PRINCIPLE OF

MARKSMANSHIP
THE PRINCIPLES OF MARKSMANSHIP
OVERVIEW
• Before they approach the firing line, the students must
grasp and implement the principles. They must create a
stable location from which they can observe the target.
They must position the sight system to aim the rifle/pistol
at the target and shoot the rifle without disrupting the
alignment with inappropriate breathing or trigger squeeze.
The fundamentals of marksmanship are a collection of
these skills. This lesson will discuss the fundamentals
and principles of marksmanship.

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 MARKSMANSHIP
The skillful art of shooting and hitting the target at a given
range or known distance.
• The shooter
become must integrate these elements until they
single comfortable and almost instinctive process,
• Familiarization comes from practice, and it never ends,
• Practice
is means dry firing at home, ensuring that the gun
unloaded and aimed in a good backstop.
• The other half of practice is actual firing on the range,
• still,
There is no substitute for practice, more practice
more practice in developing good marksmanship and

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 SHOOTING FUNDAMENTALS COMBAT
• An action of contending with or fighting against an
opponent in order to obtain a goal.

Shooting
An act of discharging firearms. The principles behind the proficient
operation of a firearm are a matter of simple physics and proper
human adaptation to equipment. For every amount of force, there is
an equal and opposite reaction.

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 SHOOTING FUNDAMENTALS COMBAT
• STANCE - A good stance maximizes control while
shooting. It provides balance, instability, which are
maximized when there's the least strain on muscle
(Equilibrium and Stability, Head Position, Proper Stance) (figure 9)

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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

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FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN ASSUMING A
SHOOTING STANCE
NOTE:​
It is advisable that the shooter 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.​

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FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN ASSUMING A
SHOOTING STANCE
 The legs should be straight but
not tense, with the knees just 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;

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COMMON ARM STYLE
Weaver Style
• This style was popularized by lawman Jack Weaver and is quite
effective.
pull It relies on the dynamic tension created by a push and
effect created by arms to provide a stable platform which is
particularly good for recoil control,
• The gun is held in the strong hand and is pushed forward to the
target.
the The weak hand or support hand is used to wrap around
strong hand and pull the gun in towards you. Both arms can be
either slightly bent or radically bent, whichever is most comfortable
to the shooter.

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03/24/2025 10
 CHAPMAN STYLE

• This style is very similar to the Weaver, except that the

strong hand is locked straight and rigid. The support
hand pulls the strong hand back into its socket creating
the dynamic tension needed to recoil control. It is similar
to using your strong arm as a rifle stock.

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 ISOSCELES STYLE
The simplest and most straightforward style to use.
Extend your handgun grip outward at eye level,
square to your body. This form a triangle hence the
name. It is important to keep the shoulders in front of
your hips so that the body weight can be used
against the force of the recoil. This is very popular
stance which works both in competition and on the
street.
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 GRIP
• A proper Grip provide the shooter with maximum control of the
FA. To maintain natural sight alignment, the FA must be held
firmly.

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• Grip the gun with the web between the thumb and index finger in
as high a position as is feasible. This will insure that the tube of
the barrel will riding as low as possible in relation to your grip.
 The shooter Figure No. 14
spread the
The web or "V"
index finger and
the thumb of the of the shooting
shooting hand hand is pushed
apart, to form a​ directly at the
"V” with the thumb highest point of
held slightly lower the FA back
than the index.
strap.

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 • As a manner
• The lower 3 of safety, the
fingers, are wrap trigger finger is
around the FA, it never placed
should not be too inside the
tight to maintain a trigger guard, or
relaxed in the trigger
• Check trigger unless the
finger if it lands shooter is
on the right point ready to fire.
of your finger.
(Normally, its
Should land in
first
joint)

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  The thumb and the trigger finger
should exert scry little pressure,
As the tightening of the muscle.
Controlling the thumb will cause
tightening of the muscles
controlling thc trigger finger.

 Two hand shooting allows better control of the EA. The none
shooting hand is wrapped around palm touching the grip​
 Pressure exerted by none shooting hand might be equal or
slightly greater than the shooting hand allowing better grip.

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 CONSISTENCY AND NEUTRALITY ARC THE
GOALS.
• You should have a totally neutral feeling in
each hand Achieving neutrality allows the
Grip and Stance techniques to perform its
most important function;

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ALLOWING THE GUN TO RECOIL IN THE SAME DIRECTION, TO THE
SAME LEVEL, AND ON THE SAME PATH
The Grip and Stance cannot control recoil in the sense
of stopping recoil. That’s not possible. What is possible
control of the sight and the gun?
The primary hand which you use to grip the gun and
operate the trigger is called the strong hand. The fingers
of the strong hand should pinch the butt off the gun into
the base of the palm and the thumb should lock down for
added firmness, strengthening the grip.

