You can't buy it!

[Rover]

Here is an excerpt from an article by Ross Seyfried:

Perhaps my most succinct quote is, “you cannot buy skill.” I firmly believe that. I began to form the opinion in my competitive pistol shooting days. At the time, and for quite a while I lived on top of the hill. I watched others, who were actually more technically skilled than I, begin to approach the level that could possibly beat me. They were close, very close but one by one I watched them get to the top of their game and never be able to beat me. The reason was that they thought that as they reached that upper echelon, they had to buy the new widget, holster, or fashion-pistol, and that it would be this, and not pure practiced skill, that would best me. When I saw them go for the gear, I knew I still had them. They gave up their thinking that they could beat me by practicing harder and learning their game better, and vested their faith in what they thought was superior equipment. They failed because they gave up on their own ability to keep doing the next thing right. Gear was not the answer.

[Ed Hall]

Perhaps, but I have experienced several personal counter-examples. In BE, I made it to 880 of 900 with my Ruger, but couldn't get higher until I switched to a Hammerli, which immediately gave me 888s. My 1911, .45, would only get me to the low 800s until my coach/mentor convinced me to fire his and showed me how inaccurate mine was. I could supply more examples, but you get the idea...

[BigAl]

I think that we have two things to consider with shooting as a sport. Firstly you must have equipment that is of itself sufficient to do the job to the required level. When a shooter reaches a plateau in performance, then it becomes necessary to consider all the factors affecting performance. This is of course usually best done with the aid of a long term coach. If it is obvious that there is a particular part of the overall that is performing at it's limit then it is probably time to address that limit. Be it by changing a small bit of kit, all the way up to a new firearm. It could even be that the shooter would now benefit from using batch tested ammunition, as that is one of the few ways to make a difference with ammo in the smallbore game. It will though then also be necessary to keep training just as hard as before, if not harder.

Alan

[william]

Al, Ed, please reconsider. Rover has issued a Pronunciamiento. Fail to fall in behind at your peril.

[Rover]

Yeah, and you won't be issued a halo!


I hate change, it's never for the better.... "Grumpy Old Men'.
The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.

[Mike M.]

I think it would be more correct to say that you can't buy skill, but you can buy gear that doesn't hold you back.

Quite aside from the pleasure of ownership, of course.

[left360]

I think it would be more correct to say that you can't buy skill, but you can buy gear that doesn't hold you back.

Quite aside from the pleasure of ownership, of course.

Yeah, what he said!

[pgmlml]

I think, we as shooters, should have the capability to feel what's wrong with us, and what we need!

At a certain point a new gun or a new gadget may help, but if I can make 25 tens (out of 60 shots) why can't I make 60 tens?! The obvious conclusion would be: It's not the gun... But my question is: is it physical skills, or is it purely mental?

I do believe that changing my gun would leed me to change my technic/skills, and that is almost like starting all over again. In the beggining of this year changed my gun, and I was aware that I had to restar all over again. By that time Rover told me I couldn't buy points, and I new that. But I could restart the process with more confidance... That's what I needed! If I kept my old gun I would be trainning as much as I am now! (though I know my new gun is as good as the old one, or as good as anyone's)

[David Levene]

But my question is: is it physical skills, or is it purely mental?

Or could it be physical fitness.

If your hold area is greater than the ten ring (plus the projectile diameter) then the odds are that you won't shoot 60 tens, even if you have perfect technique.

The better your physical fitness, the smaller your hold area is likely to be, and the higher your score is likely to be (obviously dependant on the rest of your technique being good).

The more effort required to shoot the gun, the higher your physical fitness needs to be over the 60 shot course.

[shaky hands]

"you cannot buy skill."
"... others, who were actually more technically skilled than I, ... get to the top of their game and never be able to beat me."
"When I saw them go for the gear, I knew I still had them."

I am afraid I cannot make sense of this stream of consciousnesses. The author started with saying they already had more technical skill than he did, then apparently they would get a superior equipment and still would not be able to beat him, because "you cannot buy skill." (Which they already had more than the author did.) So why were "they" not able to beat him?

[Rover]

I didn't say anything. I just posted a quote from Ross Seyfried.

[shaky hands]

I stand corrected and direct my incredulity at where it belongs, the author Ross Seyfried, not Rover (except may be for posting this non-sequitur).

[CR10X]

Rover:

Thanks for the post. I had forgotten that comment from Ross.

For the rest, remember this was from a pistol shooter of the action persuasion, a really great shot with the original single stack, 1911 in .45 ACP; but the comment (I think) remains vaild. I believe Ross was trying help explain the difference between "technical skill" and "competing skill" or what creates the condition whereby the faster or more accurate shooter may not necessairly win the match. I think that is the skill he is trying to say you cannot buy.

To be specific, the best shooter does not always win the competition. The best competitor generally does. I'ver seen a number of people with better "technical skills", call it better "holders", "scorers" or just "shooters" get beaten by a better competitor time and again. And it's not just mental conditioning, although that may go a long way.

The competitor trains not just to shoot well, but to compete well. Wind, rain, changing equipment, making sure backup gun is as good as the primary, having extra ammo, being prepared for freezing or swealtering conditions, etc. The competitor knows that its not just technical ability, but training to overcome any adversity, from the target falling out to crossfires to squib loads. They have thought it through before hand and have a plan and they KNOW they can win anyway. That's the difference between "technical skill" and competing skill.

When the competitor sees another shooter changing equipment "just because it might help" rather than for a specific reason, then I think you will get a quote like the one above.

On the other hand I may be full of crap. But I can say that I've been there and seen it.

[Rover]

There was another excellent article that implied more of the same posted by shaky hands on the Olympic Pistol section.

In case you missed it, here it is:

http://www.airforceshooting.org/avarticle.html

[john bickar]

Sheeeeiiiiit, I was just hoping to borrow it for a while...