Motivation...

[gspn]

I thought this might be a good motivation post for anyone trying to learn to improve their shooting abilities.

I'm currently reading a book called "Fearless". It's about a guy from Arkansas, great kid, high school football star etc, that gets strung out on crack cocaine and builds up a lengthy rap sheet before deciding...that he wants to join the Navy and be a SEAL.

Long story short:

- passes BUD/S
- Joins a SEAL team
- loses vision in his right eye when he's shot with a sim round
- to prove the eye injury isn't a handicap he goes to, and graduates from
sniper school by shooting with his non-dominant hand/eye
- has four fingers severed from his dominant hand in a vehicle accident in
Iraq
- fingers reattached to hand, but not the same as it used to be
- wants to be screened for SEAL team 6
- they initially turn down packet because he's blind in one eye and not fully
functional in his dominant hand
- teaches himself to react and shoot with non-dominant eye and hand for
both pistol and carbine
- in a selection process that screens out over half of the most capable
counter terror operators in the world...he graduates without the use of his
dominant eye and hand...all the while battling an addiction to crack cocaine


I thought it was a heckuva story with a lot of life lessons...but from the shooting perspective alone it is an amazing feat. With very limited vision and using his weak hand he was able to use his will-power to re-learn how to act and react to every CQB test they had at Green Team (selection process for SEAL Team 6).

My takeaway...if you think it's impossible to do or improve something with your shooting...this story should make you reconsider...buckle down and try harder.

 

[Sam1911]

So let's make this a useful THR thread for the members by focusing on how someone might do this...

.if you think it's impossible to do or improve something with your shooting...this story should make you reconsider...buckle down and try harder.

... and what factors we've managed to overcome or difficulties we've surmounted -- or are trying to?

 

[Sol]

I think the point of the post was to show even if you are a crappy shot keep trying, because a person blind in one eye, a disabled hand and noted smoker of crack became a good shot and SF soldier. Just because things are difficult doesn't mean they are impossible.

The book must be old(er) because the military does not accept anyone with a drug history or felonies. Assuming he was caught with crack which is auto felony in most places, he wouldn't have even made it to the "lunch with recruiters" application.

Or it's a work of fiction or I'm mistaken....

Which wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Sam1911]

The book must be old(er) because the military does not accept anyone with a drug history or felonies. Assuming he was caught with crack which is auto felony in most places, he wouldn't have even made it to the "lunch with recruiters" application.

Or it's a work of fiction or I'm mistaken....

Which wouldn't be the first time.

These matters are very clearly discussed in the book. I assure you it is in no way a work of fiction.

http://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Undaunted-Ultimate-Sacrifice-Operator/dp/0307730700

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzDZTpOK2Jw

Adam Brown's story is one of the most tragic, and beautiful, and heart-rending stories I've ever read. It goes far beyond inspirational. There are things in that book that will leave you pondering profound questions years later.

It is almost too trite to say that his accomplishments could inspire one of us to learn to shoot left-handed. But, maybe that kind of mundane personal victory in one of our lives can be part of his legacy as well.