HITTING IN COMBAT

A tactical shooting work emphasizes training based on the latest neuroscience.

Salomon isn’t shy about challenging conventional wisdom—he forcefully argues that the manner in which combative shooting is typically taught is not only ineffectual, but often dooms a learner to substandard practice as well. At the heart of his book is the distinction between visually aimed fire—this involves using the sights and body of a weapon—and nonvisually aimed fire, which directs the shooter’s attention to the target unassisted by such tools. First, Salomon believes this is a clumsy distinction since each requires different kinds of focus and presupposes a different type of neural circuitry. The author emphasizes the significance of neuroscience, the manner in which the brain learns and remembers, as the foundation of an approach to tactical instruction. Salomon contends that both skill sets are indispensable—he challenges the regnant view that visually aimed fire is impossible in real combat situations. In fact, he calls the assumption in this plainly blunt text “grade-A baloney.” Moreover, he insists that visually aimed fire must be taught first and acquired as the “dominant skill response” or it will likely never be learned. At the heart of Salomon’s lucid argument is his view that any approach must be aligned with “human cognitive architecture,” the peculiar manner in which the brain permits the long-term acquisition of new skills, especially those that must be exercised under conditions of extreme stress. In addition, he criticizes the sterile environments provided by most shooting ranges. The author strongly recommends a training program that prepares participants for the messiness of real combat: “Bad stuff tends to happen in situations where people need to shoot other people. In fact, it is typically a prerequisite. In very harsh settings, batteries can die. Optics can fail. Sights can break off guns. Visual acuity can be occluded from any number of things ranging from ambient light levels, lighting effects, mud, blood, chunks of skin and other soft tissue, glass, dust, dirt, etc.” Salomon delivers an admirably accessible discussion of prohibitively complex material, and encourages readers to consult the scientific literature independently, writings he often helpfully cites. This is a rigorous introduction to the subject best suited to novices.

A meticulous combat argument presented with evidence and without dogmatism.