Complacency.

[sboza]

Now, in my early thirties, I've found what bothers me more than anything else, closed mindedness. Unfortunately I see this in myself more frequently than I did as a younger man. I'm not only talking about firearms and training but a lot of my views and opinions also.

I constantly fight with myself to not become closed minded. In my twenties, I was a sponge. But now I notice my mindset goes to "I know what I'm doing" or "this works for me, why change it?" mode more often than I would like to admit. Every now and then, I make my way too close to this dark side until I am humbled. It could be in training, from former colleagues, friends, or even just a revelation that came a bit late but so far in my life, I have inevitable been humbled when I get too set in my ways. I fear the day I am no longer humbled or realize when I have been humbled.

I feel like I'm ranting and I'll get to it. What do you guys do to keep yourselves open minded? I feel like it is easy enough to tell yourself to stay open minded but the actual process of applying that ideal over the years is a challenge.

I ask to focus this primarily on firearms and tactics. And mods, I thought this was appropriate for this forum since without a receptive mindset, training yields no new learning.

[C4IGrant]

Now, in my early thirties, I've found what bothers me more than anything else, closed mindedness. Unfortunately I see this in myself more frequently than I did as a younger man. I'm not only talking about firearms and training but a lot of my views and opinions also.

I constantly fight with myself to not become closed minded. In my twenties, I was a sponge. But now I notice my mindset goes to "I know what I'm doing" or "this works for me, why change it?" mode more often than I would like to admit. Every now and then, I make my way too close to this dark side until I am humbled. It could be in training, from former colleagues, friends, or even just a revelation that came a bit late but so far in my life, I have inevitable been humbled when I get too set in my ways. I fear the day I am no longer humbled or realize when I have been humbled.

I feel like I'm ranting and I'll get to it. What do you guys do to keep yourselves open minded? I feel like it is easy enough to tell yourself to stay open minded but the actual process of applying that ideal over the years is a challenge.

I ask to focus this primarily on firearms and tactics. And mods, I thought this was appropriate for this forum since without a receptive mindset, training yields no new learning.

This is a hard one (especially in the firearms training world). Often times, people find one or two instructors and really take to their training style (I know I have). While this can be a good thing, you always need to look objectively at other ideas, try them and then figure out if change is needed.

Change isn't always a good thing by the way. I once attended a class where we shot 500rds-600rd of carbine and 300rds of pistol a day. You would need to carry at least 5-6 AR mags and 4-5 pistol mags on you per drill! Because of these requirements, I changed the amount of mags I carried on me. Then, after after a while I came back to Earth and realized that I am a bottom feeding civy and do not need to carry all that ammo on me.


C4

[Failure2Stop]

I stay open minded by constantly striving to improve.
New information gets filtered through my past training and experience, and if it makes it's way through, it gets implemented.
Open minded, but no so much that my brain falls out or gets filled with the abundant bullshit available to the unwitting.

One thing I have found is that the more I learn, the more I see the cyclic nature of the market, industry, and beliefs. Just because what you are doing isn't in vogue does not mean that it is wrong, but you better be on top of your game and in practice if you are going to go toe to toe with someone about it. It isn't funny when someone beats your time on a reload when you are using the slide release and he is using the slingshot technique. I have done it, and used it to justify the technique, when I really should have been paying attention to the base mechanics of the movements.

[rickp]

New information gets filtered through my past training and experience, and if it makes it's way through, it gets implemented.


That's a great way to put it. I keep and open mind but I'm VERY picky as to what accept and what I don't. I'm not one to drink the cool aid AT ALL.

I think there's a fine line with keeping an open mind and just accepting information just because such and such big wig instructor said so. Which there's a lot of that out there.

[arizonaranchman]

I stay open minded by constantly striving to improve.
New information gets filtered through my past training and experience, and if it makes it's way through, it gets implemented.
Open minded, but no so much that my brain falls out or gets filled with the abundant bullshit available to the unwitting.

One thing I have found is that the more I learn, the more I see the cyclic nature of the market, industry, and beliefs. Just because what you are doing isn't in vogue does not mean that it is wrong, but you better be on top of your game and in practice if you are going to go toe to toe with someone about it. It isn't funny when someone beats your time on a reload when you are using the slide release and he is using the slingshot technique. I have done it, and used it to justify the technique, when I really should have been paying attention to the base mechanics of the movements.

Well said, I agree... Being open to learn something new if it's truly an improvement over what you've been doing, not just for the sake of change.

[Surf]

Never thinking I am "good enough". Maintaining an open minded awareness that hovers around "conscious incompetence". Basically "knowing that you don't know it all" and understanding within ourselves that we are not perfect and being able to recognize and acknowledge our own individual deficits in our abilities. However the key is not just recognizing the deficit but having the strong desire to cure them by attempting to learn a new skill or technique which can be valuable in our ability to increase our own performance levels. Understanding that we may make a errors in the process, or show our ass while trying to improve, yet working through it because we know the reward is what we are seeking. Many good people may have the desire to constantly train and perform skills they are good at because it makes them feel and look good. Having the desire to train and improve, especially at the things we suck at is a good way to keep moving in a positive direction. Keeping an open mind becomes more difficult for many people especially when they reach a certain status or skill level. This goes for many things in life and not just firearms. Getting too comfortable is a bad thing.

[sspro2340]

Now, in my early thirties, I've found what bothers me more than anything else, closed mindedness. Unfortunately I see this in myself more frequently than I did as a younger man. I'm not only talking about firearms and training but a lot of my views and opinions also.


I think the fact that you even recognize this puts you in a pretty good position.

Most people cannot overcome a problem because they can't bring themselves to even admit that they are capable of doing whatever it is in their behavior that they are doing "wrong."

So you feel like you're in a rut, you probably could use a breath of fresh air.

Weapons and tactics is something I feel (not a professional) that needs to be viewed as a constant struggle for balance.

We balance our speed and accuracy.
We balance our techniques. Weaver or Isosceles?

I think one of the best common themes to live by is that the situation will dictate how you should respond.
So with tactics you should at least try everything (within reason). Some say that is a horrible idea because learning multiple techniques will only slow down reaction time...I believe it's Hicks law, or hickson's law? There is something to be said about that because if you're an individual who only has so much time to train, i.e. a new draftee than maybe trying to work out the kinks between weaver isosceles, chicken winging your arm or elbow down, vs this and that etc is not the best thing to do.

Those same people though usually say that releasing the slide lever is "too fine a motor skill and YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO DO IT when under time is life situation"
But the entire handling of a pistol (IMO) is all about fine motor skills! And you'll be hard pressed to convince me otherwise of that btw

Sooooo once again, find that balance. And the only way to find that balance is to just constantly look for new techniques, develop your own, and of course look at the history of firearms and those who have used them effectively. If you look up Wyatt Earp and what he had to say about gunfighting back in the 1850's, he makes plenty of mentions about what we now call today, "smooth press" or not jerking the trigger, etc.

I try to learn something new to add to my "hard drive" or toolbox what have you. Just recently I watched Kelly McCann's shooting instructional on video and noticed something that he was doing with his draw that I had not fully incorporated into my own. And after practicing with the technique a few times I felt that I was getting on my sights slightly faster. And it was such a simple little thing that I was missing but it just made me that much better of a shooter.

So just read a little history, pay attention to what some of the greats have said if you've got the time, keep your eyes open, and find a balance.