Editing Point shooting (section)

===Fairbairn, Sykes, and Applegate===
[[Image:Fmfrp 12 80 p116.png|thumb|Front view of handgun point shooting position]]
Soon after the creation of the [[Office of Strategic Services]] (OSS) in 1942, then [[Second Lieutenant]] Rex Applegate was given the task of adapting the training being given to [[British Commandos|British Commando]] forces for use by OSS agents. Applegate's methodology was published in his book, ''Kill or Get Killed'' which was first printed in 1943, and based on his training program for the OSS developed with [[William E. Fairbairn]] and [[Eric A. Sykes]]. This method is often referred to as the Fairbairn, Sykes, and Applegate method, or ''FSA'' (though sometimes the order is altered to  ''FAS'').

By 1976, it was into its fifth edition, and was re-published in 1991 as Fleet Marine Force Reference Publication FM12-80, ''Kill or Get Killed''.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/milmanual-fmfrp-12-80-kill-or-get-killed |title=FMFRP 12-80 Kill or Get Killed |language=English}}</ref> This book covers a wide range of topics, from armed and unarmed combat to prisoner control and [[riot control]] techniques. Chapter 5, "Combat Use of the Hand Gun", covers the basic use of a handgun in a combat situation, while chapter 6, "Combat Firing with Shoulder Weapons", covers techniques for [[submachine gun]]s, [[rifle]]s and [[shotgun]]s. While aimed fire techniques are covered in both chapters, along with topics such as use of cover and different firing positions, the point shooting techniques generally attract the most attention. Much of Applegate's instruction on point shooting involves developing a firm, consistent shooting position that allows the student to consistently hit where he is looking.

[[Image:Fmfrp 12 80 p183.png|thumb|Side view of shoulder weapon point shooting position]]
While Applegate did cover firing handguns from the hip (from a position he called the "1/2 hip" position), he was careful to point out that this method only worked on targets at the same level as the shooter, and only at very close range.

For one hand shooting, the gun is held in a low ready position and on center of the body, and with the wrist and arm locked. The arm stays locked (stiff), as the pistol is then raised from the shoulder. And when on target, a convulsive squeeze is used to fire.

To reduce error in the [[Human positions|stance]], targets not directly in front of the shooter are engaged by turning the upper body at the hips, since turning the arm at the shoulder, elbow, or wrist will result in a loss of control and a miss, while turning at the waist keeps everything aligned correctly.

Another of Applegate's training innovations was the use of particularly intense combat firing ranges, which he called the "house of horrors". A cross between an [[obstacle course]], a [[haunted house]], and a [[shooting range]], it used a three dimensional layout with stairs and tunnels, pop-up targets, deliberately poor lighting, psychologically disturbing sounds, simulated cobwebs and bodies, and [[Blank (cartridge)|blank cartridges]] being fired towards the shooter. The range was designed to have the greatest possible psychological impact on the shooter, to simulate the stress of combat as much as possible, and no targets were presented at distances of greater than {{convert|10|ft|sp=us}} from the shooter.

Applegate also used his house of horrors as a test of the point shooting training. Five hundred men with no previous handgun shooting experience were run through the house of horrors after standard, bullseye-type, introductory target pistol training with no gun handling instruction, and then again (with modifications in the layout) after training in Applegate's approach to point shooting and basic gun handling. The average number of hits in the first group was four out of twelve targets hit (with two shots per target). After point shooting, the average jumped to ten out of twelve targets hit. Further shooters trained only in point shooting, including those who had never fired a handgun before receiving point shooting training, maintained the high average established by the first group.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/milmanual-fmfrp-12-80-kill-or-get-killed | title=Fleet Marine Force Reference Publication FM12-80: Kill or Get Killed | publisher=Paladin Press | author=Applegate, Rex | year=1976 | location=Boulder, Colorado | pages=296}}</ref> Similar methods were in use as early as the 1920s and continue to this day, for example the FBI facility called [[Hogan's Alley (FBI)|Hogan's Alley]].