Don't Move Faster Than You Can Shoot

Campfire Stories: Shooting Advice from a Veteran

One day in Afghanistan, I was on a patrol up a mountain. It was a long, rough route and I was drained when I got to the top. There was a chance of enemy contact on the other side and I continued to haul a$$, pushing myself to get to the top quickly. When we got there, I established security. My section SGT, a green beret (we’ll call him Bird Dog), came up to me and said, “Hey, what’s the point in moving so fast that when you get to the top you can’t fight?” I contemplated his question and responded, “I don’t know.” Bird Dog replied, “Brother, don’t be in a hurry to die.” I took a mental note to take a tactical pause before cresting a mountain or crossing a danger area.

Flash Forward a few years. I was conducting urban ops with a good friend and mentor of mine (we’ll call him The Beast). The Beast had 10 years of swat experience and 15 years of military experience at that time. We were talking about piing (cutting your angles around cover) and he made a great point: Never pie faster than you can shoot; you could miss and die. Instead, train hard so you can shoot and pie faster.

About a year later, I was shooting at Camp Perry with a friend of mine named Ben. Ben is a phenomenal shot and was named a Chief’s 50 and is a double distinguished marksman. We were trading tips and tricks and getting data at the 500 yard line when I made a bad shot and called it. He laughed and said, “if it’s a bad shot, don’t take it. Remember 5 X’s (or 50 points) is worth more than 10 twos (20 points). Slow down and get the points you can get.

There are absolutely times in life when you need to haul a$$, my point is not to slow down when you are breaking contact. But, if you’re on patrol, piing a door, or shooting a competition, don’t outrun what you can gun; always train to run and gun faster.