More training than guns?

[Shay]

It's rare that I come across someone that has taken more training classes than the number of guns they own.

I am there. I'm guessing Kirk and Rhino might be in the crew too. Anyone else?

 

[techres]

Possibly, but I have never dared ask rhino how many 1911's he has hoarded in this state alone...

 

[rhino]

Hah! I'll never tell, Josh!

I'm pretty sure I have more classes that I have guns. If I restrict it to guns acquired since I started keeping track of the classes, there is no contest since I've added very few (net).

When I was recovering from surgery to treat a severe lower back injury that left me mostly disabled for about eight years and bedridden for more than a year at a time, I realized some truths about myself.

1. I really, really want to live.
2. I still have a lot more upper body strength that the normal person, but it's nothing compared to the way I used to be. I can no longer rely on physical strength and a decade of unarmed training during my youth for protection. In retrospect, I shouldn't have done so before, but now it's doubly true.
3. Along with #1 and #2 above, I no longer have two fully functional legs. In terms of strength, the good one is maybe 40% of what it used to be and the other is maybe 20% or less, and doesn't give me much feedback when I'm walking. That impairs my mobility (even more than previously), as well as eliminating the kind of stability I used to have, which would have served me well in physical confrontation.

The above was an awakening that I needed to take the use of firearms for defense more seriously. I already had the marksmanship and gunhandling from practical shooting competitions, so the defense-oriented classes were the obvious complement.

So far so good, and the journey continues.

 

[Lars]

By the end of the June class you're running Shay, I'll have more training than Guns. I'll be even after the NRA course.

 

[Fenway]

I have more training under my belt than guns. 2 formal classes and 2 private coachings

I own one pistol and one rifle. I started shooting about 3 years ago. Shay taught me how to shoot and coached me twice. One time to get the very basics down including safety and how to run a variety of pistols. (I bought my first pistol after that session) I met with Shay again and we went over drawing from the holster and some more advanced fighting techniques. Months later I took Tactical Response Fighting Pistol at ECPR. My most recent class was Basic Firearms and Marksmanship Training in New Castle held a week ago and my next class will be the one I'm helping put on through this forum which can be found here:

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...june_14_ecpr_indianapolis_-_sign_up_here.html

It's rare that I come across someone that has taken more training classes than the number of guns they own.

I am there. I'm guessing Kirk and Rhino might be in the crew too. Anyone else?

 

[Shay]

Most guys are 15 or 20 guns and 0 or maybe 1 class.


What I hope to see is an evolution from simply owning guns to being responsible for YOUR ability to perform with those guns.


Training is an investment in yourself. I constantly tell people to stop buying guns they don't need and use that money to learn to use the ones they already own. Hell, if you are serious about learning to defend yourself with firearms, sell some guns and keep the ones that support that goal. Use the money from those sales to fund training and practice ammo.

Yeah, I'm a broken record.

 

[abnk]

I'll just say that I have not bought a firearm since I started paying for my training. With the exception of parts, mags, and ammo, it will stay this way for quite some time.

 

[bigcraig]

I have more guns than classes by far.

A good friend has taught me the importance of good training.

As far as the number of guns I have, most are backups for me or handouts to my family in the event of a OMGWTFSHTFBBQ. I do, however, have a few fun guns but even those can be pretty damn useful for serious work.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Ummmm, wellllll, maybe just maybe I have a few more guns than classes. Dude, I counted my hours after I got back from Thunder Ranch and I was shocked at how many have accumulated (now, I still don't know a darn thing and still cannot shoot straight).

I've been buying guns since I was a kid, Shay. No kids, no wife, went to school, try to work hard, a gun or two will appear now and then for store credit, it adds up. I do have more classes than gun safes.

With the exception of guns that I buy for my nephews and my brother, I have stopped buying guns I do not "need". Got to kill the "inner collector".

