It employs what is called a "Flash Sight Picture" in seeing and consciously coordinating the alignment of the sights and their correct placement on the target for EACH shot taken.

Per Wikipedia's article on the Modern Technique, the Flash Sight Picture method allows "the shooter to align the target and the sights without the delay involved in the conscious alignment of sights, such as is used when slow-firing a rifle at a distant target....In slow-fire rifle shooting, the front-sight and rear-sight of the rifle are aligned with the distant target with great care, taking at least several seconds."

The US Army, in its Combat Pistol Manual (2003), says that a "soldier should use his sights when engaging the enemy unless this would place the weapon within arm's reach of the enemy."

But, the Army manual also states that: "Usually, when engaging an enemy at pistol range, the firer has little time to ensure a correct sight picture.... As the soldier raises the weapon to eye level, his point of focus switches from the enemy to the front sight, ensuring that the front and rear sights are in proper alignment left and right, but not necessarily up and down.

Pressure is applied to the trigger as the front sight is being acquired, and the hammer falls as the "Flash Sight Picture" is confirmed....

The Flash Site Picture method is considered to be an advanced technique of combat pistol marksmanship in both the Army's Fundamentals of Pistol Marksmanship of (1979), and FM 23-35 Combat Training With Pistols & Revolvers of (2003).

The basic must-be-met marksmanship requirements serve as its foundation.

..........

If one looks closely at those must-be-met marksmanship requirements, and considers them in the light of what is known about real life and death pistol gunfights, serious questions come up about attempting to use the Flash Sight Picture method or Front Site Press technique in gunfights.

That is because some of the requirements are simply unrealistic and impractical for application in gunfights. Gunfights do not occur in conditions as assumed in the marksmanship portion of the Army Field Manual. They most often occur in bad light or at night. And most last only a few seconds as documented by police car-cam videos.

In addition, in a real close quarters life threat situation, one can expect to experience: 1. a greatly accelerated heart rate accompanied by a loss of their fine motor skills which are needed for Sight Shooting, 2. tunnel vision, 3. loss of near vision (the ability to focus on the sights), 4. binocular vision (use of both eyes), 5. focusing only on the threat, and 5. other effects of our instinctive "Fight or Flight" response. According to scientists and the literature, it kicks in automatically in those situations, and it overrides our normal physiological and mental processes.

The US Army recognizes the problem with attempting to use the basic marksmanship requirements for close quarters combat and at night.

For combat at distances under 15 feet [where most shootings happen] and when firing at night, the Combat Pistol Manual calls for the use of Point Shooting, not the FSP technique.

THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE FSP TECHNIQUE

The fundamentals of marksmanship serve as the foundation for the FSP technique. And per the Combat Pistol Manual, after a soldier becomes proficient in them, he progresses to advanced techniques.

The fundamentals are set out below in condensed form.

As you go over them, ask yourself, based on what you have read or know about real gunfights, if they are realistic and practical for application in a real close quarters gunfight.

THE GRIP

The Combat Pistol manual states that the weapon must become an extension of the hand and arm; it should replace the finger in pointing at an object.

For a One-Hand Grip, the weapon is placed in the V formed by the thumb and forefinger of the strong hand (firing hand), with the front and rear sights in line with the firing arm.

The lower three fingers are wrapped around the pistol grip, putting equal pressure to the rear until the hand begins to tremble, and then relaxed until the trembling stops. Also, if any of the three fingers on the grip are relaxed, the grip must be reapplied.

The thumb rests alongside the weapon without pressure.

And the trigger finger is placed on the trigger between the tip and second joint so that it can be squeezed to the rear, and it must work independently of the remaining fingers.

The manual also recommends a two-handed grip to steady the firing hand and provide maximum support during firing.

The grip should be checked for use of the natural point of aim. "To check it, the weapon is griped and sighted properly on a distant target. The eyes are then closed for three to five seconds while maintaining the grip and stance. When the eyes are opened, and the firer checks for a proper sight picture."

If the point of aim is disturbed, the stance should be adjusted by moving only the feet, not the shooting arm. If the sight alignment is disturbed, the grip is adjusted by removing the weapon from the hand, and then reapplying the grip.

The process is repeated until the sight alignment

and sight placement

remain almost the same when the eyes are opened. This enables the firer to determine and use the Natural Point of Aim.

The text does note that during combat, one may not have time to establish a Natural Point of Aim, and that the position may have to be adapted to available cover.

