Today, people are worried and seem to be gearing up to defend themselves in a SHTF scenario. The worst thing I see is people developing shooting skills with no gear on, but having their SHTF combat loadout all assembled ‘Just in case’ and not practicing with it. Trust me when I say that whatever skill you think you have will be useless when the time comes if you don’t practice with/in your combat loadout. Everything changes when you start stacking on the gear, from using your firearm(s) to mobility. Besides, practicing your skills in your combat loadout is a great way to stay in shape, so why not?
In my experience of learning and developing skills, I have noticed that there seem to be three phases. The three phases I have observed are pretty universal, but there may be added phases depending on the skill you are trying to develop. For example, if you are trying to get better at delivering follow up shots and multiple target engagement, you may find it handy to have a physical training phase that is specifically catered towards building muscles needed to help maintain weapon stability for a longer period. With that said, I am basing these writings off my own limited experience and knowledge of how people develop skills and most of this is based on theory that has had some success with individuals that have had the drive to further their development. This is my effort to shed light on what it takes, in layman’s terms, to develop a new skill.
I would classify myself as a shooter that takes pride in being well rounded due to my understanding of the method of marksmanship, allowing me to move from one platform to another without much of any need for an adjustment period. This is a result of me being able to read things like relative distance, size of target, time given, and develop a method of marksmanship with components that will help me achieve my objective. Therefore, we have methods of marksmanship. What about the fundamentals? There is no such thing in shooting. Let me explain…
One of the more forgotten elements of fitness in my mind is agility in full fighting order (FFO) which includes body armor, ammunition, water, rations, medical gear, navigation equipment, and operational gear. This load can be easier to maneuver with if you have a setup that lowers the center of gravity. I like the British belt kit concept for this reason. It allows me to carry a generous amount of gear for 24 to 48 hours and allows me to minimize the load on my trunk and torso. This in turn helps me minimize the risk of developing irreversible injuries to my spinal column whilst fighting. But with that said, whatever layout you choose, it should allow functional and effortless access to your combat loadout without hindering manipulations. Now let’s move on to discussing agility with your fighting load.
Aiming a pistol Is nothing fancy, but it can always use visual assistance. We are basically using the sights as a reference to verify that our bullets will hit the target roughly where we need it to. Too often we are hearing that we need to STARE/FOCUS on the front sight. This is merely a method of trying to get people to lessen the likelihood of movement of the sights. I feel that this is stupid since we don’t need THAT level of visual focus to see if the sights are staying aligned. Simply watch the threat/target and lift your gun until your sights sit between. They will be a bit hazy but it will be unmistakable whether they are aligned and moving. Plus, having a hard focus on a close object and leaving further objects hazy is going to adversely affect accuracy. The eye is going to not be able to help but see the sights accurately and you will be able to see them with precision due to the close range. Try using your thumb to aim at little letters in this article. Watch the word with a hard focus and bring your thumb up like a pistol sight. The edges will be hazy but sharp Also, look at the current RMR fetish where this is the exact visual method used. If this is used for electronic sights, what is the excuse for all other sights? This is a simple explanation and example proving my point. I have been doing this since I started shooting in Marine Boot Camp. Not being able to see the target at 500m made it necessary. Go figure, though I was supposed to focus on the sight, I hit perfectly using the method of focusing on the target. Since then it made no sense the stare at the sight when the sight is not the threat that I should be monitoring during the engagement anyways. How are you going to monitor your shots on target if you stare at the sights? Perform constant shifts in focus? Ridiculous. How do you think machine gunners track their tracers? Stare at their barrel or sights to ensure no movement? PFFF!!
The relationship our brain has with our bodies is truly remarkable if you delve into all the little things that we know. The part I am particularly interested in is how well our brains adapt to certain things such as shooting. If we look at the precise actions involved in shooting, they are largely absent in our daily life. In many cases, we are doing things in isolation and combination that we will probably never perform elsewhere. This is why I think it is important that we not take a nonchalant approach to training new shooters. Stacking a ton of absolutely new concepts on someone and demanding precision is not impossible. The problem lies with being able to truly learn and create patterns that our brains will be able to not only remember, but build on. In this article I want to look at the task of shooting and controlling the recoil of a pistol with a proper grip technique, which is something people spend years trying to get right. Perhaps a look at everything from a neurological standpoint may help a little.
When people are asking me to recommend guns, I often advise them to seek training after making a recommendation based on their needs. Whether it is a pistol for EDC, a rifle for home defense, there are training courses out there that can help you meet the goal of being more proficient. Let me break this down using the way we learned elementary math and how we integrated it as an analogy. I feel that this perspective provides a practical example of ways to effectively learn and retain skills.
It seems that there are two schools of though on priority of how one should try to get their hits in combat or self defense. Most of the argument seems to come from two types of shooters with different levels of experience. When it comes to combat shooting, it is important to not only be able to employ speed, but also to be able to take those fast shots and place them in an area that will have the best effect on target, such as the CNS(Central Nervous System). However, which one rules above the other and will be a more valuable tool to practice and build?
Being a human being, we have to be real with ourselves and understand that we are bound by physical limitations. Of course we can always ask more from ourselves and train our bodies to a higher level of performance. However, we must at least understand that we are flawed from birth. After understanding this, we must establish a reasonable and practical standard for how we will perform with our firearms, as far as accuracy is concerned. Barring you being part of a team/department/unit, you must focus on yourself and your abilities and just keep practicing and asking more of yourself....within reason.
I think it is very productive to look at the history of different warrior cultures and analyse the qualities that made them so successful. This is not going to be a quick read about a trendy workout program for an unrealistic outcome. I am simply going to go over some ideas that the Roman Army had for getting their troops ready for battle. The purpose is to give the reader a few ideas about how to take historical examples and adapt them to current weaponry in order to help them train to a higher level of proficiency. Keep in mind that I am going to have to leave alot of stuff out since this is not a book, but rather a quick jot about incorporating historical examples into current training methods.
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Do It RiteAlaska-Based Youtube Vlogger, Retired Marine, Firearm and Gear Tester. Archives
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