Long Week Training Future 2A Leaders.

I spent the week training about 200 new shooters in basic marksmanship and fundamental rifleman skills. It was a very nerve racking environment, but the benefits are amazing for the future of 2nd Amendment causes. I'm given a very narrow set of rules to follow, but we do what we can with what we have.

All week was also spent in my hammock in the woods. It was absurdly hot even during the night. At one point, I could feel the sweat dripping off the bottom of the hammock. Insane conditions to try to sleep in, but worth the effort. I tried to stay busy until 11pm when the cool started to seep in from the woods, but even that was of little use with temps at 80 degrees and the humidity hovering near triple digits. A couple nights storms rolled in and it was a nice change to have wind to cool off the hammock bottom.

Many parents were more than amazed at the things that were taught in my time with their children that they didn't know themselves. Eye dominance was a huge skill set that most common shooters know little about prior to getting frustrated. Bone to bone over muscle holds, trigger squeeze orientation, directional bias, target fixation, etc. It was amazing to watch how limber young minds can be.

There were a few combat vets there with their kids and one day we had a rain out and all packed into a pavilion. A few of them were suffering with the noise and activity so I took them aside and for a cool drink and a chat. It takes a lot of situational awareness training to spot them all, but with a little practice, it's pretty easy to spot people that are teetering on the edge. I just wish the rest of society would put the phones away and take a chance at meeting the people around them instead of the screen full of people they barely know. A little small talk and social etiquette goes a long way.

Some of the best training I was given for spotting distress was presented to me in a Divemaster class years ago. Once you start keying on the little things, the small cues become more obvious to you. As in most instances, the hand tell the tale, along with body position and direction.