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Everyone knows if you want to get better you need to practice. Most people also know sloppy practice can lead to improvement but it will take longer and teach bad habits as well. Therefore correct practice is important if you want to maximize results. Since none of us has unlimited time or resources, shouldn't we make the most effective use what we have?
If I could split hairs for a moment, Bruce Gray's Practical Fundamentals class teaches skills, not techniques. Let me explain: A synonym for "technique" is "tactic". Webster defines "technique" as a method of accomplishing a desired aim. Examples of shooting techniques include pieing a corner or shooting on the move. "Skill" is defined as dexterity or coordination, especially in the execution of learned physical tasks. So if techniques are like different tools in your toolbox, skill is how well you use those tools. Good pistol shooting skills will allow you to execute techniques well. Technique by itself will not improve your shooting skill. Practical Fundamentals does.
The problem (at least when it comes to course offerings) is that tactics are fun. Tactics are sexy. Building fundamental shooting skill requires lots of homework which is neither fun nor sexy. But you need to practice those 100,000 repetitions--and practice them correctly--in order to achieve master-class shooting skills. This is what Bruce's Practical Fundamentals class is geared to do: teach you the correct way to practice so you can do that training at home. I'm not saying you need to perform 100,000 repetitions before you see any improvement. On the contrary I was able to reduce my group size in half after only one day of Bruce's instruction. That's a dramatic result but I know it will take years of practice before I can truly master the trigger control skills taught by Bruce and his team.
A popular truism in many sports is that better equipment will make up for some lack in skill. And many of us fall into that trap because it's a quick way to improvement. We'll spend hundreds or thousands of dollars chasing that extra edge. But it only works when you use that equipment. What if you use something else? Once you learn the fundamental skills you become better regardless of what tool you're using. Put in that perspective doesn't it make more sense to spend your limited time and resources improving your skill rather than chasing the latest gadget?
If I could split hairs for a moment, Bruce Gray's Practical Fundamentals class teaches skills, not techniques. Let me explain: A synonym for "technique" is "tactic". Webster defines "technique" as a method of accomplishing a desired aim. Examples of shooting techniques include pieing a corner or shooting on the move. "Skill" is defined as dexterity or coordination, especially in the execution of learned physical tasks. So if techniques are like different tools in your toolbox, skill is how well you use those tools. Good pistol shooting skills will allow you to execute techniques well. Technique by itself will not improve your shooting skill. Practical Fundamentals does.
The problem (at least when it comes to course offerings) is that tactics are fun. Tactics are sexy. Building fundamental shooting skill requires lots of homework which is neither fun nor sexy. But you need to practice those 100,000 repetitions--and practice them correctly--in order to achieve master-class shooting skills. This is what Bruce's Practical Fundamentals class is geared to do: teach you the correct way to practice so you can do that training at home. I'm not saying you need to perform 100,000 repetitions before you see any improvement. On the contrary I was able to reduce my group size in half after only one day of Bruce's instruction. That's a dramatic result but I know it will take years of practice before I can truly master the trigger control skills taught by Bruce and his team.
A popular truism in many sports is that better equipment will make up for some lack in skill. And many of us fall into that trap because it's a quick way to improvement. We'll spend hundreds or thousands of dollars chasing that extra edge. But it only works when you use that equipment. What if you use something else? Once you learn the fundamental skills you become better regardless of what tool you're using. Put in that perspective doesn't it make more sense to spend your limited time and resources improving your skill rather than chasing the latest gadget?
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