Area Shooting

I've heard a few folks mention this as a concept, could someone please elaborate?  I come from a discipline where the 10 ring makes up only a few percent of the black.  I'm guessing this concept has something to do with realizing that a significant chunk of a BE black is 10 ring.

Thanks!

4.7 25  yard  rapid or timed  fi re  - Exactly the same  target  as the 50 yard  slow  fi re  except  that  only the 9 and 10  rings are black. Target  No. B-8(T)  is  Tag board,  B-8(P)  is  Paper and B-8(C)  is  Repair  Center. 4.8  50  yard  slow  fi re  Standard  American  Target  - 8,  9 and 10 rings  black.  Target  No.  B-6,  B-6(T)  is  Tag  board,  B-6(P)  is  Paper and 6(C)  is  Repair  Center.
 X ring  ......................1.695 in 
10 ring .....................3.36 in 
9 ring  .......................5.54 in 
8 ring  .......................8.00 in 
7 ring  .....................11.00 in 
6 ring  .....................14.80 in 
5 ring  .....................19.68 in

Your sights with a pistol are always moving. So I'm not aiming at a point, but an area. Instead of pressing the trigger quickly when my sights pass over the aiming point, I accept the wobble of my sights within my aiming area and keep on pressing the trigger until the shot breaks.

I've come to realize the alignment of my sights is far more critical than where I'm aiming at. So long as my aligned sights are pointing somewhat toward the bull (the "area"), it'll be a good shot. It takes faith. With a dot, this wobble is magnified and accelerated; faith may require a few more prayers.

Once the sights are aligned and in the black, commit and press on that trigger until it fires.

This is the target I'm used to:

50 Meter ISSF target reduced for firing at 50 yards. Aiming Black 102.78 mm. (Dimensions derived from 50 meter target.)
Inner 10 ring .... 4.096 mm
10 ring ............. 9.034 mm
9 ring ............. 23.664 mm
8 ring ............. 38.295 mm
7 ring ............. 52.925 mm
6 ring ............. 67.556 mm
5 ring ................ 82.186 mm
4 ring ................ 96.816 mm
3 ring .............. 111.447 mm
2 ring .............. 126.077 mm
1 ring .............. 140.708 mm

The 10 ring makes up 13.17mm^2 of 8296.72mm^2, or 0.158% of the aiming black.

The BE 10 ring makes up 8.87in^2 of 24.11in^2, or 36.7% of the aiming black at the short line.

We talk about breaking the shot in the center of your hold.  Is area shooting simply the BE equivalent of breaking your shot somewhere in the black?

I would not be surprised if I'm trying too hard at the short line to get everything perfect.

Thanks!

Short answer is yes, but sometimes in pistol we are not breaking the shot "in the black". 

Area aiming (shooting) is simply keeping the sights perfectly aligned and continuing the trigger press as long as the wobble of the combined front and rear sight (sight alignment) stays within the selected wobble area (aiming area).   Excursions from the area should be sign to start the shot over.  The size the expected area is depending on the skill of the shooter.  As long as the wobble is getting smaller the shot (trigger operation) should be continuous and completed (unhesitating).  If it ain't gone bang by the time the wobble starts gets larger than the chosen aiming area, then start over.  

The specific location of the aiming area can vary. 

Some people use a center hold (if they can see the black front sight and bars of light against the black bullseye).  Those people typically use the black as their aiming area.  Really good shooters may only use the 9 or 10 ring at 50.  But, some people can't see the sights well enough or the bars of light are not bright enough against the black background.  And this area tends to make some people try to pick off the perfect shot or hesitate until the sights are perfectly still and then mess up by trying to pick off the shot.   So, other locations of the aiming area may be used. 

Such as the 6:00 hold, which is right below the black.  With this area, the bars of white are much easier to see and its also to easy to see if the top of the front and rear sights are not aligned. But again, this area tends to encourage trying to pick off the shot as this is a pretty small point.   

So some people go to a sub - six hold (aiming area below the black).  Usually these people center the aiming area about the same distance below the black as the width of the white bars on either side of the front sight.  

Other people go even further.  

Actually, if you look at a pistol target, the size of the black looks like about 1/3 of the total distance from the top of the 5 ring to the bottom of the 5 ring.  Some people will go so far as to center the aiming area well below the black or approximately 1/2 way between the bottom of the black and the bottom of the 5 ring.  And this area is almost the same size as the black it terms of height.  And it moves the dreaded bullseye a little futher from right on top of the front sight, which reduces the potential for picking off or holding the shot too long looking for the perfect sight picture.  

