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What happens if this is not addressed:
Competitors have a drive to win, or at least not come in last. That drive pushes them to practice and go to matches where they need to shoot with consistent accuracy and at a speed that at least keeps up with everyone else. Most military and police qualify only a few times (or once) each year on a fixed course that never asks them to do better than pass. I can dry practice every day and go to a match any given week if I want. My skills have gone through the roof since I started competing.
How will this get me killed?
Stress introduced into shooting causes interesting results. Being able to work through the stress of competitive pressure will always improve your shooting ability.
I have competed in a major international shooting competition where I saw and experienced different levels of stress. The funny thing about stress (aside from actual physical stress) is that it’s only in the mind.
What constitutes shooting? Lining up the sights and pulling the trigger. Nowhere in that equation does the word “stress” make an appearance. “I hope I don’t miss”, “I suck at steel”, “I hate qualification”, etc., are all statements that can incur stress but have nothing to do with shooting. Being able to turn off the mental stress (conscious mind) and replace it with subconscious skill comes only with repeated exposure to some kind of stress. You can practice by yourself for eternity, but you need a way to test it. The best way to do that without putting yourself at risk of harm is by participating in shooting competitions.
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Another byproduct of both repeated practice and competitions is a higher ability to handle and manipulate your firearms, being able to draw, reload, and move without looking like Mr. Magoo (or Jar-Jar Binks if you were born after 1987).
One of the biggest things I observe a lot of LEOs have issues with when they either qualify or come to classes is their ability to have effective gun handling. Under normal, non-competitive circumstances, a draw should be under two seconds from either a retention holster or concealment. I’ve been witness to hundreds of qualifications and observed the draw habits of hundreds of officers, and the majority have a hard time meeting that metric.
Why? Isn’t being able to get the gun out of the holster an important function of the patrol officer? Once the officer initially learns how to draw the gun, it becomes an awkward exercise in straps, levers, and clothing. It’s hard to remember all the by-the-numbers steps that are necessary to have a smooth draw, so what happens is one of the following: Either the draw becomes a spastic pull and tug, yanking until the gun gets free, or it becomes ritualistically slow. Neither is a good result.
However, there is hope. Like any sport, repeated practice guarantees accomplished technique. But what forces someone to practice? I’ve known some pretty “tactical” people in my travels. They are dedicated people who practice their draws, go to the range, and work out like madmen. In their mind, they can’t fail. They do what they have to do to keep their edge. God bless them. I sleep better knowing they are out there. But what about the majority of the “tactical” community? Do you spend an hour a day working on firearm skills? How often do you go to the range? And, what do you do when you get there?
See, there is a definite way to push the skill level up. Wait for it... shoot competition. Better weapon manipulation is a byproduct of routine handling and shooting the gun. Not everyone wants to go out and win, but I’ve seen grandmothers and kids (truthful) with skills that put a lot of “tactical” folk to shame.
Please don’t take this as “competition is great, tactical is bad.” If it’s good enough for grandma, then maybe the tactical guys should try it.
Many of the techniques used in the tactical firearms community come directly from the competitive world. Competitive shooters are routinely hired to train the special operations community. If it’s good enough for CAG, DevGru, Tier 1, etc., well... maybe it’s good enough for you and me.
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Arik Levy is an 12 year veteran law enforcement officer working full time at a major metropolitan agency in the South East. He spent 7 years working the streets in patrol and as a field training officer. For the past four years he has been a full time firearms instructor teaching handgun, rifle and shotgun. Arik also has been competing in USPSA for the past two years where he is currently classified in Production Division at A class. He is a two time gold medalist in his division for the Florida Police and Fire games 3 Gun match, and a gold medalist in both the Practical Pistol and Shotgun match. He is also the Top Cop Pistol Champion for 2014 and 2015. He has trained with an extensive list of both tactical and competitive instructors including: Mike Pannone, Pat McNamara, Frank Proctor, Scott Reitz, Chris Costa, Max Michel, Frank Garcia, Bruce Gray, Ben Stoeger, Steve Anderson and Jerry Barnhart. Arik is also a certified Advanced Armorer with Glock, Colt, Sig Sauer and Smith and Wesson.
