Do I really need training if I've been shooting for years? I already know how to shoot, I grew up shooting and shoot out in the woods and at the range all the time.
A lot of people have a good idea of the basics of shooting, either from growing up and getting shown by a parent or just learning by themselves out at the range. You can certainly get good at many of the skills of shooting just from practicing yourself but if you want to move on to the next level and make sure you are training correctly and efficiently then getting help from a professional instructor can help immensely. Oftentimes it is hard to see what we are doing wrong ourselves and it is easy to fall into bad habits.
If you goal is simply to be proficient at plinking, shooting cans and punching paper at the range then investing in proper training might not be necessary but if you want to potentially use your firearm for protection then having the required skills and mindset is a must, both as a responsibility to others and as a matter of personal liability.
A good analogy is that of driving. Most people can safely and easily drive around town, get on the highway, and park their cars. It doesn't require a ton of thought and once you learn how to drive you don't really improve or change your driving habits a great deal. Now if I throw you into a 600 horsepower Ferrari on a racetrack suddenly your driving skills will feel completely inadequate. You haven't learned how to apex corners, how to trail brake, how to manage over and understeer and everything is happening much faster than you are used to. This is a lot like going from shooting cans in the woods to having to draw your gun in a defensive life or death scenario. We all like to think we are racecar drivers but do we really have that skill when it comes down to it?
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