Teaching/training blind person to shoot

novus collectus · Nov 3, 2009

I was wondering how one would train a blind person to shoot after speaking to a legally blind man about trying shooting.
So how would one teach or train them differently for safety and target acquisition?

mike_in_md · Nov 3, 2009

Focus on the sound? :shrug:

alucard0822 · Nov 3, 2009

novus collectus said:
I was wondering how one would train a blind person to shoot after speaking to a legally blind man about trying shooting.
So how would one teach or train them differently for safety and target acquisition?

I saw a show about it once, basically a blind folk only shooting competition. There were a couple low, kinda quiet buzzers out in the target area that were on constantly, basically let them know where it was OK to aim. Then there were a series of bells(kinda like ring announcer bells) with round steel plates over them(left right, muzzle down, muzzle up). Basically the RO would constantly instruct them, they knew where the targets were by the sound of the buzzers, and when a bell rang, they would shoot it, of course being steel, they knew if they hit it or not, different bells would ring, and they just shot that particular plate, and got a time for completing the course. They had a couple non-blind shooters try it, and even when not blind folded they were much slower, or would shoot a plate next to the one that had rang, they got pretty much smoked.

Also, "legally blind" is a fairly loose term. I have seen some people who were, but had cars and driver's licenses, and could apparently see well enough with corrective lenses or surgeries, while others were totally blind. It would probably depend on how bad the blindness was in how you could adapt instructions to help them. For most anyone that is though, they would probably have trouble lining up iron sights, and may not be able to see the target or rear sight at all if they focus on the front sight. Perhaps a laser or a big wide red dot or reflex sight would help, being they do not require you to focus on a plane other than the target.

2flhun · Nov 3, 2009

Determine what he CAN see. If he can see shapes and movement, he may be like another person shooting in lowlight/night time conditions. Legally blind can mean many things.

spend A LOT time away from the range going over the safety rules, BMI and the functioning of the firearm that he will use. If it were me, it would be a revolver. Less to learn, easier for a newbie to work. Again, work on SAFETY< SAFETY<SAFETY.

Getting his "natural point of aim" ingrained through muscle memory will be key.

When you go to a range,(might be an issue with the RSO's), pick one end or the other. Make sure that he has good amplified hearing protection. Big target, close distance and work from there.

kagemusha1 · Nov 3, 2009

when i went to sig sauer academy last year the instructor mentioned that george harris. the head instructor had taught a blind man how to shoot for home defense.maybe an email to him might get a response.

zoostation · Nov 3, 2009

mike_in_md said:
Focus on the sound?

Seriously, I hate to say anyone can't do anything, especially shooting, because of a disability. But I don't think it's there is a safe or responsible way to do it for the completely blind. I just don't. As someone else said, legally blind can mean a lot of things, and I think many of them could learn. But for the completely blind, no, there's no way to safely ID the target.

DD214 · Nov 3, 2009

You should hold the target over your head down range and yell, teaching them to shoot at the sound of your voice (but have them aim about a foot high so as to hit paper instead of meat).

Adams74Chevy · Nov 3, 2009

novus collectus said:
I was wondering how one would train a blind person to shoot after speaking to a legally blind man about trying shooting.
So how would one teach or train them differently for safety and target acquisition?

good thing you mentioned you spoke with a legally blind man otherwise we would have thought you ate too much tex-mex and had too much thinking time on you hands again.

Splitter · Nov 3, 2009

DD214 said:
You should hold the target over your head down range and yell, teaching them to shoot at the sound of your voice (but have them aim about a foot high so as to hit paper instead of meat).

.....you go first.

Splitter

alucard0822 · Nov 3, 2009

DD214 said:
You should hold the target over your head down range and yell, teaching them to shoot at the sound of your voice (but have them aim about a foot high so as to hit paper instead of meat).

something like this

Adams74Chevy · Nov 3, 2009

alucard0822 said:
something like this

I also love the fact there's buildings behind him. :lol:

fivepointstar · Nov 3, 2009

I think its very possible...."point shooting" based on sound.

novus collectus · Nov 3, 2009

2flhun said:
Determine what he CAN see. If he can see shapes and movement, he may be like another person shooting in lowlight/night time conditions. Legally blind can mean many things.

spend A LOT time away from the range going over the safety rules, BMI and the functioning of the firearm that he will use. If it were me, it would be a revolver. Less to learn, easier for a newbie to work. Again, work on SAFETY< SAFETY<SAFETY.

Getting his "natural point of aim" ingrained through muscle memory will be key.

When you go to a range,(might be an issue with the RSO's), pick one end or the other. Make sure that he has good amplified hearing protection. Big target, close distance and work from there.

The guy I spoke with seemed to see shapes, but this thread is for in general for discussion and would include totally blind as well.

DD214 · Nov 3, 2009

alucard0822 said:
something like this

Exactly. This would be the same photo from the shooter's point of view:

.

novus collectus · Nov 3, 2009

zoostation said:
Seriously, I hate to say anyone can't do anything, especially shooting, because of a disability. But I don't think it's there is a safe or responsible way to do it for the completely blind. I just don't. As someone else said, legally blind can mean a lot of things, and I think many of them could learn. But for the completely blind, no, there's no way to safely ID the target.

I strongly disagree, for target practice it is not as much of an issue and for self defense, well as one blind man down in the South discovered you know where your target is when they are holding on to you (I think he was not completely blind though, but the principle remains the same).
Also, as some have mentioned sound direction can elp and I guess training a blind person when not to shoot would be important. I would hate to see a blind erson completely disarmed from an attacker but I agree if the attacker has a gun too then a shootout involving a blind person would be the last thing I would want to see,

extski · Nov 3, 2009

My dad used to throw darts at our bases club when we lived overseas. His boss was completely blind and was one of the best players on their team. They would just ring a bell in the area he needed to throw, and there it basically went. So I could see how the buzzer thing could work.

He also was on the bowling team and did quite well with that also. He would just throw the first ball, they would tell him which pins were left, and he would know where to throw to pick up the rest of the pins.

John T. Chance · Nov 3, 2009

My wife is legally blind with an eye disease creating extreme tunnel vision. She doesn't have problems with target shooting and we did take an NRA course together. Though I know when the idea first came up I told her she should research it some but she couldn't find too much info. Must be sort of rare.

HarEngSer · Nov 3, 2009

I saw a setup for shotguns that moves the scope way above the shooters shoulder to allow a companion to aim and the blind person to shoot. They were using it for turkey hunting but it should work for slugs as well at a set yardage.

billprudden · Nov 3, 2009

If 80% of defensive shootings are at night, and half within contact-distance range, well, you see my point...

To answer your question, the same way you teach all true defensive shooting, by teaching proper grip, natural point of aim without use of the sights, trigger pull and follow-through. Sights come later when all of that is mastered.

Bill

Neot · Nov 3, 2009

I tell most shooters I work with use the sights not "the force".....maybe this time it would be the other way around :shrug:

Teaching/training blind person to shoot

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