Monthly Archives: August 2014

What Right Looks Like

by John M. Buol Jr.

Good shooting requires good feedback and the only way to get it is learning to keep your eyes open.

It is nearly impossible to progress until the ability to consistently and accurately call shots is developed. That is, seeing the sights lift in recoil as the triggered shot is released. Seeing that tenth of a second window that tells you where your shot really went.

Most gun owners never develop that ability, or even realize its importance. Here is an example of what this is supposed to look like but COL Denise Loring of the USAR Marksmanship Program.

Notice her eye stays open for every fired shot. Man up and learn to shoot like her.

Marksmanship Skill and Mistakes

by John M. Buol Jr.

It has been said that a great way to judge the skill of a marksman is by looking at the quality of their poor shots.

For even the most novice shooter, when the planets, stars, and sights all align, one can’t help but point a great shot and call it good. Anyone that has shot more than a few boxes of ammo in their life managed at least one good shot. It’s when things don’t align so neatly that we see how good someone really is.

Everyone makes mistakes. Things rarely go perfectly or even as planned. Higher skill helps lessen the impact of those mistakes.

Here is an example of 2014 Hearst Doubles Team Champions Kirk Freeman and Kris Friend demonstrating this.

Gary Anderson’s Ten Lessons for Competitive Shooters

by John M. Buol Jr.
  • LESSON 1 – NATURAL ABILITY WILL NOT MAKE YOU A SHOOTING CHAMPION.
    (You also need hard work, training effort and perseverance.)
  • LESSON 2 – ANGER IS THE ENEMY OF GOOD SHOOTING.
    (The key to recovering from a bad shot is to stay cool, no matter what happens.)
  • LESSON 3 – BAD SHOTS CAN TEACH YOU MORE THAN GOOD SHOTS.
    (Today, error analysis is one of the most powerful tools for improving scores.)
  • LESSON 4 – NEVER GO WITHOUT A SHOT PLAN.
    (A shot plan is a detailed breakdown of each of the steps involved in firing a shot.)
  • LESSON 5 – PRACTICE IN BAD CONDITIONS AS WELL AS GOOD CONDITIONS.
    (Most competitions are fired in windy conditions or where there are plenty of distractions.)
  • LESSON 6 – CHAMPIONS ARE POSITIVE, OPTIMISTIC PEOPLE.
    (Negative shooters expect bad results; positive shooters expect to train hard to change bad results.)
  • LESSON 7 – IT’S NOT ABOUT WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE.
    (It’s about how hard you try to win.)
  • LESSON 8 – YOUR DOG WON’T BITE YOU AFTER SHOOTING A BAD SCORE.
    (Hopefully your coach, parents and friends won’t bite you either.)
  • LESSON 9 – YOUR PRESS CLIPPINGS CAN HURT YOU OR HELP YOU.
    (Winning can go to our heads. We start thinking we are so good we don’t have to work hard any more.)
  • LESSON 10 — YOU NEVER SHOT YOUR BEST SCORE.
    (Great champions are always looking for ways to improve.)


From On The Mark published by the CMP
http://www.odcmp.com/Comm/OTM/13/OTM_Summer2013.pdf