PREPARATORY

MARKSMANSHIP
 Marksmanship- is defined as the skillful
art of shooting and hitting the target at a given
or known distance.
The Four (4) Basic Cardinal
Rules Of Gun Safety
1. Consider every gun as loaded-
Every gun is a potential for danger.
Accidents may happen by
thinking/presuming that the gun is
not loaded. If you always assume
that gun is loaded, you will avoid
that accidents to be happen.
2. Never let the muzzle of the gun point
at anything you don’t intend to shoot- If
a gun is fired accidentally, the chances of
harming anybody can be avoided if it is
pointed to a safe direction. Do not let
the muzzle point at people or at surfaces
which can be penetrated and where they
may be people behind.
3. Keep your trigger finger off the
trigger until you are ready to fire-
a gun will not fire unless the
trigger is deliberately pressed. Do
not touch the trigger until you
have set your gun sights on the
target and you are ready to shoot.
4. Be sure of your target and what is
behind it- When you have made a
decision to shoot, make sure you
know where the bullet ends up. If
you miss, the bullet can hit an
innocent bystander or go through a
wall and hit someone behind.
 The Elements or
Factors Involve in
Marksmanship
 I. STANCE

A good stance maximizes control while

shooting. It provides balance, instability, which
are maximized when there’s the least strain
muscle.
 Factors to Consider in Assuming a Shooting Stance
• Comfortable and easy;

• It must repeatedly index you on target;

• It must afford you with good recoil control and ability

to execute follow up shots;

• It must be flexible enough to allow you to pivot and

move if such is required.
 NOTE:
It is advisable that the shooter/s should
be able to shoot all the different styles
because in real life situations, conditions are
not always perfect and you must be able to
adapt to any given situation using the most
appropriate techniques required of the
situation.
• The legs should be straight but not tense, with the knees slightly
flexed and relaxed;

• The hip should be labeled and in a natural position;

• Hand and shoulder should be relaxed but no unnatural tilt of the

head;

• Arms to be extended with wrist and elbow lock, but free of strain.
Body weight should be on toes and distributed forward.
Top Five Shooting Stances
• Fast and accurate shooting with a handgun requires a stable
shooting stance that allows the shooter to exercise the proper
degree of sight alignment, trigger control and recoil
management.

• There are a number of stances that can do that, but there’s no

“one-size-fits-all” solution.

• Not all shooting conditions are the same. One method may be
superior to others in certain situations, and savvy shooters will
want to explore those that work best for them. Here are five
stances that are worth the time to learn.
 1. WEAVER STANCE
The Weaver Stance is an aggressive, weight-forward stance. It holds
the gun closer to the face and requires bent elbows. The gun is
tensioned between the pull of the support hand and push of the strong
hand.
The Weaver is an aggressive, “boxer-type” stance. Assume it by bringing the
support-side (non-shooting side) foot forward 8 to 10 inches with the toes
pointing toward the target, with the strong-side (shooting side) toes canted
45 degrees outward. The gun is presented to the target in a two-hand hold,
with the strong-side arm not fully extended. That elbow should be unlocked
and angled slightly outward. The support arm has the elbow bent downward
at a 45-degree angle. The support hand pulls into the shooter while the
strong hand pushes outward and the support-side shoulder leans into the
gun. This creates a very rigid grip on the gun.
 One is a fast sight picture. With the elbows
unlocked and the arms not fully extended the
sights are brought closer to the shooter’s eyes.
This has the practical effect of making the rear-
sight notch appear wider, which allows more light
on either side of the front sight and brings it into
immediate focus. It is one of the fastest two-hand
stances to deliver accurate hits at close range, and
can offer good accuracy at ranges stretching to 25
yards and beyond.
 It also provides a wider swing arc to the shooter’s support side. In any two-hand
stance the feet do not move when engaging targets: the upper body acts like a turret and
pivots the gun. In the Chapman and Isosceles stances (discussed below), most shooters
can comfortably pivot 90 degrees to their strong side and about 100 degrees to their
support side before the torso locks up. The unlocked elbows of the Weaver Stance allow
the support-side pivot to increase another 45 degrees while losing nothing on the strong
side. That can be quite handy when an unexpected threat shows up on your blind side.
 2. CHAMPMAN STANCE
The Chapman Stance is more vertical and relaxed than the
Weaver. The strong arm is held straight and many adherents drop their
cheek to the strong-side bicep.
The Chapman Stance uses the same aggressive foot
position as the Weaver, but the support-side foot doesn’t need to
move quite as far forward, and the support-side shoulder doesn’t
drive toward the gun. The stance is more relaxed and the major
difference is the strong-side arm is now fully extended. While
there is some pull back from the support arm hand, the strong
arm exerts only minimal forward push. In affect, the strong arm
becomes a steady “rifle stock,” and many Chapman Stance
shooters actually drop their cheek to contact their bicep as they
would with a rifle.
 One is that the more-relaxed stance requires less upper-body strength to execute. Shooters
who have upper-body strength issues and experience discomfort with the Weaver Stance often find
the Chapman to be an excellent solution. Also, many with cross-dominant vision find the less-rigid
head position of the Chapman allows them to get their eyes properly aligned quicker with just a
slight shift of the head.

