Over the past couple of decades, I have used that phrase repeatedly in both pistol and rifle courses. What happens is the student is making an error, preventing them from getting a proper hit or handling a situation efficiently. Standing off to the side or rear, I can see the problem, and I start telling him or her what I see going on. Until they have some experience, they, quite naturally, turn their heads to look at me. And mid-sentence I stop and interject, “don’t look at me; look at the bad guy.”
It is a matter of concentration. In normal polite conversation, one naturally looks at whoever is speaking to them. But dealing with a dangerous situation is not normal conversation. One must condition himself or herself to behave differently, focused entirely upon the problem in front of them. That focus must never lapse, despite the fact one may be obliged to speak to or with bystanders, one’s partner, police officers or even a second potential threat. Even in a class, one’s head must remain “in the problem,” lest one miss something critical. In terms of focus, the instructor does not exist.
Like everything else, this takes practice. It is a different way of processing information. In few days, it becomes second nature.
Now the YouTube mavens will start chirping about “avoiding tunnel vision.”
Tunnel vision is a real thing, and it does expose one to the danger of not knowing what is going on around them. With practice, one can develop a facility for keeping track of the problem in front of them without completely losing track of everything else going on around them. But that comes later. First, one must learn how to be focused upon the problem in front of them without being distracted by anything else.
In no case can anyone (at least nobody I have ever met) effectively do two things at once. Hence, another of my rules: “One damn thing at a time.”
Or, as my old Dad used to say, “If you chase two rabbits at the same time you will not catch either of them.”
The best solution to the problem of only being able to deal with one problem at a time is a partner. Not necessarily another trained individual, although that is best. Just another set of eyes, organized to watch one’s back and flanks can be very helpful. A spouse, a roommate, someone with whom one works daily … anyone can serve as a lookout, and use a cell phone, while you deal with what is in front of you.
But that is another course: “Two person tactics.” Or, ‘how to get your signals straight so as to utilize a second person who is likely to be around to maximize both your chances.”
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