If we’re lucky we find our “niche”, something that we excel in and can perform well. If you’re involved in firearms training, I’m sure you’ve met the tactical guy whose shooting performance is exemplary, the guy who just knows how to operate, the guy who makes shooting look effortless, you know the “gun guy”, the guy who has a ton of knowledge about how firearms operate, the nomenclature, the fundamentals of shooting and it shows during training and competition.
How do those guys get so well-versed? Well, let me guess, they probably have been using firearms quite a bit and have been training at it for some time. When you enjoy what you do, you tend to want to do it constantly, and your efficiency comes from the repetitions that you’ve had. That person has learned the necessary skillsets and knows how to handle the ups and downs of tasks needed to operate a firearm correctly, can breeze through them, and is aware of all the tips, tricks that work. They’ve developed the “Muscle Memory” needed to efficiently use a firearm to defend themselves.
Well, it may not mean what you think it does. If you equate that once you’ve learned, you never forget how to ride a bike, weight lift, or throw a punch, to the actual muscles that help in performing those, then, well yes. When it comes to physical activity, when we’ve learned to perform movements well, we can do them automatically without any conscious thought, it’s probably better described as “Muscle/Motor Recall”, muscles don’t really have the brains to remember, but your muscle tissue/cellular structure can develop certain reactions. Your motor skills, even if you’ve been away from the game for a while tend to come back. Your body’s muscular ability and motor structure has learned to perform those movements so much and so well that the brain becomes accustomed to what needs to happen. So even if you’re away for some time, due to injury or other setback, those same fundamentals tend to return quickly, or much quicker than if you had never trained.
Regarding combative training, whether it be physical fitness, firearms and self-defense, repetitive training “recall” is extremely beneficial. The more you do, the more gains you accrue, and the more likely odds can turn to your favor.
When I think of memory, I think of a recollection of an event, maybe even some specific details attached, that I’ve encountered and is stored in my brain, my database. So, my past experience and what I’ve been through is entered into that database. The more accustomed I am to that data, the easier it is for me to process it.
It’s safe to say that Muscle Memory is a neurological process that allows you to remember and perform motor skills without conscious effort, therefore becoming more efficient at that skill. Those pros we spoke of earlier, they’ve spent some time honing their skills, have had so many repetitions and built such efficiency, that’s why they’re so good at what they do.
That “gun guy”, how much do you think he draws, shoots, reloads, moves, communicates, uses cover, performs well-thought-out drills, incorporates stress in his training, gets out of his comfort zone, and pressure tests his equipment? He’s probably been doing it for quite some time, continues to do it and gains the rewards of proper repetitive training.
Reps, constant reps! In every class debrief, I relay to my students the importance of putting in the work. Dry firing, we call it doing our homework. Those dry reps at home should be looked at as if it is the practice needed to better perform. Then, when you come back to see me in class, we can put it to the test! Not only will this make you a better shooter, but pressure testing your tools and abilities will assure your performance. It’s amazing how much we catch during training, the magazine feeding issues, extraction issues, sights or optics mounted improperly, holster problems, and so on, and so on. If you’re not training, you’ll never know what you don’t know. Also important, is getting out of your comfort zone and learning your true capabilities.
I was able to spend half of my career assigned as a full-time law enforcement trainer, coordinating primarily Firearms and Defensive Tactics Training. I had been involved in the Martial Arts since a very young age, I was able to continue and improve. When it came to firearms though, it was different, I had many who taught me so much, learned from my predecessors, partners, and others who I was lucky to have had the opportunity to train with. I learned early on that shooting is a perishable skill, if left unpracticed, the previously learned skills begin to fail. Your firearm is a tool. The only way you’ll get really good is if you train with it constantly.
Proper Repetitive Practice Builds Automatic Permanence!
Repeat, Repeat, Repeat… See you on the range!
