Are you letting your desire for awesome outweigh your skill?
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, we have a tendency around here to kinda not hold back. Such is the nature of our profession. Tonight’s discussion is regarding a personal pet peeve of mine. All of those guys out there who let their wallets outrun their brains…and their skill sets…and chase that ever-present demon. TACTICOOL!
In the firearm community, it never fails that when you host a class there are some people who show up predestined to fail. There is always at least ONE person who shows up (besides the loads of completely normal students) with at least one of the following of the two self-inflicted deficiencies:
1. “The Commando”. The guy who spent $10k on a full-on arsenal and has NO idea WTF to do with it all. But BOY, is he quick to tell you everything there is to know about it! And correct you as the instruction cadre about anything you may have to say about it.
and…
2. “The New Guy”. This guy is actually PREFERABLE over guy Number 1, frankly. He’s the guy that just bought his first Glock and only had enough left over for a Hi Point carbine that takes the same ammo. Guy Number 1 is taking great relish is ripping on him relentlessly, but that’s ok. We’ll get to that shortly. This guy is not necessarily an issue, but has confidence issues that need to be addressed immediately, as that Hi Point is overloaded with a ton of crap that is going to hurt more than help.
Bottom line is this: Not everyone is made from money. Not everyone is made from common sense, either. If people were to invest equal amounts of capital in their training as their gear, we’d all be a hell of a lot better off. It’s unfortunate that shooters will spend money on vast amounts of equipment but fail to invest in the mental tool box. Having the toys but not the talent is a tragic disservice.
The failure is not only in gear investment. It comes in the form of personal failure as well. Going online and buying a set of DVD’s and attempting to repeat the motions until you feel you “can do it as well as he can” is just as foolish. There are literally mountains of scenarios that can present themselves that could endanger the shooter or others around him/her. Simply repeating the drills does not teach the importance of WHY the drills exist. Nor does it teach the developing shooter the importance of how the drill affects their skill set in the long run.
Next in the string of failure is the “YouTube trainer”. Inevitably, there are those guys that have spent hours on YouTube watching every “trainer” there is believing that they now have unlocked “Operator” status and are now fully “trained up” simply from having seen these videos. They’ve listened to all these “pros” and they’ve learned enough lingo that they might even be able to keep up in a conversation for a short while. These people will get weeded out very quickly when the shooting starts. You are not going to truly learn anything of any significant value by watching youtube videos. You may learn what NOT to do. You may learn how to locate a reputable trainer. But watching videos is not training. Anyone that tells you otherwise is going to get you injured/killed.
Overcompensation is yet another failure in the long string of “Operator Headspace”. Letting your wallet outrun your skill set. If you have NO prior experience, why are you buying a $2k AR with an additional $2k of strap on toys you don’t know how to use? Because you are going to learn how? Would not it be wiser to invest in a base model rifle and some classes with a professional instructor? Learn to basics and develop a set of solid fundamentals and then consider upgrading your gear once you are fully competent as a shooter? You can have all of the best gear on the planet, but if you can’t establish a baseline zero that gear isn’t going to amount to a squirt of piss. And truthfully, you are running the risk of doing more harm then good.
Here’s another fantasy destroyed. Just because someone “was in the military”, does NOT mean they are qualified to instruct you in marksmanship/defensive arts. The US Armed Forces arms standards are not all they’re cracked up to be, frankly. Not all of the military are Combat Arms people and not all who were are Expert Marksman and not all who were are truly “Warriors” in the literal sense of the word. This is not to impugn the integrity of our military personnel in any way, but facts are facts. You want your money to count for something. You want to know that the guy “training” you for the gun fight for your very life wasn’t the slacker who scored the career “pizza box” on the range. You want that one guy…
So, to that guy who is just getting started and is on a budget and doesn’t know where to start. I hope you’ll take this to heart. Start here by knowing that you need to invest in the MENTAL TOOL BOX first. We can help you with that. Forget Tacticool. Heed the following and let it sink in. And let the moron Guy Number 1 continue being broke but looking cool while making an ass of himself while doing so. We all know the difference.
Don’t make the mistake of spending money on gear or training you don’t need. Crisis Application Group stands behind the curriculum we produce. We stand behind our staff. We stand behind our philosophy. And we’re not going to attempt to sell you something that isn’t going to benefit you. We’re not here to teach you how to fight a war you’re not going to be in. We’re here to teach you how to win. To win the fight you may find yourself in. To THINK past the fight someone may inadvertently place you in against your will.
This may or may not require specialized gear. High dollar weapons or optics. That will depend 100% on YOU.
Founded by retired and active duty Special Forces veterans. All content from this article courtesy of our friend Jay Paisley (18z) ret. 5th special forces group and founder of Crisis Application Group (CAG)