Jacob Gottfredson had a great write on the Sniper’s Hide Cup, a sniper-themed competition.
http://www.tactical-life.com/online/tactical-weapons/cold-bore-competition/
The U.S. Military has had a long-standing policy of downsizing between conflicts and within a context of existing threats. The practice of augmenting active personnel with Reserve and National Guard units is growing. Combat effectiveness is predicated on the quality of training troops receive before deployment. This cannot be accomplished without adequate training resources and cadre. The military has relied more and more on civilian contractors to bridge this gap. During the Vietnam area, no civilian trainers were used. Today, civilian contractors are used in almost all training and logistical requirements the military seeks. Civilian training facilities, logistical support units, and security companies have sprung up around the world to fulfill the ongoing needs of the military and LE communities.
Battle is the payoff. Competition is the indicator. Shooting is a perishable skill. The more matches one participates in, the more likely he is to maintain his skills and his confidence.
On what it takes to be an effective combat marksman: “Solid delivery of the basics on-demand regardless of conditions and fatigue. The shooter still drives the gun — it doesn’t shoot itself.”
–“Sinister Dave”, former commander of the Army Marksmanship Unit
Firearm User Network 
John Veit
Sep 23, 2011 @ 09:56:52
If you are talking sniper or plain rifle shooting, there may be some to a lot of relevance between competition and combat, but not much if any, if you are talking about home defenders.
When I was in the Army a half century+ ago, we fired our M-1’s at “normal qualification distances.” We also had walk thru courses with pop up targets, and house to house shoot-em-ups.
Those courses of fire may have relevance to today’s SWAT type Police work, but probably not much for the average Police officer.
Per the article, here’s the shooting distances involved:
“There are normally three distinct sections of the match (but who knows what their evil, creative minds will conjure up for next year). The short course is shot from 30 to 200 yards. To do well in this section, a competitor has to have a rifle that shoots well at those distances and a calm demeanor not to let his nerves get the better of him at the speeds at which this course is run. The long course does not require a half-inch rifle, but it does test the shooter’s skills in judging distance and wind. The third section is combat pistol. If you cannot shoot a pistol while you are moving, you are destined not to do well in these events. Stop moving, and you are disqualified.”
———-
Now, we know that most all police pistol combat takes place at under 21 feet, not starting at 90 feet or farther. And most all home defense shootings will take place in “average sized” rooms.
Here’s what one gun maker, whose guns come sans sights, has said:
“The 25 yard shooting proficiency test for carry qualification required by many issuing authorities is absurd. It’s a request to perform a feat that would land you in jail if you ever tried to perform it “in self-defense.”
“It’s like passing a driver’s test that requires you to slalom between traffic cones at 120 miles an hour. Seventy-five feet shooting proficiency is not too much to ask from a police officer who may be firing at a barricaded target, as the ability to drive at high speeds is not too much to ask from a Trooper pursuing a fleeing vehicle, but it’s ridiculous to ask it of civilians.”
“Shoot an “assailant” at 75 feet. Then try to find a lawyer good enough to keep you out of prison.”
Here’s a link to the full article by Larry Seecamp that also can be found with others on the seacamp.com site: http://www.pointshooting.com/1acamp.htm
As a parting shot, if civilian trainers are really capable of training, and the training has relevance to combat, how come the Police miss more than 80% of the time in CQB?
Or are the trainers training in techniques that have little if any relevance to reality.
Inquiring minds want to know, or at least I do. :-)
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