Is practical shooting competition a good way to train for self-defense?
No. It can be, if you have strong convictions and discipline and you do not get caught up in the “game,” but it would be difficult. The biggest difference between competition and a real gunfight is attitude and mindset. It is the difference between a sportsman-competitor and a soldier-warrior. The sportsman competes in a spirit of fairness and equality where each competitor has the same chance to excel. There are rules to follow and exacting standards of scoring to separate the tiny difference between first and second place. The rewards of success are glory and money, and the stroking of a healthy ego. In this context it is almost inevitable that the sportsman would delude himself into thinking that he would be awesome in a real gunfight. The soldier fights to stay alive. His enemys goal is to kill him. The soldiers goal is to take out his enemy with minimal risk to his own survival. Ambushes are ideal. Shoot your enemy in the back before he realizes that you are there. Given the reali
