Quote Originally Posted by Arctic1 View Post
First off, shooting is shooting. The mechanics are the same regardless of the application (combat, OIS, SD/HD, competition).

When I was on active duty I was one of the guys shooting the most in my battalion, and when it came to "running and gunning" I was one of the best in my battalion - both in shooting ability and gun handling skills.
I will just say that I wasn't as good as I first thought I was when I started competing - with rifle and pistol. I was beaten by guys with no tactical background, but that didn't matter - they were just plain better at running the gun than me.

Being unconsciously competent with your weapon frees up mental capacity to problem solve - regardless of application. That is why I advocate the approach I do, because slow is not smooth, slow is slow.
As I said in an earlier response, I was of that school of thought too - just be smooth, be consistent and things will just progress naturally. Well, they didn't. It was after I was exposed to Kyle Lamb's videos and egged on by a colleague of mine to go do the same, that I figured that there was more to this.

Here is a video of me shooting a Bill Drill, with a .40 S&W gun, at 7 meters. I am watching the sights for each shot. I am driving the gun down on target with each shot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg-cCd4ujkw

I can do it because I focus on it. I focus on every single detail of what I do when practicing - live or dry fire. Every dry fire draw or mag change I verify my sight picture, my grip (hand position and tension). You gotta be honest, and you can't cheat it. That will show in live fire.

I understand that you need to build form or technique in the beginning, but my biggest issue is that too many people never progress - they are so afraid of making a mistake, be it fumbling or missing a shot, that they never get out of their comfort zone and really push the boundaries of what they can do. I ask people "how smooth do you have to be before you start pushing?" No one can answer. I have seen it in tons of shooters, form will develop alongside speed. The opposite is not true.

As far as IPSC/USPSA being gamey goes, depends on your outlook I guess. There are gamer guns, in Standard/Limited and Open, but you can shoot your duty or carry gear in Production or Limited (Gabe White of PF made master shooting a G34 from AIWB in USPSA).

Also, a stage is a drill. It is not, and must not be confused with a scenario. There is no difference between shooting a stage and shooting a box drill or 2x2x2 or an El Prez. The only difference is that a stage often adds movement between firing positions.
A drill is working a component skill/technique or several component skills/techniques.

Mike Pannone posted the following in an FB group where I am a member:



I think that words it more eloquently than I can.
There is a lot of wisdom in this post. I share Arctic's sentiments.