How/Why do you train?

When you go to the range do you go to target shoot? Are you training to get better on paper? See how good you are at 20 feet? Or are you training to be able to defend yourself?

Your answer is important. How you train and your reasons why.

If your goal is to shoot like a pro at a piece of paper, great! Keep on keeping on. Enjoy it, shooting is fun! Great stress reliever and well, fun.

If your goal is self defense, well then, you need more that just a piece of paper hanging there.

When training to shoot self defense, putting a target at 10 or 20 feet, is not going to help you, except to learn to shoot a paper target at 10 or 20 feet. Going to a range that has a computer program to run your target randomly is great. Training at a facility that has simulated training or force on force training is fantastic.

Do you shoot at 3 feet away? Do you shoot at 9 feet away? Big target? Little target? What about shooting off hand? In self defense, you should train to shoot at varying feet, random targets, and when able, real life simulated training. You should also know how to shoot with either hand, one handed, pulling from your holster, from the ground, crouched, holding something, or under something (as in what if a person tackled you and you have to get your gun and shoot.) What if your gun is unusable?

Real life happens, real life is messy. What if someone is punching you? What if you are not even able to pull your firearm? What if it is dark? A lot of what if's. The biggest what if is, what if you do not train? what if you only train here and there, what if?

We do not choose the day or time we are a victim.

Get out there and train!