Now let's bring this training into another area where we need to maintain proficiency--firearms. A firearm, like fitness, is a skill that may potentially save our own or someone else's life. Just as some of us may be better at certain exercises, so also are we sometimes better at different types of shooting and with certain types of weapons. Once again, the human tendency is to practice those things that we do well, more than the ones that we have difficulty with. I know from experience as a firearms instructor that poor bullseye shooters will rarely ever practice that discipline unless directed to do so, or if a qualification is imminent. That same shooter may enjoy and perform better at shooting more traditional qualification courses and focus on that strength, rather than the ones in which he or she is deficient. The shotgun, which is traditionally more difficult for instructors to teach and for many students to master, is another area in which officers spend less time. Why? The answer is simply because the shotgun is harder to get comfortable with, and to become proficient in. I rarely had any officer request additional shotgun time after the regular firearms session was over. On the other hand, I constantly had requests for more handgun time.

So that person who you see in the mirror each morning, the one who is buff, sexy, fit, and in your own estimation, tactically superior to most others, is not who other people see. What "we" see is someone lacking in certain areas, yet strong in others. We see a good officer who could be an even better officer if only he or she would round out their training to include those things that they don't do as well. None of us are perfect; each one of us has areas in which we need to improve, be it fitness, firearms, DT, tactics, or any other discipline. Get a wake up call; look at yourself through the prism of reality. Recognize that you need to work harder at certain things that are difficult for you to master. Conversely, less time need be spent on those things that come naturally for you and at which you are already proficient. Never be satisfied with that person looking back at you. Challenge him or her each day to become better, quicker, stronger, smarter, or even more compassionate. If after you read this article and tomorrow you find yourself content with that image that you see, call your optometrist--it's time for an eye exam! Stay safe, brothers and sisters.