AIMING

Aiming involves sight alignment and sight placement.

"Sight alignment is the centering of the front blade in the rear sight notch," and the raising or lowering the top of the front sight so it is level with the top of the rear sight.

"Sight placement is the positioning of the weapon's sights in relation to the target".

"A correct SIGHT PICTURE consists of correct sight alignment, with the front sight placed center mass of the target."

This picture is from the US Marine Corps Pistol Manual and shows a real pistol with real sights, rather than a drawing like the one above which misrepresents reality to make it easier for the student to see what one is supposed to see and do.

Now, maintaining correct sight alignment is difficult because of the way our eyes work. When the sights and the target (threat) are at different distances, it is impossible to clearly see both of them at the same time. That is because we cannot focus on close and far objects at the same time, and that presents the firer with an aiming problem.

Per the manual: "The firer can maintain correct sight alignment only through focusing on the front sight. His bullet will hit the target even if the sight picture is partly off center but still remains on the target. Therefore, sight alignment is more important than sight placement. Since it is impossible to hold the weapon completely still, the firer must apply trigger squeeze and maintain correct sight alignment while the weapon is moving in and around the center of the target. This natural movement of the weapon is referred to as wobble area. The firer must strive to control the limits of the wobble area through proper grip, breath control, trigger squeeze, and positioning."

Here is that same picture showing the sights without highlighting.

And here is that same picture indicating the likely gunfight condition of bad light, or where the sights and target are black, or hard to distinguish from one another.

The solution is to always make the last focus on the front sight not the target (threat). If that can be done, the front sight will be seen clearly, the target (threat) and rear sight will appear hazy, and the target (threat) can be kept in the line of fire if all other marksmanship elements are performed as proscribed.

The rub is that most likely you won't be able to see the sights clearly as the lighting will be poor, or target may be moving, and if the Fight or Flight response has kicked in, you will have lost your near vision and won't be able to focus on the sights. That is reality and what you can expect.

Sight alignment is critical to accuracy because of the short distance between the sights (sight radius).

Here are three sets of pics each showing: pic 1.- good sight alignment, pic 2. - 1/8 inch error in alignment, and pic 3. - 1/4 in error in alignment. The photos in the first two sets were made with the camera set on "fill flash" so the flash went off. The third set shows the sights with no flash.

The sight radius of the airsoft gun sights shown above is short. It is only 4.63 inches, and as such, sight alignment for each shot is critical.

For example, if the gun muzzle is 1/8 inch out of alignment when the gun is fired, then at a distance of 15 feet, the bullet will miss the target center by about 5.5 inches. So, if one is shooting at an 11 x 17 inch chest sized target, the bullet will just graze the edge of the target.

And if the muzzle is 1/4 inch off of the center, the bullet will miss the center by about 11 inches, and as such, miss the target by 6 inches. Also, as the distance increases, so will the amount by which the target is missed. At 30 feet, the off of center amount of 11 inches will increase to 22 inches.

Further, if a target was to turn sideways and/or move, it would be very very difficult to use the sights and aim with the precision needed to make a hit, and in particular, in the likely gunfight condition of bad light, or where the sights and target are black or hard to distinguish from one another, or when firing multiple times with the gun jumping and bucking in your hand, or if the thumb is used to help grip and control the gun and that grip pressure along with that of the middle finger, which is lower down in the hand, torques the gun down and to the left, etc., etc....

In the following two sets of pics, the sight radius of the airsoft gun sights is 6.88 inches.

And just below the pics is a table of data showing the amounts by which a bullet will be off target center at varying distances given varying amounts of out of alignment of the sights. The table was made up using a sight radius of 7 inches, and those results are very close to those using a sight radius of 6.88 inches.

"It is hard to maintain a steady position keeping the front sight at a precise aiming point while breathing." As such, the firer should be taught to inhale, then exhale normally until comfortable, hold, and then fire.

"Trigger squeeze is: the independent movement of the trigger finger in applying increasing and straight to the rear pressure on the trigger without disturbing the sight alignment until the weapon fires." The firer must continue the rearward movement of the finger even after the round has been fired. Releasing the trigger too soon after the round has been fired results in an uncontrolled shot, causing a missed target.

Also, the trigger squeeze of the M9 pistol, when fired in the single-action mode, is 5.50 pounds; 12.33 pounds when fired in double-action mode. The firer must be aware of the mode of firing and compensate for the differences in trigger weight when firing.

