Front Sight Focus – How To Instantly Shoot Like a Navy SEAL
Hey guys, this is retired Navy Seal, firearms instructor Chris Sajnog, in this post, I’m going to be talking about front sight focus and today I’m going to make all of you better shooters, instantly. How? By showing you what it means to truly focus on your front sight when you’re shooting. If you’re already focusing on your front sight, and you’re an awesome shooter, that’s great. But I’m going to show you some pretty cool visual experiments that will demonstrate why focusing intently on the front sight actually works. So let’s get started.
Are you watching or focusing?
If you’ve learned anything about shooting, I’m sure you were told you need to focus on the front sight. So the question is, do you do that? I mean, do you really focus on the front sight? Or are you just looking at it? And if you’re not sure, let me ask you this question: Do your groups look like this when you shoot kind of spread out all over the place, or more like this? The truth is, if your groups are not consistently in the center of your target, you are not focusing on your front sight. It’s really that simple.
The good news is that I can have you keyholding shots instantly. And it’s not magic, it’s just understanding how to focus. So let’s dive into that. Everyone knows they’re supposed to focus on the front sight. But most people weren’t ever trained on actually how to do that. I think the reason why people aren’t trained in how to do that, is it’s kind of hard to explain what somebody means when they say focus on the front sight. Well, focusing on the front sight, and looking at the front sight, are not the same thing.
Alright, so here’s the deal. If you tighten your focus as tight as you can make it and really concentrate on that front sight post, the smaller you make that focus, the smaller your shot groups will be. It’s that simple. I’ve been teaching shooting for almost 25 years now. And I can tell you, when people figure this out, their shooting changes forever. In my book, “How to Shoot Like a Navy Seal”, which I hope you’ve read, I call this the “aha moment”. It’s when the light bulb comes on, and people realize that truly concentrating on the front sight works. That light bulb moment needs to happen in your brain for you to understand.
How to do it?
Next, in front sight focus, you go to the range, set up your target, point your gun at it, and just look at the front sight, you don’t focus on it. Now, the problem isn’t that you don’t know how to focus on the front sight, but that doing so is harder than it sounds. This is because there’s nothing to focus on with a black gun, black sights, and often a black target center. I’m going to share a trick I learned years ago in sniper school. Put a small mark in the center of your front sight post, something small but visible. I often use a toothpick and appliance paint. Choose a color that contrasts with your sight to make it stand out. Once you have that, your eye will be drawn to it, making it easier to focus.
Now that you have something to focus on, let’s try some experiments to illustrate the power of focus. These optical illusions can demonstrate how a relaxed focus interprets movement differently than a tight one. When you’re intently focused on one thing, other distractions fade. This is how you need to approach shooting. Every time, focus intently until all the noise around you stops, and you’re in the zone. This zone is a state where things seem to slow down and become easy, a phenomenon known in sports and arts. As you practice, this focus will become more automatic, allowing you to shoot accurately and quickly even in dynamic environments.
Conclusion
Alright, so that is it for today. I hope you found value in this front sight focus and can apply Navy SEAL techniques to enhance your shooting skills. Now, all you need is practice. Remember, failing to train is training to fail. Start with dry firing, then test it out at the range. If you’ve enjoyed this lesson and want more, sign up for my free firearms and tactical training newsletter at centermassgroup.com. If you have questions, post them on my Facebook page at the center mass group. Thank you for watching, and always remember to never stop training.
