Marksmanship. Lesson 3

MARKSMANSHIP AND
COMBAT SHOOTING
Renjohn Mark M. Dagami, RCrim

LESSON 3:
BASIC
MARKSMANSHIP AND
COMBAT SHOOTING
OBJECTIVES;
After completing this lesson, the students should
also be able to:
1.Trace the historical development of

marksmanship and combat shooting;
2.Identify the six fundamentals of pistol shooting;
3.Demonstrate or execute the fundamentals of
pistol shooting; and
4.Appreciate the role of the fundamentals of pistol
shooting in gun handing proficiency.
MARKSMANSHIP – is a skillful art of shooting
and hitting a target within a specific range or
distance.
COMBAT PISTOL SHOOTING – is a modern

martial art that focuses on the use of the handgun
as a defensive weapon for self-defense, as well as
military and law enforcement use. Like most
martial arts, combat pistol shooting is practiced
for both defense and sport.
HISTORY
OF
PISTOL AND COMBAT
SHOOTING
Combat pistol shooting, as distinct from target
shooting, emerged in the early 1900s. Two British
members of the Shanghai Municipal Police developed
modern pistol combat tactics in the 1920s. At the time, the
streets of Shanghai were rife with criminal activity, and
policing in the city was a dangerous occupation. Captain
William E. Fairbairn and Sgt. Eric A. Sykes devised
innovative pistol shooting techniques and handgun
specifications for the police force. They were recalled to
the United Kingdom during WWII and trained British
Commandos in their combat tactics, including their
combat pistol shooting system.
Their methods were later disseminated in their 1942
book, Shooting to Live with the One-Hand Gun.
Rex Applegate used these techniques to train troops for
the American Office of Strategic Services. This system is
still used in modern point-shooting techniques.
In the 1950s, American instructor Jeff Cooper was
instrumental in establishing both the International Practical
Shooting Confederation (IPSC) and Gunsite, a combat
training school. Cooper's methodology has come to be
known as the "modern method." The methods advocated
by Fairbairn and Cooper differ in many ways, and debates
between supporters of the various methodologies continue
to this day.
Point shooting, also known as a target or threat-focused
shooting, instinctive firing, and instinctive shooting, is a
method of shooting a firearm quickly and accurately in
close-quarters, life-threatening situations that do not rely on
the use of sights. Because proper marksmanship techniques
are difficult to apply in close quarters, point shooting
advocates a less sighting-based shooting style.
The modern technique is a method for using a handgun
for self-defense, originated by firearms expert Jeff Cooper.
The modern technique uses a two-handed grip on the pistol
and brings the weapon to eye level so that the sights may be
used to aim at the target.
After experimenting with previous techniques such as
point shooting, Cooper refined this method into a teachable
system in the 1950s, based on the techniques of shooters
such as Jack Weaver and others.
The current approach consists of four main components:
a sufficiently powerful weapon, an effective grip, and a
firing technique.
In three Latin words, Cooper summed up the
requirements and anticipated outcome:
1. Diligentia (Accuracy) - To hurt your enemy, you must
hit him/her.
2. Vis (Force) - You must use enough force to knock your
opponent out.
3. Celeritas (Speed) - You must hit your opponent quickly
before he/she hits you.
The key takeaways for students of the modern
technique are Cooper’s personal slogan, "DVC," and the
term "front sight/press."
Fundamentals of Pistol Shooting
The fundamentals of pistol shooting are the following:
a. Position
b. Grip
c. Breath Control
d. Sight Alignment
e. Trigger Control
f. Follow-Through
a. Position/Stance
It refers to the way the shooter holds his/her body when
firing a shot. When approaching the firing line, the shooter
should assume a comfortable, steady firing position.
During the integrated act of dry-fire training, he/she must
learn how to maintain steady position. The best judge of
the quality of his/her position is the shooter. The position
should be relaxed, balanced, and properly aligned with the
target.
The types of firing position are the following:
a. Standing
b. Kneeling
c. Prone
Three types of standing positions
1. Isosceles Stance
2. Weaver Stance
3. Fighting Stance
Kneeling Position
Elements of kneeling position:
