You ever know somebody that had a problem with drugs or alcohol, or gambling, or whatever who got "cured" and then became all holy-roller and high-horse about how evil their former addiction was? I was ruminating the other day about my lack of drive to sign up for more, and more, and MOAR classes, and I happened upon something online where I referred to myself as a "training junkie". That's not a term I made up, as I've heard it used to describe others, or heard others use it to describe themselves.
What happened for me was a bit of a lightbulb moment, which wasn't really a moment at all and took me awhile to figure out. The realization that I came to is that I don't need more classes, I need more range time. Much like the shooter looking for MOAR when it comes to gear, trying to find that one magic item that will suddenly make them shoot like Enos or Butler. but it never comes. Well I've been stuck in a rut of trying to find that one instructor that's going to give me the magic pill that allows me to shoot better. It finally dawned on me that these are two sides of the same coin, and just like what the gear guy needs is more practice, what the training-class guy needs is more practice too.
Look, I've enjoyed every single class I've ever taken. Even the WORST training/instructor experiences I've had have been enjoyable in the end because I was surrounded by like-minded folks and because we shared a common bond of bitching about, or making fun of, the instructor. It's fun to get out of town, go out to dinner, and hey, even if the instruction sucks you're still outdoors all day shooting guns, which is a good thing. There is nothing wrong with treating a class like Outward Bound with guns and just going for the fun of it. But if your goal is just to get better, you are going to reach a point of diminishing returns, especially if you aren't doing anything to practice in between.
Kyle Defoor (who, by the way, offers what I think are some of the best "advanced" classes in the market) has said "a gunfight is an athletic event", and having never been in a gunfight myself it seems like a logical statement, but I think SHOOTING is also a bit of an athletic event, for lack of a better term. One thing I've noticed in the shooting sports in general is that a guy that is naturally athletic, or who grew up involved in sports (which is usually one in the same, since people rarely do anything they're not naturally good at) is going to take to shooting more quickly and naturally. Not being a physician or a head-shrinker I have no idea why that is, but it holds true over and over again. Now, by "athletic" I don't mean some juice-head that can't scratch his own shoulder because he's so "swoll", as I've seen those guys righteously struggle more than many others when they're trying to learn to shoot after getting big. The point of this is that there are some guys, and I know several of them, that can do virtually NO shooting between classes and show up and shoot better than 99% of the line, still complain to themselves about their own performance, and can actually use semi-annual courses as a tune-up just to keep the skills up.
I don't know about you, but I'm not that guy. I'm the guy that started out life playing sports like any other kid in the '80s, then became a teenager and decided all that shit was for losers, and started doing other things. Of course, I was never very naturally good at sports, I just tended to be taller than the other kids which gives you an advantage in most sports played under the age of 12. So when I got into shooting it was after a decade of basically not doing anything athletic, and that decade was spent in my teen years when people's bodies are chaging the whole time, so what you thought you could do when you were 12 is unlikely to be the same when you are 22 both due to a fond mis-remembering and an actual, total, physically different person.
So I struggle with shooting. Carbines I do OK with because they are frankly more about manipulations than anything else if you're doing anything other than trying to make the holes touch. Pistols, I struggle mightily. My eye focus is all fucked up, I rush the trigger and try to make the gun go off, I squeeze the grip too hard, etc. I can, and have, successfully teach others to shoot pistols better than I do, because I can see in them the same mistakes I make, and know what to do to correct them, I just can't seem to implement it for myself. So I keep going to these classes, hoping I'm going to get the magic pill. I'm going to encounter the one instructor that's going to tell me "put your pinky finger HERE" and it's all going to be better. it's not going to happen any more than that fancy new $200 trigger is going to have you shooting like Taran Butler.
What I need is more practice, not more instruction. Even with the little nuggets I've gotten here and there, they don't overcome the months of inactivity in between. Now, going to the occasional class is certainly better for your shooting skills than not shooting at all, that's not what I'm saying. But given that a class is probably going to run you $1k+ for a weekend including tuition, ammo, lodging, etc. there are probably WAY better ways to spend that money if your real goal is to get better. Of course, there are also way worse, depending on what kind of better you're looking for. I read a post the other day from a guy that shoots 1k rounds/month at the static range and only made Sharpshooter at his first IDPA classifier because he's not used to a timer, moving, engaging multiple targets... Sure, I suppose he's gotten better and better at Dot Torture, and maybe his holes have gotten closer and closer together, but if his goal has been to become a better practical, or all-around, or defensive shooter he's probably well beyond the point of getting any real return on the expense of the static range. At this point he would get more out of shooting one match per month and dryfire practice of the skills he's lacking at home than he will spending 2 nights a week at the indoor range trying to make the bullet holes touch.
Someone out there is surely saying right now "but you're constantly brow-beating people about more training!" and "didn't you just start your own training company?" and the answer in both cases is yes. I absolutely believe that you need to get some amount of training under your belt to start with. You need an introductory course. you may need two or three introductory courses. You should go take at least one intermediate or "advanced" course so you can see how much you suck. But beyond that, what you really need is practice. There is no such thing as a class that can make up for 4-6 months of not doing shit, not practicing what you learned in the last class, not dry-firing... So while yes, you absolutely need some training to start you off, what you need to do with that $1k after a few classes is take your ass to the static range, shoot some local matches, and get in your dryfire practice. going for MOAR classes isn't going to help you. and in fact, with the huge number of "advanced" classes that are nothing more than drills with the occasional supervision, they are often little more than practice that costs you twice as much because you took time off from work and traveled to go do it.
Randy Cain has told the story of his first rifle class at Thunder Ranch where they spent three days shooting positions at various distances, and that's basically all they did, and how he was disappointed when he started out on his drive home. But at some point on the road he realized that he kept telling himself "I could have stayed home and done that", and then after a few hundred more miles realized "yeah, but I wouldn't/didn't." That is the benefit of the multi-day course. If you're the guy that has a good baseline of skills, but never gets to a range, or never gets to a range that allows more dynamic shooting, then maybe what you do need is the occasional class to tune up and keep sharp. and let's not forget, they are fun. But if you don't have those limitations and you're not just looking for fun and you genuinely want to improve, what you should be doing is making the time to practice at home or nearby. If your baseline skills are that good you can probably stay just as tuned up and get better at things you're never going to get in any class simply by attending an IDPA or USPSA match once a month and doing a little dryfire in between.
So, much like the pothead or the drunk who got clean, I'm more of a reformed training junkie myself now. Which means I'll probably get on my high horse and get preachy about it from time to time. Or maybe this blog post got it out of my system.
PS
Our "Clinics" at Goal-Oriented Training are an attempt to offer this very type of supervised, structured, practice. When we started the company I mistakenly thought that more people realized that this is what they really need. Either due to poor marketing on our part, or due to my being completely wrong about what people think they need, the Clinics haven't done as well as I'd have hoped and thought. I'm not sure if it's because people don't understand the format or concept, or if they simply don't want to actually practice and be measured and prefer the silent anonymity of the bulk class where they can quickly hide their performance with tape. Our Clinics aren't about fun (although they are, in fact, fun) or war stories or hobknobbing with Tier 1 guys, they are simply about taking an opportunity to spend 6 hours on the range focusing on a single skill, or a series of like skills, to get better as a shooter, and to get an opportunity to have your performance weighed and measured. Maybe the problem is that people are afraid of winding up like this guy.
2012-10-25
2012-09-19
Future of TYV
Right out of the gate, let me tell you, if you subscribe to my facebook, read my blog, miss me on the forums, or are otherwise concerned with paying attention to what I say because you like my gear reviews, you may as well go ahead and un-like and un-friend me now. As of this writing I have 865 fans on my TYV facebook page, so lets wait and see if that number goes down in the next few days.
The bottom line is I can’t compete with the other guys that are out there doing this stuff, and it seems silly to try. I don’t have the time or the financial backing of Andrew over at vuurwap...whatever to do the kind of analytical analysis he does. I wish I did, God bless the guy. I have a couple of tests I probably ought to just send him. But here’s the thing, and that is that based on the Curve of Inevitability, I realize that it doesn’t matter. How many times can I go test some New Hotness, be unable to discern any real measurable improvement that the same investment of ammo wouldn’t have produced, and release my findings only to be met with the wailing and gnashing of teeth of the internets, and maybe one or two percent that get it?
I can’t take pictures, nor do I have the industry connections, like Stickman or Militarymoron. I don’t have the personality of Milspec Monkey. I am hopefully not quite as mentally challenged as nutnfancy or that weird Russian dude (if he even really is Russian). I’m tired of dealing with deadlines, editors, and publishers all to make less money in writing commissions than I spent doing whatever it was I was writing about.
