You Were Taught Wrong About Shooting

• March 16, 2024
• By Jared Daub

You Were Taught Wrong About Shooting

You Were Taught Wrong About Shooting. It’s true, but it’s also OK so long as you work through it, find truth, and become better. Let us explain.

We’ve all been impressed upon by others.

The fact of the matter is we all are influenced by the words and actions of others. You might have had someone in your family that seemed to be able to hit the target every time with a handgun. Naturally, you might approach them to learn. You watch them take slow, methodical shots, and they land their hits. But what if you want to gain speed? What if you want to REALLY push your skillset? What if you desire MORE than just plinking some targets? The truth is, you might need to unlearn what that first person taught you and input BETTER information from someone way further ahead of you!

We are either growing, or falling back.

We only have two options: continuous growth, or stagnation that leads to falling backwards. If you are reading this, you likely desire to become better. You might have even watched your favorite shooter or someone fast on your range wondering: “how the heck do I get like that?” That’s actually GREAT news if you find yourself in that spot. It means you DESIRE to learn and grow. Pat yourself on the back because you are in the minority of shooters! You actually are aware of your downfalls and you want to work hard at becoming the best shooter you can be. The trouble is determining WHAT needs to be unlearned and how you find the better information to replace it.

We can play a part in helping others!

If you are a newer shooter or even a seasoned shooter, you already know what I’m talking about. I had people telling my things like “slow is smooth, smooth is fast”. Or “Push out with your right arm, pull back with your left”. Or my favorite: “Pin the trigger! Let me hear that reset!” These people saying these things have good intentions. BUT they are offering information that is really…not helpful. So we need to audit ourselves. We need to audit what we speak. We need to BECOME people others can approach to learn from!

Finding someone who is where you desire to be.

In my own life the most powerful way I have pushed myself to growth in any area is shadowing people way further ahead of where I am at. THAT is where you start! The question is: How are you going to measure them? I think the first step is to identify exactly where you want to be. For example, if you want to become a seasoned competitor, likely it makes the most sense to find someone who is actively achieving that goal. Your best friend who “plinks” on the weekend likely won’t be the best source. You need to dial in on someone who has the skills you desire. Then you start analyzing.

In the digital age, we can find exactly what we need.

The coolest part of this age we live in is the access we all have. This also, in part, creates the dangers we already discussed. It CAN lead to absorbing bad information. But it also gives you access to abundant data to consume. Again, finding someone who has an obvious skill with firearms is a good place to begin. You don’t even need to be face to face with them to benefit from them. You can watch their footwork, watch their draw, watch how they handle and manipulate a firearm.

How you handle your gun empty says a lot about you as a shooter.

I can learn a lot about you as a shooter if I simply watch how you unholster and unload your pistol. Are you timid? Are you confident? Maybe you are reckless. You might even be dangerous! I can learn so much just watching basic firearm handling skills. So what does that mean? It means we learn SO much just by being comfortable with our pistols and rifles. This is why I am confident dry firing your weapons is one of the absolute best ways to become a better shooter. The more comfortable and confident you are with the handling, the easier the rest is.

Imagine if you had a total fear of your pistol. How good can you actually get? How far can you go? Likely not very far. You will always have a roadblock to overcome. Getting used to and comfortable with your firearms is such an understated skill. And it costs you…NOTHING!

A Topic worth diving into.

We cannot possibly summarize how to find great information in one blog post. So plan to see more over this summer as we dive a bit deeper. The objective of this particular blog was simply to make you aware of the fact that we often start with less than ideal info. We find that we often quickly replace it with better information. The first step is knowing, the next step is seeking and applying. We hope to use our platform to do just that this year.

In the meantime, check out this video we did below introducing this reality. We hope it’s helpful. Stay tuned for more soon.