"Trying VS Training"

[C4IGrant]

How many of you have ever TRIED to play a sport, didn't do so well and then did one of the following:

1. Made fun of said game.
2. Said that it wasn't worth your time.
3. Found an excuse to never play it again.


When you "TRY" to do something, you usually do it in private without anyone knowing. The reason why you do this is because if you fail at it, no one will know.

People that have gone out and received professional training in a sport do not say the above three comments. Why? They have made a commitment to it and will stick with it until they have mastered it.

So how many of you "TRY" to shoot? Meaning that you generally shoot alone, blow off shots that are missed or pulled (call them flyers) and convince yourself that your shooting is "good enough" for your "purposes?"

Background on me. My Grandfather was a Trooper. My Father worked as a guide in Canada and was a very experienced trapper, hunter, etc. He could hit whatever he aimed at. He was always taking apart guns and re-building them and knew just about everything there was about hunting based firearms.

This is the world I grew up in.

I then joined the Navy and got some more (basic) weapons training.

After getting out of the USN, I started to attend some shooting schools. This is when the shock hit. "What do you mean that everything I am doing is all wrong?"
What an eye opener and a bit disheartening to learn that everything I knew about grip, stance, trigger manipulation, sight alignment was basically incorrect.
So those of you that believe that since you grew up "hunting" that you know how to fight with a gun is basically dead wrong.

My argument to you folks that are on the fence about getting professional training is that you don't know what you don't know. Meaning that you are most likely doing yourself more harm than good every time you fire a round! Practicing a bad grip, stance, sight alignment and trigger manipulation is just making it harder for you to fix when you eventually DO get training.

The last thing to consider is that if you are carrying or planning to use a firearm to defend yourself and your loved ones you are nothing more than a liability without training. Wouldn't it be nice to actually know how to use it???


Don't just "try" to shoot, be TRAINED how to shoot!




C4

[d90king]

Great post Grant! I just got back from running Todd's Fast and dot torture drill for an hour or so.... Felt like a kid trying to learn to ride a bike again... Still cant break 6.5 seconds on the fast yet.

I have been doing a lot of rifle shooting as of late and neglecting my pistol work, and it really showed... If you don't use it, you will lose it.

[C4IGrant]

Great post Grant! I just got back from running Todd's Fast and dot torture drill for an hour or so.... Felt like a kid trying to learn to ride a bike again... Still cant break 6.5 seconds on the fast yet.

I have been doing a lot of rifle shooting as of late and neglecting my pistol work, and it really showed... If you don't use it, you will lose it.

Thanks much.

This post hit me while sitting in Church (of all places).



C4

[Irish]

Great thread that I'm sure a lot of people can relate to, including myself.

[SeriousStudent]

.....

This post hit me while sitting in Church (of all places).



C4

Another "Eureka!" moment during the sermon, eh?

My sister is the associate minister at our church. She sometimes gives me "that look" during the service, wondering exactly what I am paying attention to......

"I wonder......what if I tried the H-1 with the Bravo Company upper on that LMT lower with the BAD...... that would be nice and light......"

[C4IGrant]

Another "Eureka!" moment during the sermon, eh?

My sister is the associate minister at our church. She sometimes gives me "that look" during the service, wondering exactly what I am paying attention to......

"I wonder......what if I tried the H-1 with the Bravo Company upper on that LMT lower with the BAD...... that would be nice and light......"

I get a lot "ah huh" moments in church. I hear the sermon twice every Sunday (as I work security). So if it doesn't sink in the first time, I will get a second shot at it.


C4

[d90king]

Thanks much.

This post hit me while sitting in Church (of all places).



C4

Well, it is our quiet time for reflection...

[WVBartMan]

Grant: I could not agree more and only wish everyone who owns a gun could have it read/preached to them. How many lives have been lost due to the lack of training.

I love this quote "“Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: You didn’t bring your gun; you didn’t train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by fear, helplessness, horror and shame at your moment of truth.” Lt Col Dave Grossman

Great post Grant.

[ST911]

This post hit me while sitting in Church (of all places).

"Trying vs. Training" could be a very deep theological conversation as well.

[CarlosDJackal]

One of the best things one can get out of any formal training is feedback from those who can observe you, pick up on your bad habits, and correct said habits. It is only then will you realize that you belong to the category: UNCONSCIOUS-INCOMPETENT. This will allow you to make adjustments and start your journey to becoming more COMPETENT.

Those who think that they do not need any such training are doomed to belong to INCOMPETENT category (whether conscious or unconscious). It is amazing just how many individuals out there belong to this category. Even more amazing is just how many of them carry or use a gun.