I’m tired of starting projects I don’t have time or resources to see through. I’m tired of industry people sending me knicknacks and then getting all assed-up when I don’t produce a review, or a favorable review, in their timeline, which they don’t bother to tell me about right out of the gate but instead work themselves into a lather with zero communication, and when they do write to complain I offer to give it back only to have them reply with “no, no, just keep it”. Do they really think this shit pays the bills? Like I don’t have a job to get to in order to actually make my car payment, aside from all this silly “firearms lifestyle” stuff? I tell them right out of the gate that this is a part-time side gig and things happen when they happen. By the same token, I don’t blame them for being mad when they’re out product, which is money, so it’s probably better to just stop asking.
What I can do is what I’ve always naturally done, and that is question things. Especially establishment things. I’ve always been a “why?” guy, and if 20 people are saying the same thing, it just makes me ask “why?” even more. As Patton said, “if everyone is thinking the same thing then someone isn’t thinking”. In architecture school, why is everything. I learned quickly that what you said was as important as what you did. The Guggenheim makes a horrible house, and Falling Water makes a horrible museum. Why, or a purpose, matters. And just because you say, or think, you have a purpose doesn’t mean that’s the real purpose. The guy that buys a Harley and tells his cowokers he wants to “ride and be free” may very well think he wants to do just that. But if he’s logging 20 miles a month and they are all to the bar and back to go meet his new biker friends, I would argue that he’s neither riding, nor free. Similarly if a guy is buying a gun because he says he needs to protect his family but then can’t go take a single Saturday away from them to learn how to use it, I’d say he must not really be feeling that threat all so much. You may not see it the same way, and you don’t have to. Start your own blog and support all that stuff. Or stay subscribed here and tell me off.
I just simply don't know any other way to be, and at nearly 38 years old it's too late to change. The good news is that I can keep saying what I want, how I want, whether I'm posting on a forum or banned, have 865 facebook fans or 8. Frankly, at 8, I bet it'd be the 8 that were getting the most out of it. But trying to be the evaluator guy with accelerometers and high-speed cameras, or the photographer guy with 10,000 facebook likes, a phone full of industry friends, and a calendar, or some youtube celebrity, just isn’t in my DNA.
So, going forward, what TYV will be is primarily the blog. If you’ve read stuff there and found it informative, keep on subscribing. If you like concept pieces, like arguments, like to occasionally read something you don’t agree with but that gets your brain spinning, keep on reading. If you like hearing the counter-point to whatever new-hotness drops at SHOT, this is the place. But if you’re waiting for charts, reviews of training classes, links to the latest magazine articles, etc. that shit is done and you’d probably be better served by un-liking the facebook page. Your bloodpressure will thank you. If you’ve been putting up with me because you’re waiting for some new review to come out that “makes his attitude worthwhile”, it’s not coming. I don’t have the time, the results are no longer interesting to me, and I’m tired of casting pearls before swine. Which isn’t to say that every single time my fingers strike a key a pearl is produced, but I’m no longer interested in hearing your snorts, or wasting my time and money only to be greeted by snorts.
The bottom line is I can’t compete with the other guys that are out there doing this stuff, and it seems silly to try. I don’t have the time or the financial backing of Andrew over at vuurwap...whatever to do the kind of analytical analysis he does. I wish I did, God bless the guy. I have a couple of tests I probably ought to just send him. But here’s the thing, and that is that based on the Curve of Inevitability, I realize that it doesn’t matter. How many times can I go test some New Hotness, be unable to discern any real measurable improvement that the same investment of ammo wouldn’t have produced, and release my findings only to be met with the wailing and gnashing of teeth of the internets, and maybe one or two percent that get it?
I can’t take pictures, nor do I have the industry connections, like Stickman or Militarymoron. I don’t have the personality of Milspec Monkey. I am hopefully not quite as mentally challenged as nutnfancy or that weird Russian dude (if he even really is Russian). I’m tired of dealing with deadlines, editors, and publishers all to make less money in writing commissions than I spent doing whatever it was I was writing about.
I’m tired of starting projects I don’t have time or resources to see through. I’m tired of industry people sending me knicknacks and then getting all assed-up when I don’t produce a review, or a favorable review, in their timeline, which they don’t bother to tell me about right out of the gate but instead work themselves into a lather with zero communication, and when they do write to complain I offer to give it back only to have them reply with “no, no, just keep it”. Do they really think this shit pays the bills? Like I don’t have a job to get to in order to actually make my car payment, aside from all this silly “firearms lifestyle” stuff? I tell them right out of the gate that this is a part-time side gig and things happen when they happen. By the same token, I don’t blame them for being mad when they’re out product, which is money, so it’s probably better to just stop asking.
What I can do is what I’ve always naturally done, and that is question things. Especially establishment things. I’ve always been a “why?” guy, and if 20 people are saying the same thing, it just makes me ask “why?” even more. As Patton said, “if everyone is thinking the same thing then someone isn’t thinking”. In architecture school, why is everything. I learned quickly that what you said was as important as what you did. The Guggenheim makes a horrible house, and Falling Water makes a horrible museum. Why, or a purpose, matters. And just because you say, or think, you have a purpose doesn’t mean that’s the real purpose. The guy that buys a Harley and tells his cowokers he wants to “ride and be free” may very well think he wants to do just that. But if he’s logging 20 miles a month and they are all to the bar and back to go meet his new biker friends, I would argue that he’s neither riding, nor free. Similarly if a guy is buying a gun because he says he needs to protect his family but then can’t go take a single Saturday away from them to learn how to use it, I’d say he must not really be feeling that threat all so much. You may not see it the same way, and you don’t have to. Start your own blog and support all that stuff. Or stay subscribed here and tell me off.
I just simply don't know any other way to be, and at nearly 38 years old it's too late to change. The good news is that I can keep saying what I want, how I want, whether I'm posting on a forum or banned, have 865 facebook fans or 8. Frankly, at 8, I bet it'd be the 8 that were getting the most out of it. But trying to be the evaluator guy with accelerometers and high-speed cameras, or the photographer guy with 10,000 facebook likes, a phone full of industry friends, and a calendar, or some youtube celebrity, just isn’t in my DNA.
So, going forward, what TYV will be is primarily the blog. If you’ve read stuff there and found it informative, keep on subscribing. If you like concept pieces, like arguments, like to occasionally read something you don’t agree with but that gets your brain spinning, keep on reading. If you like hearing the counter-point to whatever new-hotness drops at SHOT, this is the place. But if you’re waiting for charts, reviews of training classes, links to the latest magazine articles, etc. that shit is done and you’d probably be better served by un-liking the facebook page. Your bloodpressure will thank you. If you’ve been putting up with me because you’re waiting for some new review to come out that “makes his attitude worthwhile”, it’s not coming. I don’t have the time, the results are no longer interesting to me, and I’m tired of casting pearls before swine. Which isn’t to say that every single time my fingers strike a key a pearl is produced, but I’m no longer interested in hearing your snorts, or wasting my time and money only to be greeted by snorts.
2012-09-18
The Curve of Inevitability
Pretty arrogant huh? To call something you came up with “inevitable”? Like most things I say or do that come across as arrogant, it’s mostly tongue-in-cheek. Mostly.
So what about this curve? What is it? What’s invertible about it? Well, to start with, it’s two curves, and it looks like this.
Right about now you’re either thinking “yeah, I get it, it’s the indian not the arrow” or you’re thinking “this guy is a jackass, everyone knows good gear helps you if you have the ability”. And you’re both right.
As a community or industry we throw around phrases like “it’s the indian not the arrow “ or “it’s the singer, not the song” all the time. Mostly we pay lip service to them. It’s not until you keep trying to solve software problems with hardware (how’s that for a cliche?) and START RECORDING THE RESULTS, and see that you’re not getting anywhere that you really start to grasp those concepts. And what is outlined in the curve is the reason for that.
For someone starting out right out of the gate with their first gun, if you take away their stock Colt 6920 with iron sights shooting Wolf and hand them a gun with stainless barrel, two-stage trigger, magnified optic, and bi-pod, and give them some match-grade ammo instead, they are going to shoot tighter groups. “But Rob”, you’re saying “aren’t you the one that always says those things don’t make you a better shooter?” Yes, I am. And they don’t. They just made some guy with a whopping 100 rounds through an AR ever shoot a tighter group on a piece of paper. Now, if his whole goal in life is to only ever shoot that size group, and he’s never going to practice beyond that first 100 rounds, and he’s never going to shoot any other gun until he need to shoot that size group again at some point in the future, then he should go buy all that shit and bolt it on his rifle and stick it in the safe. He will forever stay at the far left-hand peak of the red line. He doesn’t know shit from brown bread, has zero ability, and so gear matters more to him than to any other person in the universe of firearms. He will see more improvement per dollar spent on gear than anyone else, ever. And it still matters twice as much in your head as it does on the range.
