What Really Makes a Gun Owner
a Real Shooter
Over the years of running this blog, we've become accustomed to readers asking us most frequently about shooting simulator models, their specifications, prices, and which kit is best for a beginner versus an experienced user. We're happy to answer these questions, because a detailed comparison of specifications and an analysis of technical nuances are a significant part of the benefit our blog strives to bring to its audience. But sometimes, after recommendations have been made and a kit has been purchased, other questions start coming from those same people. They sound something like, "I've been training for several months, but I still haven't achieved the results I expected." And then it becomes clear that we may not have clearly conveyed one very simple, yet no less important, idea. Choosing the right simulator is just the tip of the iceberg, and everything else depends entirely on you—or, more specifically, on how often, and most importantly, consistently, you conduct your shooting training.
Don't have any illusions
This isn't a demotivating message, but rather an encouragement to discipline and patience. The paradox is that in the world of fitness or, say, language learning, this fact seems more obvious. No one expects you to become fluent in Spanish after two weeks of daily classes, much less believe that ten trips to the gym will turn you into a Mr. Olympia winner. But for some reason, when it comes to firearms and the desire to learn to shoot, many fall into this illusion. It seems that simply learning firearms safety rules once, followed by a couple of trips to the range, is enough to perform like a pro in a critical situation. In fact, it's quite the opposite, and the difference between a good shooter and a poor one is often explained not by natural talent or expensive equipment, but simply by the amount of time a person has actually spent practicing the same movements.
How the brain remembers movements
We will talk about new neural connections and muscle memory. Any skill, be it riding a bicycle or shooting with a weak hand, is not developed at once and not after one intense training. In order for a movement to become natural and no longer require constant control of consciousness, it must be repeated many times, and these repetitions must occur with a certain frequency. If too much time passes between workouts, the brain has time to forget what it has learned, and each subsequent session essentially starts from scratch. If training is frequent, then each subsequent session builds on the previous one, and progress accumulates like a snowball.
The key to successAnd here we come to the most important point, the very reason for this article. No one-time intense training session, even if you spend half a day at the shooting range or on the firing range firing several hundred rounds, will produce the same results as shorter, more regular sessions. Because in skill development, repetition frequency is more important than duration. One six-hour session once a month is far less effective than fifteen twenty-minute sessions every day or every other day. This approach to training is well known to professional athletes and instructors who work with the military or police. They have long noticed that those who train for twenty minutes every day show significant improvement after a month compared to those who train for three hours once a week, even though the total time spent may be roughly the same. And that's precisely why owners of home training systems, whether simple apps like iShooter or complex simulators like VirTra, are so fortunate. The whole point is that they can afford these short but frequent training sessions without having to go to the range and pay for every shot there. |
Final thoughtsSometimes I find myself thinking that too much attention is paid to comparing specifications and too little to consistency and discipline. Perhaps this is because specifications are much easier to talk about: they can be measured, compared, and evaluated. Consistency, however, is more difficult to talk about because there are no hard and fast numbers or formulas. Yet, it is this seemingly intangible variable that ultimately determines whether a person will succeed. Therefore, if you've already purchased a shooting simulator or are just planning to buy one, ask yourself not how many megapixels its camera has or what the delay between the trigger and the laser pulse is. Ask yourself something else: are you willing to devote at least a little time to training, and do it consistently? If the answer to this question is yes, then results are certain to come, regardless of the specific model you choose. If the answer is no, then even the most expensive and sophisticated setup will turn out to be just a toy that will gather dust on the shelf. |
We have developed a large number of software for shooting simulators. You can get acquainted with all products in the catalog.
Pre-installed shooting exercises and advanced 3D editor for dry fire. For government, military, law enforcement, police, self defense, bodyguards, security services, sports shooting, ISSF, IPSC / USPSA and IDPA practical shooting.
Pre-installed shooting exercises and advanced 3D editor for dry fire using artificial Intelligence of characters (3D models of human avatars). For government, military, law enforcement, police, self defense, bodyguards, security services.
21 different pre-installed shooting exercises and historical campaigns from Second World War for children and adults.
12 different pre-installed shooting games and exercises for children and adults.
24 different pre-installed hunting shooting exercises with 8 species of animals.
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