The rub is the in a real gunfight, per the literature, you will have a death like crush grip on your gun. And squeezing the trigger as instructed above - as someone is fast approaching and shooting at you or trying to stab you, just won't happen in my opinion. If you want to believe that it will, and that you will have the time to take a proper shot, be my guest. You also probably will end up deader than a doornail.

As a point of information concerning the time needed to take an accurate shot, in a CAR session for 30 FBI Violent Crimes task force Agents and Officers, 4 rounds of 00 from a shotgun were placed onto 2 targets set 10 feet apart in under 1 second. And In January 2002, in a basic CAR class in King County, WA, every student put four rounds on center of a target in under 1 sec. Many put five rounds on target in under one-second using standard Glock 40 pistols.

FIRING TECHNIQUES

Firing technique include the use of hand-and-eye coordination, flash sight picture, quick-fire point shooting, and quick-fire sighting.

HAND-EYE-COORDINATION

"Hand-and-eye coordination is not a natural, instinctive ability for all soldiers. It is usually a learned skill obtained by practicing the use of a Flash Sight Picture..." (see below). And the more a soldier practices, the more natural the relationship between soldier, sights, and target becomes.

"....Everyone has the ability to point at an object. Since pointing the forefinger at an object and extending the weapon toward a target are much the same, the combination of the two are natural. Making the soldier aware of this ability and teaching him how to apply it results in success when engaging enemy targets in combat."

"The eyes focus instinctively on the center of any object observed. After an object is sighted, the firer aligns his sights on the center of mass, focuses on the front sight, and applies proper trigger squeeze. Most crippling or killing hits result from maintaining the focus on the center of mass. The eyes must remain fixed on some part of the target throughout firing."

"When a soldier points, he instinctively points at the feature on the object on which his eyes are focused. An impulse from the brain causes the arm and hand to stop when the finger reaches the proper position. When the eyes are shifted to a new object or feature, the finger, hand, and arm also shift to this point. It is this inherent trait that can be used by the soldier to engage targets rapidly and accurately. This instinct is called hand-and-eye coordination."

The rub is that the gun is not your pointer finger, and extending the weapon toward a target may be much the same as pointing the forefinger at an object, but it is not the same. Only when your finger is along side the gun, can the gun be aimed naturally, automatically and accurately at a target, and for each shot taken. Given the short radius of handguns, correct sight alignment is critical to staying alive in a life or death combat situation.

Police car cam videos show that police extend their guns toward a target, and their hit rate in armed encounters is less than 20%, which means they miss with more than four of every five shots taken.

FLASH SIGHT PICTURE

Usually, when engaging an enemy at pistol range, the firer has little time to ensure a correct sight picture. The quick-kill (or Natural Point of Aim) method does not always ensure a first-round hit.

A compromise between a correct sight picture and the quick-kill method is known as a Flash Sight Picture. As the soldier raises the weapon to eye level, his point of focus switches from the enemy to the front sight, ensuring that the front and rear sights are in proper alignment left and right, but not necessarily up and down.

Pressure is applied to the trigger as the front sight is being acquired, and the hammer falls as the Flash Sight Picture is confirmed.

Initially, the method should be practiced slowly, with speed gained as proficiency increases.

This method is sound as described, but 1. because of the basic marksmanship requirements, and the specific requirements of this method, and 2. because of what is known about the nature of real gunfights and our human response to them, and the very likely gunfight condition of bad light, or where the sights and target are black, or indistinguishable from one another, 3. obtaining and maintaining correct sight alignment (centering of the front blade in the rear sight notch), which is critical to accuracy for each shot, is very open to question.

Also, there are the issues of keeping the thumb resting alongside the gun without pressure, and keeping the index finger aloof from the grip so that it can be used to smoothly squeeze the trigger as needed, when the gun is jumping and bucking in the hand.

I very much doubt that that will be the case in a real life threat situation, if the literature is correct. In real life gunfights, grip pressure can be expected to increase greatly, and the thumb can be expected to assist in gripping the gun in a crush grip.

And as the middle finger is lower down in the hand, any gripping action by the thumb and the middle finger and the lesser fingers, will torque the gun down and around to the left, and take the sights out of alignment.

As and added note, according to the NYPD's study of thousands of Police combat situations, Officers, with an occasional exception, fired with the strong hand rather than using two hands for gun control, aiming, and shooting.