But the very next time that guy goes to the range, all that shit is going to matter less. And less. And less. and his buddy or partner who doesn’t have so much disposable income to burn on gidgets and wizmos is probably becoming a better shooter, and catching up to the guy with the proton pack and flux capacitor on his gun pretty quickly. Give that broke guy a class instead of a scope and a bipod and he’s going to be smoking the rich dude right quick. Because the money guy that never practices and relies on all his accessories is going to plateau right out of the gate. So not only does your actual reliance on all that stuff wane pretty quickly, but it also means your abilities are going to stagnate right where they are, and sooner or later your head is going to pop out of your ass and even you are going to realize how little it matters. That’s why after the initial peak both the red and the green lines go down, but the red line really drops fast. That’s the post-head-pop trajectory.
Whether you start with the basics or you start with more gun than you know what to do with, at some point the two lines almost meet. They never fully meet because most people will always fool themselves into putting more emphasis on the equipment than they should. More on that at the end of this post. But you reach a point where the gear is mattering less and less and your skills really are being limited by the equipment you’re using. Many people think this happens much earlier than it does, and they go from Production to Limited to Open all in the matter of a few months because they think it’s their skills that plateaued. They haven’t. If you’re not WINNING Production at your local match, to the point that everyone else that shows up is battling for second place, it’s not the gear. Most people are going to miss that bottoming out, which is why the green curve bottoms out a little bit after the red.
But there is a point that you simply can’t improve in either time or precision without changing the equipment. If you’re shooting 2” groups with iron sights at 100 yards with XM193 out of a Milspec barrel, you’re definitely at the limit of your equipment. If you’re cleaning dot torture at 7 yards with your Glock 19 with mostly stock parts, you’ve definitely reached the limit of your equipment. If you can shoot a Half-and-Half clean with iron sights and a stock 6920, you’ve reached the limit of your equipment. There are dozens of other examples, but these are just a few, and they’re made here to point out that there is a limit. I had a 2005 GTO that I used to take to the drag strip. When I was getting the same ¼-mile time, week after week, and it was the best time I was seeing anyone report with a stock car, I had reached the limit of that equipment. If I wanted to go faster I needed a torque converter, or drag radials, or I was going to have to start getting into power-adders.
So the results actually do improve with the new gear. The thing is, you’re also still learning and practicing all this time. If you’re not, you’re not seeing the improvement. And if you’re not the type to practice, you’re not the type to keep records, and in that case this whole post is useless to you. You cannot report improvement if you don’t keep records. If you can’t tell me how much tighter your groups got with your new trigger or optic, or how much faster your times got, you’re no less silly than the guy who put a cold air intake into his Civic and reported a 15 HP increase by measuring with “the seat of my pants”. So if you know it is helping, you must be keeping records, and if you are keeping records you have to be practicing, otherwise what is there to keep records of?
Now notice on the graph that about the time you start to plateau in ability, the “thinking” curve, the red curve, starts back down again. you though I just drew this shit with my finger, didn’t you? Well I did, but I still drew the curves with a purpose. That’s because you’re finally starting to get it. That’s the second, smaller pop. Like when a jet comes back down from breaking the sound barrier.
Remember earlier when I said I’d talk about the curves touching at the end of this post? Well this is that part. Notice that the red line is still on a downward trajectory? If you’re lucky, that will continue, and you will finally, actually, understand what people mean when they say “it’s the indian and not the arrow”, and you’ll also realize how you had no idea what you were talking about when you said it before this point.
So what about this curve? What is it? What’s invertible about it? Well, to start with, it’s two curves, and it looks like this.
Right about now you’re either thinking “yeah, I get it, it’s the indian not the arrow” or you’re thinking “this guy is a jackass, everyone knows good gear helps you if you have the ability”. And you’re both right.
As a community or industry we throw around phrases like “it’s the indian not the arrow “ or “it’s the singer, not the song” all the time. Mostly we pay lip service to them. It’s not until you keep trying to solve software problems with hardware (how’s that for a cliche?) and START RECORDING THE RESULTS, and see that you’re not getting anywhere that you really start to grasp those concepts. And what is outlined in the curve is the reason for that.
For someone starting out right out of the gate with their first gun, if you take away their stock Colt 6920 with iron sights shooting Wolf and hand them a gun with stainless barrel, two-stage trigger, magnified optic, and bi-pod, and give them some match-grade ammo instead, they are going to shoot tighter groups. “But Rob”, you’re saying “aren’t you the one that always says those things don’t make you a better shooter?” Yes, I am. And they don’t. They just made some guy with a whopping 100 rounds through an AR ever shoot a tighter group on a piece of paper. Now, if his whole goal in life is to only ever shoot that size group, and he’s never going to practice beyond that first 100 rounds, and he’s never going to shoot any other gun until he need to shoot that size group again at some point in the future, then he should go buy all that shit and bolt it on his rifle and stick it in the safe. He will forever stay at the far left-hand peak of the red line. He doesn’t know shit from brown bread, has zero ability, and so gear matters more to him than to any other person in the universe of firearms. He will see more improvement per dollar spent on gear than anyone else, ever. And it still matters twice as much in your head as it does on the range.
But the very next time that guy goes to the range, all that shit is going to matter less. And less. And less. and his buddy or partner who doesn’t have so much disposable income to burn on gidgets and wizmos is probably becoming a better shooter, and catching up to the guy with the proton pack and flux capacitor on his gun pretty quickly. Give that broke guy a class instead of a scope and a bipod and he’s going to be smoking the rich dude right quick. Because the money guy that never practices and relies on all his accessories is going to plateau right out of the gate. So not only does your actual reliance on all that stuff wane pretty quickly, but it also means your abilities are going to stagnate right where they are, and sooner or later your head is going to pop out of your ass and even you are going to realize how little it matters. That’s why after the initial peak both the red and the green lines go down, but the red line really drops fast. That’s the post-head-pop trajectory.
Whether you start with the basics or you start with more gun than you know what to do with, at some point the two lines almost meet. They never fully meet because most people will always fool themselves into putting more emphasis on the equipment than they should. More on that at the end of this post. But you reach a point where the gear is mattering less and less and your skills really are being limited by the equipment you’re using. Many people think this happens much earlier than it does, and they go from Production to Limited to Open all in the matter of a few months because they think it’s their skills that plateaued. They haven’t. If you’re not WINNING Production at your local match, to the point that everyone else that shows up is battling for second place, it’s not the gear. Most people are going to miss that bottoming out, which is why the green curve bottoms out a little bit after the red.
But there is a point that you simply can’t improve in either time or precision without changing the equipment. If you’re shooting 2” groups with iron sights at 100 yards with XM193 out of a Milspec barrel, you’re definitely at the limit of your equipment. If you’re cleaning dot torture at 7 yards with your Glock 19 with mostly stock parts, you’ve definitely reached the limit of your equipment. If you can shoot a Half-and-Half clean with iron sights and a stock 6920, you’ve reached the limit of your equipment. There are dozens of other examples, but these are just a few, and they’re made here to point out that there is a limit. I had a 2005 GTO that I used to take to the drag strip. When I was getting the same ¼-mile time, week after week, and it was the best time I was seeing anyone report with a stock car, I had reached the limit of that equipment. If I wanted to go faster I needed a torque converter, or drag radials, or I was going to have to start getting into power-adders.
So the results actually do improve with the new gear. The thing is, you’re also still learning and practicing all this time. If you’re not, you’re not seeing the improvement. And if you’re not the type to practice, you’re not the type to keep records, and in that case this whole post is useless to you. You cannot report improvement if you don’t keep records. If you can’t tell me how much tighter your groups got with your new trigger or optic, or how much faster your times got, you’re no less silly than the guy who put a cold air intake into his Civic and reported a 15 HP increase by measuring with “the seat of my pants”. So if you know it is helping, you must be keeping records, and if you are keeping records you have to be practicing, otherwise what is there to keep records of?
