Please join me in congratulating Will (Willociraptor) on a perfect 250!!
(https://i.imgur.com/sx9ukiR.jpg)
Well done. O0
Congratulations Will, That's some fine shootin! :F :snipersmi :F
Jerry
Nice job :F
Great shooting!
Will,
Glad to say I knew you when...you attended your first event and shot distinguished with irons, when you took a hat, and when you earned your Red Hat. You're an excellent instructor and obviously an outstanding shooter. Florida's loss is Alabama's gain. Congratulations seems like such a small word for such a big achievement.
In Liberty!
Dennis
^:)^
Outstanding.
Torque specs and locktite.
Huzzah!!! :F
Will, great job!! This shows you really know what you are about!
Congratulations Will!
Wow!! Nice shooting Will!!!
Aw, shucks. Y'all gon' make me blush!
Thank you very much, everybody. My sense of humor inclines me to make jokes like, "Perfect combination of Mountain Dew and mozzarella. Just the right amount of grease on the trigger!" (Hopefully you get the reference!) But I suppose it's better to do the responsible/humble thing. So here goes. (See what I did there? I'm having my cake and eating it too! HUZZAH!!!)
As excited as I am to have a 250 to my name, my successes would likely never have occurred without the top-notch instruction I've received over the years. True, a Rifleman persists, but it helps to persist in building GOOD habits not BAD ones.
The thing that made the most difference for me at this event was noticing that I wasn't properly engaging the riflestock with my trigger hand.
There are obviously a great number of things going on in the orchestra of solid marksmanship. It's simultaneously very complicated and very simple. My shots were going off here and there, and I couldn't figure out why. There wasn't even a pattern - left, right, high, low, you name it, my shots would just randomly stray from my point of aim. It was aggravating. Lost a lot of points on Stage 4 of my first AQT where the margin for error is so small. Going through the list of steady hold factors in my head during prep time, I realized that I had been skimping on "firm handshake grip, pulling the stock smartly back into the shoulder pocket," and the light bulb went off. I voiced my suspicions to the right-hand RSO and he said yep that'll do it. I knew how to fix my problem!
Once I fixed it, my score blew up from 229 straight to 250.
It was difficult to not fuss my shots. A voice in my head kept saying, "You've got a perfect score so far, something epic is happening here, don't mess it up!" And I wanted to "let perfect become the enemy of good enough." But the rifleman's bubble had to zone out even the voices in my head. It's just my body, my reticle, and my target. Allowing things to remain that simple was difficult. It's a mental game, but many hours of trigger time has taught me how to navigate it.
I feel compelled to enumerate some special thanks. I'm not just some dude who is a natural whiz on the rifle. Many people proactively opened doors for me and shared insights with me, out of the goodness of their hearts. I like to think that Appleseeders are just good folks like that.
So.
Thanks to .....
- B.C., for being the one who originally hooked me on the program with his passionate speaking about the history and heritage. Also for being the one who originally drilled that "smartly into the shoulder pocket" phraseology into my head at my first event in January 2018.
- TheMenace, for being my primary mentor as I made my way up through the IIT pipeline. Welcoming me into his home and answering so many questions in the comfort of his own back yard.
- BearArms, for teaching me that somebody is always watching. Everybody has a moment where they decide they either do or do not want to pursue Appleseed, so make sure to draw people INTO the program instead of away from it. I'm sure you know what I'm referring to.
- MinuteMom, who was the first Shoot Boss I'd worked with at any venue other than Port Malabar Rifle & Pistol Club. It's interesting to note the nuanced differences in the team dynamics of various local tribes of instructors, and the couple of events I worked with you were valuable in ways that a textbook or manual could never convey. I first met you at an IBC and we hit it off based on our shared spiritual convictions, and working with you was pleasant and informative. Thank you also for being firm with me and not signing me off on everything for my PC. I remember sitting there on the range, baking in the Florida summer sun, going through my PC quiz and getting drilled for not being absolutely verbatim correct on this or that. I had to go home and brush up on some things, and then get them right at a later event in order to get those items signed off. "What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives every thing its value." Thank you for forcing me to earn every single signature on the way to my red hat.
