Thinking Man's Corner

Article By: Leo H.

At some time during my tenure as a Rangemaster, I compiled a list of observations made of individuals we often saw repeating remediation. As I explore these habits, or traps, in this article, I am sure you will be able to think of some I have missed. In fact, many are linked to each other and, so, the order I have chosen to mention them should not be considered any sort of hierarchy. I do believe, however, that eliminating or improving your capabilities within these various “traps” will increase the probability of becoming more proficient in your shooting ability. Identification of a potential trap of any sort can permit its avoidance or defeat its intent.

Anxiety

There are those who would be anyplace else on the planet than standing on the range. They are always the last to report for qualification if the option is left up to them. The closer they get to the front gate, the more nervous they feel. At times, they will park in the roadway to mentally “prepare” themselves before turning into the driveway leading to their eventual doom in front of others. The foreboding they feel manifests itself into the belief of their failure as a shooter. They have become so convinced they will fail there is no other possibility. They then go on to fulfill their internal predication. Anxiety, or fear, can be diminished or avoided altogether through familiarization and confidence. Earning the “Been there, Done that” shirt provides a shield of protection from the unknown. There is no warrior in history who achieved recognition of competence and did not overcome a failure at some point. The only way to become proficient is to push past incompetence. Defeat your anxiety by facing it squarely, one training session at a time. Change requires effort.

Lack of Confidence

Often, poor shooters can be easily determined just by the mannerisms they project as they prepare for their range experience. They are generally the last to both arrive at the range and then exit their vehicles prepared for the day. In fact, there have been occasions where they have forgotten their weapons only realizing the fact once it is time to begin shooting. They walk to the starting position and between stages with their heads down and reinforce their inadequacies by negatively talking to themselves. They are only confident of their negative traits and succeed in replicating them at every turn. Confidence is gained only by experience. One must recognize the first step comes with an internal desire to become better. Fulfillment of this desire is then accomplished by positive action. Find a competent instructor to assist you on your journey. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Take the time… make the effort… achieve the goal.

Do Not Train

I see this habit as a two-sided coin. On one side you have zero or minimal training effort. On the other, you have shooting without a plan or inadequate or poor instruction. Folks who do not like to shoot… do not. It does not matter if they carry a gun every day as a tool of their trade, or not. If they view reporting to the range as a negative experience, they will not make the trip unless they are given no option. For anything to grow, one must add food and water; growing firearms related skills requires sending purpose driven rounds downrange. However, it is just as important to have a reason behind each bullet that is fired unless the time at the range is based solely upon a desire to just shoot bullets and have a good time. I used to be amazed at the number of agencies who reserved the range for a “training” event and then just shot bullets the entire day. Where there is no measurement or goal for each trigger press, the time spent at the range has no purpose beyond that of entertainment. Use a bit of time each day to dryfire. Explore the training benefits of available technology. Load up some magazines and hit the range.

Unfamiliarity with Course of Fire

It is my belief that shooters who possess an inadequate grasp of the basic components of shooting fundamentals tend to think too much about what they are doing. As a result, minor changes of the course of fire will generally cause them to fall behind the time curve thus compounding mistakes made during the shooting process. In an effort to “shoot all the bullets” required during a particular stage they will rush through the shooting process rather than performing essentials vital to marksmanship. They may perform at an acceptable level upon a course they have practiced only to fail when tasked to demonstrate skill mastery on something new. Practicing a specific sequence of events can preclude the ability to react to circumstances requiring a differing solution (e.g. conditioned to shoot from a stationary position where a new course requires movement creates lag while the shooter thinks about what to do next). Do not get locked in to a single way of thinking. Learn from multiple instructors. Go to the range with some of the better shooters you know. Use competition to find and push your limits. Watch… Listen… Learn