Now notice on the graph that about the time you start to plateau in ability, the “thinking” curve, the red curve, starts back down again. you though I just drew this shit with my finger, didn’t you? Well I did, but I still drew the curves with a purpose. That’s because you’re finally starting to get it. That’s the second, smaller pop. Like when a jet comes back down from breaking the sound barrier.
Remember earlier when I said I’d talk about the curves touching at the end of this post? Well this is that part. Notice that the red line is still on a downward trajectory? If you’re lucky, that will continue, and you will finally, actually, understand what people mean when they say “it’s the indian and not the arrow”, and you’ll also realize how you had no idea what you were talking about when you said it before this point.
2012-09-17
Care
This is a post I’ve sat down and started to write multiple times, and it’s never come out right. I hope this attempt get across what I want to.
I get asked all the time “why do you care?” This is usually in response to some post or comment of mine pointing out, or making fun of, something I think is “stupid”. Inevitably someone will come along and ask “why do you care?” Interestingly, this is often followed by an accusation of me being an “asshole” or a “dick” or a “jerk”.
I don’t know why I care. But what many seem to miss is that what you think I care about really isn’t. I’m not interested in appearing smart, building industry contacts, schmoozing, or other self-serving goals. I’m simply interested in helping to keep people from making the same mistakes I did, and selfishly I find that if I can make my case in writing it helps me to solidify a concept in my own mind.
So then comes “well, you think making fun of the guy or being a dick to him is going to get him to think or change his mind?” Nope, I sure don’t. That guy is already too far gone. The kind of guy that starts a thread to post about what he sees as a piss-poor rollmark on a Colt AR, or the kind of guy that revives a thread that hasn’t had action in a year just to defend his purchase to a bunch of strangers, or who sees an entire chart and explanation of features who gets all worked up over the fact that his personal AR has a single feature that is in conflict with the document... There’s no helping that type, and it’s because they are all emotionally wrapped up in whatever it is they are posting about.
But I’ll tell you a secret about the internets... for every two guys posting in an argument there are 200, if not 2000, watching and reading. So every time there is a thread with a bunch of guys congratulating themselves on being stupid with no dissention, there are exponentially more people reading it thinking “well, if they were wrong someone would say something”. Think I’m wrong? Then that’s because you’re one of the guys posting, and you don’t talk to the guys reading very often. But I get emails weekly, if not more frequently, from guys saying things like “you know, you saved me a lot of money. I read this thread and was all set to buy one of them until I read your post and realized I just need to shoot more”. Even the people that DON’T agree with me, who may have their ego wrapped up in their argument, are going to have to question their position at least a little bit to come up with a counter argument. Unfortunately, all too often, that counter argument gets wrapped up in “well, I just don’t agree”, which essentially means “I have no idea what I’m talking about, can’t articulate a valid point, but want you to leave me alone”. Fine. But those other 200... 2000... guys? That makes an impression. And it’s THOSE guys that email me thanking me for saving them money.
Regardless of whether an issue gets resolved or not, whether it be Zumbo, or RECOIL, or triggers, or optics, or whatever, the fact is that the discussion is good for people. Otherwise everyone just reverts to what they are supposed to be doing, or thinks they are supposed to be doing. Take the guy that tells me “I’d love to go take a class but I have to stock up on gear first”. It’s really not his fault. He simply doesn’t know better. It’s what he’s supposed to do. I live in SE Florida, and today I was leaving the store when I saw a woman in her 50s, all buff and toned, wearing workout gear, with fake hair, fake tits, and fake lips, come running out of the store and get into a Mercedes. Why does she do all of that? Because she doesn’t know better. To her it’s normal, or what she’s supposed to do. and guess what? When you show up to IDPA or to a class in your 5.11 pants and vest, with your Oakleys and so on, you’re just like her. Know what the two of you have in common? Neither one of you are thinking. It takes a fly in the ointment to get people like that to think. and I’m that fly. Sometimes you may agree with what the fly says, and sometimes you may not. It may well be that the times that you don’t agree are the times that you might ought be paying the most attention.
Which still doesn’t address WHY I care. The truth is I don’t really know. But I think it’s interesting that I’m questioned about it all the time, from people who in turn call me names. How is it I’m the “mean guy” who’s a “dick”, but also the one that cares? Frankly, I think it’s pretty dickish of you that YOU don’t care. And let’s take just a second to look at what you DO care about. Post after post on facebook or the forums about your collection of irrelevant guns? or favorite college or pro sports team? Or your car? Or your golf swing? or some dippy band you saw last night? Or your dinner? or social issues that don't affect you? or some legal case that’s getting tons of publicity on TV in a town or state that is thousands of miles from you? or even worse, politics? Like any of that matters? So while you may not care about the same things that I do, the fact is that you care about some pretty stupid shit yourself. Everyone does. It’s the way the world works. I’m trying to get a guy to think, maybe save himself a few bucks, maybe even save his own life (if he stops buying guns and starts buying gym equipment) and you’re worried about some over-paid thug running after a little ball, and I’M the dick? Seriously?
TYV has been undergoing some changes lately. Most of it happened without me realizing it, but after thinking on it some and discussing it with a few friends, even I’ve noticed. This post is the first part in what will be three posts, hopefully released over the next three days, attempting to give people an idea where things are headed and why.
I get asked all the time “why do you care?” This is usually in response to some post or comment of mine pointing out, or making fun of, something I think is “stupid”. Inevitably someone will come along and ask “why do you care?” Interestingly, this is often followed by an accusation of me being an “asshole” or a “dick” or a “jerk”.
I don’t know why I care. But what many seem to miss is that what you think I care about really isn’t. I’m not interested in appearing smart, building industry contacts, schmoozing, or other self-serving goals. I’m simply interested in helping to keep people from making the same mistakes I did, and selfishly I find that if I can make my case in writing it helps me to solidify a concept in my own mind.
So then comes “well, you think making fun of the guy or being a dick to him is going to get him to think or change his mind?” Nope, I sure don’t. That guy is already too far gone. The kind of guy that starts a thread to post about what he sees as a piss-poor rollmark on a Colt AR, or the kind of guy that revives a thread that hasn’t had action in a year just to defend his purchase to a bunch of strangers, or who sees an entire chart and explanation of features who gets all worked up over the fact that his personal AR has a single feature that is in conflict with the document... There’s no helping that type, and it’s because they are all emotionally wrapped up in whatever it is they are posting about.
But I’ll tell you a secret about the internets... for every two guys posting in an argument there are 200, if not 2000, watching and reading. So every time there is a thread with a bunch of guys congratulating themselves on being stupid with no dissention, there are exponentially more people reading it thinking “well, if they were wrong someone would say something”. Think I’m wrong? Then that’s because you’re one of the guys posting, and you don’t talk to the guys reading very often. But I get emails weekly, if not more frequently, from guys saying things like “you know, you saved me a lot of money. I read this thread and was all set to buy one of them until I read your post and realized I just need to shoot more”. Even the people that DON’T agree with me, who may have their ego wrapped up in their argument, are going to have to question their position at least a little bit to come up with a counter argument. Unfortunately, all too often, that counter argument gets wrapped up in “well, I just don’t agree”, which essentially means “I have no idea what I’m talking about, can’t articulate a valid point, but want you to leave me alone”. Fine. But those other 200... 2000... guys? That makes an impression. And it’s THOSE guys that email me thanking me for saving them money.
Regardless of whether an issue gets resolved or not, whether it be Zumbo, or RECOIL, or triggers, or optics, or whatever, the fact is that the discussion is good for people. Otherwise everyone just reverts to what they are supposed to be doing, or thinks they are supposed to be doing. Take the guy that tells me “I’d love to go take a class but I have to stock up on gear first”. It’s really not his fault. He simply doesn’t know better. It’s what he’s supposed to do. I live in SE Florida, and today I was leaving the store when I saw a woman in her 50s, all buff and toned, wearing workout gear, with fake hair, fake tits, and fake lips, come running out of the store and get into a Mercedes. Why does she do all of that? Because she doesn’t know better. To her it’s normal, or what she’s supposed to do. and guess what? When you show up to IDPA or to a class in your 5.11 pants and vest, with your Oakleys and so on, you’re just like her. Know what the two of you have in common? Neither one of you are thinking. It takes a fly in the ointment to get people like that to think. and I’m that fly. Sometimes you may agree with what the fly says, and sometimes you may not. It may well be that the times that you don’t agree are the times that you might ought be paying the most attention.
