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This in bold makes a little flag go up IME. But don't think I'm being a critical ass hole, I just want to make sure we're on the same page.

Trigger is important but first and foremost is fully wrapping your head around the front sight. That target should be indistinguishable when you switch focus to the front sight. I try and tell people they shouldn't just bring the front sight into focus. The focus should be so intense that they're picking out the machine marks or small pieces of dust on the front sight. Even a man size target should blur to a point that you don't even really know it is there.

This is often evidenced with rifles also. A guy will shoot so-so at the 300, and go 10 for 10 at the 500 or 600. Why? Because he's still trying to maintain some level of half ass focus of the target at the closer distances, so his shooting suffers. But when he moves back 2 or 300 yds, he achieves perfection. This is because he gives up trying to maintain any focus on the target at all. It is simply too far for his eyes to achieve it. So his brain subconsciously tells him "Fugk it" and all his focus goes to the front sight. It is also very common for shooters to remove their script contacts or glasses entirely. Because it forces them to focus on the front sight and nothing else. Their vision simply won't allow them to do anything but.

I can always tell if people are truly focusing on the front sight if I take them to the three yard line with no bullseye, just a blank sheet and have them do nothing but slow fire with 100% focus on the front sight and nothing else. The ones that are fully grasping the concept will leave one small hole in the paper with five shots through it. The ones that aren't will be a 50 cent piece or bigger grouping.

When teaching fundamentals I am a believer that the trigger control will naturally fall into place once a person fully grasps the front sight focus because our brain doesn't allow that trigger finger to interrupt what we are so desperately trying to achieve and maintain before the shot breaks. So when going back to basics I try and tell people FRONT SIGHT, FRONT SIGHT, FRONT SIGHT and let everything else fall into place.

BUT, the biggest problem a coach has is convincing people they aren't focusing on the front sight. I'd say 95% of pistoleros just nod their head and say "yeah, i'm on the front sight" but they really aren't. They just think they are. And once that thing in their brain clicks and they start making those one caliber holes with five shots at the 3yd line, they take off from there.



Travis

I'm sure glad nobody told me that stuff when I was learning to shoot. Seriously. I learned to shoot well focusing on the target, and am a better shooter for it. Some guys do improve by focusing on the front sight, but it's by no means the universal best method despite some big name schools promoting it. Focus on trigger control is still far more important.

Not really; my vision used to be great but is pretty average now. It's more a matter of what people have been taught to think and how to think it. The sights don't have to be in focus.

In my experience most people who think sight alignment is the cause of their accuracy issues are wrong; it's usually trigger control, which is much more difficult to master. The sights don't have to be in focus to have them aligned correctly, or even to verify they are aligned; just aligning the fuzzy dots while focusing on the target is adequate to put shots touching at 10+ yards; from the sounds of it I doubt the OP is at that point. Perfect sight alignment is worthless when poor trigger control takes the gun off target at the moment of firing.

The way I do it is more natural, like pointing your finger. You don't have to focus on your finger to point it at something, right? Same for the pistol. Visually focus on the target while mentally focusing on the trigger, grip, and body structure in that order.

Focusing on the front sight does generally result in more focus overall, including on trigger control, so it seems like it works to a lot of folks. If that's what helps you, great, but chances are just focusing on that trigger will get you the same results or better. The common element here is focus, instead of just banging away hoping to improve.

IHMSA matches are excellent practice.

I'm going to jump in with the trigger control group, because I know for a fact it's pretty easy to jerk a shot 5-6 inches (God knows I've done it enough) out of a group at 7 yards or so and you'd be hard pressed to do that with great trigger control and the front sight lined up anywhere in the back notch.

I think the good thing for me about concentrating on sight alignment really hard is it allows my subconscious to handle the trigger pull.

I'm going to jump in with the trigger control group, because I know for a fact it's pretty easy to jerk a shot 5-6 inches (God knows I've done it enough) out of a group at 7 yards or so and you'd be hard pressed to do that with great trigger control and the front sight lined up anywhere in the back notch.

I think the good thing for me about concentrating on sight alignment really hard is it allows my subconscious to handle the trigger pull.

When teaching fundamentals I am a believer that the trigger control will naturally fall into place once a person fully grasps the front sight focus because our brain doesn't allow that trigger finger to interrupt what we are so desperately trying to achieve and maintain before the shot breaks.

I'm sure glad nobody told me that stuff when I was learning to shoot.

I think the good thing for me about concentrating on sight alignment really hard is it allows my subconscious to handle the trigger pull.

Yes! that's exactly what I've been saying, but maybe you said it a little better.