There is a large group of people who hold this type of belief, that competition shooting is bad. You will find plenty of LEOs and civilians who have been told competition is bad and believe it. Some cite the lack of tactics and others the specialized equipment.
The underlying thing that I have seen is that these folks see themselves as “serious” people and competition shooters as “gamers” who are not serious. No matter how good the competition shooter is he cannot be seen as “serious” because he plays a game; he must be discounted and rejected.
The most vocal of this crowd is the trainer who wants to teach them. This group is much larger than all the competitive shooters combined so there is a lot of MONEY to be made catering to them. That is why the debate rages on and the belief that competition is bad is promoted and protected. Just follow the money to find a school near you to be taught the evils of competition!
– Keith Garcia
Firearm User Network 
Patrick T
Feb 06, 2015 @ 05:25:58
I was reading this month’s Recoil magazine, and it had an article featuring Ken Hackathorn looking down on competition shooting for giving bad habits, saying that someone would go “one and done” on a real bad guy and get themselves killed. (Something like that, I’m paraphrasing here.)
My train of thought is that someone who competes regularly and has some basic practical weapons training background will have enough brain power to know to shoot more than once to stop a threat.
It got me thinking though. Are there any documented instances of a regular competition shooter getting themselves injured or killed by applying some kind of competition techniques in a real life gunfight? Because I don’t know of any.
LikeLike
John M. Buol Jr.
Feb 06, 2015 @ 22:17:24
>> Are there any documented instances of a regular competition shooter getting themselves injured or killed by applying some kind of competition techniques in a real life gunfight? Because I don’t know of any.
I don’t know of any actual instances and I’ve asked for examples:
https://firearmusernetwork.com/2012/11/15/does-competition-shooting-kill/
The “problem” of competition shooting is largely a fabrication that keeps getting repeated:
https://firearmusernetwork.com/2014/12/14/myth-of-competition-training-scars/
LikeLike
John M. Buol Jr.
Feb 07, 2015 @ 03:23:08
>> Ken Hackathorn looking down on competition shooting for giving bad habits…
You mean the same Ken Hackathorn that co-founded the popular competition shooting organization called IDPA?
LikeLike
Patrick T
Feb 07, 2015 @ 09:23:58
The same Ken Hackathorn, yeah. Here are the relevant quotes lifted from this month’s Recoil magazine.
From page 92:
Recoil: What difference do you see between shooters who train for competition and those who train for self-defense?
KH: Certain things are just different in the real world versus the competition or “game boy” world. A lot of guys talk about their splits and times. When I hear somebody talking about splits, I pus the delete button on them because they’re a game boy, they’re not a realist. That’s something that is very important in the world, but they’ve lost any semblance of reality in what they’re doing. You end up programming yourself with reflexive responses, and those responses can get you killed in the real world. They think that if it was a “real scenario” they wouldn’t do those responses, but in reality, they would.
There was a period post-Sept. 11 where all the special-ops teams in the military started bringing in champion shooters to teach them techniques. Once they went off to war and got a chance to apply the techniques, they found that most of it was bullshit and borderline suicidal in a real-world application. On the flipside, we’ve also learned that you can have a ton of military experience or a great record, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a great teacher.
Recoil: What do you see as a central obstacle for competition shooters looking to take more self-defense styled classes?
KH: The emphasis on speed and certain muscle memory drills can be really harmful in a real-world application. Under stress, the conscious analytical mind doesn’t work; only the subconscious mind can function from what it’s been fed. When bullets are flying, you’ve got the IQ of a lizard. FIghting with a firearm means having to work with what you’ve programmed into your mind – and that can only happen from practice. Everything we do is critical in that respect. A target in real life might not be “one and done.” He may keep coming at you, but you stop firing because you already hit them once – like you would a posed target on a speed competition. It’s not how fast you hit somebody. It’s where you hit them that can neutralize the situation. That’s where my Wizard Drill comes into play. You’ve got to learn to focus on an aggressor rather than a clock.
LikeLike
Patrick T
Feb 07, 2015 @ 09:26:09
Personally I think it’s a pretty silly view, because when people practice or train regularly, they are capable of doing amazing things when under stress. It’s not just a matter of going to a “lizard IQ.” And someone who puts themselves under stress and trains regularly (like say, competition) is going to perform better than someone who does not.