Which still doesn’t address WHY I care. The truth is I don’t really know. But I think it’s interesting that I’m questioned about it all the time, from people who in turn call me names. How is it I’m the “mean guy” who’s a “dick”, but also the one that cares? Frankly, I think it’s pretty dickish of you that YOU don’t care. And let’s take just a second to look at what you DO care about. Post after post on facebook or the forums about your collection of irrelevant guns? or favorite college or pro sports team? Or your car? Or your golf swing? or some dippy band you saw last night? Or your dinner? or social issues that don't affect you? or some legal case that’s getting tons of publicity on TV in a town or state that is thousands of miles from you? or even worse, politics? Like any of that matters? So while you may not care about the same things that I do, the fact is that you care about some pretty stupid shit yourself. Everyone does. It’s the way the world works. I’m trying to get a guy to think, maybe save himself a few bucks, maybe even save his own life (if he stops buying guns and starts buying gym equipment) and you’re worried about some over-paid thug running after a little ball, and I’M the dick? Seriously?
TYV has been undergoing some changes lately. Most of it happened without me realizing it, but after thinking on it some and discussing it with a few friends, even I’ve noticed. This post is the first part in what will be three posts, hopefully released over the next three days, attempting to give people an idea where things are headed and why.
2012-09-02
Gun & Gear Recommendations for starting out
In part because or new endeavor at Goal-Oriented Training, and in part simply because I just get asked a lot, I thought I would take a few minutes to generate a list of guns and gear that I generally endorse. Not because my name is on it, not because anyone is paying me, but because it's the stuff I use myself and have arrived at after wasting thousands of dollars on gear that was either garbage, great but impossible to ever get, or just simply wholly inappropriate for what I (and probably you, if you're reading this) do and want to do with a gun. I'm going to break this down into separate sections for pistol and rifle, and hopefully you are smart enough to figure out how to mix and match in the event that you want or need both.
This list is not intended as all-encompassing. It doesn't cover load-carriage for higher-round-count events, specialty gear, magnified optics, sighting systems for pistols, etc. This is meant as a list of basic recommendations for someone starting out, which ironically also happens to be a lot of the same gear I myself am using 10+ years later after a ton of trial-and-error with fancier crap. This is what we call "a clue".
For those that prefer a summary, here you go
This list is not intended as all-encompassing. It doesn't cover load-carriage for higher-round-count events, specialty gear, magnified optics, sighting systems for pistols, etc. This is meant as a list of basic recommendations for someone starting out, which ironically also happens to be a lot of the same gear I myself am using 10+ years later after a ton of trial-and-error with fancier crap. This is what we call "a clue".
For those that prefer a summary, here you go
- Belt
- Wilderness Original Instructor's belt (5-stitch)
- $40
- Pancake-style Holster
- Dark Star Gear
- email for quote
- Pouch-style Holster
- Kydex Pistol Magazine Pouch
- Ready Tactical Pistol Magazine Pouch from SKD Tactical
- $25 (get at least two, four is better)
- Nylon Pistol Magazine Pouch
- HSGI Taco with Dark Star Gear loops
- $35/ea (get at least two, four is better)
- Rifle Sling
- Boonie Packer 2P Cinchable
- $20
- Sheriff of Baghdad Weapon B-Sling
- $40
- Viking Tactics Sling
- $43
- Blue Force Gear Vickers Combat Applications Sling
- $45
- Kydex Rifle Magazine Pouch
- Ready Tactical AR15 Ambi Speed Mag Pouch from SKD Tactica
- $28/ea (get two)
- Nylon Rifle Magazine Pouch
- HSGI Taco with Dark Star Gear loops
- $50/ea set (get two)
- Magazines
- NHMTG
- $14/ea
- Magpul Pmags
- $15/ea
- Tango Down ARC magazine
- $19/ea
- Lancer Advanced Warfighter Magazine (AWM)
- $16/ea
PISTOL
GUNS
In short, what you want is a high-capacity, polymer-framed, pistol. For more minutiae, nitty-gritty, etc. you can read my article "Where Do I Begin", but what that means is Glock, Smith & Wesson M&P, or certain models of Springfield XDm. Do yourself a favor and get a 9mm. If you have some objection to that round, the problem is you, not the caliber. The once caveat I'll offer here to the entire pistol selection thing is that if you are in a job where you are issued a firearm, use that firearm. In fact, go buy yourself a personally-owned example of that firearm.
GEAR
Pistol gear falls into three sub-categories: holsters, belts and magazine pouches.
Holster
First, if you already have a holster you use for concealed carry, train with that. I cannot think of a single concealed carry holster that is worth a shit that doesn't also work well as a training holster. By "works well", I include the ability to re-holster one-handed, which means it needs to have a rigid opening at the top. If your IWB holster doesn't, and it collapses when you draw the gun, you're doing it wrong.
Second, if you're going to have a range holster, just get a plastic holster. Your gun is plastic, get a plastic holster. When it comes to holsters, there are two types with the first being a "pancake style" and the other being a " pouch-style". Whichever you get, you need to size the loops to the width of your belt!
For the pancake style I only use one now, and that's the kydex holsters I get from Dark Star Gear. They can do different sized loops, make tweaks to the design based on your needs as you shoot more and discover your own personal quirks, etc. He can also do them in various colors, whether for vanity or operational reasons.
For the pouch-style, I like the Revolution series from Blade-Tech. These holsters are widely available, inexpensive, and much better than the junk like the Fobus or the silliness that is the Blackhawk Serpa. Just make sure you get the Revolution that comes with the Stingray loop, and not the paddle, as the Revolution paddle is massive, and I don't believe it's as secure as the Stingray loops that firmly affix the holster to the belt. Then be sure to read the manual and adjust the Stingray loop to match your belt width. These also make a good holster if you're trying a new pistol and aren't sure about it yet because it's inexpensive.
Belt
Whatever you do, get a shooting-specific belt, don't just use whatever belt you got that came with the pants you bought. And use a belt that fits in the loops of your pants, or that is made up of an inner belt that goes through the loops and outer belt that attaches to that inner belt either via velcro or keepers. An outer belt that isn't secured to an inner belt is a non-starter and a recipe for failure. I also prefer the 1.5" width as it fits through the loops on every pair of pants and shorts that I own, and the extra .25" does nothing for me. In a pinch, gear with 1.75" loops will fit on a 1.5" belt, but sometimes the reverse is not true.
I may be out of touch, and/or piss a lot of people off, but after doing the circuit of the various boutique belts, I'm back to belts from the Wilderness. They have exactly the right balance of vertical stiffness to support the holster and gear and horizontal flexibility to be comfortable and make it easy to thread-on gear. I like the 5-stitch, Original Instructor's belt which is a bargain right now at $40.
Magazine Pouch(es)
There are two options here. Regardless of which you choose, buy at least two, preferably four, individual pouches, and avoid the double-pouches that limit flexibility.
If you own one pistol, or one type of pistol, and only shoot that one pistol/type (which I strongly recommend, FYI), then having a kydex pouch, or several of them, makes the most sense. Given that, I like and use the Ready Tactical Pistol Magazine Pouch from SKD Tactical. They have a secure clip that allows you to clip the pouch on and off the belt without undoing the belt, they can be adjusted for tension with just a little bit of heat if you need to, and at $23/ea they are a bargain. There are other, similar, pouches on the market but they aren't as good as the Ready Tactical. Again, get the loop sized to match your belt.
For those that insist on changing their pistol more often than they chase their underwear, or if you are just starting out and aren't entirely certain you ade the right choice of pistol, having a pouch that is more flexible and takes a variety of magazine types, the HSGI Taco with Dark Star Gear loops is the way to go. The taco is a "modular" pouch design that allows not only a variety of magazines but also things like flashlights, multitools, etc. all to fit in the same pouch. The Dark Star loops, in turn, allow you to attach a pouch that's meant for MOLLE to a regular pants belt. Understand that at $25 for the pouch and $10/loop, it is a more expensive option, but it is cheaper than buying four Ready Tactical pouches for every gun you own, and you gain the flexibility of being able to use the pouches for other items as well.
RIFLE/CARBINE
GUNS
Colt 6720 from Clyde Armory. This is the single best option on the market right now, and what I would buy if I was buying a new rifle today, or giving someone else a rifle to start with. If you want to start with iron sights, talk to Clyde Armory about getting them to swap the folding rear for a fixed, but if they won't, get yourself a Daniel Defense fixed rear sight. Second choice would be any of the BASIC rifles with plastic handguards from BCM or Daniel Defense. This is not a slight on any other product on the market, but is simply my preference. The major advantage the 6720 has is that it is light, and that it is a Colt. Just because it is a Colt does not mean that it won't have problems right out of the box, but in my experience it does mean that it is the gun least likely to have problems right out of the box. BCM and Daniel Defense are very, very close behind that.
