Paragraph4

One of my pet peeves watching TV and movies is seeing “SWAT” teams going through buildings and “SEALS” walking through jungles looking through their sights. This reduces your visual field and slows reaction times. BAD.

I have heard some discussion on this topic. I believe that Force Science is absolutely right about this. The way I was taught to teach shoot on the move was to look through the sights as I walked. I think this technique left training scars on a lot of my peers.

Here are their conclusions…

“The recent discussion among operators perfectly described the feeling that searching through sights can feel restrictive and less safe. The application of science strongly supports what operators have been experiencing. That is, continuous focal fixation can limit the information available from the rest of the scene, and it can reduce the early cues that often drive fast, safe decisions.

Like any tool, the usefulness of sights depends on when they are being used. Staying off the sight can allow the powerful peripheral vision to provide broad, rapid threat detection. While the focal vision required to use optics and fixed sights can facilitate the detail and precision required for accurate shot placement. Relying solely on the continuous focal fixation required to “search through the sights” may introduce unacceptable perceptual costs that operators are right to question.”