To me it’s a refreshing counterpoint that guys like Pat Mcnamara and Frank Proctor are all about competition as a means of training.
LikeLike
John M. Buol Jr.
Feb 07, 2015 @ 12:45:43
Recoil interview with Ken Hackathorn
Let’s see if I’m following.
This is why should use Ken Hackathorn’s Wizard Drill “to learn to focus on an aggressor rather than a clock.” The Wizard Drill consists of a single posed IDPA/USPSA competition target shot in a one-and-done fashion, usually with a single shot, while shooting on the clock. The timing is consistent with recommended practice guidelines for practical shooting competition.
http://soldiersystems.net/2014/12/06/gunfighter-moment-ken-hackathorn-7/
I’ll requote Keith Garcia:
“The most vocal of this crowd is the trainer who wants to teach them. This group is much larger than all the competitive shooters combined so there is a lot of MONEY to be made catering to them. That is why the debate rages on and the belief that competition is bad is promoted and protected. Just follow the money to find a school near you to be taught the evils of competition!”
Not that Mr. Hackathorn, a person offering instruction and training classes for money, would do this…
LikeLike
Colorado Pete
Feb 08, 2015 @ 18:33:45
You need to be a very good shot, you need some stress inoculation, you need some variety of challenge to test, measure, and grow yourself, you need some common sense in tactics, and some common sense in dealing with whatever situation in which you find yourself.
Competition of suitable and varying types can deliver most if not all of the above.
LikeLike
John M. Buol Jr.
Feb 09, 2015 @ 09:58:05
Good points, as always.
Besides the logical flaws I pointed out above, any claimed (or actual) problems with competition shooting are with specific events/disciplines only and don’t apply to organized shooting per se.
Any issue with a particular format can be, and probably already has been, addressed elsewhere. Find an organization or discipline that focuses on the things you consider most important. If that organization doesn’t exist, set up your own events.
LikeLike
John Tate
Feb 10, 2015 @ 20:08:02
Thank you for this posting. It formed a nice foundation for the start of my day.
Mr. Garcia’s observation is true in many fields: we are told to go to the “professional.” Maybe so, but …
Where lies that professional’s heart? The dollar or the product?
Whether in the craftsmanship of shooting, a mathematical proof or algorithm, writing computer code, artistry of painting or carving, the diagnostic skills of a physician, a police detective’s investigation, or even the mere turning of a mechanic’s wrench: if you want good work, even beautiful work, go to the craftsman who places his craft above his pay such that the pay is merely an incidental by-product.
A mechanic’s wrench? Yes, there too. A few weeks ago I sent my daughter’s car to an area dealer for diagnosis of a troubling electro-mechanical problem. I paid hundreds of dollars … for what? A misleading misdiagnosis and no remedy. I didn’t believe the diagnosis and went to a small, independent repair shop. Oh yes, I again paid hundreds of dollars … but this time the source of the malfunction was detected and corrected. So who is the prostitute, working for a dollar? And who is the craftsman who is rightly proud of his product?
“Ye shall know them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:16
Your posting also prompted me to pontificate on FaceBook:
Want to find corruption? Just follow the money.
Oh, there’s nothing wrong with getting a day’s pay for a day’s work. The problem is when a person’s motivation is the dollar and not the product.
Prime example: consider and examine the product of a craftsman who loves his work. His product will be far more beautiful and functional than that of the prostitute who performs for a dollar and will do anything for that dollar.
What defiles so many politicians and functionaries? The sale of their morals and souls for … money.
“For the love of money is the root of all evil.” 1 Timothy 6:10
Stay safe,
John
LikeLike
John M. Buol Jr.
Feb 11, 2015 @ 13:14:37
Instructors in the firearm and tactics instruction world are foolish if money is their primary objective as there are much more lucrative fields to pursue for budding entrepreneurs. There isn’t anything wrong pursuing material wealth, provided there is no deceit involved in doing so.
Defamation of organized competitive shooting (such as unfounded claims that it causes harm when no evidence of this exists) as a means to bolster for-profit class attendance is deceit.
LikeLike
John M. Buol Jr.
Feb 24, 2015 @ 20:35:59
More examples of special operations personnel stating the exact opposite of Hackathorn’s false claim:
View at Medium.com
LikeLike
Ken Hackathorn’s Selective Memory | Firearm User Network
Jul 01, 2015 @ 11:03:23