 

[obijohn]

i'll agree with shay here. i'm amazed at the stories i hear from students. i've been teaching one on one for some time now, and more than a few have told me 'i've got all these guns and can't hit a thing.'

if i count all the hours while in the military, then more training than guns. but it's a close thing...hehe.

can't we just do both, aquire guns AND training, and just get along.


along with this, is if you aren't training on your own, or with your shooting pals, periodically in a realistic and serious manner, the data and skills collected at a school, well you wasted your money and the instructor's time.

also, don't forget the value of visualization. you can train at work, at your kid's soccer game, anywhere. visualize the "kata" that you learned at your class. in other words, dry fire your brain. and then get to the range and train live.

 

[Fenway]

Yes! I agree with this 100%. Your mind can not tell the difference between something you have experienced first hand and something you have visualized vividly.

In another another subject totally unrelated to firearms I have coached with someone who trains olympic athletes for peak performance. I practice visualizing a lot and started to incorporate it into my practice related to firearms. It works in any discipline.

I highly recommend this book as a great starting point.

Amazon.com: The New Toughness Training for Sports: Mental Emotional Physical Conditioning from One of the World's Premier Sports Psychologists: James E. Loehr,Chris Evert: Books

also, don't forget the value of visualization. you can train at work, at your kid's soccer game, anywhere. visualize the "kata" that you learned at your class. in other words, dry fire your brain. and then get to the range and train live.

 

[sjstill]

I, um, have a lot of guns, most of which were bought as 'loaners' for Eagle Creek.

Also have a lot of classes under my belt.

I've actually been thinking about selling off some of the stuff I don't use much.

 

[Siderite]

Almost even. Would be even if it wasn't for 2 impulse buys that turned out to be poor choices. Nonetheless, I should break even later this year.

 

[Fenway]

Care to share what you bought. Maybe we can learn from it.

2 impulse buys that turned out to be poor choices.

 

[Siderite]

Got a Henry Survival 22 rifle (the take down rifle) that ended up being too finicky to be a good plinker - even with quality ammo (CCI Minimags). To frustrating to use, to complicated to clean regularly (the manual suggests submerging the entire action in oil for cleaning because taking it apart is a pain. On a side note, as it was based of the AR-7, and the one time I took it apart, it was neat to see similarities in the fire control group to that of the AR-15)

The other is a Kel-Tec PLR pistol - looking back, I'm not quite sure why I wanted it or what I wanted to use it for, probably just though it was nifty (like the take down rifle). With current .223 ammo prices, it doesn't get used.

It is also worth noting that number of classes isn't necessarily a good measure, this weekend, at Tactical Response's Force-on-Force class with Shay, I learned that some of my training wasn't to the quality I had hoped (details in my after-action report over here: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...773-pictures_from_the_fight_in_seymour-2.html ).

 

[Lars]

In my reviving of old threads that I think matter so the newer members can chime in.....

I'll bring this one back too. Now, two and a half years later.

I have more guns than I had previously. However I still think my Training to Gun ratio is pretty close to even. 2010 is going to be the year of training for me I think.

 

[Pami]

If we're going on a guns-that-belong-to-me and not guns-that-belong-to-my-house .. I have more training that I have owned guns. 4 classes that I remember, plus a private session, and I've only owned 3 handguns ever, although I'm currently down to just one. Actually, I still think that puts me at more training than guns in the house.

The training is so completely worth your money. I need to get one or two refresher/next-step courses in this year.

 

[esrice]

I've gone to more classes than the number of guns I currently own, but that probably has more to do with the fact that I only have 1 handgun and 1 rifle.

 

[jeremy]

How does Mil training fit into this equation?

I have taken a couple of Civilian courses, however I have found them lacking at least for what I need to get out of them...

In the 3-4 courses that I have taken what they taught I will agree was good stuff for most Civilian shooters, but taught a lot of bad habits for a soldier...

Still looking for courses though. I really need to start looking for something geared to a retiring soldier to civilian mindset course...

 

[rhino]

I think one good way to compare is the $$$ you've invested in instruction vs. the $$$ you've invested in guns.

In that, you could include money someone else has spent on training for you (military or other work-related) and some equivalent $$$ amount for training you received at no direct monetary cost to you.