Comments on my discussion about Sighted Fire have made me decide to respond. Using sights is, and always will be, the best way to hit an intended target. However, there are times when point shooting is the best option, and self-defense shooters should train for these situations.

One situation is when the assailant is too close for you to extend your arms into shooting position. Situational awareness will prevent this most of the time, but it is impractical to assume that this will always be the case, and you will be prudent to train for this scenario.

In this drill, the draw is the same—assuming you’re carrying strong side—except you fire after you rock the gun toward the assailant. This is basically firing from the hip and is effective if the target is in your face. However, you have to remember to keep your support hand out of the way of the gun. This can be done by always bringing the support hand to the chest when drawing, as recommended by most experts. From there, you are ensured of protecting your support hand, and it is in position to block an attack, whether from the side or above. This is one of the reasons that strong-side carry is highly recommended, as it is difficult to present from other carry methods when under close attack.

Point shooting is also why I advocate lasers for all shooters. A laser provides sighted fire, even when you’re not using the sights.