Thursday Thoughts: Why You NEED to Train!

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a Vehicle Close Quarters Battle Class. As many of you know I work out of a vehicle, a lot. This blog isn’t about that, it’s about the lack of training many gun owners, law enforcement included, have. I will be the first to admit I want and need more training, yet I likely have more training than the overwhelming majority of gun owners. This isn’t due to my profession, lord we know law enforcement officers lack sufficient training, regardless of the agency they work for. 

The training and practice I have is due to my overwhelming desire to be better than the threat I may face if I have to use a weapon in self defense. Why? I have people I love, people I care about who need me. The citizens I serve need me to be better. The possible victim when I’m carrying off duty needs my best. If you are serious about self defense with a firearm then your mindset should be one where you will handle business if crap hits the fan.

We hear it all the time you don’t fall to your expectations, you fall to your level of training. This is why SWAT and Special Operations Units train so much. On the flip side, if you ask the average person who is carrying a concealed weapon or the average patrol officer how much they train, the answer will be next to not at all. Do these two types not care? Or do they just not make it a priority? Or do they not have time or money? The excuses could be all of those things. I’m sure some have some legitimate excuses. But if you want to carry a gun for duty or civilian in self defense, why are you putting yourself behind the curve? Just flying by the seat of your pants will get you or someone else killed. We all have people who love us and would miss us if we were gone, so get out and train like your life depends on it or if someone you know can’t live without you.

Where do you train? What do you train? How much do you train? I’ll answer the easiest questions first, you can’t train enough, so do it as much as you possibly can. With social media, finding reputable trainers has never been easier. Shoot local matches and you will be welcomed as a beginner and you will learn. Put stress on yourself with a clock and score and watch your strategy for the match stage go to shit in the blink of an eye. A shot timer is a necessity for a serious shooter, it’s going to help you become a more proficient shooter under stress better than your Trijicon or Holosun red dot on the handgun. If you think you are a somewhat proficient shooter, and have the fundamentals down to the point where you can shoot IPSC size torso targets accurately without legitimately aiming, take a class which teaches you how to fight with your weapon. Really want to take it up a notch? Take a class which does force on force or simunitions.

My point to all of this is being accountable. Be better than your were yesterday. Be an asset…so cliche. Train like your life depends on it. Develop the mentality of winning if you haven’t already. Be someone the bad guy doesn’t want to fight. I don’t have all the answers, I don’t feel like I have enough training. I’m not perfect but I’ll be damned if the bad guy is going to win due to my lack of accountability and training. 

I hope you have enjoyed my first installment of Thursday Thoughts. I intend to make this a weekly thing, if I can think of something to write about. Let us know what you think!