Jim,
I'm afraid this may be an area where Siskel & Ebert disagree. (That's an inside joke for the rest of you). It's also ironic that you started this thread as this subject was going to be next installment of, "My Opinion Only".
Gabe does an excellent job of defining the four area's of marksmanship he feels is most important, however, I disagree with a few of his points.
1) Although in the article Gabe does give himself an "out", I totally disagree on concentrating on the front sight in any engagement of 10 yards or less primarily for two reasons.
The first coincides with our earlier dicussion where you mentioned about programming a delay in response to students by looking for cover prior to engaging. Like anything you can reduce the time an action takes through practice, that's a given. However, in a CQB environment, there is no need to accuire a perfect sight picture or perfect sight alignment.
In a defensive shooting scenario two things matter - time and hits. Three things determine your time - presenting the firearm, bringing the firearm up and extending the arms (bringing to bear), and accuiring a sight picture. I contend that from 7 yards you can eliminate the sight picture completely and half of the 'raise and extend'. At 3 - 4 yards all you have to do is draw. This is a form of shooting from retention whereas the firearm is centered and kept close the body. I may not have had the forethought to name SUL back in the day but I did name this technique I'm alluding to. This is what I call "Punch Shooting" and I developed it through my time in HRT and martial arts. There's more to it but it ain't rocket surgery.
From 7 to 12 yards - present, raise and pick up the front sight only. Not focusing on the sight, mind you, and not creating a sight alignment, per se. This is where grip comes in as one of the areas I feel is important.
As Gabe mantion's, at any distance beyond 12 yards, a full sight picture, sight alignment is your best bet.
2) "To see, or not to see. That is the question" I hope Sir William forgives me for that bastardization but it is what I've come to dub the age old contrversary of one eye or two. I'm quite sure that all of us that first learned to shoot informally as youg'ns were taught to close one eye. Why? Because it's easier to get a new shooter on paper quicker instead of teaching them to use both eyes. God gave us both eyes for a reason, and it wasn't to have a spare.
To me there almost seems to be a contradiction in some instructors philosophies or maybe they just haven't thought it through. I no longer shoot any firearm (not even a scoped rifle) with one eye closed. This didn't come easy, it took training the same as trigger control or any other aspects of marksmanship. And, like any other shooting skill, it will degrade if not practiced.
Yes, your concentration should be focused on your immediate threat. However, how many times have you heard instructors say, "Check six", or if there's one, there's probably two? Point is, you do need to know what's going on around you. Now, I'm going to try to tie these two topics together in the practical application. Also, keep in mind, the human being has no depth perception with only one eye. That's just a pathophysiological fact.
We have, in recent talks, been explaining the importance of shooting while moving. Not on a nice flat, level, grassy range free of obstacles. We are talking about in a parking lot, around cars, negotiating sidewalk curbs, parking stops, your dining room table and chairs, the coffee table and your sofa (all at night). See, self defense gunfights never happen on the range. They happen in real life with real life obstacles that you are going to trip over. This is one reason I advocate getting these training classes off the square range and utilizing mock-ups that resemble real life situations.
When you close one eye, not only do you lose depth perception, you lose peripheral vision, as well. I'm not only talking horizontal, but vertical, also. This means you'll decrease your ability to see your footing as you move. Now, the mind can only concentrate on one thought at a time but it is able to process a great deal of incoming information at the same time. This is where the subconscious and conscious bridge a gap. Ever hear people (or experienced yourself) time slow down during an intense encounter? It seemed liked it took forever but you were processing all kinds of information in a very split second. This is also part of the sympathetic nervous response, fight or flight.
Now, I will grant you that while standing on a range, at the ready at 7 yards, you will probably be able to shoot a tighter group by drawing, bringing to bear, closing one eye, picking up a sight picture - sight alignment and squeezing the trigger. I'm telling you that closing one eye, concentrating on the front sight post while moving and shooting at a moving target, while negotiating obstacles is not an easy thing to do. Sight picture and sight alignment, concentrating on the front post is the most accurate way to shoot a stationary target while you remain stationary, as well. Don't believe me? Try it.
If you are awaken and investigating a noise in your house in the middle of the night, are you going to walk around with one eye closed, concentrating on the front sight? Rediculous you say? Okay, so don't. You are moving down the hallway into the living room. Now, you see the BG. Your mind starts to process. First is, "Oh, Shit! there's a BG". Then, you see him turn and raise a hand. Your eyes will be attracted to the movement and your mind will start to process what, if anything, is in his hand and is his movement strating to present a threat. Then you realize it's a weapon and you have to act. Now, you have to take the time to close one eye, shift your focus from your threat and look at the front post, align with the rear sight and fire. Too much time. Always remember that action is quicker than reaction. I will say it again, in a CQB situation (<12 yards) never close an eye and never, ever take your eyes off of your threat. I guarantee you that your front sight will never shoot at you so stop concentrating on it.