- Guntuckian, for … well, for existing. The depths of your knowledge boggles my mind, and whenever I ask you a question, the answer I'm looking for is always buried somewhere in the 45-minute discussion which invariably follows. You were the Shoot Boss at the event where I took my red hat, October 19-20 of 2019, and your POI gave me 14 of the 26 blocks of instruction, plus Line Boss duties. I remember the moment I read that POI in the email and got this feeling like I was going to be solely responsible for keeping the time monkey off everybody's back for so much of the event. I felt overwhelmed. I never asked you about why you did that, but I know you're no dummy - it must have been out of faith in my ability to deliver results. That experience was significant in that it taught me that demonstrating one's abilities to other people is one thing, but great things often come from demonstrating one's abilities to oneself.
- Sieggie, for delivering so many blocks of instruction using me as the model. I got sore, but it helped me explore the various positions and find what works for me. Certainly a key bit of knowledge in my development as a shooter, and it came at the pointy end of your stick!
- Malabar, for being available when I need it. As AOC chairman, I'm sure you have your plate full at all times, but you were always available when I had a question that I thought should be asked of somebody with your position. Not often does one find somebody with such stature and also such approachability. Thanks for the belt and the holster, and keep up the good work.
- PHenry, for … well, for existing. I lament the rarity of our interactions, as I expect we would make very good friends given enough time together. You're one of the stricter individuals I've met in the program, and I like it. Unwavering commitment to consistency is just as valuable in instruction as it is in marksmanship. Being a reader myself, I always appreciated the stacks of books you brought with you to events and were willing to discuss on the sidelines. Your sense of humor reminds me of my own, and I love that great big AR-10 which you so love to unleash before the "F" command is even finished being issued. You articulate the best argument for the M1 Garand that I've ever heard, and taught me about the word unalienable. You are a reminder that dynamite comes in small packages!
- and to SmoakinGun. You took me in to your house as a complete stranger, and we stayed up way too late talking about marksmanship, pedagogy, electronics, and philosophy. You never steered me away from literature typically mentioned within AS circles, but you introduced me to a vast array of literature typically not mentioned in AS circles. Intellectual horizons were broadened. Rest in peace, brother; catch you on the flip side.
I'm really excited to be engaging the Tennessee Valley cadre after my move from central Florida to northern Alabama. Looking forward to working and bailing with the crew here. Thanks again for the congratulations, and remember:
Fine instruction
+ Faithful and meticulous application
+ Persistence
= Success
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race."
- Calvin Coolidge
PS - This is a quick project that I whipped up about a month ago.
In the Marines, we would lay in the middle of a field and spend hours on end dry-firing at tiny little silhouettes painted on the side of a 55gal drum. Slung up and perfectly still, often with loss of circulation to our sling arm, getting rained on or what have you. They called it "snapping in." I decided to replicate this for myself. Don't know why it took me so long to do. I mightily encourage everybody to do something like this for themselves!
- Bought a cheapo 5gal bucket
- Took some old Redcoat targets and cut out the silhouettes. Used the remaining paper as a stencil.
- Grabbed some flat black spray paint and painted some targets onto my bucket using the stencils.
- Poof! Dryfire practice aid :)
For the week leading up to the event, I spent at least an hour a day snapping in. Slinging up, folding myself into position, and working through the six steps of firing the shot.
I found that the "call your shot" component of the sixth step was where a lot of learning took place. It's hard to explain, but when you spend a lot of time doing it, you'll get a feel for what I'm talking about.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE:
I am fortunate enough to have a very long back yard and empty land on the other side of my fence. Not everybody will have those things. If you need to, then just do this with a piece of paper. Tape the paper to a wall, and dry-fire indoors. The umbrella rule of "don't be an idiot" most definitely applies here.
Hazza, Will
Dave
Huzzah!!! You have always been an inspiration!!!
The epitome of Appleseed Marksmanship... many may seek this goal, but few will ever attain it. OUTSTANDING job Will. Semper Fi
Congrats Will!! What an awesome achievement!!
Will,
That was quite a tribute to your mentors and thank you for the tips.
HUZZAH! 250!