As we say, train and train some more. One thing people don’t train to do is to deal with peripheral distraction. What is peripheral distraction?
Peripheral distraction are objects stationary and moving that come into your line of sight while taking aim and shooting. Most of us train at a range that is open, either indoors or outdoors. There are little to no objects or moving targets in your peripheral. At least not any that causes your vision to want to focus on it. Most walls and berms are natural colors at ranges.
We train to deal with peripheral distraction during our dry firing, SIRT or other laser exercises inside our homes. NOTE: Follow all safety rules during any training, even dry firing, SIRT and or laser. Seeing how you will be moving around your house for this drill you need to ensure the home is empty and secure.
Training
Once you have a safe environment, find places in your house that have a lot of objects like book shelves, cabinets, statues, wall art, etc… Most of the time if you use a doorway and place your target on the other side of the room, or down a hallway with the above object(s) in your peripheral, you should notice that it is harder to focus on your target than at a range. Just a little movement in the doorway enhances the distraction of the peripheral. If you have bright color peripheral objects or peripheral objects that stick out, your eyes will want to focus on them.
If we look at the picture above you will see objects of different colors. For me and most people who have looked at this picture they don’t realize there is a target on the wall. That target is at 10 yards. Try to find a place to simulate this setup and practice coming around the corner or closing your eyes and getting a good sight picture on the target. With practice you can reduce the peripheral distraction. Also, during a real event some people get tunnel vision. Some studies believe tunnel vision is to help eliminate this peripheral distraction.