Recoil control is another major plus for the Chapman Stance. With the strong arm locked,
and the support-arm elbow bent in a supporting position, a lot of the recoil is transferred from the
wrists to the upper body and shoulders where body mass helps soak it up better than flexible wrists
can. Shooting a .44 Mag. from the Weaver isn’t fun, but its much more tolerable from the Chapman,
and it is a favored stance for handgun hunters using heavy calibers. They also appreciate the
stance’s potential accuracy enhancement.

The full-arm extension into a “rifle-stock” position extends the sights beyond the Weaver and
allows their finest alignment. Combined with the steady cheek rest position and the supporting hand,
many experts consider the Chapman to be the most accurate two-handed stance available to a
skilled shooter.
 3. POWER ISOSCELES STANCE
The Power Isosceles features dual locked elbows and
the gun centered in the field-of-view. Dropping the strong-
side foot back several inches improves stability over the
standard Isosceles.

The original Isosceles Stance is the most natural and easy-

to-assume two-hand stance a shooter can use. All that is
required is to face the target squarely with the feet spread
shoulder-width apart, and bring the gun up directly in front of the
eyes with a two-handed grip and both arms at full extension. This
keeps the head fully upright and allows maximum peripheral
vision while naturally centering the pistol with the eyes.
 It’s significantly faster than the Chapman, and every bit as fast as the Weaver, with
far less practice. And it requires virtually no shifting of the head to achieve a clear sight
picture for those with cross-dominant vision issues. It’s been around so long no one can
truly point to its originator, but its popularity began to soar in the early 1980s with the rise of
action-pistol competition.
Shooters found the upright head position and increased peripheral vision allowed
them to move faster and more positively between multiple targets than the more-rigid
Weaver and Chapman. It became the winning stance in action-pistol matches, but they
were shooting light targets loads.
Shift to full-power loads and the original Isosceles Stance exposes its weakness:
with the feet spread equally at shoulder width, it provides the least amount of recoil control
among common shooting stances.
Each of these two-handed stances has advantages and disadvantages for certain
situations. It’s worth learning all three and being able to shift between them when needed.
It’s commonly assumed that changing your grip or stance can significantly alter the point-of-
impact on a handgun.
 4. POWER POINT STANCE
The Power Point stance enables the delivery of
accurate one-hand fire, keeping the off hand out of the way,
but ready to punch or otherwise fend off attack.
• A two-handed stance is the best platform to deliver accurate handgun fire. But there can
be times when both hands aren’t available. The Power Point Stance provides the
capability to deliver fast and accurate close-range fire with either the strong or weak
hand.

• This is a far more aggressive one-hand stance than that used by bullseye competitors.
With either hand, the gun-side foot drives forward 15 to 20 inches, with the shoulder
pushing into the gun and the knees flexed. It is not much different than a boxer throwing a
hard punch. You drive the gun to the target.
 The non-shooting hand should be tucked tightly to
the center of the chest, if possible. It is
recommended that the palm of that hand be facing
upward and the fist clenched. That helps solidify the
upper shoulder muscles and promotes better trigger
control. It will provide the most-accurate stance, but if the
non-shooting hand is occupied or injured, the aggressive
“punch to the target” will still give you speed and all the
close-range accuracy one would require.
 4. STRONG-HAND RETENTION STANCE
The Strong-Hand Retention Stance prevents an
assailant from taking your gun while keeping it at the ready
to fire. The gun is generally held vertically but may be canted
outward to clear the bustline or if the barrel is ported.

There are personal-protection situations where extending

the gun into one of the aforementioned stances is an invitation to
have it taken away from you. That could happen if potential
assailants have closed to virtual arm’s length, or if you decide to
investigate that proverbial “bump in the night” and are moving
room to room and peeking around corners. Leading with the gun
is a poor idea.
• The Strong-Hand Retention stance provides an effective alternative.

