Point shooting vs. aimed shots

Trainers, practitioners, academics and armchair experts all have an opinion regarding the pro's and con's of point shooting versus aimed shots. There is probably no other area of police critical skills training that brings about such heated debate and emotive reactions. The positive aspect of this reaction is that it is centered on the very honorable crusade to save officers lives.

These printed articles commonly take a very polarized viewpoint with regard to the efficiency of one method over the other. Examples of how one method was better than the other in actual confrontations are often cited as sufficient evidence to declare a winner in methodology.

Many police organizations, large and small, have spent countless time, effort and money in studying these methods and have developed well-- documented training philosophies based on one system or the other. Given the hours of dedicated development that these agencies have put into their programs there is little wonder that passions are stirred when debasing information is proffered on the pitfalls of one system over the other.

When any training in a system is presented by credible and respected trainers, who have a solid belief in what they are teaching, there is going to be a little realized loyalty factor developed among the recipients. This loyalty will develop into an entrenched dogma if the effectiveness of the training is exemplified by in-service, experienced police officers. What better than word of mouth evidence depicting a life saving method that, if followed, will save lives? Whether the system used was the real reason for the effective result is a moot point if the belief that it did is present.

Before discussing the two shooting systems in detail it is important to understand several things. Point shooting, for want of a labored and lengthy definition, is the firing of a weapon, at eye level, sans sights, with the visual concentration of the shooter being on the intended target. Aimed shooting is the bringing of the weapon to eye level followed by a visual transference from the target, to the sights, where the sights are indexed in some manner. The shooter at the very least looks at the front sight while squeezing the trigger.

The only difference in these two definitions is the...