Being able to perform focal shift is a skill we sometimes neglect to practice on the range. I call this being omni-cognizant. Learning to see things full spectrum while performing a focal shift is a necessary skill and easy to neglect as we get sucked into the flat range training mindset. We should train ourselves to train our eyes. At a minimum, to perform a focal shift from our sights to the fight and from the fight to reference points beyond the fight. A way to exercise our eyes is by using a Brock String (easy to find instructions on the web). This is easy to build and easy to use. A Brock string (named after Frederick W. Brock) is an instrument used in vision therapy. It consists of a white string of approximately 10 feet in length with three small wooden beads of different colors.

The Brock string is commonly employed during treatment of convergence insufficiency and other anomalies of binocular vision sometimes developed by those of us who work strictly one eye on the range. It is used to develop skills of convergence as well as to disrupt suppression of one of the eyes. It is worth the few dollars on wooden balls, spray paint and string.

Patrick McNamara
SGM, US Army (Ret)

Patrick McNamara spent twenty-two years in the United States Army in a myriad of special operations units. When he worked in the premier Special Missions Unit, he became an impeccable marksman, shooting with accurate, lethal results and tactical effectiveness. McNamara has trained tactical applications of shooting to people of all levels of marksmanship, from varsity level soldiers, and police officers who work the streets to civilians with little to no time behind the trigger.

His military experience quickly taught him that there is more to tactical marksmanship than merely squeezing the trigger. Utilizing his years of experience, McNamara developed a training methodology that is safe, effective and combat relevant and encourages a continuous thought process. This methodology teaches how to maintain safety at all times and choose targets that force accountability, as well as provides courses covering several categories, including individual, collective, on line and standards.

While serving as his Unit’s Marksmanship NCO, he developed his own marksmanship club with NRA, CMP, and USPSA affiliations. Mac ran monthly IPSC matches and ran semi annual military marksmanship championships to encourage marksmanship fundamentals and competitiveness throughout the Army.

He retired from the Army’s premier hostage rescue unit as a Sergeant Major and is the author of T.A.P.S. (Tactical Application of Practical Shooting). He also served as the Principle of TMACS Inc.

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn they offer some words of wisdom.

Tags: Alias Training and Security Services, Pat McNamara, TMACS Inc

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 30th, 2014 at 10:00 and is filed under Gunfighter Moment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.