I have been shooting handguns, rifles and shotguns for about twenty-eight
years. When I was starting out I had very few resources to turn to for
learning more about the techniques involved in shooting. I learned a little
from my grandfather, from my father, from my older brother. I learned a
little more from participating in a state Hunter's Safety course. And I
learned a very little by taking my Concealed Handgun Class. But all of these
"learning" experiences, while valuable, mainly concerned the safe handling and
storage of firearms. I learned very little about the actual mechanics of
shooting.
As I got older, I turned to written sources for more information. I
subscribed to many shooting periodicals. I bought books, manuals, and I spent
a lot of time with other shooters hoping to learn something from them about
how to improve my shooting. Most of the theory I learned about sight picture,
trigger control, grip, stance and other details I learned from reading and
reinventing the wheel.
I'm quite certain that most shooters learn what they know about shooting in
much the same way.
I'm glad to say that not all of the things I taught myself in those
twenty-eight years were wrong. I didn't completely waste my time reading all
those articles, nor were all of those hours in conversation and observation in
vain. But there is no doubt that I have learned more about the advanced
handling of firearms in the last three years than in the previous twenty-five
combined.
When I first began shooting IDPA, I classified as a Sharp Shooter in Custom
Defensive Pistol. When I classified in Stock Service Revolver, I managed
again to attain the level of Sharp Shooter. When I first classified in Stock
Service Pistol, I was.... you guessed it. Sharp Shooter. All those years of
shooting and self-teaching got me to that level as a newbie to IDPA. But they
got me no further.
After two years of shooting IDPA locally and nationally, I finally came to
conclude three things; first, I wasn't progressing in my skills fast enough.
Second, some shooters I knew were progressing quite rapidly, and were
attaining Expert and Master classifications, although they had been Sharp
Shooters when I began competing. My third conclusion was that I needed to
find out what they were doing to advance their skills, and do those things
myself.
When I spoke to them it became clear very quickly that the factor which made a
difference in their performance was training. They had realized that they
didn't know it all themselves, and they took classes from those who knew more
to better their shooting. Naturally, it is difficult (at least it was for me)
to admit that I didn't know everything there was to know about shooting. It
was difficult for me to accept that I couldn't make the improvements I wished
for on my own.
After coming to these conclusions, I began looking around for good training.
I was lucky enough to find it here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in the form
of the Texas Defensive Shooting Academy. I signed up for TDSA's Advanced
Pistol I, II and III handgun courses, and as a result IMMEDIATELY began to see
an improvement in my performance at matches.
Is TDSA the only place where an aspiring shooter can obtain quality training?
Perhaps not, there may be others. I located TDSA by speaking to other
shooters in the area and doing some research on the Internet. Every region
likely has its own training resources. Every shooter should analyze what kind
of shooting they are interested in, and research training with that goal in
mind. But whatever you do, if you want to improve your shooting rapidly and
most efficiently, get training. Get as much training as you have time for,
and as much as you can afford. Put off buying that next firearm, and put the
money into quality training instead.
You won't regret it!!