Since we are looking for perfect sight alignment and just a acceptable sight picture, area shooting or area aiming works for pistol shooting.   

Doesn't matter how you look at it (pun intended), sight alignment with trigger operation not disturbing the sight alignment is 90% of the shot.  The sight picture is the other 10%. As long as the sights are aligned within the wobble (aiming area), the trigger operation should be continuous and uninterrupted.   The shooter should be able to see and remember the sight alignment at ignition so as to be able to call the shot from that snapshot picture.  The only thing the shooter has left to do after that is watch the front sight lift out of the rear sight as the recoil starts.

Hope this helps.

CR

Thanks for that explanation CR.

I've always heard it referred to as "area aiming". Once you have settled in the aiming area, you start the trigger moving and don't stop, just because you aren't exactly where you'd like the sights to be. If you wait for that exact point, you will tend to "pick off" shots and they won't be good, because you will have lost your trigger control. I hope that makes sense. The opposite of the favorable process of area aiming is called framing the shot. One waits until everything is perfect and then you tell yourself, "Shoot....Shoot!...Shoot now!

BE Mike wrote:... Once you have settled in the aiming area, you start the trigger moving and don't stop,...

If you wait this long to start the trigger, it is too late.  Everything you see has already happened and by the time you realize you are settled and then start the trigger, you will be seeing a bigger hold or you will be somewhere other than centered when the shot fires.  The optimum is to have the shot fire when you reach the settle into the aiming area.  Learn what it looks like to come into settle and start the trigger in that time prior to settle that will cause the shot to happen during the optimum hold.

Ed Hall wrote:

BE Mike wrote:... Once you have settled in the aiming area, you start the trigger moving and don't stop,...

If you wait this long to start the trigger, it is too late.  Everything you see has already happened and by the time you realize you are settled and then start the trigger, you will be seeing a bigger hold or you will be somewhere other than centered when the shot fires.  The optimum is to have the shot fire when you reach the settle into the aiming area.  Learn what it looks like to come into settle and start the trigger in that time prior to settle that will cause the shot to happen during the optimum hold.

Sold advise, not sure it's true for all really good shooters but the ones I've seen rarely have shots that are low. Will be above center if bad

Ed Hall wrote:

BE Mike wrote:... Once you have settled in the aiming area, you start the trigger moving and don't stop,...

If you wait this long to start the trigger, it is too late.  Everything you see has already happened and by the time you realize you are settled and then start the trigger, you will be seeing a bigger hold or you will be somewhere other than centered when the shot fires.  The optimum is to have the shot fire when you reach the settle into the aiming area.  Learn what it looks like to come into settle and start the trigger in that time prior to settle that will cause the shot to happen during the optimum hold.

Of course you are correct. I didn't phrase that right. Listen to Ed. He's the man.

Chris Miceli wrote:Sold advise, not sure it's true for all really good shooters but the ones I've seen rarely have shots that are low. Will be above center if bad

Clock placement isn't the issue.  If the picture is dynamic and you start after you reach your settle, you have missed the opportunity for the best result.  Remember what Brian Zins has said more than once about starting the shot - when it fires, it will be somewhere else - if you start in the middle, the result won't be.  Additionally, once you've experienced your best settle, all other settles for that lift will be less settled than the first one.  Don Nygord claimed that most BE shooters miss the first settle and "settle" for second best (or worse).

Ed Hall wrote:If ... you start after you reach your settle, you have missed the opportunity for the best result.

Guilty as charged.  Not sure why I am having a difficult time learning to start trigger pull when needed, but I am still working on it.

joy2shoot wrote:Guilty as charged.  Not sure why I am having a difficult time learning to start trigger pull when needed, but I am still working on it.

It is a "leap of faith."  And, unfortunately, any doubt will only enforce the difficulty.  On the good side, success will breed more confidence, etc.

Thanks for all the input.  Oddly enough in my dry fire practice, it's the sight alignment I'm having the more trouble with that I thought.  My biggest issue is still the 4lb trigger.  Sounds like area shooting is the same as breaking the shot in the middle of your hold, I'll just have to focus on different aspects of it in pistol than I'm used to.  

Thanks again!