For those that want to start out with an optic, the Aimpoint PRO is the best deal going on the market right now. Comes with a mount that gets it up to the right height on an AR and all you have to do is bolt it on and go. I'll cover the pros and cons of starting out with optics vs. irons in another bog post.
GEAR
Rifle gear falls into three sub-categories: slings, belts and magazine pouches.
Sling
I like, and use, four different slings. In truth, I find that as long as it's a quick-adjust, two-point sling, I'm pretty happy, but these are the four I'm most familiar with, have been happiest with, and actually use and recommend. I'm going to list them in order of cost.
Boonie Packer 2P Cinchable - $20. This is the best $20 sling I'm aware of on the market, and it does what other slings do at half the cost. Great option for those starting out, but GET THE 1.25" VERSION AND NOT THE 1.5" VERSION. While I love the 1.25", I can't stand the 1.5" as it adds complexity to how the sling attaches to the gun.
Sheriff of Baghdad Weapon B-Sling - $40. This is the sling I buy now when I need a new one, although if I have a heavy rifle I'd prefer a padded sling. For anything ~8 lbs or less, this is my first choice. Light, simple, unobtrusive, quick to adjust, etc. The rear attachment may not work on all stocks, but you can just cut it off and attach it with a QD sling swivel if your stock has the socket. No big deal.
Viking Tactics Sling - $43. The best thing about this sling is that it comes slightly padded but not overly-so. The downside is that with the way it's designed and adjusts it leaves a dangling tail which I find annoying sometimes. GET THE ACTUAL VTAC VERSION, NOT THE 5.11 VERSION. They are not the same.
Blue Force Gear Vickers Combat Applications Sling - $45. Essentially the same as the Boonie Packer but with better hardware and materials. My one complaint with this sling is that there are a lot of variants out there and I just flat out don't like the way that some of them attach to the gun as they over-complicate the thing for no reason. There is also a padded version for $55 if you have one of those heavy guns with a lot of crap bolted to it.
I need to make a note about sling accessories. How you attach the sling to the gun is as important as the sling itself, and you are going to want to experiment with different locations as you go through different evolutions of how you shoot. Flexibility is your friend, and to that end having a way of quickly attaching/detaching the sling is a good idea. Get yourself some QD sling swivels. At least three (for when you lose one). If your rail or handguard don't have a way to attach them, you'll need to add it. ONLY USE ATTACHMENTS THAT LIMIT THE ROTATION OF THE SWIVEL. If it doesn't limit rotation, don't use it. 4-axis limits (with stops vertically and horizontally) is good, 6 is better (which adds stops 45* in either direction between the 90* stops). Impact Weapons Components offers a variety of QD sockets for almost any application.
Belt
For a standard pants belt, see above in the pistol section for the Wilderness belt. There are other options that are more complicated and allow for carrying more load, but for starting out I think one or two magazines added to the Wilderness belt is all you need, and even now I rarely use more.
Magazine Pouch(es)
As with the pistol examples above, there are two options here. Regardless of which you choose, buy at least one, preferably two, individual pouches, and avoid the double-pouches that limit flexibility. I am also generally not a fan of the pouches that stack pistol magazines outside of carbine magazines.
If you own one carbine, or one type of carbine, and only shoot that one carbine/type (which I strongly recommend, FYI), then having a kydex pouch, or several of them, makes the most sense. Given that, I like and use the Ready Tactical AR15 Ambi Speed Mag Pouch from SKD Tactical. They have a secure clip that allows you to clip the pouch on and off the belt without undoing the belt, they can be adjusted for tension with just a little bit of heat if you need to, and at $28/ea they are a bargain. There are other, similar, pouches on the market but they aren't as good as the Ready Tactical. Again, get the loop sized to match your belt. Since they are "ambi", they also allow you to experiment with bullets-forward or bullets-rearward in your pouches, and they accept Pmags, GI mags, Lancer mags, and Tango Down ARC mags (the only four magazines I use or recommend).
For those that insist on changing their carbine more often than they chase their underwear, or if you are just starting out and aren't entirely certain you made the right choice of pistol, having a pouch that is more flexible and takes a variety of magazine types, the HSGI Taco with Dark Star Gear loops is the way to go. The taco is a "modular" pouch design that allows not only a variety of magazines but also things like flashlights, multitools, etc. all to fit in the same pouch. The HSGI rifle Taco will take magazines from ARs, AKs, AND 7.62/.308 rifles! The Dark Star loops, in turn, allow you to attach a pouch that's meant for MOLLE to a regular pants belt. Understand that at $30 for the pouch and $20 for a pair of loops, it is a more expensive option, but it is cheaper than buying four Ready Tactical pouches for every gun you own, and you gain the flexibility of being able to use the pouches for other items as well.
Magazines
When it comes to pistols, you should buy factory magazines for the gun you have, and that's it. When it comes to the AR, there are a few options, and typically buying "factory" magazines will just mean you're paying a premium for the same thing you can get elsewhere for less. There are four types of magazines I use and recommend, with my first choice being the NHMTG magazines because they store tighter and I can get more into an ammo can or a bag. No matter which you use NUMBER YOUR MAGAZINES and trash the ones that repeatedly give you trouble.
I currently use NHMTG which I get from 44mag.com for $14/ea. I like the smaller profile, I like that they will fit in any pouch, I like that I can fit more into an ammo can, and I like that I can add the Magpul Ranger Plate and not affect the size of the magazine in any dimension other than length.
The Magpul Pmags are EVERYWHERE and can be had for less than $15. I found myself using them exclusively and I almost couldn't remember ever buying any. They are good magazines, but the feedlips can chip, which in turn can cause malfunctions, with the colored versions (meaning, not black) appear to be more prone to this failure. If you simply have to have colored magazines, get the black ones and paint the ridged part. Leave the smooth part, that goes into the magazine well, unpainted because if you add bulk in that area they may not drop free.
The Tango Down ARC magazine are a good magazine, and if you want a clear mag these are my choice. The clear material in most magazines is weaker, and I like the ARC for this because they have what appears to be the strongest waffling to add rigidity to the weaker material. ONLY BUY THE MK2 ARC MAGS. I hated the first gen because they caused me lots of problems and I watched others have problems, but the MK2 version resolved those problems for me. Many online retailers were recently dumping the originals, so buyer beware.
If you shoot a lot of Wolf or other steel-cased ammo, the Lancer Advanced Warfighter Magazine (AWM) is what you want. They are a little expensive, but the steel they use in the feedlips somehow gives the slickest feeding of any magazine I've tried, even... especially with the steel-cased ammo. I'm not a fan of the clear/smoke/etc. and prefer the black.
2012-08-01
Can they make you better?
This morning I sat down to reply to a post on one of the forums I frequent. Error this, error that... it's starting to become par for the course on this particular forum. Which makes me wonder, if a forum can't operate as a forum, does anything else matter? They can have all the SMEs in the world, all the great members in the world, but if they can't get one nerd on staff to keep this shit from happening, is immaterial who is hiding behind the wall of 502 errors (or whatever they are). If we take away Stephen Hawking's little voicebox thing, does it matter that what goes on inside that head is some of the most brilliant shit ever?
As usual, I find correlation to shooting and the shooting sports, and training for same, in the strangest places. What this got me thinking about was, if an instructor can't make YOU better, at what YOU want to get better at, and with the resources that YOU have available, does anything else matter? Do all the scalps, or all the trophies, in the world amount to a hill of beans for YOU?
I have been pretty vocal about the fact that resume matters little if the person can't teach.
I was wrong about that.
What matters is if they can make you better or not. They may be the best teacher in the world but if they don't get through to you then it's irrelevant. and that may be their fault, and their inability to adjust to the student(s) in front of them, it may be the venue is wrong, and it may be that you simply shut down and don't listen. I'll give you examples of all three.
For the first example, I give you... virtually every single organized, group, open-enrollment shooting class I've ever taken. Yup. As a student, there is nothing I hate more in a class than hearing "alright, hurry up, we have a lot of shit to get to!" We do? Is this a department qual course? Or a Red Cross CPR course? Or an NRA First Steps course? No? Then what the hell do we "have to get to"? If the student body as a whole isn't getting something, why do we have to move on at all? I understand that there will always be ~10-20% of the class that can't be helped (too dumb, too new, too... whatever) and 10-20% of the class that are above what's being offered, but if that middle 60-80% aren't getting whatever it is you're teaching, STOP. Stay on that topic. We don't "have to" get to shit. I'm not suggesting that every student needs to perfect the drill, but if they aren't grasping the basic concept(s) that the drill is designed to teach, stay on that drill and try harder to make them get it. I can go home and work on the drill, I need you to teach me the concept(s).