A highly trained and elite operator may thru practice and experience, be able to deal with and overcome all of the obstacles presented, but I doubt that will be true for us mortals, and most all home defenders as well.

FOR COMBAT AT DISTANCES UNDER 15 FEET

For combat at distances under 15 feet, and when firing at night, the combat pistol manual calls for the use of Point Shooting, not the FSP technique.

However, only one small paragraph of the 71 page Combat Pistol Manual is allotted to Point Shooting. It is as if combat at close quarters, or gunfights happening in poor lighting or at night, were the exceptions and not the rule.

Also, the instruction provided for dealing with them is more like a footnote, rather than a detailed and heavily emphasized description of the shooting method that soldiers most likely would need to employ to stay alive in close quarters combat.

As a point of information, in a NYPD's study of some 4000 police combat cases, the shooting distance in 75% of the them, was less than 20 feet. And if you are going to be shot and/or killed in a gunfight, there is a 90 % chance that it will be at less than 15 feet.

Here is the instruction.

"QUICK-FIRE POINT SHOOTING

"This is for engaging an enemy at less than 5 yards and is also useful for night firing.

"Using a two-hand grip, the firer brings the weapon up close to the body until it reaches chin level. He then thrusts it forward until both arms are straight.

"The arms and body form a triangle, which can be aimed as a unit. In thrusting the weapon forward, the firer can imagine that there is a box between him and the enemy, and he is thrusting the weapon into the box.

"The trigger is smoothly squeezed to the rear as the elbows straighten."

This method is mainly mechanical, and as such has a good probability of being effective in a real time encounter, and in particular as the gun should be on the shooters center line. But accuracy still is open to question, because sight alignment which is critical to accuracy, is not employed.

"QUICK-FIRE SIGHTING

"This technique is for engaging an enemy at 5 to 10 yards away and only when there is no time available to get a full picture. The firing position is the same as for quick-fire point shooting.

"The sights are aligned left and right, but to save time, not up and down.

"The firer must determine in practice what the sight picture will look like and where the front sight must be aimed to hit the enemy in the chest."

The combat manual also states: "In close combat, there is seldom time to precisely apply all of the fundamentals of marksmanship. When a soldier fires a round at the enemy, many times he will not know if he hit his target.

"Therefore, two rounds should be fired at the target. This is called a double tap. If the enemy continues to attack, two more shots should be placed in the pelvic area to break the body's support structure, causing the enemy to fall."

That sounds good, but it requires specific shot placement under close combat conditions and may not guarantee a stop.

The Army's main training focus is on MARKSMANSHIP, and meeting qualification courses that call for shooting at "long range" pistol distances, and within time limits that have little connection to real life pistol encounters.

For example, the marksmanship manual describes a standard course of fire as consisting of three stages. The first stage is ten shots in ten minutes, and fired at 50 yards. The second stage is two strings of five shots each timed fire, with 20 seconds allowed for each string, and fired at 25 yards. And the third stage is two strings of five shots each fired rapid fire, with 10 seconds allowed for each string, and fired at 25 yards for a 30 shot total.

The Military Police Firearms Qualification Course, described in FM 19-10 (1987), calls for 50 shots in 7 min. and 12 sec. The number of rounds allotted and shooting distances are: 10 rounds at 35 meters, 20 rounds at 25 meters, 15 rounds at 15 meters, and 5 rounds at 7 meters.

And in the combat pistol standard course, target distances start at 31 meters, and with no more than two targets at 7 meters. Single targets are exposed for 2 or 3 seconds, and multiple targets for 4 or 5 seconds.

Such training, does not reflect real gunfight situations, where according to the literature: "the average hand gun shooting affray takes place at a distance not exceeding 20 feet."

POINT SHOOTING AS A PRACTICAL ALTERNATIVE

There are various Point Shooting techniques that allow one to acquire and engage targets at close quarters. And they are free of most, if not all of the "must be met" requirements that go with FSP. They also can be used as a platform for Sight Shooting and to enhance it.

Here are some of them: AIMED Point Shooting or P&S, the Center Axis Relock or C.A.R. system, Quick Kill or QK, Target Focus Fighting, and the method developed and taught by Fairbairn, Sykes and Applegate.

With P&S, which I favor, you will get both a Flash Sight Picture and a Correct Sight Picture automatically for each shot taken, and regardless of whether or not you can see the sights.

Here is a link to information about that.