All great points, but the vast majority of firearm users (military, law enforcement, or civilians carrying concealed) are not being hampered because they’re spending too much time getting too good at improving their match scores.
This applies to already-skilled tactically minded shooters (I’m confident SGM(R) Pressburg’s students are an example) that are a second-ish off pace on a speed shoot or drill compared to a gamer.
This does not apply to folks that can’t keep up with Level 2 (C class, Sharpshooter, etc.) participants “because tactical.”
Getting good at anything begins by learning the most introductory basics. Getting good with firearms must start by improving on those things that will be universally beneficial to all applications in all situations always. Call them fundamentals or call it developing a shot process, the idea is the same. This is the part most humans fail to address as well as they could. Increasing improvement also increases the amount of diminishing return. Getting “better” must get more specific. The shot process has to become more refined and works for a decreasing range of contexts.
In competition terms, I’d peg this at around a Level 3-4 classification. Given a reasonably relevant discipline, this would be an NRA or IDPA Expert, USPSA B class, CMP competitor with some leg points, or something similar. Prior to this point, all improvement was very general and readily translated to any other use, however, now they’re at a point where improvement is beginning to demand shooting in the specific context of the game and may not translate to other contexts.
We can argue where this point (or area…) of diminishing return begins (feel free to comment below!) but the important idea is that it does exist. Just don’t confuse that fact as being an excuse to avoiding the general improvement that a lesser-skilled shooter (which is most humans) would benefit from.
My point is that we want to avoid very avoidable incidents like this:
https://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2019/02/re-holstering-range-shooting/
I’ve witnessed plenty of similar sloppy gun handling done by military personnel that had to be corrected (thankfully, done prior to live fire.) I have never witnessed anything like this done by folks that had participated in more than one or two matches.
Firearm User Network 
Mar 26, 2019 @ 09:29:58
>> Regarding ‘diminishing returns.’ I think I’d challenge this – certainly it was (is) NOT true from my shooting experience. Just the opposite was (is) true.
By diminishing returns, I do not mean there is no return or benefit, just that the amount of return diminishes compared to the amount of work and that the general overall return begins to lessen as the improvements become more specific to a narrowing range of contextual parameters.
Consider the ATC competitor rising through the ranks. Up through, say, Expert class, any improvement to score has a direct and relevant improvement to any rifle use. Their Smallbore scores would also improve proportionally, as would military rifle usage, field/hunting use, etc. Eventually, scores only nudge up by improving things that are increasingly contextual.
Increasing Standing scores from “can’t hit the backboard” to “usually hit the bull” will improve all other aspects of riflery and improvements will be seen reasonably quick and across the spectrum. Increasing Standing from a 92% average to 95% average will take lots of work as there are few mistakes to correct and that effort will produce less obvious benefits elsewhere. Not zero benefit but the increase is diminished.
>> I never felt any uneasiness or nervousness or foreboding from fire fighting or traffic stops or domestics like I did from competition. But there was a commonality: once I got ‘involved in the action,’ I didn’t have time to worry or be scared; I was too busy with the business at hand. I guess I’m not good at multi-tasking.
I’ve found the same. Also, based on laboratory assay, competition-induced stress does not abate over time. Even sedate activities can cause stress effects when a score is attached.
This is an excellent read:
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Apr 29, 2019 @ 18:43:54