• This stance has the gun-arm elbow tucked tightly into the side of the body,
with the gun hand no more than a few inches ahead of the stomach and
pointed straight ahead. The support hand moves to the support shoulder
height to clear it from the muzzle, and provides a free hand to fend off a
sudden attack. This stance locks the gun tightly to the body while leaving
the support hand free to act. Foot placement doesn’t matter with this
stance. They can go anywhere they need to as long as the gun is tucked in
tightly to the body, making it difficult to grab.

• If threats appear close and sudden, all one has to do is pivot the upper
body to bring the gun to bear and fire. If threats materialize at longer
distances the gun is already in hand, the support hand is ready to move,
and one can quickly shift into any of the above stances.
• There is, however, one caveat to the Strong-Hand
Retention stance: If your gun has a compensator or
ported barrel, you don’t want to fire it from such a
retention position. Powder gases and unburned powder
particles will blow directly up and into your face and
eyes. At best it’s distracting, and at worst disabling. In
this case the gun will need to be extended.
• No one stance is perfect for all situations, but learning
these five will give you an edge in a life-threatening
encounter.
 II. GRIP
A proper grip provide the shooter with maximum control of the
fire-arm. To maintain natural sight alignment, the fire-arm must be held
firmly.
Gripping a semi-automatic pistol correctly is essential to be able to
shoot precisely and quickly. A proper grip will determine whether you will
have proper finger placement on the trigger and if you will be able to shoot
and control the gun through recoil, known as recoil management.

It is important to note that the shooting hand should fill up the entire
backstrap of the pistol. To a baseball batter, this would be similar to choking
as high as you can get on the grip of the bat. There should be no gaps
between the top the web of the hand and the top of the backstrap on the
frame of the pistol. The thumb of the shooting hand should be “flagged,” or
in a hitchhikers position in order to make room for the other hand to be
placed on the pistol.
• The non-firing hand should approach the bottom of the trigger guard at roughly a 90-degree
angle. The index finger of that hand should touch, or index, off the bottom of the trigger
guard on or about the first knuckle. As the shooter pushes their hands towards the target,
both thumbs will roll together forward into a stacked position. Tension between the hands
should be firm, yet comfortable. Gripping the pistol with too much tension can cause fatigue
and disrupt trigger control.

• Depending on the size of the shooter’s hands and the size of the gun, care should be taken
to avoid placing your non-shooting hand index finger on the front of the trigger guard. This
leads to bad shooting habits and abnormal muzzle movement, which will cause shooting
errors that increase exponentially as the target moves further away. However, if your hands
are much larger than the pistol frame, a finger or part of a finger on the front of the trigger
guard may be beneficial to get a better grip purchase on the firearm and may be more
comfortable.
 Good marksmanship comes not from
merely buying a gun and shooting it
often, but from learning and
understanding the fundamentals and
training on them. Before you expect to
become a competitive champion or
crack-shot pistol marksman, you’ll need
to know (and be able to replicate) how to
grip your pistol.
 III. BREATH CONTROL
Breathing properly while shooting is essential. In-hale, ex-hale-
fire. In this manner, the breathing muscle is relaxed.

• The object of proper breath control is to enable the

shooter to hold his/her breath with a comfortable
feeling long enough to fire one shot slow fire; five
shots in twenty seconds timed fire; or five shots in ten
seconds rapid fire without loss of the ability to hold
still or concentrate on sight alignment.
• A person can prolong by several seconds his
respiratory pause, that is, hold his breath comfortably
for 15-20 seconds, without any special labor and
without experiencing unpleasant sensations. This time
is more than adequate to produce a shot or shots.

• The breathing process provides the body with oxygen

and eliminates waste elements from blood. Correct
breathing while shooting is essential to proper body
functions.
• In this style, you go through a complete inhale/exhale cycle and then consciously hold your breath for
3-5 seconds during the natural pause. This is where you squeeze the trigger and make your shot.

• Inhale/exhale again, then fire during the next pause.

• This is an older marksmanship breathing technique, and related to what used to be called the BRASS
shooting technique. BRASS is an acronym for:

 Breathe

 Relax

 Aim

 Slack

 Squeeze

• Each of these steps relates to one of the basic shooting fundamentals. Breathe is obvious, relax
means to remove muscular tension, aim refers to a proper sight picture, slack means to remove
slack from the trigger, and squeeze is the final trigger movement.

