A few weeks ago I went to a shooting range with a friend who is a gun enthusiast and my son who was visiting. This was my second time handling a gun and I have a healthy respect for what I don’t know about them. Here in Arizona the number of gun owners is very high (I’ve been told 60% of adults have them) and you can open carry them. I admit I am ambivalent about guns and have judgments about gun owners– or maybe it’s the intent people have around their use.
My friend emphasized what we needed to know to be safe and was very vigilant in making sure we were. If you don’t know you wear special ear plugs or headset to muffle the sound as well as protective glasses so the bullet casings don’t hit your eyes.
What had a profound effect on me though was when he coached us through holding the gun, aiming it, and how to allow the trigger to surprise us when it fired versus anticipating and reacting to it which has you overreact; it felt like a lesson on how to accomplish a goal. We can indiscriminately aim at a goal, a target, and just fire away without focus or planning or we can take aim by planning, strategizing, and reevaluating our efforts (not ourselves) using the results which lead to more planning, strategizing, and reevaluating. For me to integrate an intellectual concept into a kinesthetic or physical experience was very helpful and broadened my understanding.
I admit that when I hit bull’s eyes it didn’t feel like I knew how I was doing it, it was more like “I did that?” My friend told me many times I did very well and I know he will take me out again if I want more practice. I don’t know what I will end up doing but I have this wonderful understanding about taking aim.
What are you ready to put your aim on?
Beth
My friend emphasized what we needed to know to be safe and was very vigilant in making sure we were. If you don’t know you wear special ear plugs or headset to muffle the sound as well as protective glasses so the bullet casings don’t hit your eyes.
What had a profound effect on me though was when he coached us through holding the gun, aiming it, and how to allow the trigger to surprise us when it fired versus anticipating and reacting to it which has you overreact; it felt like a lesson on how to accomplish a goal. We can indiscriminately aim at a goal, a target, and just fire away without focus or planning or we can take aim by planning, strategizing, and reevaluating our efforts (not ourselves) using the results which lead to more planning, strategizing, and reevaluating. For me to integrate an intellectual concept into a kinesthetic or physical experience was very helpful and broadened my understanding.
I admit that when I hit bull’s eyes it didn’t feel like I knew how I was doing it, it was more like “I did that?” My friend told me many times I did very well and I know he will take me out again if I want more practice. I don’t know what I will end up doing but I have this wonderful understanding about taking aim.
What are you ready to put your aim on?
Beth
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