Poor, or no, Weapon Handling Skills

Practice makes permanent. No practice makes each application a new training experience. No valid instruction or inappropriate training prior to a new application makes every new experience an exercise in futility. While mistakes can lead to experience, mistakes made with a tool capable of causing death or serious injury is a cause for concern. To become proficient, it is vitally important to ensure the practice one attempts is a perfect as possible. While books, articles, and video can introduce, or provide interest in, various techniques and tactics that can be relative to competent firearms training; correction and refinement of application can only be achieved through adequate mentoring/coaching. This can only be accomplished by receiving hands-on instruction from an informed and proficient source. It is simply not acceptable to be permitted to “practice” weapon handling skills in a manner that is unsafe and nonsensical. Just because you bought a wrench does not mean you are a mechanic. There are things in life that should not be utilized without proper instruction/supervision… shooting a firearm is one of them.

Does not “SEE” the Front Sight

With the advent of Pistol Mounted Optics, perhaps we will see a reduction in sight related shooting error. However, no matter if the shooter is using iron sights or pistol mounted optics, an understanding of visual focus at the prior to, during, and after shot break stages is paramount. “Front-Sight-Focus” throughout trigger press requires a certain amount of discipline. Shooters often fail to properly process the available visual information before taking a shot. This aspect of poor shooting is closely related to the concept of “shooting all the bullets” rather than properly validating the available information required to make an accurate shot. The Yoda-like statement of, “Focus on the NOW… not the Has Been or Will Be” reflects where the shooter’s mind must be at the time the hammer falls. If you do not know where the muzzle is at, you will have no idea where the bullet will go. The front sight, or dot, will tell you that. SEE what matters.

Looks at the Target (No Follow-Thru)

At certain times and distances, or where pistol mounted optics are concerned, looking at the target can be an acceptable and valid technique. Here, however, I use the term to address the shooter who chooses to push or pull the gun out of the way while making a shot to “read” the target. The greater the distance, the more important the need to maintain sight/muzzle awareness until shot break. Introducing a cognitive process into your shooting “program” which calls for you to verify shot placement immediately following every trigger press will negatively impact the entire procedure. A desire to read the target during shooting can destroy an otherwise stable shooting platform if the shooter begins to move the weapon out of the way before the shot is taken. “Calling your shot” should be made by proper muzzle management before-during-after shot break. Understanding and maintaining a proper grip upon the gun is also required throughout the shooting process. Relaxing your grip before shot break will move the bore of the weapon away from your intended target… if you are looking at the target, instead of the sight, you will not see that.

Seeks “Perfect” Sight Picture or Does Not Understand the Sighting Process

With iron sights, the shooter must properly balance visual control of the target, the rear sight, and the front sight. Hearing the internal mantra of, “Equal Height – Equal Light,” they visually search for a moment of perfect sight clarity, grip the gun more tightly to better lock the sights in place, and mash the trigger as quickly as they can before “perfection” can vanish. This holds especially true as the shooter moves further from the intended target. Somewhere in the process, they also tend to move the gun to visually confirm correct shot placement. Mentally focusing on “breaking the shot” rather than “seeing” the sight while working the trigger” almost always results in a poor shot. Falling into several shooting “traps” simultaneously guarantees most hits will become based upon luck, which should not be considered a viable tactic. An understanding of what is necessary or acceptable relative to workable sight alignment and sight picture is difficult to achieve without practice. Once the student finally grasps the concept and “sees the light” shot groups almost instantly become smaller. Practicing to reinforce their epiphany can forever remove their name from the remediation roster.

