[fastbolt]

Will competition get you killed?

How can someone can expect to arrive at a definitive answer to this sort of question for everyone else? Maybe for themselves. Maybe.

What does any particular person need to do in the way of training/practice in order to focus attention on some of the critical factors involved in deadly force encounters, especially where the use of a firearm as a dedicated defensive weapon is anticipated (and available)?

Foundation skillset (marksmanship, safe handling, etc)

Knowledge

Tactics

Continued/recurrent proper training & practice to ingrain the training to the point of unconscious competence, under physical & mental stress

Mindset

Experience

Equipment (familiarity, handling, manipulation, maintenance, etc)

I've known cops who enjoyed participation in various competition venues ... and those who didn't. I've known non-cops who did the same (on both counts).

I've seen folks from either end of both groups who experienced difficulties successfully completing qual courses-of-fire ranging from simple & straightforward (no stress and no requirement to identify the threat/non-threat targets), to rather demanding. Pretty much depends on the person, and their "marksmanship" was only one aspect of the equation, it seemed.

Personally, while I'm not at all interested in participating in "outside" competitive shooting venues, I'd not think to dissuade someone else from doing so.

I would, however, if asked, suggest that anyone interested in participating in various competitive venues remember to try and identify the differences between following "contest rules & tactics", and using the appropriate & optimal tactics in the "real world".

Marksmanship is a perishable skill.

Anything that reinforces good marksmanship can't be bad.

Good marksmanship is not the same thing as good tactics and mindset, though.

I've seen the occasional skilled Camp Perry, IPSC & IDPA shooter choke when faced with a close range drill where decision making and multiple threat targets were involved. Train for one set of conditions and then encounter another, and things might go fuzzy in a bad way.

Train for what you reasonably expect to have to accomplish ... and try to make sure your expectations are really reasonable.

Good trigger time is better than no trigger time.

Bad tactics can render good shooting skills a moot point.

As Deaf reminded us (and has been said elsewhere often enough), sometimes you can do everything right and still come out on the wrong end of things.

Maybe different folks have a different set of expectations and perception of actualized benefits from competitive shooting events. Dunno.

There's a reason the language used to describe deadly force encounters has often included things like dynamic, chaotic & rapidly changing ... right?

You happy with your training, practice and ability to employ good tactics, in a situational context, while trying to safely & optimally use your shooting skills?

I ask myself that question all the time.