Looking at your next position, or the next targets?

[GorillaTactical]

Fellow Shooters,

One area I've identified as needing work is my time from entry into position to first shot.  My current strategy is to visually identify a point on the ground during walk-through that I want my foot to plant at, to ensure I'm within faults and that I have full visibility of the array - when i run the stage, as I approach that position, I focus on the position where I want my foot to land, and once it plants there, turn and look at the targets.  The issue I encounter is that compared to the top dogs, I'm not getting my eyes up, finding the target and sights fast enough to get off to a competitive start on the array.  I've recently started trying to watch for the targets instead of watching my foot plant in my spot - issue there being, I miss the spot from time to time, and have faulted once on a tighter position.  So I ask you, do you focus on your spot, the targets, or somewhere in between?  What tips/tricks do you use to ensure you hit your spot while also keep your eyes up for the targets.

Appreciate the advise in advance...

[Glock26Toter]

It's not just foot position.  Be sure to look for other visual anchors and get a feel for the whole view.  This is dependent on the particular position and engagement to be had of course.    Think of it more like, a work flow rather than a spot you need to hit with a particular body part.  

Looking at the foot position, you'll reach a point where you are pretty close to that spot and don't need to continue to look there as you approach.  Just as normal walking, if you look at curb you are approaching do you continue to look at the curb as your see your foot land on it? No. Likely you gauge the distance and then you look up at the door you will enter after stepping up on the curb.  By the time you step up, you are now looking at the door knob.  You don't look directly at the doorknob, but start to look past the door as you open it... and so on.  

So, look at a position as a work flow and when you are done making sure you will hit your spot then move onto the visual anchor of the edge of a wall... or if you can see through it, now you look at the target.  You ease into the position and start mounting your gun into position.  Now you are looking through your sights at the target as you see it come around the edge of the wall... and so on.

Again, this is dependent on many factors.  However, in the absence of absolute anchors like a fault line, or barrel, I've often stood in a position and looked around at walls, the berm, and just the general surroundings.  This way I know when an entire view is coming into "focus" to tell me I'm arriving.  This blends the particular foot arrangement into the flow and I start the engagement more simultaneously.  

 

[BoyGlock]

23 hours ago, Glock26Toter said:

It's not just foot position.  Be sure to look for other visual anchors and get a feel for the whole view.  This is dependent on the particular position and engagement to be had of course.    Think of it more like, a work flow rather than a spot you need to hit with a particular body part.  

Looking at the foot position, you'll reach a point where you are pretty close to that spot and don't need to continue to look there as you approach.  Just as normal walking, if you look at curb you are approaching do you continue to look at the curb as your see your foot land on it? No. Likely you gauge the distance and then you look up at the door you will enter after stepping up on the curb.  By the time you step up, you are now looking at the door knob.  You don't look directly at the doorknob, but start to look past the door as you open it... and so on.  

So, look at a position as a work flow and when you are done making sure you will hit your spot then move onto the visual anchor of the edge of a wall... or if you can see through it, now you look at the target.  You ease into the position and start mounting your gun into position.  Now you are looking through your sights at the target as you see it come around the edge of the wall... and so on.

Again, this is dependent on many factors.  However, in the absence of absolute anchors like a fault line, or barrel, I've often stood in a position and looked around at walls, the berm, and just the general surroundings.  This way I know when an entire view is coming into "focus" to tell me I'm arriving.  This blends the particular foot arrangement into the flow and I start the engagement more simultaneously.  

 

Very well said. 

[MemphisMechanic]

 

As best I can recall, Ben's advice from class was that if you must use a spot on the ground (one up high is preferred)...

... two steps out from arrival, you can put your foot on your spot without looking down anymore. Eyes come up, gun goes out, sights are in front of paper/steel the moment you round the corner and have a clear shot.

Watch as he heads right to the steel. His gun is up and indexed on the plate through the barrel, and his footwork and stride are low and smooth enough that the gun doesn't bounce as he enters. He smoothly decelerates and breaks the first shot very quickly.

Edited January 13, 2017 by MemphisMechanic

[my00wrx1]

I posted this a while back:

 

Instead of looking for a spot or a mark to find your position try looking to your target or where your target will appear.

If I walk into the kitchen to check the time on the clock on the microwave I don't need to look at the chipped tile on the floor or the handle on the second cupboard door above the stove to know I will now be in a position to see the clock.

From my previous 'walk through' in the kitchen I know where to look directly for the clock and I can use my peripheral vision to help me move around the kitchen bench, without looking directly at it, as I walk into the kitchen to the point where I can see the clock.

If my wife has left the cupboard door open obscuring the microwave I can look 'through' the cupboard door to the spot where the clock will appear in my line of vision when I am in position.

When I say I look 'though' the cupboard door I don't mean I can physically see through the door but rather my vision is unfocused on the door and it is ready to focus on the clock as I move into position and it comes into sight.

If this last part doesn't make sense try this - hold your finger up in front of your face, say about a foot away, and in between another more distant object. If you focus on your finger so you can see it clearly and then quickly move it out of the way and look at the object beyond your finger do you notice a slight blurring before your eyes can focus on the more distant object?

If you try the same thing again but with out actually focusing on your finger, or any thing else, rather looking through or beyond it, when you move the finger out of the way and focus on the second object you should be able to focus on it that much quicker and without the momentary blurring.

As the quote in your signature says "You can shoot only as fast as you can see."

[GorillaTactical]

Thanks for all the responses, guys.  I'll certainly be working on these techniques.