Why it is wrong to avoid competitions / why it is important to participate in them

I often come across a spell: "I'm not a competition shooter this is nothing for me". Possibly with an improved version: "I am a fighter and not an athlete. Sport limits me "… For many people "to participate in a shooting competition" is almost an insult and they avoid it at all costs. So why do I think (and of course I'm not alone) that such an approach is a mistake?

Whether it's shooting with a handgun or with a precision rifle the principle is similar. Participating in competitions will help us improve our performance more than just the training itself.

Of course this is true if we already have the basics and are not in the beginning. Without the basics both in terms of safety and in terms of the basics of weapon control and the principles of shooting it is nonsense to compete. This is clear. But if we already have a good foundation we get to a stage where "training" or "going to courses" does not move us as much as possible. And that is exactly the shift that will open up for us when we take part in some competitions. There are several reasons.

Humans (and some of us in particular) are a competitive creatures. When we train we don't always give it our full effort and attention. Someone even subconsciously hangs out, handles phones during training and doesn't concentrate and so on. But I don't know anyone who wouldn't do his best and only make a partial effort in a situation where "something is at stake". And such a situation is subconsciously competition. I really don't know anyone who wouldn't pay attention and commitment even in a friendly and unofficial "rivalry". We have it in us - to compare who is stronger, faster, more accurate… Who will last longer underwater, who hits the bulls eye… It is our nature. Trying to overcome others, trying to overcome yourself. Push your limits, get better. And also enjoy this "friendly rivalry" with others - mostly with "friends".

Sooner or later it will logically happen (especially in a relatively small and closed shooting community) that you gradually get to know the other "competitors" and make some of them your friends. When it comes to multi-day competitions it's even more common. Evening meetings with food and drink, telling "stories of old gunmen" and the like. All of this greatly helps to build good relationships. And one suddenly finds out that we all have a lot in common, and regardless of age or nationality, we understand each other and have a good time. Here, for example, "when Czechs, Slovaks and Austrians meet at an Italian Lilliput for dinner and speak English together." Sounds like a joke and it was a real fun…

Leaving aside the personal level (which of course plays an important role) another reason is purely pragmatic. Where else to look for equipment used by others? On the manufacturers' websites? That's nice, but how do I really know what and how exactly works? I can't find out from the pictures and technical description of the goods…

On the Internet and social networks? What a cute idea… To listen to the advice of anonymous people with whom I often cannot verify if they have any experience with the equipment at all and if so - how does it really work for them? That's really not the way to go. Sure, a few individuals are not completely anonymous and we know what they can and can do, but these are really exceptions.

But when I personally participate in the competition I can see for myself what equipment people use. And especially how he uses it and with what result. And I can also judge for myself whether it would be suitable for me or not. They often lends it to me to try and as the saying goes "personal experience is non-transferable". If I'm a small guy with small hands then a good review of a two-meter guy with his hands like a shovel won't be very important to me…

More importantly however is that during competitions we learns a lot of new things. There is always someone who comes up with a new technique or with a new idea. Observing what someone is doing and how it works out for them - this is the basis. And we can learn a lot from observing. After all the recent trend in Europe (unfortunately not in our country) is that the armed forces allow the organization of civilian competitions at their shooting ranges. And the reason is simple. To see for themselves new equipment and new techniques that can be very useful even for service use. During shooting competitions, one really learns a lot. Martin summed it up nicely after his first competition in Dynamic Precision Shooting when he wrote: "I dare to say that these two days have moved me more than 10 of my individual trainings and I can now implement my experience in my personal training". And this fully captures the benefits and importance of participating in competitions…

And we can also learn a lot about ourselves… And that's very important. I can find out how I am able to react in non-standard situations, under pressure and under stress. And this is absolutely essential when using the weapon as such. Especially when it comes to using weapons in a defensive situation, for example.

We can train the situation which is on the video but only under pressure and stress will we find out whether we can deal with it or not. And for many, competition is relatively high pressure and stress (which is often the reason why they avoid it)…

We can train the situation on video, but only under pressure and stress will we find out whether we can deal with it or not. And for many, competition is relatively high pressure and stress (which is often the reason why they avoid it)…

An instructor of an elite unit once told me one thing that stuck in my memory:

"We send our shooters to civilian competitions from time to time. And they know that they are expected to perform well. They don't always have to be on the podium but they must not make some bigger mistakes. And if it happens that someone starts to avoid it - that is an indicator of a problem. If his equipment is not in order, then of course it is necessary to solve it immediately. If he does not give enough performance, then something must be done immediately. But it can be even a mental problem. They don't trust themselves or the equipment or the training. And that is even worse and I don't want people with this kind of mindset in the service. Not only they must have the equipment and skills, but above all they must have the mindset right! ”

And so it is common among professional snipers to take part in civilian competitions. And you will meet them in Europe at the top matches everywhere possible. Real fighters. Real professionals. No sport shooters or internet experts. And why are they involved? Because they also need to move further and higher. Because they also need to learn new things. And above all because they need to test their skills under pressure…

We also test our equipment during competitions. The video shows a relatively extreme situation where there was a problem with wind and sand all day. The wind sometimes threw handfuls of sand around as if children were throwing it at us. During the day we tried to protect our weapons. And this last stage was almost scary. Several shooters could not finish it because their bolts got stuck or the triggers stopped working.

If such a situation happens during training we will simply interrupt it, right? But in a competition you just fight as long as you can. And in such a situation you really check your equipment and also your commitment. And again, you can check what equipment is working well and which is worse. Because others have the same conditions.

So why is it wrong to avoid competitions?

Because you are losing a lot of experience and you remain closed only in your bubble, or in the bubble of the people who shoot with you. But the world is much bigger and you are loosing more insight, experience and knowledge. And you also don't build your psychological resilience and readiness. And that's a mistake…

So why is it important to compete?

To confront our equipment and skills with the reality. Such an experience sets a mirror for us and shows us what we are doing well and where we can improve. Am I doing what I'm doing well? Aren't there better ways? Can I use what someone else does for my own improvement? We can get answers to these questions in competitions. We will simply step out of our bubble and comfort zone and have a greater range of knowledge, skills and experience. We can meet new people who are actually the same as us. They have the same interests and goals… And maybe we can meet someone who will lead us better than we can do on our own. Just so we can keep growing and not get stuck in place.

And because it's fun!