• This is an easy to remember sequence of events. But what I found interesting was that the breathing
step was a half exhale before breaking the shot.
 Don't Hold Too Long
• Don't Hold Too Long

• The maximum amount of time you should hold your breath for a shot is 7 to 8 seconds. After that,
even a little bit of oxygen deprevatio your brain affects your vision and muscular stability. If you can't
get your sights aligned within that time, then begin the cycle over again and fire on the next natural

The maximum amount of time you should hold your breath for a shot
pause.

is 7 to 8 seconds. After that, even a little bit of oxygen deprevation to

your brain affects your vision and muscular stability. If you can't get
your sights aligned within that time, then begin the cycle over again
and fire on the next natural pause.
 IV. SIGHT ALLIGNMENT
Is the relationship in the rear sight and front sight
as seen by the shooter when aligning the sights using
the eyes.
Master Eye- everyone should understand that our eyes
do not function equally, but that one eye dominates
over the other. This is called the Master Eye and we
must use this eye when aligning the sights of a firearm.
Sight alignment is the most important contribution to firing an accurate shot.

In order for the bullet to hit the center of the target, the shooter must aim the pistol
and give the barrel a definite direction relative to the target.

In theory, accurate aiming is achieved when the shooter places In exact alignment
the rear sight with the top and sides of the front sight and holds them In alignment
In the aiming area.

A requisite for correct aiming is the ability to maintain the relationship between the
front and rear sights.

When aiming the front sight is positioned in the middle of the rear sight notch with
an equal light space on each side. The horizontal top surface of the front sight is on
the same level as the top horizontal surface of the rear sight notch.
 Angular Shift Error: If the shooter does not observe correct aiming (maintaining the top surface of
the centered front sight on a level with the top of the rear sight and equal light space on each side of the front
sight) there will be few accurate shots. Most often, he locates the front sight in a different position In the rear
notch. This accounts for a greater dispersion of shots on the target, since the bullets will deviate In the direction
In which the front sight is positioned In the notch. (Figure 2-2). This aiming error is known as angular shift
error.
 Parallel Shift Error: If the hold (arc of movement) is deviating In near parallel error from the
center of the aiming area, the shooter should know that these deflections will not lower the score to the
extent of angular shift error. Therefore, sight alignment is the most critical of the two. Thus, the
accuracy of a shot depends mainly upon the shooter's ability to consistently maintain correct sight
alignment. The main effort should be toward keeping your sights aligned, Holding the pistol perfectly
still is desirable but It is not mandatory.
Impossible! The Human Eye Cannot Focus On A Close-Up Object and A Distant Object Simultaneously.
 POINT OF FOCUS
Correct sight alignment must be thoroughly understood and practiced. It
appears on the surface as a simple thing - this lining up of two objects, front and
rear sights. The problem lies in the difficulty in maintaining these two sights in
precise alignment while the shooter is maintaining a minimum arc of movement and
pressing the trigger to cause the hammer to fall without disturbing sight alignment.
Figure 2-4c. Proper. Control alignment is precise. Focus limited to front sight only, renders the sights distinct and
target indistinct and sight relationship can be controlled constantly.
1. It is imperative to maintain 'front slight point of focus" throughout the
sighting and aiming of the pistol. The shooter must concentrate on
maintaining the correct relationship between front and rear sight, and
the point of focus must be on the front sight during the short period
required to deliver the shot. If the focus is displaced forward, and the
target is momentarily in clear focus, the ability of shooter to achieve
correct sight alignment is jeopardized for that moment. Frequently, this
is the moment that the pistol fires. A controlled, accurate shot is
impossible under these conditions.