For the second example, I give you the un-vetted open-enrollment course. Everyone thinks they are "advanced". Everyone wants to do "advanced" stuff. Nobody wants to take "intro" or "level 1" courses because they are beyond that. Newsflash, you may be the world's best marksman, but if you've never taken a single open-enrollment course before, you belong in the intro course. My company, Goal-Oriented Training, doesn't even offer a level 1 course... we offer a 0.5 course. It's below a level 1. and it's what most people with no prior training really need. Stop signing up for shit that's above your head. As a fellow student, I don't give a damn what the coordinator or the instructor told you, stop it. You're not ready. They just want asses in seats generating dollars. and you're just going to fuck it up for everyone else. Even if you're a selfish prick and don't care about everyone else, I'm here to tell you that you're also only fucking yourself. A proper foundation in the fundamentals is what you need, and if you skip ahead you are going to be fighting bad habits a lot longer than if you get the fundamentals down pat first. How do I know? Because I did it wrong with the handgun. Big time. and I still fight with trying to go faster than my marksmanship skills can support.
For the last example, I'll give you a specific person, who shall remain nameless. He shot next to me in a carbine course one time. He was a cop. He had survived a gunfight, and may have even shot the badguy, because the badguy's round hit his watch. His watch saved his life, not his training, not even his vest, and certainly not his "sheepdog mindset" or whatever else you think means you don't have to train. The instructor could not tell this guy SHIT. At one point we walk downrange to look at the targets and the instructor says "what kinda choke you got in that thing?" To which a few bystanders lightly chuckle as they start to get the joke. Watch-guy just stares at him, confused. So the instructor repeats himself, louder this time. Now more people are starting to get the joke, and more and louder laughter ensues. Watch guy still ain't gettin' it. Which makes it even funnier. That guy spent three days and probably $1k doing nothing but wasting his time and money. He just flat wasn't going to listen. you know, because he's a badass gunfighter.
There's these things called "fantasy camps". They have them for baseball, for rock & roll... I'm sure they have them for golf and other shit too. From what I can tell, having never been to one, the point of these "camps" isn't to get better at baseball or guitar-playing, but it's to get a chance to go and pal around with the celebrities, doing what the celebrities got famous for doing. Starting to sound at all familiar?
There are dozens of factors involved in what makes for a good student:teacher relationship. More than I could possibly go into here. What you first need to get over is this "I don't learn that way" bullshit idea. You were lied to. You just didn't pay attention and hence sucked at Algebra. Oh well. But if you believe it to be true, then it does matter, and if you're actually looking to get better, and not looking for Sheepdog Fantasy Camp, then you need to find an instructor that can reach you, regardless of resume. The whole point should be whether or not they make you a better shooter, for your application, within your personal real-life limits. Nothing else.
My one caveat here is this... if you're training for something that is unlikely to ever happen to you (like a gunfight), you are going to have to take the instructor's word for it. However, I would also submit that if that's your primary focus, and provided that you are capable of classifying as Sharpshooter (or maybe even Marksman) in IDPA, you have the shooting and gun-handling skills necessary to prevail in a gunfight, and you ought to be looking at shoot-house classes, grappling/ECQC classes, knife classes, etc.and in that case I'd want someone that has actually used their skills to survive those encounters (not used their watch, and not used their ninja skills to survive a shoot house and a range). And you need to understand that the best way to survive a gunfight is not to have one, but that's a topic for another blog post, at another time.
2012-07-15
MOAR!
I recently made a post on M4carbine.net in response to a thread on flashights. Specifically, Surefire vs. all others. In case anyone reading this doesn’t know it already, I get a check from Surefire from time to time when I write for their magazine, Combat Tactics. I can also typically get free stuff if I ask. The good news is that Surefire lights are so good that I’ve rarely asked because I’ve rarely had to. I say all of that so that you can read my post there knowing fully who it is coming from. I bet you’ll not get that level of honesty from any other writer, online or in print.
I would like to elaborate further, because this post has come in the same time in which I’ve been having conversations with others on topics as far ranging as guns, cars, grills, etc. You know, man shit. So I’ll take the original post, edit, add to it, etc. as well as remove reference specific to the original topic. I hope that doesn’t confuse anyone.
As humans we always seem to want more. More money, more beautiful mates, more impressive cars, more impressive houses, more food, more drink... Notice I do not say “better”. “More” without respect to “better” is something I’ve come to think of as “moar”. Why? Because it is internet parlance, which seems fitting for this particular type of folly, since it is often largely “moar impressive to people on the internet.”
Sometimes you will hear them make mention of “better”. One example might be “better performance”. The "better performance" thing I hear about all the time cracks me up to no end. As compared to what? As measured against what metric? A howitzer has "more performance" than a 5.56 AR , but if I want any meat left on the pig I'm better served with the "mouse gun". I see people chasing around after "better performance" in all kinds of things lately, ignoring the fact that what they have now is light-years better than what they had yesterday, but they seem to keep thinking that "more" means "better". More lumens, more options, more modes, more, more, moar! how about more range time?
Outside of guns, and almost as entertaining, are car guys. Moar power, moar speed, moar performance, moar offroad capability. Often this manifests in the desire for vehicles that are not available in the US. This is especially true when it comes to offroad vehicles. Guys lament over the fact that they can’t buy the Hilux here, or whatever other diesel-powered thing they have built up in their mind to be the epitome of wilderness exploring. Here’s a question though: when was the last time you took your current vehicle offroad? When was the last time you got that vehicle stuck? If you ever got it stuck at all, are you certain that wasn’t your fault, and not the fault of the vehicle? Are you certain that your MOAR! would have gotten you out?
If there is something that an item legitimately isn't doing for you then yeah, go see if there's something that does. But what I see instead is a screwball cycle that makes no sense (and this applies to WAY more than just gun stuff)...
- Guy buys item
- Guy uses item
- Guy is happy with performance of item
- Geek wants moar!
- Geek lobbies establishment for moar!
- Establishment tells geek to fuck off
- Geek lobbies secondary market for moar!
- Secondary market thinks geek knows what he is talking about
- Secondary market reacts to geek
- Secondary market produces moar! for geek market
- Original guy sees moar! and thinks "why don't I have that?"
- Guy gets distracted by bright-shiny-object (literally)
- Guy loses sight of what matters and starts chasing after moar!
In this paradigm "real world use" and "you just don't get it 'cause you're not one of us" gets thrown around to justify the moar! sickness of the original guy. It is code for "I have no fucking idea why I want moar! and I'm pissed off at you for asking me to explain it so I'm going to attempt to discredit you rather than address the topic at hand. I will also use 'I don't have to justify myself to you' as further justification, and eventually will retreat to 'not everything has to be so serious' when all else fails."
If you don’t have to justify yourself to me, why do you keep trying so hard to do so? Or, put another way, “are you trying to convince me, or convinced yourself?” If you’re satisfied with your most recent moar (at least until the next moar comes along) then why not just be satisfied? Why is the performance of your moar so contingent on you rallying others to buy the same widget you bought, and now advocate?
I admit, I want more too. More better. (yes, I’m aware that is not proper grammar) I want to be more accurate. I want to be faster. I want to manipulate the gun better. I want to be stronger. I want to have more stamina. Why? Because unlike the trigger that will fool me into thinking I am more accurate, or faster... unlike the optic that will fool me into thinking I am more accurate... unlike all the widgets and gizmos and MOAR!, you can’t take away my speed, my accuracy, my stamina, my strength. Only I can lose those myself. In apathy, laziness, refusal to work... As long as I maintain my skills there is nothing you can do about it, and I can use those skills to operate any widget or gizmo you give me because those skills are not reliant on those widgets and gizmos.
It is good to have widgets and gizmos that make us better, or make our work easier, or make us more effective, but don’t forget where you came from, and how much more those that came before you did with less. How much more many that have less do even now.
So next time you’re chasing MOAR!, ask yourself if you’re chasing more to augment and supplement your skills, or as a substitute for them. Are you sure? Ask yourself if it really is more... better... or if you are just trying to fill some void in your soul that, for whatever reason, it appears that only your credit card can fill. As yourself what you will do when you don’t have all your MOAR1!
2012-07-08
Why Train?
