This site bills itself as "The #1 Online Resource for Gun Training". When I first became aware of it, I went to the website and noticed that they had a LOT of short (under 5 minutes) videos which discussed shooting-related issues. The first one I watched, for example, explored the question "Why attend a Gun Fighting school?"
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I thought that was a good start, and I was impressed by what Cory Trapp of Gunsite had to say ... essentially, that the root word in "Gun Fight" is not "Gun", but "Fight". There is a difference between "pure marksmanship" (going to the range and shooting the center out of the bullseye every time), and "fighting with guns". The "Combat Triad is Marksmanship, Gun-handling, and Mindset ... and the last part is Marksmanship."
Incidentally, there was an amusing event in this 2:49-minute video where Trapp is demonstrating that the gun-handling response to a malfunction of your rifle is to immediately go to your pistol. He simulated a malfunction of his rifle, drew his pistol, and engaged the target: the pistol went *CLICK*! He recovered by racking the slide, thus chambering the first round and allowing him to effectively ... but slowly ... engage the next target. Then he went along with his lesson plan, safing and holstering the pistol, and continuing to discuss the priorities of Gun Fight Training.
I thought this obviously inadvertent error added a degree of verisimilitude to his training point, even though it didn't speak well for his supposed tendency to ALWAYS be prepared when going into a Gun Fight. Or a Training Example, but we know that these things happen during training. Still, he wasn't rattled and his recovery was immediate and appropriate; and that's part of what he was trying to train, although I doubt he would have chosen this particular method; it was what I choose to call a "Teaching Moment".
But I digress.
I thought that the ability to access interesting videos was an important part of the Basic membership, which was my initial option. After I spend some time on the website, I will decide whether it is worth splurging my pension money on a $5.95/month "Premium Membership". And if I upgrade, I will let you know when, and why.
For now I was delighted to learn that this resource was available online. I understand that these sequences are part of a regular television show ... but they are not available to me because I don't have a Cable TV subscription. The only way I can access these resources are via my cable internet connection, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to at least evaluate it at an "entry level" to decide whether it will provide useful information, if only potentially.
My first impression is that the internet link will give me a greater body of reference for my own attempts at firearms training. The "Introduction to USPSA" class is a monthly 3 hour opportunity to teach the elementary parts of, not only competition, but gunhandling (and yes, safety). Here, as on GunTalkTV, "marksmanship" is a tertiary emphasis; it's up to the student to develop his or her marksmanship skills.
That is to say, we don't really care whether the student hits the target, as long as no safety rules are violated ( "gun-handling") and the student understands what is expected ("mindset").
I've already learned something from this first exploratory step, and I'm sure there is much more to learn.
We'll keep you posted. Maybe.
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