We all train, and we do it often. How you and train and what you train for may not be what your intended goal is. When we go the range, we call it training. When we study in martial arts, we call it training. Both of these things are good things, I actively participate in both, and I recommend you do the same.
But! When you go the range and train, what are you training for? How are you training? By definition training is the action of teaching someone something. For those of you with kids, or if you have ever been around kids for any amount of time, you will see them learning, they are always learning. Always… They learn by doing, seeing, and hearing. Of course, seeing us do something and repeating the action themselves is the most prolific way children learn.
So, what changes as we grow up? Nothing. We still learn by performing a task more than any other method. This very much carries over to our training. We go to the range, or to a class with the intent of learning. We have engaged our mind and body to accept a task and perform it over and over.
Now, let’s use the range as our example. When you are at the range “training”, what are you training yourself for? If you use an indoor range, to shoot at paper, in climate controlled area, with safety equipment, from the low or compressed ready, you are training for that scenario unless you have a predetermined training goal.
We will discuss “training like you fight” in more detail in another article. So we will not go into detail here. What we are going to discuss is having a training plan. Going to the range “to sling lead” is fun, but if you are calling it training, please stop. Correction: do not consider it productive training, you are training, but it is not productive.
Keeping with our range example: there are many a good training that come from those nice indoor range days. You must have a predetermined training plan going into the range if you expect to be productive however. Go with the intent to work on one or two things, Trigger Control, Sight alignment/picture, reloads, shooting both eyes open, etc. are some examples of training areas that can be honed in such an environment.
In martial arts, if you go with the intention of self-defense training, be sure you are getting what you are going for. A fancy sport in which you perform no hand cartwheels, and spinning back kicks has its place; self-defense is not that place. There are many good martial arts out there that have both, traditional martial arts require years of study before you really get into the meat and potatoes. If you are going just for self-defense look for self-defense training, boxing, Krav Maga, or something of the sort.
Our time is valuable, every second spent is one you are never going to get back. Make your training count. Don’t waste time and money of on some fly by night training or method. Invest yourself into the process and put everything you have into everything you do, especially those things in which you may trust your life to someday.
What can we learn?
We are always training, be sure your training is effective and of quality.
Don’t waste your time or money on junk. If you are going to go to the range, or a class, be sure to make the most of it.
Put everything you have into your training; trust me when your life hangs in the balance you will be fighting with everything you have.
Get training. Guns are great, but we don’t need a $3000 rifle, we need a $1000 rifle and $2000 of training!
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Stay Sharp
Adam