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Discussion: Are Cheap Skills Worth Learning?

JMHO, more train like Seal team six is going to call and ask for a helping hand. :rolleyes: "Professional shooters, instructors, and high-level competitors all converge on the same definition of skill: on-demand performance." Okay yet most of us are not in these categories. We are carpenters, truck drivers, electricians, doctors, lawyers (YUK), butchers, bakers, candlestick makers and have lives outside of the gun. Even first responders are not professional shooters. 99% have other professional responsibilities other than dropping the hammer. "High speed low drag" training is great. If someone has the opportunity grab it. However, every little bit is a plus. Instead of looking down our nose at shooters that don't meet our perceived standards of acceptability maybe just maybe we should encourage them to keep doing what they can and not turn them off so we can pat ourselves on the back.
 
I run a course of fire for myself and my posse on a weekly basis. I have the luxury of my own range and the time to practice. We stress fundamentals-speed comes with practice. Over the years I have learned that if I go more than 2 weeks without practice, my scores start to drop off. These are perishable skills. If you can't go shoot, dry fire at home helps a lot to maintain an edge.
 
Blah, blah, blah. It is all well and good to run your drills, go to your shooting matches and run all the Dynamic courses your heart desires. Fact of the matter is, unless you are running courses and drills with moving, thinking targets that fire back at you, you are not totally prepared for when that happens. Running predetermined courses and patterns does not simulate anything even close to that. Like Tyson said: "Everybody has a plan....until they get punched in the mouth". Want to train and prepare? First prepare your mind. heart and soul for what you will have to do should you be in that situation. Mental and emotional preparation will be key. Sgt. York didn't go through all those drills and training. He was a good ole' boy from Tennessee who grew up with a rifle in his hands and knew how to use it better than the Army taught him. And single handedly gathering 35 machine guns, killing 25 German soldiers and capturing 132 prisoners. And he wasn't a "professional shooter". Most of us working class stiffs don't have the time and money for all of that. We have more important priorities in our lives. We do the best we can and pray we never have to. But you can bet that if we are, we are not going to be thinking about which course we ran that best applies to that situation. We will just do what needs to be done, without all those fancy split times
 
It's worth remembering that prior to 1976 API/Gunsite & Jeff Copper there were virtually no training courses, jet alone academies. Today you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one. Some good, some not so much, and a few way over the top (but they look cool). S.D. training has become big business and many still feel the need to justify the expense. IF that's your thing by all means have at it. Are you better trained than the rest of the world? Maybe. I'll use my own dad as an example. I used to watch him shoot bats out of the air with an M1 carbine, and other "stuff". He was a WWII vet, then off to Palestine, then back to the US were Uncle Sams Misguided Children said boy you have had enough fighting. We are going to send you on a little hike to the beach. Chosin Reservoir. I can remember some interesting times as a kid. Too young to understand, and it was normal so nothing to be scared of. Cautious yes, scared no. If I had to be waist deep in poo, I'd rather have dad at my side than all the S.D. tactical trainer combined.
 
We operate with two kinds of memory. Automatic or Implicit memory is where we recall things without thinking about it. Things like putting one foot in front of another to walk, riding a bike, etc. Recalled or explicit memory is where you recall information at will, like remembering a phone number or address, multiplication tables, the names of acquaintances, etc.

Training drills are intended to build the neuromuscular memory to imprint it as automatic memory that requires no conscious thought to perform a physical task. Here I point out that "muscle memory" is a misnomer, because the memory resides in the brain, not in the muscle fibers. Fundamentals like grip, the draw, safety and trigger management, presentation of the gun, and sight alignment are skills we want to build into automatic memory so we don't have to take time to think about them under pressure. As an example, I and fellow officers shared the experience of having the gun in hand when a threat appeared, but no awareness of having drawn the weapon. The goal is to build those skills so firmly into automatic memory that they are instinctive. That's the foundation we build upon.

We know that cognition, and explicit memory diminishes at times of extreme stress. Our ability to recall information that facilitates survival in combat relies upon education and experience. The new guy in a combat unit, or a new cop on the street, is more vulnerable until he has the experience to function under high stress. Realistic training scenarios can help but individual brain functon is crucial.

Now consider the disadvantage to an individual who has not mastered the firearm handling and shooting fundamentals in automatic memory, who is thrust into mortal conflict. This is where fundamental skills imprinting is critical.
 
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