In recent years the firearms training community has exploded. Here in Florida we went from essentially only one range/facility offering multi-day training course to no less than eight that I can think of off the top of my head as I write this. This boom has been fueled by a variety of things, from new facilities (at least a third of those eight didn’t even exist 2 years ago), to fear on the part of both existing gun-owners and non-owners about the direction society is headed, to constant marketing through the use of social media, DVDs, YouTube, and the creation of the firearms-instructor-as-celebrity, not to mention the large numbers of returning servicemen that are uninterested in a traditional 9-5 job. So OPPORTUNITIES to train, and to train without extensive travel, are everywhere, and evidently some people are finding their own reasons to train, but to those that haven’t made up their mind yet the question may be “why?” The best answer is that you will need to find your own reason, but we can attempt to offer some of the most common, as well as to attempt to dispel some of the reasons not to (AKA “excuses”).
First and foremost, it’s fun. there, I said it. Not zombies, not blue-helmeted UN occupiers, not revolution, or armageddon, or any of those other fantasy reasons. Not even because of self defense, but simply because it is fun and enjoyable. That fun stems from a lot of different factors though. First is the fact that you’re spending a couple of days outdoors, with a group of primarily like-minded people, doing something you enjoy. Almost everyone gets into firearms because they are looking for something fun to do. What better way to have that fun than to do it for a couple of days in a row and with a bunch of good folks. Virtually every single one of my good friends are people I’ve met in the shooting sports, and the vast majority of them come from training classes I’ve taken or they now attend classes with me. Shooters are just good people. In addition, assuming you choose your instructor intelligently, listen to what they tell you, and practice (even just a little bit), you will be improving. Everyone likes to get better at things, whether it’s playing the piano or playing golf, or playing video games. And training with firearms is THE ONLY WAY TO GET BETTER!
Second, along those lines, is gaining a skill (no, it’s still not “zombies”). There are several things that every American male should know how to do, and shooting a gun is one of them. Shooting it well is even better. And I’ll tell you right now, if you’re shooting in a vacuum you don’t know what “well” is. You may be the most accurate guy you’ve ever seen, but if you haven’t seen many other guys shoot you probably have no idea. And you almost certainly have no idea what happens when you are expected to shoot with a time constraint, or after/while performing a physically challenging task, or from odd positions, or on multiple targets... You just don’t know what you don’t know. Until you are exposed to good instruction and other, good, shooters, you really don’t know what “good” is. There is no trigger, sight, stock, laser, bipod, barrel, or any other gizmo or widget that can replace skill. None. The good news is that nobody can take that skill away from you either. You may choose to squander it by failing to practice, but if you’re going to fail to practice then what good are all those widgets doing you? The answer is “none”. Money spent on training and ammo for training is exponentially better spent than any widget or gizmo you could buy. I understand that you can’t show off training to your buddies at the water cooler at work on Monday, or post pictures in the “look at my cool shit” picture thread on this or that forum, but once you understand the value of training you won’t have to do those seeking the acceptance of others, you’ll have found the confidence and acceptance of yourself.
Third, is self-defense. Finally, we got there. I actually prefer to simply say “practical application”, because that covers a lot more. Let’s face it, if you are stateside, even if you are stateside law enforcement, the likelihood of actually firing a carbine at someone is infinitesimally small. For that matter, so is firing a pistol. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a good, practical skill to have, and it doesn’t mean that you can’t apply that skill to other things. While the Second Amendment may not be about hunting or playing games, there are certainly an abundance of opportunities to enjoy those activities with the same tools. Even if all you do is go back to plinking at the range with your buddies, with quality training you can be betting them beers and steak dinners and get your after-range meals paid for too! No matter what your application for a gun, training will make you better at it. and having an application will make you want to train. Simply going to the range to make brass and noise... well you might as well sit at home and burn dollar bills. Where’s the fun, or practical purpose, in that? And if you really are into all that “prepping”, for whatever the disaster, if you think that simply owning the gun it is not. Someone that DOES know how to use their gun is going to treat you like their own personal grocery store post-apocalypse.
Finally is an all-encompassing “you don’t know what you don’t know”. The internet, and local gun range, is full of people who *think* they know what is involved in a training class. If they have never been, they have no idea, as do you if you have never been. Furthermore, you may have “A” way of loading the gun, or “A” way of getting into the prone, but I bet you don’t have an efficient way. Not without someone demonstrating it for you AND observing you doing it to offer critique. And that last bit is where “I watched a video” just isn’t cutting it. That’s like thinking you were good at sex the first time because you had been watching porn for years. Doesn’t make sense, and if you make me I’ll call your first girlfriend and ask her how she thought you did now that she’s got more experience herself! All men think they can fight, fuck, shoot, and BBQ without guidance or instruction. Bullshit. Sooner or later you get guidance or instruction in all of these things and you realize just how much of a fool you’d been up to that point. and guess what? Everyone else who’s had guidance and instruction was where you are now, and they know you’re a fool too. So if you think posting those pictures on the internet gun forum gets you admiration, you might stop and think about the fact that it’s the admiration only of other fools.
So why not train? The excuses are plentiful. Let’s take a look at some of the most common.
“I can’t afford it!” On average I spend about $1,000 on a three-day sleepaway course between tuition, travel, and ammunition. It’s a little less for a two-day, but only marginally so. That is absolutely a lot of money. However, to date, I have not had a single person use this excuse with me that didn’t have at least one gun in their safe that they hadn’t seen in years that is easily worth that amount on the used market. In some cases, they might have to sell two, but they also always seem to HAVE two. Couple that with a year’s worth of sodas, or coffee, or other crap you shouldn’t be drinking (and if you think you’re a “prepper” and aren’t healthy first, you aren’t prepared for anything) that you could be putting the money in a jar every day. A Dunkin Donuts medium coffee is ~$2 around here, and 5/week at $2/ea is $520 saved. Add in your daily sodas and you’re there. But you don’t even have to do that, just sell that gun! Yes, I am aware that the internet tells everyone not to sell any guns. Bullshit. We all have guns we regretted selling, but I don’t know anyone that’s regretted selling a gun to pay for training tuition or ammo for training.
“I can’t take the time off from work/family/etc.!” Absolutely a valid issue. We all only have so much time in the day, so many days in the week, etc. and having family put a demand on that time limits what we can do even further. I am of the opinion that everyone needs time away from their obligations, and getting away for a weekend and doing some shooting is a great way to put all of that stuff behind you. With proper planning you may only need one day off from work, or even less if it’s a two-day weekend course. Dealing with the family obligations may be an even tougher challenge, but if you can’t get even two days away you probably have bigger home problems anyway. Eventually, perhaps you can attend courses with your wife, or even with your children as they get older. I admit to being envious of the families I’ve seen at classes myself.
“That’s just for those Walter Mitty types that want to play pretend!” Yep, there are surely some of them in every class. The good news is that they can be fun to watch! In all seriousness though, don’t let a few pictures online of a few classes where guys are all decked out in Multicam with plate carriers and helmets dissuade you from getting good training. I have taken dozens of courses from many of the biggest name instructors in the business and the most I’ve ever been required to carry is 4 magazines on my body in a Pat Rogers Carbine Operators Course. and that number is DOUBLE what I’ve needed in any other class, and even in Pat’s class not every evolution requires that much ammunition. At Kyle Defoor’s course earlier this year I carried a single magazine in a pouch on my belt. Each time I approached the line I had one magazine in the pouch, one in my back pocket, and one in a cargo pocket. I used the cargo-pocket magazine to load the gun, and I rarely encountered any drills where I even needed the magazine in my back pocket. You don’t need all that crap, and you shouldn’t care what other people think of how you spend your weekend. Which brings us to...
“I don’t have the right gun/gear/optic/gizmo!” Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. Chances are you have the WRONG part rather than not having something you need. In the case of a carbine course if you have 5 magazines, a single magazine pouch, and serviceable iron sights on the gun then you have every single thing you NEED for the class (most will require a sling as well). In the case of a handgun class if you have a holster, a double magazine pouch, and 5 magazines (sometimes even 3 will do) then you have every single thing you NEED for the class. If a course requires more than this, it’s not the right class for you to be in starting out anyway. You’ll need eye and ear protection, and some clothes suitable for the outdoors in the season, and that’s about it. You don’t need tactical pants, a tactical vest, web belt, chest rig, or even an optic, fancy stocks and handguards, or anything else. and only a fool takes more than he needs anyway. You talk to any Tier 1 Operator type and they’ll tell you they carried with them everything they needed and nothing they didn’t. But before you decide that there is some magic bean that you need in order to take a class, why don’t you ask the instructor?
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