• Face the target while standing with your feet shoulder-
width apart.
• Lower yourself to the ground by bending the firing side
knee and keeping the support side foot flat on the
ground.
• Ensure that the firing side knee is 45 degrees offset from
the heel of the support side foot, and that the legs form a
90-degree “L” shape.
• Sit on the firing side heel, which should be under the
meaty portion of the gluts.
• The toes on the firing side are either curled under or flat
against the ground.
• Lean forward and hook the flat of your support side
elbow in front of your support side knee, keeping your
elbow as close to the rifle as possible.
• The rifle, the assisting hand, the assisting elbow, the
assisting knee, and the assisting foot must all be in the
same vertical plane.
Prone Position
Setting up in prone position
• Spread your feat apart and relax your feet so that the
inside of your foot make full contact with the ground.
• Legs are relaxed and slightly wider than shoulder-
width. This, along with your feet, forms a very stable
anchor, preventing you from losing your position due
to recoil or movement upfront.
• Your stomach should be resting on the ground and you
should be able to breathe comfortably. If you cannot
breathe comfortably in this position, switch to the bent-
leg prone position, as you will be inaccurate and
fatigue over time.
• Your shoulder should be level while resting your arms at
the elbows.
• Your dominant hand should grip the rifle at the rifle grip
comfortably so you have maximum trigger control.
• Your off-hand ideally should stabilize the rifle at the
stock or further up front.
b. Grip
This refers to the manner by which the pistol is grasped
and held on the hand.
The shooter must maintain a firm, uniform grip on the
weapon.
The goal of good grip is consistency and neutrality.
Two ways of gripping the pistol:
1. One-Hand Grip
2. Two-Hand Grip
Correct support hand angle
The support hand is responsible for at least 60% to
70% weight in gripping the gun while the shooting hand
takes at least 30% to 40%.
Thumb positioning
The thumb of both hands should be automatically
positioned on the pistol’s weak side. Thumb should be
placed next to each other, thumb should never be
placed on the handgun’s rear(backstrap). Crossed
thumbs are more vulnerable to injury.
Grip Alignment
c. Breathe Control
to achieve accuracy, the shooter must learn to properly
hold his/her breath at any point during the breathing cycle,
while aiming and squeezing the trigger.
Why do you think breath control is important in
shooting?
This is to minimize body movement while shooting, the
breath cycle must be interrupted.
A complete respiratory cycle lasts 4-5 seconds (inhaling
and exhaling), with a 2-3-second pause between each cycle.
This pause can be extended for up to 10 seconds without
any additional discomfort. The shooter should fire the shot
during this pause between breaths.
Breath control firing at the single target
Breath control firing at multiple targets

d. Sight Alignment
this is the positioning of the front blade within the rear
sight notch.
Angular Shift Error
e. Trigger Control/Trigger Squeeze
The independent movement of the trigger finger in
applying increasing pressure on the trigger straight to
the rear while maintaining sight alignment until the
weapon fires.
Error in trigger control
a. Flinching – This is an automatic human reflex caused

by anticipating the recoil of the weapon.
b. Jerking – This is the effort to fire the weapon at the
precise time the sights align with the target.
f. Follow-Through
It is the continued effort of the shooter to maintain sight
alignment before, during, and after the rounds has fired.
Even after the rounds has been fired, the shooter must
maintain the rearward movement of the finger. Releasing
the trigger too early after the round has been fired will
result in an uncontrolled shot and a missed target.
Follow-Through refers also to the continuation of
whatever was being done at the time the shot was fired.

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MARKSMANSHIP AND

Renjohn Mark M. Dagami, RCrim

1.Trace the historical development of

COMBAT PISTOL SHOOTING – is a modern

The fundamentals of pistol shooting are the following:

Breath control firing at multiple targets

a. Flinching – This is an automatic human reflex caused

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