Bobby K, Wes, I had a few paragraphs written to counter the arguments of this Bob Harvey idiot, but my computer acts up when I’m on Facebook, and I lost it. I won’t try to type it all again, but I will say a few things. As you both know, I spent 11 years in 1st Ranger Battalion, deploying to combat 8 times. I am also an active 3 Gun and USPSA competitor. Unless you are assigned to CAG or SEAL Team 6, the marksmanship training you receive while in the military is fairly basic, even within the Ranger Battalions. Once you are there for a few training cycles, most peoples’ skills plateau. Most of your limited range time ends up getting dedicated towards teaching the newer guys the basics. If you want to continue to improve your skills, it’s on you. Getting involved with USPSA or 3 Gun is one of the best ways to fine-tune many skills that you never get to test while on the firing line during military or “tactical” training. Not everything in competition applies to combat, but most does. Rapidly presenting the weapon system, shooting on the move, entering/leaving positions (barricades/cover), addressing various target exposures, and rapid target transitions are all skills that apply directly to real-life scenarios. During most military or tactical training, you have a firing line full of shooters, and you have one target to address. If some tactical trainer suggests staying away from any type of competition, he is probably very narrow-minded. He probably has about a dozen drills he demonstrates every class, and has been doing them for years. His skill-set is likely very limited, and he would make an ass of himself if taken out of his “comfort zone.” People like Bob love to preach about how many years they have been a tactical trainer, and how they know exactly how to survive gunfights. Yet, most of them have never been in a gunfight, or any situation that actually puts their skills to the test. I haven’t been in dozens of gunfights, but have been in a few, and it was me versus a few immediate threats.
I feel the skills I gained on my own through my competition experience helped me engage those threats very rapidly and effectively, and I don’t feel I would’ve been as rapid and efficient if I had been relying on only military training and a few bad classes taught by nobodies like Bob. I strongly suggest routinely testing and fine-tuning your skills through competition. The best trainers are the ones that have real-life AND competition experience. The worst trainers are the ones who do nothing but preach about “real gunfights.”
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