This topic came us in another thread but rather than take over that post with this discussion I thought it would be a good idea to start it up here.
I'm sure we've all heard the idea of the surprise break. It seems to be something that is pretty consistently taught to new shooters. I understand that the idea behind it is to produce smooth consistent trigger pull and that by being "surprised" the shooter hopefully won't flinch.
I can remember being told about the surprise break when i was in basic training but a few years later when i attened designated marksman school they were adamantly against the idea, and for good reason. Why would you ever want to be surprised when your weapon fires?
If the idea is to get smooth trigger pull then why not teach it that way? I firmly believe that you'll end up with a much more competent and accurate shooter if they know exactly when that shot is going to break and they are able to make that happen when they want so that the round goes where they want it. This should develop into a shooter that is able to call their shots and better troubleshoot any shortcomings.
I can remember it once being put to me this way. "If you were to ever find yourself in a situation where you were counting on a good guy with a gun to come to the aid of either you or your family, would you really want them to be surprised when their weapon went off?"
Like I said, I understand the idea behind it, but I think the practice is far from what's intended.
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