Class: Interface Of Sighted Fire/Point Shooting Instructor: Matt Temkin, Roger Phillips (assisting) Location: Prescott, AZ When: 10/27-10/28, 2007 

This is "Chan2" checking in. This was my first formal instruction in point shooting. I have been shooting for a little over a year, but that's long enough to be caught in the crossfire (pun intended) in the "Point Shooting vs. Sighted Fire" holy war. I've read both sides, and after taking the class, it's easy to see that the whole "debate" really is assinine.

First of all, as the name of the class suggests, it is not an "either/or" proposition. The instructors, who are grouped in the point shooting camp, both clearly state that point shooting has its applications, and sighted fire has its application. During the course of a fight, you may have to flow from one to the other.

Next, if you've read ANYTHING that Matt or Roger has written, it is that Point Shooting is a concept, not a method. If you want to know how to do it, it's not some secret magic technique. Although Roger has succinctly described how to do it recently, Fairbairn and Applegate descibed it half a century ago in publications you can download for free.

This brings me to my next point. If Point Shooting is a concept, why does it take a two day class to teach this? Actually, it only took a couple of hours and about 200 rounds of ammo. The class is better described as Fast Effective Combat Shooting. The class teaches and conditions you to get your gun into action as quickly and effectively as possible to solve the problem at hand.

What Matt teaches is based on WWII techniques taught by Fairbairn and Applegate. The titles of some of the published sources he uses as references, "Shooting to Live" and "Kill or Get Killed" exactly describes the situations one is caught up in when this skillset is deployed. Matt also integrates his 17 years of firearms experiences as a police officer, trainer, and student into the curriculum, and encouraged us to take what we learn and run with it and make it grow.

Sighted fire has widespread appeal and point shooting is put down as voodoo science, I think because every aspect of sighted fire can be quantified and explained. Point shooting is more ambiguous, but I can tell you that within its envelope of effectiveness, point shooting is accurate, and more importantly, FAST. It really shines when the shooter is behind the reaction curve and have to deal with a bad guy who has intitated action. Funny, that sounds like what most private citizen shooting scenarios entail.

The class will dispel a lot of myths that are circulating around. "Point shooting is no good at distances further than arm's length." "You can't point shoot while you're moving." "Point shooting is spraying and praying."

Point shooting is a controversial subject in the shooting community, and having experienced it firsthand, I am ready to make my own controversial statement. Ready? Here it is:

Point shooting is not for pussies.

There, I said it. Now let me explain.

What does this mean? It's not that the "techniques" are only for HSLD secret squirrel He-Men. It's not that there's some secret, that once revealed, will be so shocking that your hair turns white and your heart will stop in three days. What it means is this: the key in owning this and doing your best using point shooting as taught in this class is pure aggression. If you take this trying to learn techniques, or taking each exercise as only a drill to sharpen skills, it will only take you so far. However, if you apply it by taking the fight to the enemy without thought you will achieve almost superhuman feats.

Okay, now I sound like I've joined the Point Shooting Cult. All I can say is that the targets don't lie. Matt was trying to clarify the statement that point shooting was "instinctive." As a twist to that, in light of what I said above, I would add that point shooting is primal. You can't think about. You can't be timid about it. Put on your warface and just do it.

Just to reiterate so there's no misunderstanding, point shooting is not a repacement for sighted fire. After class I was shooting at a red gong on the other hill. It was pretty far away (anyone know how far that one was?). You bet I was using my sights (and I hit that thing too! After quite a few misses, of course). Use your sights when you need to, and when you can. You hear this all the time, but after this class you will know what it means.

This was a cool class with really cool people. I would say it is as eye-opening as your first FoF class. If you have a chance to study with Matt, please consider it. He's a man who has done his homework, and will hold nothing back from you. I can't thank Matt enough for this great experience. Also hats off to Roger and Gabe.