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 ALLOWING THE GUN TO RECOIL IN THE SAME DIRECTION, TO THE
SAME LEVEL, AND ON THE SAME PATH
• In a two hand prop, the support hand assisting in securing a
proper grip is called the weak hand wrap around the strong hand
with the tips of the fingers touching or almost touching the
knuckles of the strong hand, The thumb of the weak hand should
lock against the thumb of the strong hand or Index the frame of
the gun in such a manner that it contacts no moving parts.
• Some revolver shooters lock the weak hand thumb across the
base of the strong hand thumb, this allows for easy access and
cocking of the hammer for Single action shooting. This particular
weak hand
because of thumb position is ill advised for pistol shooting
the riskrecoil.
during of serious injury from the slide as it travels rearward

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1BREATH CONTROL- Breathing 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.
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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.​

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He breathing process provides the body oxygen and
eliminates waste elements from the blood. Correct
breathing while shooting is essential to proper body
functions.​
A complete respiratory cycle last for 4—5 seconds
(inhaling and exhaling) and bens cen each cycle,
there is a pause of 2—3 seconds. This pause can
be extended up to 10 seconds without any special
labor or unpleasant sensation.
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 IT IS DURING THIS PAUSE BETWEEN
BREATHS THAT THE SHOOTER
SHOULD FIRE THE SHOT​
During the pause, the breathing muscles
are relaxed thus the shooter avoids
strain from the diaphragm.

SIGHT ALIGNMENT - Sight alignment is the

relationship in the rear sight and the front sight
as seen by the shooter when aligning the sights
using the eye/s.
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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.
The front sight is centered in the Sight alignment
rear sight notch, and the top of the
plane is labeled with top of the
rear sight.

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Sight picture is the relationship of the rear sight and the
front sight to the target with RESPECT TO THE EYE.

The most common

aiming point are
the six o'clock hold
or the center hold.

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 Center Hold Six O'clock Hold​
Traditional sighting instruction recommends
a sight picture that has front and rear sights
aligned and the target sitting directly atop
the front post much like a cat on a fence.
This is also called a "Six O’clock Hold" as
the front sight is positioned at the 6 mark on
a clock face.​

 Some, however, prefer to take a "Center Hold," where the

front post is held directly in the middle of the target.​
 When using open sights, concentrate your focus on the front
sight, not on the target and not on the rear sight.

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 Proper alignment places the front sight exactly in the center of
the rear sight's opening. The top of the front sight should be
exactly level with the top of the rear sight. The same principle
applies to other variations.​​
With the Front Post/Rear Aperture, the Front Post must appear in
the absolute center of the circular aperture of the rear sight.
Equal amounts of "daylight" should be seen to either side of the
front sight.​

Among the most common sight alignment errors is locating the front sight in
a different position inside the rear notch. This will result in a dispersion of the
shots on the target, since the bullets will tend to strike in the direction in
which the front sight is positioned in the notch. The results of this aiming
error, known as "Angular Shift Error" are illustrated below:
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IMPROPER SIGHT ALIGNMENTS

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TRIGGER 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.​

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For rifle and pistol shooting, the trigger must be squeezed 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.​
• FOLLOW THROUGH is the continued and physical application of
the fundamentals after each round has been fired. The shooter
must not shift his position, move his head or bring down the pistol
for a few seconds after firing a shot.​

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CALLING THE SHOTS is the prediction of the shots on
where the hits are on the target.​​
 The part of the trigger finger, which falls naturally in
the trigger will vary in every shooters.​​
 The important factor are the uniformity of trigger
placement and the ability to apply pressure straight
to the rear.​​
 The trigger finger must be in an arc position to avoid
contact with side of the EA.​​
 Ideal trigger finger placement may be modified to a
degree by the requirement that the grip provide a
natural alignment of the front and rear sights.​​
 The shooter frequently must make a compromise to
overcome the undesirable effects of not being able
to utilize each factor to full advantage.​

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Correct Placement of the Correct placement of
index finger on the Trigger,​ the Index Finger
a) With Joint of Index Finger.​
b) With First Bone Section of
Index Finger.​

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Factor of Trigger Control​
• The pressure put on the trigger must come from independent movement of

the trigger finger 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.
1. Jerking​
Jerking is attempting to make the pistol tire in a certain movement by rapidly
applying pressure on the trigger.
2. Flinching
Flinching is muscular tension in anticipation of recoil shown by head
movement, closing the eyes shoulder movement or a combination of these
movements.
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3. Heeling​
The pushing out on the grips of the weapon with the heel of the hand, in
anticipation of the recoil of the 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​

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​

Improper breath control causes the shots 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,

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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 hours of darkness, it
is imperative for the officers to know how to
operate in periods of poor visibility.

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Night Vision:​
Everybody can see much more in the dark than you realize, Our
eyes are similar to a 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.
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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 an object.
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3. Scanning
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.​

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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.

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