Chief's Blog

Practice Doesn't Make Perfect
     We have all heard the saying, "Practice makes perfect." I'm here to tell you that just isn't the case. Practice doesn't make perfect. It is perfect practice that makes perfect. So how you practice has a great deal to do with how proficient you actually become at shooting and self defense. 
     Going to the range and standing in the same spot shooting at the same distance makes you really good at standing in the same spot and shooting the same distance. I can hear a few of you now saying, "That's all my range will let me do." I hear you. Many ranges limit your ability to move, shoot and communicate.  However, that doesn't have to completely limit you. You just have to be innovative. 
I recently had a conversation with a gentleman who told me he practiced six to eight hours a week; mostly. He went on that he would go out on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and shoot for six to eight hours straight. He said he seemed to get worse rather than better. I could believe that. I compete in Steel Challenge and IDPA Matches and I have noticed that after a couple of hours on the range I am physically and mental tired. I have difficulty focusing on the task at hand. So I understood what my friend was saying.
     Instead of going out and practicing for long periods of time, go to the range frequently and practice from a short period of time, no more than two hours. Even going out and shooting one box of ammunition doing a drill that challenges you in accuracy and speed on a regular basis is better than spending hours on the range shooting the dame thing over and over again.
Every time you train you should have a specific purpose, a specific aspect of shooting that you are focusing on. You focus on that aspect until it becomes perfected. Let’s take the draw as an example. How many movements are there in a draw with a concealed garment?

1. There is the movement of the cover garment.
2. There is the PROPER grip on the butt of the firearm.
3. Followed by the draw itself, the removal of the firearm from the holster,
4. Then the rotation of the firearm towards the threat,
5. Followed by the extension of the firing hand in the direction of the threat,
6. This is followed by the slap of the off hand to the firing hand of the butt of the firearm,
7. Followed by full extension and acquisition of the target through the sights of the firearm.

That’s the draw. Once you have a good sight picture then you begin the shooting sequence which is another set of movements. Just looking at the draw from a cover garment you see there are seven distinct actions you are taking. Several are virtually simultaneous, but they are each distinct in their own right. Do one of them wrong and you can run into trouble, loosing time, and or accuracy.
     Training over shorter periods of time perfecting each aspect of shooting is how you become a perfect shooter. There is the story of a tourist in New York City asking a man, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” The response of the man to the tourist was, “Practice, man practice.” How you become a good shooter is practice man practice, but more than simply practice – Perfect Practice will do it every time.      

It Isn't About Just Knowing How To Shoot.
      Self-defense is not about just knowing how to shoot. It is a mind set and physical ability. Training to shoot is absolutely a key component. However, leaning to be proficient with a handgun is far more that passing a License to Carry Class. It is about training yourself to be prepared. It is also about training yourself to be situational aware.
      I’m a guy who is well on the north side of middle age. I learned how to shoot when I was a kid. That means I could hit a stationary target without shooting myself or someone else. It didn’t mean I knew how to defend myself on my loved ones.
      I was trained as a police officer in the 1970’s at that time weapons qualification was once a year 100 rounds from 5 yards, 10 yards and 25 yards, standing in one place and shooting at a stationary target. In the Army qualification was also once a year, but again it was not a test of self defense it was standing in one spot shooting at one target at various distances. None of these scenarios involved a great deal of physical exertion.
      I began self-defense training about a two decades ago. I learned one thing really quick. I needed to get in shape. Self defense involves not only shooting, it also involves moving, and moving quickly. Situational awareness keeps you on your toes, but once you recognize a threat, you must deal with it. The first rule of gunfighting is don’t get in one if you can get away from the threat, that means moving quickly.
     If you can’t get away from the threat and must counter it then a golden rule is, "distance is your friend." To maintain distance, you must move quickly. An average bad guy can cover 21 feet in a blink of an eye. That means you must get off the mark, draw, and engage in that same blink of an eye. If your exercise regimen has consisted of working the remote or game console, you may very well loose the movement and distance game and thus loose the fight.
      Maintaining an exercise regimen doesn’t mean training for a decathlon. It means maintaining a physical level of activity that helps your body cope with stress and rapid short movements. How you do that is determined by your age and your level of fitness. If you’re my age the way your exercise will be different than when I was in my 20’s or 30’s. It will, however, help me maintain cardiac stamina, agility and strength.
     It is never to late to begin to train your body and your mind to react to a threat situation. Start small and build up over time. This isn’t a one-time thing to get to a certain level then quit. As you age, your physical abilities will change, you must continue a regimen that allows you to stay fit to fight for your lifetime.