as your front sight "flashes" inside of the rear sight window. What is the purpose?
The purpose of this technique is to not waste your time focusing on your sights. Instead, you want to be able to put your primary focus on your target or threat. The idea is to speed up your ability to respond to a threat. But can it be improved even more?
Experiment
Visit your local range. Try taking your firearm and pointing it in the direction of your target. Now look at the sights. Most likely, your front sight is somewhere in the rear sight window, or at least very close to it. Now try moving your front sight so that it is outside of your rear sight window. Now you're probably nowhere near being pointed at your target. The point is, pointing at your target almost automatically brings the sights into proper alignment. The sights are really just for fine-tuning a marksman shot.
No Sights - How It Works
This simply takes advantage of the principle we saw in the above experiment. Rather than wasting precious time on looking for the front sight during a deadly force encounter, you can simply point the gun at your intended target. Many that have been in the training industry for decades would argue that this is not going to get you the intended results. But the statistics don't lie. Depending on which study you want to cite, the average accuracy results in gang shootings is over 70%, compared to the average accuracy in law enforcement shootings which typically has accuracy percentages less than 30%. Who do you think trains more?
I have interviewed a handful of these officers personally. They are not bad people, and some of them are actually quite good at the range. But the problem is that we have created shooters that either over-think their shot, or have only been trained to shoot at paper with a timer. They have not been trained how to truly "react" to a situation and how to effectively deliver accurate rounds downrange without worrying about their sights.
The officers that I have trained have learned not only tricks and techniques to become more accurate combat shooters, they have also learned how to react under stress. This is accomplished by building muscle memory in a sterile environment, then mixing up the activities at the range to keep them guessing. The results have been dramatic. These officers have been stunned to discover that they actually shoot better with no sights, because there is less thinking involved. The added bonus is that they can deliver more rounds downrange in a shorter period of time.
If you want to learn these techniques register for our Safe Insight: Personal Trainer course. Get the tips and tricks that are used to train police officers and other professionals. Become a steady shooter in just 4-weeks.