Does Not Understand Trigger Control

I cannot really hold this “trap” totally against my problem shooters. Too many times I have heard line instructors advise a shooter the reason they are not shooting well is because they are “jerking” the trigger. For the most part, any issue that the trigger may cause can be corrected by gripping the weapon properly. The fact is the trigger is a simple lever which operates in the same fashion every time. It travels from front to rear during the firing sequence releasing the hammer/striker; and then, from back to front during follow-through resetting the sear (two schools of thought exist here – either pin the trigger to the rear until the sight has settled back on the target, or move the trigger to the reset position during recoil which permits quicker follow-up shots). However, with the proper grip maintained throughout trigger movement, and where the trigger finger is isolated from the rest of the hand controlling the gun, one will normally place the fired rounds exactly where they were intended to go if the gun is properly aimed. I suppose it is possible to either push or pull the gun based upon the amount of finger placed upon the trigger (many differing opinions here – I have seen many shooters struggle with finger placement based upon hand/finger size). My opinion here is… your finger provides the energy required to overcome the sear and fire the gun… do the same thing every time you shoot for consistent results. A good instructor should be able to diagnose whether the issue originates with the grip, the sights, or the manner the trigger is being manipulated.

Poor Transitions

Here we see the shooter have issues with shots immediately following any sort of transition. Whether it be a movement as simple as drawing and then firing, reloading, and then firing, or a bit more complicated as identifying additional threats and then moving the weapon from one threat to another. They possess the tendency to worry more about performing the next task than ensuring all the necessary components for an accurate shot exist. Following the process of identifying a threat, focusing (specifically) where the shot should land, seeing an acceptable image of whatever sighting system is being used, and then breaking a shot without losing the sights is always just out of reach. Adding additional components such as movement to cover, other tactical movement options, or shooting moving targets increases their anxiety to the point they become totally ineffective. This “trap” is only avoided by learning to recognize it exists. Competent training and continued “perfect” practice are the only solution. Just as luck is not a tactic, wishing only works where it is written into the script.

Inability to Focus

I have read that shooting is ninety percent mental. I do not know where that percentage was derived. I do know, regardless of the actual ratio, accurate shooting must be properly programmed into long-term memory and then that program adequately run if the shooter is to be successful with their firearm-based efforts. While it is true that “thinking” your way through the shooting process will take way to long in an actual gunfight… thinking about what matters during proper foundational training will build the neural pathways required to make that accurate shot during a moment of duress. The student shooter must possess the ability to focus on the task at hand, in the moment it matters, to establish the correct pathway to successful shots. Worrying about an end result before initiating essential elements, in their correct order, is problematic. While I do not see this “trap” as much among civilian students (folks who pay their way tend to pay attention), I do often see law enforcement students, who have little interest in learning how to shoot correctly, reflect that attitude up until the time they fail to “qualify.” I have found introducing the element of accountability throughout the learning process is helpful in generating focus. If you have no idea when the instructor is going to ask you a question about what was just discussed or demonstrated, you tend to pay a bit more attention if you do not want to be embarrassed in front of others. Truthful documentation of the range session is also helpful.

No Training Journal

Most folks who do poorly have little interest in documenting their failures. However, those who have high levels of accomplishment keep some form of journal documenting their performance and projections. In fact, when Lanny Bassham was doing the research that ultimately led to the writing of his pivotal book on mental management, “With Winning in Mind,” he found most of the Olympic level athletes who had won a gold medal kept some form of training journal. As a result, he developed a personal journal format and mental conditioning program that resulted in his own gold medal. Your journal is a record of the paths you have followed that have led to where you now stand. Repeating positive entries should lead to similar results. Identifying and then changing negative observations will result in more positive endings. Goal setting, and training session planning, permit you to map out new routes to different outcomes. Doing nothing, allows you to remain unchanged and stagnate personal growth. The more you talk about, think about, or write about something… the easier it is to replicate or refine. Your journal does not need to be fancy or any sort of complicated documentation process. Just write: what you expect to accomplish, what you do to accomplish it, how you performed (positive/negative), and how you can continue/change the results in the future. Be honest. The only person you can cheat is yourself.

Trap Avoidance

Receiving appropriate instruction while following a training plan intended to develop shooting skills, and maintaining a training regime intended to properly develop the elements of proper grip, adequate sights, and trigger control, will produce continued enhancement of your skill and ability. Recognize there are drills intended to develop valid objectives… and there are drills that look cool on YouTube.

“What would this look like if it were easy?” – Tim Ferriss

Semper Optimum!