2. When the eye is focused on the target the relatively small movement
of the arm appears magnified. However, when the eye is correctly
focuses on the front sight this movement appears to have been reduced.
 CONCENTRATION
1. If the sights are incorrectly aligned, the net result is an inaccurate
shot. Carelessness in obtaining correct sight alignment can usually be
traced to the shooter's failure to realize its importance. Many shooters
will, in the initial phase of holding, line up the sights in a perfect
manner. However, as the firing progresses, and the shooter is
concentrating on delivering the shot, he often loses correct sight
alignment which he attained in the initial phase of his hold. Usually,
when the shooter is unable to maintain a plain-point hold, his
concentration on sight alignment wavers. An accurate shot is lost
because the shooter is thinking of his arc of movement and not the
perfection of sight alignment.
2. Another factor which contributes to the deterioration of sight
alignment, is the feeling of anxiety which arises over the apparently
stationery pressure on the trigger when attempting to fire. An impulse is
generated to got more pressure on the trigger, so that the shot will be
delivered. When the shooter thinks about increasing the trigger pressure,
a degree of the intense concentration required to maintain correct sight
alignment is lost. Even if trigger control and the hold are good, the net
result will be a poor shot. Sight alignment must remain uppermost in the
shooter's mind throughout the firing of the shot. Positive trigger
pressure must be applied involuntarily. Consistently accurate shots are
produced when the shooter maintains intense concentration on sight
alignment during the application of trigger pressure, while experiencing
a minimum arc of movement. Control of the shot is lessened in direct
proportion to the loss of concentration on sight alignment.
3. The average, advanced shooter is probably limited in
sustained concentration to a period of 3 to 6 seconds. This
short space of time is the optimum period in which a
controlled shot can be delivered. This concentration interval
should be attained simultaneously with acquiring a minimum
arc of movement, a point of focus, satisfactory sight alignment,
and the involuntary starting of positive trigger pressure. If
exact sight alignment is maintained, and the trigger pressure
remains positive, the shot will break during the limited time
the shooter is able to control his uninterrupted concentration.
Result! A dead center hit on the target.
 EYE
The principal difficulties which confront the
shooter during aiming are determined to a
great extent by the inherent characteristics of
the eye and its work as an optical apparatus.
All shooters should familiarize themselves
with the optical properties of the human eye
 V. TRIGGER CONTROL
Is the fine pressure on the trigger, so that the shot can be fired
with the least disturbance to sight alignment. It is the independent
action of the trigger with uniform increasing pressure straight to the
rear after the slack has been taken.
Proper Trigger Control is another key ingredient in the accurate and
safe shot.
For rifle and pistol shooting, the trigger must be squeeze slowly and
steadily. As the sight picture takes shape, increase pressure on the
trigger in a motion drawing the finger and trigger straight to the rear.
The instant the trigger disengages the sear and the shot is fired should
come as a surprise, because your concentration is focused on the sight
picture.
CORRECT PLACEMENT OF THE INDEX FINGER ON THE TRIGGER

A. With Joint of Index Finger.

B. With First Bone Section of Index Finger.
 FACTOR OF TRIGGER CONTROL
The pressure put on the trigger must come from
independent movement of the trigger only. The gripping
fingers and the thumb do not move or tighten. Keep the grip
pressure constant.

Align the sight, settle into your normal aiming area and
exert positive, uninterrupted, increasing pressure, straight to
the rear, until the hammer falls.
 Common ERRORS Made While Squeezing
the Trigger
1. Jerking- is attempting to make the pistol fire in a certain
movement by rapidly applying pressure on the trigger.
2. Flinching- is muscular tension in anticipation of recoil
shown by head movement, closing the eyes, shoulder
movements or a combination of these movements.
3. Heeling- the pushing out on the grips of the weapon with
the heel of the hand, in anticipation of the recoil of the
weapon. Heeling the revolver sends the projectile high and
to the left of point of aim (if the shooter is right handed).
4. Failure to lock the Wrist and Elbow- seriously affects
consistent accuracy and may cause to jerk and heel the
weapon as you fire.

5. Improper Breath Control- causes the shot to spread out on

the target from top to bottom. This occurs because of the
failure to hold the breath during trigger squeeze. Prior to
begin the squeeze a full breath should be taken and partially
exhaled. Then hold the remainder and begin the trigger
squeeze.
Night Vision and Night Fire Techniques
Law enforcer/s work day and night, and
criminals too; mostly at night. Police officers are
more likely to run into burglar, infiltrator, or other
criminal during the hour of darkness, it is
imperative for the officers to know how to
operate in periods of poor visibility.
 NIGHT VISION
Everybody can see much more in the dark than you realize. Our eyes are
similar to camera. We have day eyes and night eyes. The retina of our eyes
is made up of two types of cells.
• Cone Cells- make up the day eyes, it is activated by bright light and
allow the eyes distinguish color, contrast and shape.
• Rod Cells- make up the night eyes, darkness activates the rod cells to
produce a chemical known as visual purple. Visual purples allows us to
distinguish black, white, shades of gray, and general outlines.

Most rod cells surround our cone cells; only a few are interspersed with
the cone cells that are concentrated in the center of our retina.
 Principles of Night Vision

1. Darkness Adaptation
Allowing the eyes to adjust to low light levels.
It takes about a half hour for the rod cells to
produce enough visual purple for the eyes to see
objects in very dim light.
2. Off-Center Vision
Focusing on an object without looking
directly at it. This causes the image to form on the
rod cell portion of the retina. Look slightly to the
right or left, or above or below the object. The
average person has his best night vision by
looking 6 degrees to 10 degrees away from
object.
3. Scanning
Can be done by moving the eyes in short
jerky movements from one focal point to another
for every four(4) to ten(10) seconds. This is the
amount of time it takes to use up the visual
purple in the focal area. When the visual purple is
used up the object disappears.
 Factors Affecting Night Vision
• Lack of Vitamin A
• Colds
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Drugs
• Heavy smoking
• Excessive use of alcohol
• Excessive exposure to bright light even for short periods.