Women Learning to Shoot
I am often interested in many of the products that people are selling through BlogAds on my site, (I guess because the ads seem to match up to the topics I blog about) so I was pleasantly surprised when an outfit called DTI Publications Inc. ran an ad for a book entitled, Women Learning to Shoot: A Guide for Law Enforcement Officers.
I immediately ordered a copy and spent this afternoon reading over this nifty little gem.
The book could not have arrived at a better time--it really inspired me to want to practice my shooting again--something I have not done since I had my ICD (Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator) put in last year--mainly because the darn thing hurts and I don't want to irritate it. The first thing one of the doctors told me after the surgery was not to use a rifle on the side of my chest where the device was for a while. I told him that I would be more likely to use a handgun anyway so it wouldn't matter. The next thing I knew, the doctor had dropped off some literature on "studies" indicating that more people are killed with a handgun in their home by family members etc. (yawn) than use their weapons for any type of self-defense (this is actually not true). I laughed at the PC jargon and at the silly studies he gave me that boiled down to the fact that handguns can be used inappropriately by drunk, mentally impaired felons--well, Duhhhhh! I never needed a Ph.D to figure that out.
Anyway, my point here is not to go off on a tangent on the benefits of gun rights vs. gun control, but rather to focus on the great tips in this book written by two women, Diane Nicholl & Vicki Farnam. They focus on tips for female students who are learning to shoot and label their first chapter, "Risk and Opportunity". They talk to the female student about how to manage the mental risk of shooting and use a bit of psychology to talk to a fear of success that women may have when shooting.
The next chapters describe what a stance is and how to get a good stance, along with pictures and practice techniques. "Grip" is described in a subsequent chapter and I think, is quite important to get right, especially for women who tend to have small hands. The book describes a Modified Master Grip for women who have small hands or wrists which is a problem that I have had for most of my life. Technical tips for women are frequent throughout the book such as, "Women have sensitive ears. Make sure you have good hearing protection and it fits. Use foam ear plugs and muffs if necessary." I also like the section on emotional reactions to shooting and dealing with recoil--I know that I have a tendency to flinch at times which often knocks my front and rear sights out of alignment.
Finally, the last few chapters look at gun safety and gunhandling skills. The information is given in an easy to digest format that even the busiest woman can take in quickly. Overall, the book is quite good and I recommend it for women who want to learn to shoot as well as those who just need to perfect their technique.
Update: Glenn has some video of me shooting two years ago here. As you can see, I tend to flinch when I pull the trigger. Any advice from experts out there on how to get rid of this bad habit?
I immediately ordered a copy and spent this afternoon reading over this nifty little gem. The book could not have arrived at a better time--it really inspired me to want to practice my shooting again--something I have not done since I had my ICD (Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator) put in last year--mainly because the darn thing hurts and I don't want to irritate it. The first thing one of the doctors told me after the surgery was not to use a rifle on the side of my chest where the device was for a while. I told him that I would be more likely to use a handgun anyway so it wouldn't matter. The next thing I knew, the doctor had dropped off some literature on "studies" indicating that more people are killed with a handgun in their home by family members etc. (yawn) than use their weapons for any type of self-defense (this is actually not true). I laughed at the PC jargon and at the silly studies he gave me that boiled down to the fact that handguns can be used inappropriately by drunk, mentally impaired felons--well, Duhhhhh! I never needed a Ph.D to figure that out.
Anyway, my point here is not to go off on a tangent on the benefits of gun rights vs. gun control, but rather to focus on the great tips in this book written by two women, Diane Nicholl & Vicki Farnam. They focus on tips for female students who are learning to shoot and label their first chapter, "Risk and Opportunity". They talk to the female student about how to manage the mental risk of shooting and use a bit of psychology to talk to a fear of success that women may have when shooting.
The next chapters describe what a stance is and how to get a good stance, along with pictures and practice techniques. "Grip" is described in a subsequent chapter and I think, is quite important to get right, especially for women who tend to have small hands. The book describes a Modified Master Grip for women who have small hands or wrists which is a problem that I have had for most of my life. Technical tips for women are frequent throughout the book such as, "Women have sensitive ears. Make sure you have good hearing protection and it fits. Use foam ear plugs and muffs if necessary." I also like the section on emotional reactions to shooting and dealing with recoil--I know that I have a tendency to flinch at times which often knocks my front and rear sights out of alignment.
Finally, the last few chapters look at gun safety and gunhandling skills. The information is given in an easy to digest format that even the busiest woman can take in quickly. Overall, the book is quite good and I recommend it for women who want to learn to shoot as well as those who just need to perfect their technique.
Update: Glenn has some video of me shooting two years ago here. As you can see, I tend to flinch when I pull the trigger. Any advice from experts out there on how to get rid of this bad habit?
posted by Helen at 7:36 PM
98 comments
He discusses how we come to have relationship baggage that we carry into our next relationship, how to cope with your own relationship issues, and why you can't love someone into mental health and more.
