TargetTalk

All:

I have been doing a bit of ponderation over the recent pseudo-disagreements (more on that in next paragraph or two) we (no, "I") have been involved in recently.

I don't mind wrangling over stuff (go figure) but what bothers me is misunderstanding. As radio talk show host Dennis Prager puts it, he " . . . prefers clarity over agreement." Meaning- simply- that it's o.k. to disagree on real issues, but its bogus to argue with false logic and misrepresentation just to try to prove a point.

O.K.

That having been said, i went back and studied up on some "classic" disagreements that (quite recently) devolved into "two camps" on some issues.

I found a pattern.

Context A:
The shooter who is, or at least was, a full-time sponsored team member. Received coaching, and paid to train full time. Environment characterized by collegial ("Good Old Boy") team environment. Learned everything this way; and formed worldview through this culture. May have been "team shooter" since very young age in one respect or another.

Context B:
The shooter who is the "part timer" or "true amateur." [refer to discussion on definition of "true amateur" a while back] pays for his/her own attendance at sminars, training events. Mostly self coached. Environment characterized by tijme pressures and trying to improve performance "by inches." Has to constantly seek new informationa nd ideas. Concerned with bang/buck and value add vs cost of every dollar and every minute spent on shooting vs. family, work, etc.

I think there are repercussions to this whenever we try to speak to one another on this forum. Those who were "raised" in the "8 hours a day available for training" environment have a certain worldview and mindset. Those who live in the "squeeze in 15 minutes of dry fire during lunch break" have a very different worldview or mindset.

How does this affect the way we approach "the way to the mountaintop" (as fellow shooter Brooks put it in a separate post)?

Still thinking about this one.

Interesting and, as you say, worth pondering. Not sure whether your classification is relevant to the 'disagreement' issue. As for myself, I learned to shoot pistol in a team environment in college and, many years later, leaned to shoot well as a part of a club team. But I meet all your criteria for a Context B shooter.


Another thought - do the same kinds of discussions/disagreements occur on the Olympic Rifle section, or are they unique to pistol shooters? I have no data to support this, but my guess is that a larger percentage of rifle shooters come from your Context A/team background than from Context B/individual background.

I see the difference in the shooter "A and B" environments. I am a B of course who would like to have a more A environment.

To Steve: How close were you to an "A" when serving in the USAF?

On the squabbles that rise up here occasionally, I refer you to the forum here
http://www.nationalmatch.us/
where you have to painlessly sign up to even view it. I cannot recall any large squabbles there.